Page 98 of Kage

He was downright sinful.

And completely off limits.

Nothing had changed at this moment.

With his torso and legs pressed against mine, his arms wrapped around me, the closeness felt almost as intimate as when we’d had sex. He grabbed the reins, doing nothing more than holding them in one hand.

“This is… terrifying. I can’t do this.” I was being honest. I’d had acrophobia for a part of my life, the effects more severe as I’d gotten older. I hadn’t thought being just a few feet off the ground would do me in, but I had a swarm of butterflies in my stomach.

“You’re with me, sunshine. As I told you, I won’t let you fall.”

“Then what will you do?”

He patted Sadie and pulled the reins. “As I told you before, you’ll need to trust me.”

CHAPTER 26

Kage

Trust.

How many times had I suggested Juliette could place her trust in me? Enough that I almost believed it myself. Maybe a small part of me wanted her to feel relaxed around me. Or maybe I was tired of the tension between us. Around her I either wanted to fuck her brains out or turn her over my knee.

Neither method had done a lot of good. She’d mentioned her desire to ride a horse. I owned one.

Here we were.

Only in my attempt to appease her to some point, we’d found an incredible spot on my uncle’s land I hadn’t known existed.

I’d spent some time researching her without her knowledge, even finding a couple of her social media accounts.

Not that I would admit to discovering them or enjoying the adventure of learning more about her. She was definitely not like her father.

What she’d photographed over the year was amazing, her creativity in the use of light incredible. Not that I’d tell her that. She’d likely never allow me to live it down.

But seeing the world through her eyes was a deep reminder that there were beautiful things in the world. I’d been forced to see the worst in humanity, so much so my world had fallen into shades of gray when black and white hadn’t been available.

Not the best way for anyone to live.

As soon as I jumped off Sadie, I took a deep breath. It was impossible not to given the incredible scenery.

“This is like out of a movie,” she said from her perch on Sadie’s back.

I took a step closer to the bank of the crystal-clear lake, noticing a few fish. As I lifted my gaze from the green grass surrounding the edge to the bank of mature trees and finally tipped my head toward the sky where there was a perfect view of the mountain range, I felt a sense of peace.

Maybe this was what Henry had been talking about.

A man might be able to find himself out here.

“Don’t forget about me,” Juliette called from behind.

I smiled, which I’d been doing far too frequently lately. “How could I ever forget about you?”

“Then why don’t you get me down?”

“Maybe I’ll keep you right there. A man needs peace.”

“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re an asshole?” She laughed, the lilting sound sending chills through me.

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