Page 50 of Crowned for His Son

She was touched, but also aware that until her mother gave her attention free of conditions, and until they cleared the air of past acrimony, she shouldn’t open herself up to it. And yet she ended the call with a lighter heart, feeling happier with their relationship than she’d been in a long time. Even hopeful that, in time, their interactions might be less transactional and more bond-forming. As much for herself as for Max.

But if she was so susceptible, what else would she fall for? Especially when it came to the man who commanded the very ground she walked on and who, it seemed, could pull miracles out of the air.

A little scared to contemplate that fully, she shoved it way down on her to-do list and prepared for her first ride with Azar, fighting the blush at the remembereddouble entendre.

A pair of white jodhpurs and a matching top, polished boots and an elegant little cap had been laid out for her by Silvia when Eden stepped out of her shower the next morning. At this point she’d already stopped being awed by the efficiency with which their lives were run.

Dressed twenty minutes later, she was transported by a sleek little electric buggy to an area of the mountain retreat where a row of stables and an open paddock housed stunning thoroughbreds.

And there, making her despair at just how incredible he looked, was Azar, dressed to ride. His white jodhpurs clung to muscled thighs, the black belt and polished boots bringing every line of his powerful body into heart-stopping relief.

He turned away from her to watch a stable hand walk out with two mounts—one a massive, shiny black beast with a swathe of white down its forehead, and the other a cream mare with an uneven splash of black and brown spots that made her all the more eye-catching. Despite the stallion’s size, the mare tossed her head repeatedly at him, in a brazen show of insolence that drew a huff from the other beast.

Eden was grinning at her antics when Azar took the reins of his stallion and turned. The snap of awareness thickened in the air, and her breath shortened in that way that screamed her pleasure at being the sole focus of his attention.

‘Are you ready?’ he rasped, after a charged scrutiny.

She was much too aware of the sensual roll of her hips, of the tightening of her skin, the clenching of her sex as she made her way over to him.

‘I’m not sure. As far as I can recall I’ve never ridden a horse before.’

Something flickered across his face, gone before she could decipher it.

‘We’ll take it easy on your first outing. Come, let me show you the basics.’

His instructions were succinct, and easy enough to follow. Not so much the scrambling of her brain as his hands slid around her waist to steady her as she placed her feet in one stirrup. By the time she was seated in her saddle Eden was hopelessly breathless, and thankful when, after another sizzling look her way, he turned to his own horse.

Since he’d laid out his conditions yesterday she’d wondered why he wanted her along for horse-riding—especially if she was an amateur. It ceased to matter the moment he mounted his saddle.

He lookedmagnificent.

Man and stallion were made for one another, the two so infinitely exquisite it was almost unbearable to look upon them.

‘Something wrong?’ he asked, obviously catching her gawping.

Shaking her head, she shivered all over again when one strong hand covered both of us.

‘She can be spirited when she wants her way, but she’s also my gentlest, most intuitive mare. I’ll take control if necessary. All you have to do is hold on.’

Firm, reassuring words she suspected held a deeper meaning.

Where she craved warmth, acceptance and safety, Azar craved control.

The knowledge didn’t so much render her breathless as she was already holding her own breath, searching his dark grey eyes. For what? A sign that the reasons her emotions remained caught in a maelstrom were no longer there? That the man who’d so coolly retreated after putting a ring on her finger to secure his son had somehow morphed into one who was open to the seismic feelings moving through her?

Even before her spirits fell, before the shutters came down over his eyes, she was kicking herself for her foolish yearnings. For harbouring hopes she had no right to. Yes, Azar had been considerate, even kind, but it had all been to facilitate his own goals. To control and ease the path for claiming his son.

In between trying hard to contain those emotions and absorbing the stunning vista unfolding before them, she didn’t realise how contemplative Azar had grown until he pulled both horses to a stop.

‘You’ve ridden a horse before,’ he told her. ‘In Arizona. That may have been your first time.’

The tightness to his voice snagged her attention. Her spine tingled with warning. ‘You… We weren’t together?’

His jaw clenched for a few seconds before he shrugged. ‘You were with Nick.’

‘I see,’ she said, then shook her head. ‘Tell me why it makes you angry to talk about Arizona. I need more. I don’t understand…’

For a long stretch he remained silent, his gaze on the far distance, tension tightening his shoulders.

---