Page 34 of Rival
“Doubtful, but why should I care?”
Swallowing, she blushes and focuses on her feet instead of me. “I just meant I have a friend who was just offering to teach me how to ride. He said we can do it sooner rather than later, so it won’t be long. I’m sorry I’ve been an inconvenience, but I’ll get myself sorted as fast as I can.”
He? Who the fuck is this friend?
With nothing more to say, I wrap my hands around her waist without warning and hurl her onto the back of my horse I saddled earlier this morning. She scrambles to right herself, but an inkling of pride hits me when she doesn’t flounder as badly as last time. Do I mention that to her? No, because sitting down isn’t praiseworthy.
Scowling at my intrusive thoughts, I slip my foot in the stirrup and pull my body up behind her. I know I’m in a foul mood, and I need to get control of it before I actually say something I’ll regret. Most people know me as an asshole, but it’s more from lack of patience around idiots than me just being a dick to be a dick.
Edith’s rigid as she sits in front of me, and this time I don’t say anything to make her more comfortable. It’s my fault she’s uneasy sitting like this, so if I can get to our destination fast enough, we can dismount and get on with our day.
Holding the reins tightly, my arms around her, I urge my horse to pick up his speed and we gallop toward the opposite side of my land. As soon as we clear the main property line with the field laid out in front of us, I drive my heels into Austin’s flanks and the three of us begin our sprint.
Edith’s hair starts to come free almost immediately as we reach our max speed, and the strands dance across my face as she does her best to hold in her gasps of excitement. Her fingers slip over my thighs, and she digs her nails into my muscles to ground herself as the movement of the horse drives our bodies closer together.
Since she can’t see me, I let the speed fill me with joy, grinning as I lean forward. My chest presses to her back as I bend her over the pommel so it’s easier to race through the grass. I’m sure her stomach is resting against the saddle harder than is comfortable, but she’s not complaining, and I inch down a bit further. My horse’s mane is slapping our faces and I just barely hear her sigh of pleasure as it escapes.
I catch the scent of her hair, and my eyes fall briefly to the side of her neck. The vein is pulsing wildly under her skin and an urge to press my lips to that spot becomes all I can think of. Tucking my head lower, I hover my mouth over her neck justas my horse stumbles, then drops forward, his knees practically hitting the ground.
My body slams into her, and she grunts in pain as the pommel is driven deep into her body, just below her sternum. With the horse shifting under us to regain his footing, Edith tries to grasp onto anything as she slips to the side.
“Hang on!” I shout, then as fast as I can, I wrap the reins around my left hand and pull back to help keep us from going down and throw my right arm around her, yanking her back. “Shit!”
With how hard I jerk us back, we start slipping backwards, and her ass rams into my lap. I ignore the pain as I right us. Finally, we slow and come to a stop, Austin’s body heaving from exertion and fear from the almost fall. My arm is still locked around Edith, and her chest is rising and falling just as quickly as mine.
I tighten my arm and immediately regret it when she inhales sharply. My eyes fall to her face, and I can see that she’s in pain. “Where are you hurt?”
Shoving her hands against my arm still locked around her, I let her go and she blows out a relieved breath. Rubbing her stomach just below her sternum, she flicks her eyes up to me before looking away. “I’m okay. This handle just drove really hard into my stomach.”
“Lift your shirt.” I frown at where she’s rubbing, and her hand freezes at my demand.
“What?” Her question is breathy, and I grow frustrated that she’s not allowing me to check out if she’s injured.
Gripping the bottom of her baggy t-shirt, I start to pull it up. “I want to see your stomach and make sure you aren’t hurt too bad. Nothin’ more than that. Now show me.”
With shaking hands, she pulls the cotton from my fingers and lifts the bottom just far enough for me to only seethe smooth skin just above her belly button. Her stomach is trembling under my perusal, but I ignore her as I inspect the skin where she was rubbing her hand.
It’s bright red and when I lay my hand over it, I can feel heat radiating from her skin. She sucks in a breath at the contact but doesn’t utter a word.
“You’re probably gonna bruise from the pommel. You good to keep going, or do you want me to drop you back off at the house?” Edith drops her shirt and attempts to straighten it out.
“The pommel?”
Pointing at the rounded handle on the saddle, I nod once. “Yeah, that’s what it’s called. Now, you good, or should I take you back?”
“I’m fine, but do you think you should check on the horse? He might be hurt. Wait, what’s his name?” Her rapid comments are fired off quickly and when she asks his name, she strokes her fingers over his neck like she’s trying to soothe him.
“Austin. I’m sure I told you already.”
Her lips part and she blushes. “Sorry, I knew that. Is he alright? What happened?”
“Fuckin’ hole in the field. This is why I check it regularly. It can fuck animals up pretty quickly.” Grabbing the reins, I give him a little kick to get him walking to test out his gait. Edith is stiff in front of me, and she’s digging her teeth into her lip. I don’t doubt this whole ordeal was terrifying for her. It scared the shit out of me, too.
Austin seems to be walking fine, but I keep our pace much slower to ensure he’s alright. “I think he’s good, but we’ll walk the rest of the way. You okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. Does that happen a lot?”
My mouth twists to the side in thought. “Not really. We haven’t had a tumble that hard in a while. I’ve never been thrownbefore if you’re worried. But it can happen. Here, why don’t you hold his reins and get a feel of leading?”
