Page 13 of Ride With Me
Savannah seemed comfortable, at least. Maybe being around the horses would relax her, help her open up. This could be good for us.
I stopped in the bathroom before I made my way outdoors. Savannah’s boots were missing from where she’d left them by the door, so she must have snuck past me into the barn. I detoured to the pasture to grab the last horse that needed to come in that night.
Henry had always been one of my favorites, and I wasn’t a horse guy. He was sweet, mellow, more of a pasture ornament than a horse that got ridden with any regularity. I clipped the lead line to his halter, rubbing the white blaze on his otherwise pure black body. He nuzzled his nose against me.
Savannah was standing in front of Lady’s stall when I led Henry toward the barn. “Hey, Savannah,” I called out to her. “I want you to meet my favorite boy.”
A look crossed her face. Horror? Terror? Grief?
“Ace,” she whispered.
I knit my brows together in confusion. “No, this is—” I broke off when her eyes just grew wider as I took a step closer. Her hands were shaking.
What the hell was happening?
“Dammit.” I put Henry in his stall, not bothering to remove his halter, and shut the door.
I crossed the barn to reach Savannah in four long strides. “Savannah, love, look at me.” I put a finger under her chin and tipped her face upward to meet mine, reading the emotions in her eyes. Fear, pain, longing. What was going on in her mind?
She was frozen in place. Her head shook ever so slightly back and forth, but she didn’t say anything or move.
Yeah, it was time to bring out the Dom. I dropped my voice into the deeper register. “Savannah, look at me right now, love. Only me. I’m going to take your hand and we’re going to walk into the house. Understand?” I took her trembling hand. She didn’t resist while I led her back through the barn and toward the house.
I’d known since the first time I’d been paired with Savannah that there was something in her past that she wanted to keep hidden, and that had been fine with me. But when it threatened her safety, like freezing in the middle of a barn full of horses? Yeah, it was time to talk about it. We needed to work through this.
I sat Savannah on a couch in the living room and settled into the armchair across from her. Too far, if you asked me, but we’d get there. “Savannah, we need to talk.”
She blinked, opening her mouth. “I—I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Yeah, that was a given. But she wasn’t getting out of this that easily. I pinned with my stare. “Who is Ace?”
Savannah shook her head. Her eyes glistened with tears, and one made its way down her cheek before she swiped it away with the back of her hand, her gaze fixed firmly on the worn carpet.
I cleared my throat. “No, love. I’ll respect your limits, your privacy, as much as I can. But you froze in the middle of a barn, with horses around. That’s not safe. I need to know what caused it so I can make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Savannah shook her head again. “No. Can’t. You’ll think—I can’t.”
I cocked my head, my eyes narrowing. “I understand the need to keep certain things private, Savannah. However, please don’t keep things bottled up because you believe I’ll think one thing or another.” I leaned forward, closing the space between us “Now, there’s something you’re keeping bottled up inside you that made you freeze today, and that put you in a potentially dangerous situation. I think it’s time we had a little chat to address you putting yourself in danger, and to discuss what was going on in your mind that got you there.”
Savannah finally peered up to meet my eyes. Yep, she knew exactly what I meant by having alittle chat.
“Tell me your safe words, doll.”
Savannah bit her lip, but she didn’t object. “Yellow for slow down. Red for stop.”
I scooted forward until I was sitting on the edge of the chair, my knees at a right angle. I patted my lap. “Good girl. I need you to use them if you need them. Over my lap, now, love.”
Her natural submission was beautiful to watch as she rose from the couch and moved to stand next to me. Slowly, but smoothly, without hesitation.
I nodded at her jeans. “Lose the pants, Savannah.”
Her breath hitched. There was the hesitation.
She’d hesitated taking off her pants for our scene at the club, too. She had a beautiful body. The scar that ran the length of one thigh, puckering the skin, only added to her uniqueness.
Was it something about that scar?
She swallowed hard, but pulled her jeans to her knees.
