He swatted my ass hard enough to make me yelp. “I let you sleep in. I didn’t have to make you anything.”
“Sorry, sorry.” I bowed my head in dramatic fashion. “It was very kind of you, Mr. Sallis. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Keep it up, Blue Eyes.” His tone suggested he’d very much like for me to keep it up. But he switched gears quickly. “I had riding clothes and boots sent up from the general store.” He nodded to a shopping bag on the bed.
“Ah, that’s what we’re doing.” I’d been horseback riding before but it had only been a few times and many years ago now. It had been something I’d always wanted to try again. The ranch was the perfect place.
“Yes. And I took the liberty of picking out some underwear from your room.”
I peeked inside and found a pair of white lace panties and a matching bra lying on top of tissue-wrapped bundles, which I assumed were the riding clothes. “The virginal look. How very naughty of you.”
He smirked. “You mean, how very naughty of you. I’m not the one who will be wearing them.”
He crossed to me and kissed my forehead. Which was different and made my stomach swim with a rush of excitement.
“If I stay here with you,” he said, reluctantly, “you’ll never get dressed. And I have a few things I need to do anyway. Meet me downstairs when you’re ready?”
“Okay,” I said around a mouthful of toast.
“You know where my office is?”
I nodded, my gut tightening at the mention of the locked room.
“Don’t take all day.” He eyed me a moment, as if enjoying the sight of me, then he left.
The minute the door shut, I let out a heavy sigh. The morning so far had been perfect. Beyond perfect. The day ahead seemed to be promising more of the same. Reeve was going beyond my expectations to prove his commitment to the change in our relationship. It was a relief, for one, as I knew how easily promises made in the dark disintegrated in the daylight. It also produced a whole host of emotions I couldn’t even identify, most of them pleasant. I was thrilled. I was excited. I was flustered. I was flattered.
But I was also overwhelmed.
Things were happening suddenly, and I still had baggage that I hadn’t had time to figure out what to do with. Amber-shaped baggage. While part of me wanted to let it all go and follow this new path with Reeve, I couldn’t give up on the promises I’d made to her in the dark. Whether that meant I still wanted to swipe his office keys to check out the recordings, I hadn’t decided.
And it didn’t have to be decided now. Today would be for Reeve, to find out what we could be to each other. I’d given enough days to Amber to let at least one be my own.
Two hours later, I was sitting on the back of a chestnut quarter horse named Milo winding through the most beautiful mountain countryside I’d ever seen. Reeve rode beside me on a black stallion named Playboy, which I’d remarked was fitting. My boyfriend – I’d started calling him that more in my mind, testing it out, getting used to it – was a skilled rider. Though he’d stayed with me for the most part, he’d also made sure that I saw him show off his form, galloping ahead at times then circling back to me a few minutes later.
We’d chatted for some of the ride, about nothing important, the scenery mainly. But we’d also been silent, letting the landscape speak for itself. Letting the things between us stretch and yawn without manipulation or force. We’d been out for an hour now, and, while we weren’t technically anywhere closer to figuring us out, it felt like we’d settled a great deal. It was well worth the ache to my tailbone, though I was about ready for a break.
As if he could read my mind, Reeve said, “We’re almost to the river. We’ll stop there and let the horses drink before heading back. I brought some sandwiches we can snack on there.”
“You packed us a picnic? Whoa there, cowboy. You’d better be careful or someone’s going to call you romantic.”
He laughed. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. It’s not substantial enough to be called a picnic. But I am glad that my attempts to impress you haven’t gone unnoticed.”
As if he had to impress me. Yet, it was impressive all the same. And strange, since I’d never really been wooed before. It gave me a feeling of unbalance that had nothing to do with how high I was up from the ground. Sweet and sappy wasn’t exactly in my realm of understanding, nor was it what I truly wanted. It was good in small doses – necessary, even, to repair the parts of me that ached and mourned. But I hoped it wasn’t a replacement for the elements of our earlier relationship.
“Thank you for the clothes, by the way.” The outfit he’d bought me had included stretchy form-fitting breeches, a white button-down, and a riding jacket. Along with the boots, I looked like a western wet dream, which was why I added, “I think they may be as much of a gift for you as they are for me.”
His eyes seared over me. “You do look pretty fucking hot; I’m not going to lie.”
That’s all he had to say and I was fantasizing about him pulling me off my horse to ravage me amongst the scores of yellow wildflowers.
I squeezed my thighs against Milo and tried to distract myself. “Why did your father buy a cattle ranch? I mean, it’s breathtaking, but odd considering that most of your properties are focused on luxury.”
He was silent for a beat. Long enough for me to worry that the changes I’d perceived in him were only superficial. That he still wasn’t willing to open up to me.