“In bed?” she asked, her expression stretched in confusion.
“Yes, Andi, in bed.” I swallowed a chuckle because she wasn’t making this easy. “With a man,” I added.
Her expression softened then, sliding into realization as she said, “Are you—are you talking about…?”
“Sex?” I supplied and held back a smirk as her cheeks went pink. “Yes, ma’am, I am. That’s the trick. Rock your hips like you’re having sex.”
She snapped her eyes to mine.“Zane!”
I grinned then, unable to hold it back any longer. “Hey, I’m not sayin’ it to be crude. Think about it: hips loose, rhythm steady, movingwithsomeone instead of against them.” My voicewas lower now, steadier, no longer holding that edge of teasing. “Trust the rhythm. Let it carry you.”
She stared at me for a second like she was trying to decide whether to laugh or slap me…and then she actually tried it.
And hell if it didn’t work.
Her body eased, the tension uncoiling from her hips like a rope let loose. Not perfectly. Not instantly. But there was flow now. Give. Trust. She stopped fighting the movement and started riding it. And I… I was in a shit ton of trouble. Big, cold-shower trouble as her hips moved in sync with the mare’s gait, smooth and easy now, and every damn part of me noticed.
I swallowed hard, watching her. “That’s it.”
She looked over at me, her cheeks pink. “How does this look?”
Like I’m in way over my fucking head.
“You nailed it,” I said, forcing the grit out of my voice as I quickly cleared my throat and stepped beside the mare. “You looked like a natural.”
She gave a breathless little laugh. “That was fun.” And something in her face softened—be it pride, confidence,joy. It lit her up.
“Let’s stop there for today,” I said. “End on a win.”
She nodded, still glowing, as I helped her dismount, my hands at her waist. I felt her tremble—not from fear this time, but…something else. Something that made my own skin feel like it was buzzing with static. Her long, dark hair brushed my cheek as she slid down with my help, and when our eyes met, something inside me misfired. I was supposed to be keeping my distance—earning her trust so I could figure out what she was hiding. But in that moment, I wasn’t thinking like a man with a plan.
I was just thinking about her.
Chapter Twenty
Zane
Over the next few days,Andi’s riding lessons consumed all of my spare time.
I didn’t hate it, though.
She’d gotten confident enough to saddle Dolly on her own—still didn’t quite get the cinch tight enough, but she tried her best. I usually waited until she walked off, then went back and double-checked it along with everything else. She’d been so proud of doing it all herself that I didn’t have it in me to step in right then and correct her. Couldn’t let her ride out on a loose saddle, though, no matter how good she was getting. I’d made a mental note to walk her through it again soon in a way that wouldn’t break her newfound confidence. There was something about the way she threw her whole heart into these lessons, and maybe I was starting to care a little too much about making sure she didn’t lose that.
I leaned forward, resting my forearms over the top rail of the small training arena we’d moved her lessons into as Andi took her time getting into the saddle. “Why don’t you do a few laps and warm her up? I’ll be right back.”
She didn’t question it, just gave me a little nod and nudged Dolly forward into a steady trot. I watched for a moment, lettingmyself enjoy how far she’d come—how natural she looked in the saddle now—before slipping off toward the barn. By the time I reappeared with Cash saddled, she’d brought Dolly to a walk, turning her in a wide circle.
She pulled up short when she saw me. “What’s with the horse, cowboy?”
She’d called mecowboyplenty of times by now, but she usually delivered it with a bite sharp enough to draw blood. Like it was meant to be the greatest insult in the history of the world instead of just an honest reflection of what I was. But this time? It didn’t sting. This time it almost sounded like maybe she was starting to mean it differently.
I swung into the saddle like it was nothing, met her confused eyes. “Thought we’d venture outside the fence today. Head down to the creek.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Really?”
“Really,” I said, reining Cash over to the gate and holding it open for her. “You’ll need this, too.” I reached down to my saddle horn and grabbed the cowboy hat I’d looped there—an older one of mine, worn soft and shaped just right—and handed it over to her as she met me outside the arena. “Sun’s unforgiving out there,” I added, letting my eyes skim her face before I could stop myself. “Wouldn’t want you burnin’ that pretty little nose.”
The second I said it, I half-waited for her to roll her eyes or fire back. But she just looked down at the hat, almost shy, like she wasn’t sure what to do with the gesture at first, then slowly settled it onto her head. Adjusted the brim to shade her eyes. Smoothed her hair underneath it. And something about that did a number on me I wasn’t prepared for.
