Zara Stoneley Read online

  The warmth of his hand wrapped round her calf and ran headlong over the nerves like a stampeding bull. That fine line between being scared and being turned on. Great, just what she needed before she got on an unstoppable horse. She bit down on her lower lip and tried to stop the pulse of need that was flickering through her body.

  He’d hoisted her on before she had time for any more dirty thoughts. The mare stood rock solid, apart from a shiver that shimmied its way through her body from withers to tail. Well that makes two of us girl. She automatically ran a reassuring hand over the warm neck and slowly slid her feet into the irons. Breathed. Sat up straight.

  Jake winked. “Scaredy cat.”

  “Easy for you to say, you’re the one that wimped out.”

  “A humanitarian act.”

  “Humane, not humanitarian.”

  “Says the school swot. Okay?”

  She nodded and he encouraged the mare into a walk. The ripples of tension travelling right through the leather saddle and into her body. “Stop.”

  He did immediately, slowed the horse to a stop without a fuss. “And?” Raised an eyebrow.

  “I know I’m going to live to regret this, but let’s take the saddle off.”

  Sat bareback on a horse she didn’t know, who had a problem with stopping, wasn’t Georgie’s idea of a good day out. But she had to try it, she went with her instincts, like she always had with her own horse. Which was probably why she’d survived.

  They set off again, the choppy stride gradually lengthened with relief and the involuntary shudders faded to an occasional twitch. After three circles Jake grinned and effortlessly called a halt. “Fancy doing a Lady Godiva for me?”

  “In your dreams.”

  She swung her leg over the back of the horse and slid to the ground, and as she touched the ground he was behind her, so close she could feel the warmth of his body.

  “I satisfied your dream.” His lips were so close to her neck she could almost feel the words seep into her skin. “So maybe it’s my turn.”

  “Who said I was satisfied?”

  He chuckled. “The look on your face did, gorgeous.” His finger traced a slow path down from her ear, to the point where her neck met her shoulder, along her collarbone to the midpoint. She swallowed, felt the pressure against her skin, the tip of his finger circled and her nipples bruised against the lace of her bra, a warmth building between her thighs.

  “You need to sort the mare.” Christ, she sounded wanton, where the hell had that husky beg in her voice materialised from?

  “I need to sort you.” His arm reached up past her, and she watched mesmerised as long fingers with short dirty nails unbuckled the bridle, as he drew it down over the horses head, dropped it at his feet. “So that’s the horse sorted.” His hands slid over her breasts as the horse ambled off and put her head down to pick at the grass. Firm thumbs circled the hard buds and she closed her eyes, willed the feeling through her body, leant back to stretch her neck, reach out for every last bit of the sensation. “And now it’s your turn.”

  Sharp teeth nipped at her neck and she groaned, tilted her head as his hands travelled down her body, as he popped the button on her jodhpurs effortlessly, reached one hand inside.

  He pressed firmly over her covered clit. Shit, that was good, far, far too good. A slow pulse started deep inside her and she knew she was swollen, waiting, wet. One finger reached inside her and she whimpered, she couldn’t help it.

  “You’re as twitchy as that horse.”

  He slid a second finger in, deeper inside her, sucked on the softness of her neck, his other hand still cradled her breast, strong fingers teasing her nipple.

  “And you’re hopefully as unstoppa—” Her words were cut off as he pressed that perfect spot that was guaranteed to send her tumbling over the edge. His arm was round her waist, holding her firm as she shot from gentle vibration to explosion in one easy step. And she was still fighting for breath when he eased his grip on her, slid his fingers free, slowly pulled her zip back up.

  “Nice to see you tidy up afterwards.” There, she nearly sounded normal. When she glanced up he had a dark grin on his face that was almost territorial and the sharp clutch in her stomach was more like fear than pleasure. “And you’re not a one trick pony.” It still didn’t goad him into saying anything, or lighten his features.

  Finally, when she was just on the verge of either hitting him or letting go with a spout of verbal diarrhoea, the fixed features relaxed.

  “Oh, I’m not a pony Georgina, I’m all grown up,” his finger rested lightly under her chin so that she couldn’t look away if she wanted to. Not that she wanted to, she was more than a match for his staring games, even if they did leave her a bit over heated like a grill someone had forgotten to switch off. “Just like you.”

  “So, why didn’t you finish the job off, like a real man?” Shit, how did they go from mind bending sex to sparring like it was a natural progression? Georgie knew she had the power to wind people up, but she didn’t want to. Not really. She didn’t like the antagonism, it was just a game, to get a reaction. But with Jake, she had a horrible feeling that if she let him he’d lead her somewhere far more dangerous.

  He chuckled, and the low rumble sped like an express train straight to the still warm, swollen part of her between her legs. “You mean shag you? Having it all handed out on a plate is boring, fighting for it is much more fun.”

  “Christ, you’re infuriating.”

  This time when he laughed it was the full all on male version and it made her smile. Even though she didn’t really want to. Even his damned eyes seemed to join in.

  “Come on, I’ll give you a coffee.”

  “No food?”

  “I don’t eat in the day.” Or anything else it seemed. She tried not to pout.

  “No food at all, nothing? But I’m hungry.”

  “So am I darling, hunger is good.”

  She preferred satisfaction personally.

  “And this isn’t bed and board, it’s just a job.” He was laughing at her again.

  “Some bloody job, I don’t even seem to be getting paid in kind.”

  “I’d say we get exactly what we deserve.” She was almost shocked when his firm lips came down unexpectedly on hers. A short bruising contact that made the riposte on the tip of her tongue head off somewhere else of its own accord. He smelled of sex, shared lust, but she knew he wasn’t going to give in whatever she did. She wasn’t quite sure if he was paying her back, tormenting her, for threatening to move back here, or whether that primal urge inside her had found its match. Either way, finishing the job he’d started would have been more fun. Maybe he’d decided in his macho way that he could make her rethink by making her desperate for him. Well bollocks to that, two could play at that game.

  She didn’t move back, stayed where she was, with that few inch gap between their lips. Refused to reach up and touch that perfect mouth, or stroke her own tender aching ones like she wanted to.

  “Let’s get that coffee then, shall we?”

  “Sounds good to me.” He didn’t move either, the warm breath that accompanied his words drifting over her. Boy, was he smooth. And sexy. “Rowena called me this morning, she wants to see me, us.” The way he said it sent a little shiver down her spine. “Now, I wonder what that is all about?”

  She licked her suddenly dry lips. “You rang her first.”

  “I did.”

  “We could go now.”

  “We could indeed. I can’t wait.” The dry tone prickled its way over her skin and for some reason made her suddenly uneasy. Rowena had refused to commit to anything last night, she’d said she couldn’t make any decisions until she’d talked to Jake. She owed him that much. And he’d been so cool this morning, as though he hadn’t got a care in the world. But he’d already spoken to Rowena, arranged to see her. Exactly what was his game?

  ***

  “You’re father sold the land to me several years ago, Georgina.”
>
  “But he can’t…”

  Jake watched the way the colour fled from Georgie’s face like she’d seen a ghost and felt a sudden twinge of pain for her which shattered the brief feeling of satisfaction when Rowena had said the words. He’d turned to her feeling a strange triumph and now he felt the victor without the spoils. A complete bastard.

  He didn’t get why this particular small patch of grass was so important to her, after all she could have whatever she wanted and she already had lots. A fair chunk of the county he’d imagine after growing up watching from afar how the other half lived. But, for some reason there was real grief behind the shocked response. And if it had been anyone else, anywhere else he’d have just said fine, and walked away.

  “He can’t have sold it. He wouldn’t… Why didn’t you say so, last night?”

  “I’m sorry, but I think maybe he wanted to break all ties with the past, move on. I still don’t quite understands why he’s kept the house so long, maybe he thought she’d come back.”

  Georgie was gritting her teeth, the tension invading every inch of her taut body. “She isn’t coming back, he doesn’t want her to.”

  “I didn’t tell you last night, because I might, and that is just a might mind you, consider selling.”

  It was Jake’s turn to be shocked now, no way would she just sell it from under him. He thought they had a deal, that he could trust her. So much for the thought that money didn’t rule the world. “But I need to be fair to both of you. And you can call me an old busybody but I think you’ve both got some thinking to do. I love having you next door Jake,” she reached out and put a hand on his knee, a touch he tried not to shrink from but he could feel every muscle tight in his leg. Recoiling from the rejection to come. “And you’re a natural with the horses, but maybe it’s time you thought about the future.” She drew back, the small clear blue eyes studying him steadily. “Your dad would be proud—”

  “I don’t give a shit—”

  She held up a hand. “Well you should. He was a good man who tried hard to do the right thing, he just took a bad turning and we all make mistakes. Don’t we?”

  She was looking stern, judgemental and the wisest thing was obviously to keep his trap shut. “We do, Jake.” She answered for him. “You need to make a commitment, not keep dodging the issue. You can’t just rent a place on a week by week basis for the rest of your life.”

  “I can if I choose to live like that.”

  “No, you can’t. How does that make you any better than your father? At least his mistakes were made when he was trying his hardest for you and your mother. He didn’t dodge his responsibilities, which is what you’re trying to do, he tried to change things. Move on.”

  “I don’t want responsibilities.” He regretted saying the words as soon as they came out. It was none of her business, or Georgie’s, how he lived his life.

  “Well, you have them, each horse you take on is a responsibility. Each client, whether you like it or not. So,” she paused, “enough of the lecture, but I have a proposal. I want you to think about raising a deposit and signing a five year agreement for the place. I need security even if you don’t.” Her gaze softened. “I’m getting older Jake, and I need to think about what’s going to happen to this place. The last thing I want to do is sell it off to some property developer, but one day I might have to.” She switched her gaze to Georgie. “And you, Georgie. You were such a lovely child, I’m sorry things turned out like they did for you.” He watched the pink tinge tiptoe its way over her cheekbones. However much bravado she had, she didn’t like to be the centre of attention, didn’t want to be commented on. “Being old means I get to finally say what I want.” A slow smile spread over her features and Jake felt a pang. He loved Rowena like a mother, even if she was so wrong. “It isn’t enough to just want this place on a whimsy, nostalgia, whatever it is. What are you going to do if you buy it?” She paused, but not long, obviously not expecting an answer. “If you want me to consider it then I need to know why, I want a proper business plan off you. Proof that you will stay around and stick at it. I’ll say it again, I don’t want this place to be sold to developers either now or in a few years’ time. I’ve fought against that for too long to put up with it now. Your father works hard to give you the lifestyle you’ve had Georgina and you need to grow up a bit and realise that. Now, that doesn’t mean you should work for him and live your life how he dictates, but you can’t just live a life of rebellion. You need to find your own path.” She looked from one to the other. “And stick to it. I don’t understand you young people these days, too much wallowing and not enough getting on with it to my mind.” She struggled to her feet, grimacing at the arthritis that he knew plagued her. “And this damp weather doesn’t help anyone. Right I’ve finished my old lady rant and I need a cup of tea. You’ve both got a month, Jake you decide how much you want to stay and if you can raise the proper deposit and sign a long term agreement so this is on a proper footing and an old lady can relax, and Georgina you need to give me a business plan that proves you aren’t going to waste the opportunity. Off you both trot now and leave me in peace.”

  “But—” Georgie was looking at her open mouthed. He wasn’t going to say a single word.

  Rowena put a hand up and cupped his face briefly. “I’ve been thinking about this for the past six months or so Jake, since my fall. If you don’t want to commit, then you can rent one of the other fields, but I can’t promise how long I’ll be around.” He would have liked to have hated her, a woman he’d trusted letting him down. But he couldn’t. It was the closest he was going to get to an apology, but better than he got from most people.

  He stuck with a smile, not trusting himself to say anything. She still needed him around, whatever she said, and he’d have put money on it that it would be a long time before she sold up. Yeah, he could have another field. But why should Georgie just walk in and change everything? She didn’t need this place, it was a passing whim, but he had a horrible feeling he did. If he walked now he was giving up, throwing away the one thing he’d found worth fighting for, working at.

  But this deal wasn’t what he’d been expecting at all. And nor had Georgie from the look on her face. He’d never seen her speechless for that long before.

  “I’ll talk to you both soon.” And they were ushered out with an unexpected firmness. The curtain twitching behind them as they walked down the path.

  “I always said she was a mad old bat.”

  He laughed. “Slightly eccentric I’d say.” They walked the short distance down the lane side by side. Not quite touching, but striding in time. “So, what’s so bad about living the life your father wants you to? Why come back here?”

  “Trying to get rid of me? You’ll have to do better than that.” Her tone was light, but she shoved her hands in her pockets in the slightly defensive way he was getting used to seeing, her shoulders hunched as she thought of an answer.

  “Georgie.” He paused midstride, put a hand on her arm so that she would stop, look at him. “Don’t do this. It’s not a game.” He never begged, never asked for anything. But he had to ask her.

  “You don’t understand. I’ve got to.”

  Chapter Six

  “You know I’d love to go out, but I’ve got to start this business plan.”

  “A business plan?” Ella laughed, dumped her bag and sank into the sofa like she planned to stay. “Since when did you plan anything?”

  “You’ll have to either go away or help.”

  “Oh, I get it. It’s the biker boy’s field. Haven’t you dropped that yet?”

  “It’s not his field, it was mine.”

  “Was being the main word here.”

  “How the hell was I supposed to know he’d be renting it? Anyway, now it’s Rowena’s and I’m going to buy it.”

  “Why in God’s name would you want to do that?” Ella put her feet up on the coffee table and crossed her arms. “Come on, tell. You’ve given me the sanitised ‘I h
ad an idyllic time there and I have a big plan’ story, now give me the rest. Because I sure as hell don’t understand at the moment, and I don’t think for one moment anybody else does either.”

  Georgie slid her laptop onto the table slowly and sat back down. “They used to call me swot at school.” Until it all went wrong. She put her feet up next to Ella’s and studied her polka dot socks.

  “Swot, you? But you aren’t…”

  “Clever? Nope, I was never that bright but I worked. I didn’t get on with many of the other kids, they hated me, thought I was stuck up.” She leaned her head back, closed her eyes. Maybe she had seemed stuck up, she had been too shy to push herself forward and when she’d joined the school a few months after everyone else they already had friendship groups. And she was the one on the outside, quietly watching. Maybe Alfie had done the right thing, after things had gone wrong, when he’d moved her on to boarding school. Or at least maybe he thought he was doing the right thing. “But I liked the teachers so I did everything they said, all my homework, I’m not smart but I did work hard. I always had my head down, so I was the swot.” After all, if you had no friends, what else were you supposed to do all day? “The one thing I really loved was my horse, that stroppy, temperamental black devil kept me sane. And I was with Dad when I was with her.”

  “You called him Dad.”

  “Yeah.” She wouldn’t cry, she just would not get sentimental. “He was dad back then, a proper dad not some stupid jerk.” Angry helped. “I wanted to work with horses, teach people to ride. When I was fifteen I was helping kids out with their ponies, giving lessons and stuff.” And when I was sixteen it was all over. Horse sold, house gone, the end of the school swot. “That’s what I’m going to do now, Ella. Not some stuffy dead-end job like they want me to do.”