“Is there… a gearshift… in his… ribs?”
Jack laughed, which she thought was extremely impolite, so she nudged Destiny with a little more force than she’d intended. She felt the great muscles gather beneath her, and then she was flying through the forest at a speed that turned the landscape into a glorious blur.
Although she lost her hat, she somehow kept her feet in the stirrups, and she pressed down on them. Now she could match her rhythm to the horse’s plunging gait, and she leaned forward, clutching the saddle horn with both hands, too excited to be scared. So this was riding!
The wind buffeted her ears, making her deaf to all sounds but her own rapid breathing. In her peripheral vision she saw a flash of black and white through the trees, and then Jack was in front of her, blocking her way as he slowed his horse, which forced Destiny to slow.
Finally, Jack pulled his horse to a halt, vaulted off, and dropped the reins to the ground. Walking quickly back to Destiny, he hauled Josie from the saddle so abruptly that he knocked his hat to the ground. “Are you okay? God, Josie, I didn’t mean for you to make him run! You must have been terrified!”
Laughing, she shook her head. “I loved it.” Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his tousled hair. “You’d better pick up your hat. I know how you feel about that hat of yours.”
“Forget the hat.”
“Forget the hat? Are you crazy?”
“No doubt. Josie, forgive me.”
“For that wild ride? It was fun!”
“Not for the wild ride. For this.” And he kissed her.
Chapter Six
Twenty minutes into the riding lesson, and Jack had already broken his vow to keep his hands off Josie. But her mouth… good Lord, her mouth… He feasted with the hunger of a man who’d denied himself far too long.
If she’d pulled back or resisted in any way, he might have found the strength to stop this nonsense. Instead she opened that glorious mouth of hers and cupped the back of his head in both hands to hold him fast.
Josie. So warm, so incredibly soft and yielding in his arms. He didn’t deserve this melting acceptance, but he couldn’t stop himself from taking it. They’d perfected this dance through hours of practice, and he slid back into the familiar wonder of kissing Josie as if he’d done it yesterday.
But he hadn’t kissed her yesterday. For ten long, bleak months he’d been without this incredible experience. During the time they’d been together he’d developed some self-control so that he could hold her and kiss her without needing to rip her clothes off immediately. In ten months of celibacy, that self-control had disappeared.
Instantly he was on fire, his heart pounding and his cock hard. He moaned and pulled her in tight, wanting her with a fierceness that threatened to overwhelm every decent intention he possessed.
Josie was no help at all. Molding herself so his straining erection fit into the vee of her thighs, she whimpered against his mouth. That familiar sound reminded him of all the special sounds she made when he drove her crazy. He wanted to hear her pant, and moan, and beg, and cry out his name when he gave her an orgasm, and yell when he gave her another, and…
Something, or someone, bumped him from behind. His first thought was that Josie’s brother had arrived and was ready to beat the tar out of him. He reluctantly ended the kiss and glanced over his shoulder.
Destiny nudged him again, harder this time.
Jack didn’t know whether to laugh or swear.
“Jack?”
He gazed down into gray eyes that had gone all soft and dreamy. She would let him make love to her right now if he asked. After all those months together, he knew her moods. But he’d made a vow not to let sex be a part of this project.
“Destiny’s a bit spoiled from his years of being around kids,” he said. “He doesn’t like to be ignored, so he’s reminding me that he’s here.”
Josie searched Jack’s expression a moment before easing away from him. “Considering your plan of non-involvement, that’s probably a good thing, huh?”
“Yeah.” He blew out a breath and tried to get his bearings. All he really knew was that his arms felt very empty without her in them.
Well, served him right for screwing things up so quickly. “I’m not going to make excuses. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“And I shouldn’t have let you.” Mischief danced in her gaze. “Want to do it again?”
He groaned. “Don’t tempt me.”
“Hey, you started it.” She shoved her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and stuck out her chest, which made her look adorably defiant and sexy as hell. “I was just out here taking a riding lesson when you decided to play tonsil hockey. Can I help it if you put ideas in my head?”
“You’re right.” Glancing around, he found his hat in the dirt, picked it up, and dusted it off. “It was completely my fault.”
“Damn straight.” Her tone softened. “I wonder if we’re attempting the impossible, Jack. How are we supposed to act like casual friends after being lovers?”
“I don’t know.” Destiny bumped him again. He turned and swatted the horse on the nose with his hat. “Behave.”
Destiny stretched out his neck and nuzzled Jack’s hip pocket, obviously looking for a treat.
“Hey, stop!” Jack stepped aside and took the horse by the bridle. “No treats. You have some bad habits, son.”
Josie smiled. “We’re not so different from that horse, you know.”
“What do you mean?”
“We have the bad habit of expecting sex when we’re together.”
“That’s ridiculous.” He tapped his hat against his thigh. “We’re thinking human beings, not trained animals. We can exercise restraint.”
“Oh, really?” Her eyebrows arched.
“Just because I kissed you doesn’t mean I have to keep doing it.”
“Then I guess you’re stronger than I am, because now that you’ve kissed me, all I can think about is having sex with you.”
Heat rolled through him in waves. “I wish you hadn’t said that.”
“You might as well know the truth. It’s not like I’ll be able to hide it from you. We understand each other too well.” She pointed a finger at him. “And don’t think I can’t read you just as easily. Right this minute you’re wishing you could back me up against the nearest flat surface and do me, but you’re too stubborn to admit it.”
He should get a medal for self-control, because the more she talked, the more he wanted exactly that. Good thing he no longer carried an emergency condom like he used to do when they were together. That helped. Still, he could imagine a few things they could do that wouldn’t require a condom.
He clutched Destiny’s bridle to keep from reaching for her. “Even if that’s true, and I’m not saying it is, but even if it is, I said I wouldn’t have sex with you, and I intend to keep my word.”
Josie rolled her eyes. “Very noble of you. If that’s how you feel, then let’s forget the riding lessons, because I don’t want to put myself through this.”