Page 55 of A Marriage of Convenience with a Rake
“I promise nothing will happen,” Sebastian said softly. “It’s quite safe. I promise.”
Eleanor looked at him wide-eyed but said nothing, and Sebastian gestured to the mounting-block, which had two shallow stone steps carved into one side.
“If you climb up there, you can step onto his back,” Sebastian told her gently.
“My dress...” Eleanor said, gesturing to her ballgown. Sebastian frowned.
“Do you think it will get torn?”
“No,” she admitted, and even in the pale light of the lamp outside the stables he could see her cheeks redden. “It’s too shortfor riding. My legs will show.”
Sebastian reddened. “It’s just me,” he told her gently.
She held his gaze and he swallowed hard. Her eyes were wide and frightened, but there was another expression there, one he couldn’t read but which made his heart race with longing.
“Yes,” she murmured. “It shan’t be a problem.”
Sebastian swallowed again, his heart soaring. She went up to the mounting block and stepped into the saddle. Her dress did, indeed, go up to her knees but Sebastian did his best to look away, walking up quite casually to the mounting block. Starburst stood like an angel, not trying to walk forward or sidle away as Sebastian mounted up behind her.
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her against him. His hands took the reins, and he bit his lip, trying not to react to the sensation of her soft, warm body nestled close to his.
“I’ll ask him to walk ahead,” Sebastian told her. “He understands if I lean just a bit forward and lift the reins, like this,” he added, leaning fractionally forward, jerking gently upwards. Starburst stepped forward and Eleanor gasped.
Sebastian tightened his grip on her, holding her close against him. He breathed in, the scent of her dizzying him this close. Her satiny gown rustled against his legs, and he could feel her warmth pressed up against his chest. Her calves were bare, their warmth pressing on his legs, traceable even through the fabric of his thick trousers.
“We’ll not go any faster,” he told her gently, as Starburst walked ahead. He was walking briskly, and Sebastian could feel Eleanor tense, but as they walked for a few paces, she relaxed. He felt her rigid posture soften.
“He’s going nice and slowly,” Eleanor said.
Sebastian smiled. “He is.”
She was still sitting very rigidly, but the terror that had been in her earlier was not there anymore—he could not feel herhands clawing at the pommel of the saddle anymore.
“This is not unpleasant,” she murmured.
He grinned. “Good.”
She was leaning against him, and he held his breath for a moment, his senses swamped with desire. He could feel her soft, lovely body pressed close to him, her sweet thighs resting against his legs, her soft warmth pressed to his chest. He could hardly breathe.
“Here we are,” he said softly. “We’re almost there.”
He could see the lights of the house much closer now. The garden was silent, the moon’s soft rays illuminating it to a grayish lightness. He breathed in. The air was cold and smelled dew damp. The moonlit garden was beautiful.
He guided his horse gently around the back of the house and led them to the stairs that led up to the back door. They would be able to enter the house without bumping into any of their guests.
He dismounted, thudding down to the lawn, and she gasped.
“It’s all right,” he said in a calm voice, gratitude to Starburst for his impeccable behavior filling him. The stallion didn’t jink sideways or walk ahead and stood as still as a statue with her on his back. He patted him gratefully. “I’ll help you to dismount.”
“I’m scared.”
He breathed in, his heart twisting. “I know,” he told her softly. “But there’s no need. I’ll hold him still. Here. You need to swing your leg around, and then I’ll catch you. Here you are,” he added, as she swung her leg over and he reached up, gripping her waist.
She slipped her other foot out of the stirrup, and he lifted her, holding her up for a second before gently lowering her to the ground. He put her down carefully and she gazed up at him. Her skin was pale, her green eyes huge in the darkness.
“It wasn’t terrible.”
He chuckled. “No,” he told her softly. “Good. You didextremely well. You were so brave.”
