Page 13 of Dangerous Stakes

“If you don’t mind your date smelling of horses and saddle leather, I’d rather go now. I’m starved.”

“All right, then. There’s a great pub in town with live Irish music and good food. Not fancy, but well-prepared and lots of it.”

“Good. I have a substantial appetite.”

He grabbed her arm and spun her back to him, crushing her against his chest as he kissed her hard and with feeling.

“Don’t be teasing me, wench. That’s bad girl behavior, I’d much rather spend our first encounter pleasuring you than having to discipline you,” the brogue and his tone of voice had both deepened.

She smiled, already recognizing what that indicated. Susan slid her hand between them and felt the hard length in his breeches.

“Wench? Seriously?”

“Aye, wench. Now, come on. Let’s go to dinner. I mean to satisfy one appetite before I encourage and see to the other.”

He turned her around and swatted her ass for the second time. Her giggled response was everything Rory wanted and needed to hear.

* * *

They sat close together and held hands most of the evening as they listened to the live Irish band and ate dinner. On a Sunday night, the band invited the audience to sing along and participate in their performance. Susan could see why Rory enjoyed the place. Rory paid the bill, and they walked out to his truck with their arms around each other’s waists.

“You should know,” he said, “that the day after a show, the barn is closed. My staff have the day off and I do everything myself. But that means we won’t be disturbed,” he said as he opened the truck door.

She smiled seductively. “That’s good to hear. I didn’t fancy being shooed out of the house at dawn’s early light to save your reputation.”

He chuckled. “Tis not my reputation that concerns me. If you don’t mind that people know we’re a couple, I certainly don’t.”

“Are we? A couple I mean.”

“I can only guess what you’ve heard when I was competing internationally. I’ve always wondered if that hadn’t played a part in what happened. I don’t bring women home and I don’t take them to bed lightly. There has to be more to it than a quick piece of tail.

“So, yes, as far as I’m concerned, we’re a couple. If you have doubts about that, you can sleep in your own bed until those doubts are resolved.” She reached for the door to let herself out and Rory stayed her hand. “You’re going to need to learn to wait until I open the door for you.”

“Don’t be silly.”

“I’m not being silly, and I’m not teasing. I believe that a man treats his woman with respect and kindness,” he said opening her door and helping her out.

Susan shook her head. “How does that work with your notion of spanking me when I piss you off?”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly.

“It’s part and parcel of the same thing. I won’t spank you just because you piss me off. But if you flout my authority or break a rule, there will be consequences. I care about you, and I take care of what’s mine.” He dropped his hands to cup her backside and pull her into his groin where she could feel his desire for her. He lightly petted her bottom. “Even when that care means giving you some old-fashioned discipline followed by a hard ride between your legs. Now, are we a couple, or do I need to take another cold shower?”

She smiled. “A cold shower doesn’t sound very pleasant. How about a nice hot shower with someone to scrub your back?”

He chuckled. “I’m more interested in having you pay attention to my front.”

“I like the sound of that.”

* * *

They walked into the quaint, vintage farmhouse. Rory related that it was well over two hundred years old and shared the amount of time and hard work he’d put into it. She was amazed that he’d managed to get the farm and training facility up and running at the same time. His single-minded dedication to make a new life for himself and reclaim what the Olympic disaster had stolen from him revealed more about his character than she’d ever guessed.

Rory wasn’t inclined to give her a guided tour. He was far more interested in getting her into the master suite. It wasn’t large by most people’s standards, but it held all of the essentials, including a king size iron bed, a small reading nook, and an attached bath. It also contained an original fireplace that Rory had converted to gas. He switched on the fire, which lent a soft glow to the room as well as taking the chill from the air.

Susan glanced into the bath. "Mmm, it might have a large shower but no bathtub? No wonder you don’t have a woman,” she teased.

He walked to the French doors that led out onto a small private patio on the opposite side from the barn. Opening them, he directed her attention to a deep hot tub for two. “Will that suffice?”

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