“You had already made a first impression on him the first time you met,” Chico reminded me. “It’s all going to be fine. Take a few deep breaths and get back to your lesson when you’re ready.”
I gave myself another couple of minutes to wallow before pulling myself together and returning to Leo. He was standing inside the stall of a beautiful black horse, scratching the underside of its long muzzle.
His face brightened when he noticed me. “Everything okay?”
“In theory. Just had a moment. I’m fine.”
He raised a questioning eyebrow. “We can hit pause on the lessons if you’re not feeling up to it.”
I stepped up to the stall door, leaning on it to watch him absently stroke the horse. “It wouldn’t be fair to waste your time.”
“Spending time with you wouldn’t be a waste,” he insisted.
My heart did a stupid flip. “So, what’s this beauty’s name?”
“Eclipse. He’s a ten-year-old Andalusian and the best boy in the stable.”
“Can I pet him?”
“Absolutely. He loves attention. Come in slowly and stay where he can see you.”
I slipped inside and Leo reached out, his palm on my waist guiding me to a safe spot. My body reacted to that single touch as if he had pinned me to the wall, goose bumps dancing over my skin and my breath coming short. I laid both hands on Eclipse, stroking his glossy coat. Leo was so close, and it took every ounce of my willpower not to lean into him. His scent was faint, but this close, it was like huffing perfume. The scent of rich mulberry and earthy lavender wove through me, stitching itself into the fabric of my being.
My willpower faded quickly, the contact of my back to his chest making my stomach clench. Okay, maybe Tyler wasn’t too far off in not wanting anyone but Charlotte to teach me. Leo was warm against me and he didn’t make a peep about my increase in contact.
“How long have you had Eclipse? His whole life?”
“Pretty close. I got him as a yearling and trained him myself. Charlotte adores him. I’ve been thinking about letting him retire early to go live on the ranch with her.”
“That’s so sweet. What would you do for a horse if he retired early though?”
“Ride one that the arena owns. I don’t have to worry about it right away. He’s one of our best performers and does a lot of lessons, so he’ll be here for a few more years at the very least.”
I swallowed hard, catching our reflection in Eclipse’s eye. I was going to have to get myself together before I went home. If I was weird at all, Tyler would sense it and I wasn’t looking forward to the fight it would cause if he found out I had a potential scent match here.
“Think you’re ready to ride?” Leo asked.
The man or the horse? The answer to the first was a lot closer to yes than it should have been. “I’m ready.”
Part of me thought the universe was finally taking pity on me by bringing Madison back to the arena, but maybe it was fucking with me. Every innocent touch from her was magnified, every sweep of her gaze over me setting my blood to simmering. Her mahogany hair was pulled into two braids to accommodate the helmet, showing off her heart-shaped face. Raspberry gloss drew my gaze helplessly to her lips as she spoke.
There was nothing sexual about teaching her how to saddle Eclipse, but every time our hands brushed, I thought about stealing her away to some private alcove.
Get a fucking grip.
Charlotte had been clear that Madison was with an alpha who didn’t want to pack up, which meant she was entirely off-limits. I always thought it was selfish of alphas to demand monogamy when omegas thrived in a pack system.
If Madison was happy, that was the only important thing here. Except… was she? The last time I’d seen her had been at Charlotte’s birthday, when her boyfriend had been up her ass for getting her picture taken with me in costume, like a dozen other people at the show had already done. He might as well have had a neon sign over his head saying INSECURE.
“Did I do everything right?” Madison asked.
I checked the saddle and bridle again, though I had watched her do everything already. “Looks good to go. Let’s get you up there.” I showed her how to hold the reins to lead Eclipse and took them both out into the arena, where Charlotte was sitting with Chico.
We used the edge of the arena as a ladder for Madison to get onto Eclipse and her eyes widened, staring down at the ground. “This iswayhigher than it looked when I was standing.”
“You’ll get used to it. Eclipse won’t let you fall and I’ll be right there to catch you if the impossible happens.” I adjusted the stirrups for her, making sure they were the right length and that she was able to sit comfortably. “I’ll hold the reins for our first lap so you get used to the movement of him. You can hold onto the saddle if you need to.”
I drew Eclipse into an easy walk, Madison’s fingers white-knuckling the saddle.
