“Do you see him?” Zane asked.
“No. I think we lost him.”
“I think so too, but best we find a place to park and get out of sight for a while.”
He went a little farther and then turned the horses down a tall brush-covered trail and maneuvered them up and over a small slope, coming to a stop under a buddingtree. He set the brake and immediately jumped down to check the horses. She watched him pat their necks and check their hooves before climbing back onto the seat beside her.
“Your cheeks are flushed and you’re smiling,” he offered. “I think you and the horses need a rest.”
“How are they?”
He nodded and started taking off his gloves. “Winded, but all right. I’ll see they have a good rubdown when I get them back to the stable. I thought you were going to be frightened, but I don’t think you ever were.”
“Frightened? No. Well, maybe for a few seconds,” she answered truthfully, still feeling the intensity and madness of what had happened and very much protected by him too. “The ride was so exhilarating! You were so daring and masterful in the way you handled the horses with strength, yet care for their well-being. They followed your lead perfectly.”
He placed his gloves on the seat between them and started untying his neckcloth.
“I’ve never seen or been a part of anything so unbelievably thrilling.”
His gaze stayed on her face. “That’s because it’s dangerous and shouldn’t be attempted often.”
He unfastened his collar and loosened his neckcloth. Watching him heated Brina, and she pulled off her bonnet and placed it on top of his gloves.
“I understand now why young men like to race curricles,” she said in an exuberant tone.
“It’s something most men learn to get good at if they don’t want to lose a lot of money or their self-esteem.” He gave her a tweak of a grin. “Am I now forgiven for wanting to wait for you to return from the school so you could join me today?”
“Yes, you are,” she maintained firmly. “Completely.”
Brina continued to assess him. His windswept hair, the brightness of his eyes, and the look of strength in his face drew her. The longer she looked, the more her senses whirled. Tightness bound her chest. Zane’s confidence and skill had been incredible.
He was incredible.
Without thinking about what she was doing or why she might be doing it, and despite every ounce of sanity she had, she threw herself into his arms and her lips came down on his with a demand she didn’t know she was capable of issuing.
Chapter 14
The force of her weight knocked Zane back into the corner of the carriage, lifting his feet off the floorboard, though he seemed not to notice. In one swift motion, his legs spread and he caught her between his thighs with a primitive groan. He accepted her hard, eager, and commanding kiss. With ease, his hands slid under her cape, circled her back, and pulled her close, pressing her breasts against the firmness of his powerful chest as if he were trying to bind her to him.
They clung together, his lips as hungry as hers. Neither seeming to get enough. His tongue probed deeply into her mouth over and over again. Their breaths came in ragged little gasps of infinite pleasure.
“Mmm,” he whispered against her lips. “I needed to touch and kiss you like this.”
Heart-throbbing impatience filled Brina with an eagerness she couldn’t ever remember feeling before.
“Why did you make me wait so long?” she asked between deep, searching kisses.
The rumble of his chuckle thrilled her. “I was only waiting for you to let me know you were ready.”
Brina leaned her weight onto him when he ran his hands down the sides of her body. Cupping her hips, he shifted his body to fit her softness against his hardness. Her womanhood clinched deliciously. Immense pleasure filled her, and she had no desire to stop what was happening between them.
She intended to relish every moment of it.
Her fingers curled into the fabric of his waistcoat before relaxing and brazenly skimming down the front of his trousers. A breathy, satisfying moan left his throat. Knowing her provocative caresses caused his body to tighten and tremble with need, she touched him again and again.
Their intense, ravenous kisses didn’t slow. Neither did their searching caresses. Brina wasn’t sure she understood the explosive spirals of sensation shooting through her at alarming speed. These were new to her but wondrous. She couldn’t deny herself the exquisite vibrations that had taken control of her senses, her body, and her mind. The ecstasy of what she knew was about to happen between them was shaking her to the core.
It couldn’t come fast enough.
