“No. It’s important to order it all quickly now. My address and details are already there, so go to the checkout.”
His hand was still resting against my knee, and I covered it with my own as I clicked the buy button. “All done.”
“Good. We’re almost there.” Rhys caressed my thigh without looking away from the road.
The pain was getting worse, each cramp more intense than the previous one. I took deep breaths and traveled to my happy place.
The grass tickled my abdomen as I lay in a meadow with my chin in my hands and my feet in the air. Horses, as free as me, ran around without a care in the world. The sun shone on my back and I jumped to my feet to pet a gorgeous mare that stopped to steal an apple from my basket. She let me mount her and galloped as I held onto her mane and laughed.
“Where did you go?” Rhys asked, yanking me back to reality.
“What?” I wrapped my arms around my belly and groaned.
“You drifted off somewhere. Are you okay?”
“No.” I pouted. “I’m going into heat with only a stranger to rely on. So I imagined my happy place.”
“What is it?” The patience in the Alpha’s voice was admirable considering my crankiness.
“You’ll laugh.” I crossed my legs to keep the slick in, but my butt was getting damp.
“I won’t. Tell me what would make you happy.”
I looked at his profile, his chiseled jaw dusted with dark stubble, short hair in the darkest shade of black I’d ever seen, and his muscled chest peeking from under the shirt he’d quickly thrown on when we’d left the hotel.
If you pretend to care about me for those few days of my heat, I’ll be happy enough.
“Riding a horse on an open field. Just being free with the wind in my hair.” I hugged the blanket tighter. “It’s stupid. I know nothing about horses.”
Rhys released a soft chuckle. “I love that.”
“You promised not to laugh.” I bristled, crossing my arms.
He squeezed my thigh briefly, then returned it to the wheel. “I’m not laughing at the idea, but at the coincidence.”
“What do you mean?”
He smiled and turned onto a gravel road. “Look ahead.”
A vast field stretched in front of us, with a two-story house on the right and a row of stables on the left. From there, a wooden fence surrounded at least a dozen grazing horses.
I stuck my nose to the window glass like a child at a candy store. “Where are we?”
“Home.”
I looked between him and the animals. “You have horses?”
“Yes. Taking care of them calms me.” His lips quirked in a smile. “When I’m away for work, I have nice people coming over to cater to them.”
“Are you kidding…” Grinning, I rolled down the window, not caring that the wind messed my hair up. “They’re gorgeous. And they look so chill, like they don’t have a care in the world.”
“I hope that’s the case. They’ve been through enough before I brought them here.” Rhys pulled to a stop in front of the houseand unbuckled. “Let’s get you through the heat, then you can meet them. How does that sound?” He stroked my back and pulled the blanket up to my neck.
I wiggled in my seat. “I can’t wait for it to be over for so many reasons now.”
His expression grew serious. “I’ll help in any way I can. I promise.”
“Thanks. It wasn’t a jab at you. I’m grateful you agreed to fuck me for the next few days. But now I have something to look forward to after the heat.”
