“What does that mean?”
He didn’t have time.
It was a long story, and they didn’t have the minutes needed to tell it. Time was already running out for their little moment here.
“Who did this?” he asked, his fingers sweeping over the bruises.
“Take a guess.”
“Jorge?”
“Regularly.”
“Last night?”
“This morning,” she breathed.
The dark, violent urge that swept through him seemed destructive, and reckless. He wanted nothing more than to feed into it and hurt the man who put his hands on his wife. Whether she was property to Jorge didn’t factor in at all—no man should hurt their spouse, ever.
Full stop.
“I’m sorry,” Chris said, his thumb sweeping to the side, across her collarbone. That shiver in her body followed the same path, and her lips parted again like she might say something to him. All he wondered was what it might be like to kiss this woman—something else he had no business doing.
Well, so much for that.
He had broken all the rules, now.
“I want to kiss you,” he said. “Can I?”
She sucked in a hard breath, but nodded once. Chris closed the distance between them in a blink, catching Valeria’s mouth with his own in a soft, yet still burning kiss. She never hesitated to kiss him back, her lips working against his, like she found something that was pure heaven to her senses. His tongue struck against the seam of her lips, demanding more, and she gave it to him willingly.
Beautifully.
Her fist found his shirt, and she dragged him closer as a war raged on between them. It was strange, in a way. Kissing someone had never been a battle before, to hand over himself to her, and see what happened after that.
And yet, that’s what it seemed like. She tasted of cherries, and vanilla. Sweetness, and sin.
Chris backed Valeria into the stable wall again, the horse shifting beside them as her palms found his jaw, and he dragged her closer with his. There was something intoxicating about this woman, and he wanted to find out what. Not that he had enough time to do it.
The sound of boots crunching against gravel had Chris taking a wide step back from Valeria. He didn’t have a clue what came over him, but as he stared at her still pressed to the wall, her fingertips hovering over her lips like she wanted to feel his kiss, he didn’t regret what just happened.
Even if it was dangerous ... and stupid.
The questions in her eyes stared back at him. He couldn’t answer them now.
“Chris?”
He gave her a pointed stare and took two steps backwards out of the stall to find the man from earlier—Jesús—glancing down the stables. He smiled at the man, thankful that he learned how to mimic his twin’s, Corrado, natural ability to remain calm in all situations. Even when his heart raged out of control.
“Just admiring the horse,” Chris said. “Can we get that drink, now?”
Jesús nodded. “Absolutely, and Jorge called, too. He invited you to dinner with him if you’re hungry.”
Chris headed for the man, forcing himself not to glance back into the stall at Valeria as he did so. “Food would be great.”
And so was the flavor of Valeria Lòpez still lingering in his mouth.
Fuck.
9.
“Easy, easy.”
Valeria’s attempt to soothe the broken horse worked. Abril came out here in the field and worked with the horse to make it rideable, but after a bad fall from the horse throwing her from the saddle ... well, she was hesitant to approach the animal so soon.
Horses were like people. Sometimes, they didn’t always connect with someone else. Human, or animal. And other times, they needed a bit to come around. Valeria figured that was the problem with Duke, the horse she was trying to work with on his riding skills, so she tried to take him out while Abril took a break from working with him.
At least this way, he didn’t have long spells of little to no activity with a human. Something beyond being fed, brushes, or having his stall cleaned. He would be a riding horse, and so someone needed to ride him.
Simple as that.
“That’s a good boy, Duke,” Valeria said, reaching down to pat his muscular neck. “One more trip around the fence line, huh? Let’s go.”
She pulled the reins on the right side, a silent command for the animal to turn in that direction. It took a harder tug for him to listen to her command, though, which spoke to his stubbornness. That was another issue with him. He didn’t like to do what others wanted him to do when he would much rather do what he wanted.
Horses with stubborn streaks kept them even after being trained. She figured Duke would be an adult’s horse, and not appropriate for children to ride. Which was fine, honestly. Some horses were better suited to adults because they needed that strong, dominant hand.
They were halfway around the fence line of the field that the horses used to graze when she first noticed him. Chris, that was.
It was impossible for her to ignore the way her heart raced in her chest from nothing more than sight alone. He seemed so calm, unbothered, and confident leaning against the post of the wooden fence, his gaze locked on her as she came closer to his spot riding Duke.
After their moment in the stables the other day, Valeria had done her best to avoid him because she didn’t know how to deal with the strange emotions the Canadian invoked in her. Not to mention, there was just something about the way he looked at her. She couldn’t explain what it was, but she swore he was looking right into her soul, seeing all of those secrets she tried damn hard to hide, with very little effort at all.
Chris raised a hand, a small wave urging her closer to him.
Damn.
Now, she couldn’t pretend like she hadn’t seen him. Although, if she were being an honest woman, she didn’t want to avoid him at all. That would probably end badly for her in one way or another.
“Enjoying a ride?” he asked when Duke trotted closer to his spot at the fence post.
Valeria kept a good fifteen feet between her, and him. Just in case. Surely, no one would see them out here in the field and think something inappropriate might go on, but she couldn’t be too careful.
Jorge had acted on lesser beliefs.
He shouldn’t be tested.
Besides, something had happened.
In the stables ...
Valeria couldn’t forget it.
Neither could her body.
“Training Duke, actually,” she replied. “Have you taken a horse out yet?”
“Considering it.” Chris flashed her a grin one might consider sinful. God knew she did if the way her thighs clenched around the body of the horse was any sign. She was not used to this—to feeling attraction for someone else. Not at all. “Although, I have to say I am enjoying watching you ride a horse far more.”
There was no hiding the suggestion in his tone.
He didn’t even make the attempt.
Why did she like that?
Because she shouldn’t.
At all.
Valeria swallowed thickly. “You shouldn’t do that.”
“Pardon?”
“Flirt with me.”
Chris shrugged one shoulder, almost uncaringly even though he looked damn good doing it. “When you say you don’t want me to, then I won’t. See, telling me I shouldn’t do something isn’t the same as telling me not to do it because you don’t like it, Val.”