“Don’t get me wrong, the flight wasn't bad, but the man sitting next to me would not stop hitting on me.”
“Is that so?” he asked lightly, recognizing the emotion running through him as jealousy. “What did he say to you?”
“He was telling me his net worth.”
Lance’s eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”
Amy laughed at his expression. “I'm sure you would never think of doing something like that to get into a woman’s panties.”
“I don’t recall ever having to do that.”
“Well, this guy did exactly that. He told me he had his own business and I politely put away my kindle and asked him what it was. I had pointedly taken it out and started reading it just so that he could take a hint, but it didn't work. He told me that he had real estate and a few car marts and that he was worth a lot of money.”
“He actually said that?”
Amy nodded. “So, I told him to ballpark the amount of money he had. Give me a figure. He looked at me as if I'd lost my mind. I guess he hadn't expected me to ask that. And then he told me he had millions in the bank.”
“What did you say?”
“I just shrugged a little carelessly and told him that at that very moment I happened to be pregnant by a billionaire.”
His eyebrows shot up again. “So, you used me to get out of an uncomfortable situation.”
“I did just that.” She leaned over to put the brush away and came over to lean against him. “Feel free to use me when some persistent woman corners you. I really like you, Lance,” she added suddenly.
“I really like you too. Where did that come from?”
She shrugged as she smoothed her fingers over the hairs on his chest. “I thought that this would be weird somehow and that we would be stilted and uncomfortable around each other, but we aren't, are we?”
“No, we aren't,” he agreed. He wanted to tell her that he more than liked her, but he knew it wasn't the right time and that he was going to have to bide his time and be patient. “We should locate an OBGYN while you're here.”
“Is there one?”
He gave her a wry look as he clamped his hand over her wandering one. “We happen to have a large hospital that my father invested in and several private practices in town. Shadow Point is a growing town even though it's understated, and we would like to keep it that way.”
“I'm sure it is.” She tried to move her hand from under his, but he held her fast. “Really?”
“You're heading into dangerous territory,” he told her mildly. “I don’t want to tire you out.”
“Are you implying that you have more stamina than me?”
“It's not a competition Amy. I'm just stating facts.”
“Is that so?” He saw the light in her eyes and knew that the battle had started.
“Exactly,” he said smugly, feeding the competitive spirit. “I do have more stamina. I'm a man who does physical work for a living and that has to be a plus.”
“Let’s check out how much stamina you have, shall we?”
“What do you have in mind?” he asked. His heart was already racing and his blood stirring.
“Let’s go for a ride.”
He blinked and stared at her in confusion. “What?”
She laughed at the expression on his face. “You have such a one-track mind. You were thinking about sex.”
“For good reason,” he told her a little grimly. “You're joking, right?”
“Nope.” To prove that she wasn't, she moved away from him and got off the bed.
“We aren't going riding Amy, it’s freezing.”
“So?” She walked over to her clothes and started pulling on her jeans. “I have a jacket.”
“It’s nine p.m.—Amy stop dressing! We aren't going out there.”
“Okay honey, you stay in your nice warm bed and I'll go out by myself.”
“Dammit, Amy!” He swung his legs off the bed and came towards her. He took her arms and stopped her from pulling the sweater over her head. “Listen to me, please. It's freezing out there and there's a chance of some showers, which might have already started.”
“Where's your sense of adventure?” she asked him softly. “I'm more than an able horsewoman. And you're an excellent rider. I just want to go for a ride—a thing that we can both share—and I want to feel the wind in my hair.”
“You already braided it,” he pointed out a little foolishly. He had to admit that he couldn't deny her anything. He'd fallen in love with her and even though he knew that she would probably never feel the way he did, he was prepared to wait until she did. They had nine months until their baby was born and he was hoping fervently that she would come to the realization that she was in love with him as well.
“It doesn't matter.” She placed her hands on his bare chest and felt the warmth of his skin. “I promise that when we get back in, I'll do anything you want.”
“Is that a bribe?” he asked her hoarsely.
“Is it working?”
“Finish dressing and make sure you layer up.”
*****
“This is exhilarating!” she shouted as she spurred her horse on, bending over his mane as she nudged his flanks with her thighs. The cold air whistled around them and the sky above was a dull, dark grey, ominous and leaden with moisture. He'd made her put on gloves and a thick scarf that he'd taken out of his chest of drawers. She'd complained that she was padded up like an Eskimo while he'd just donned his dark brown leather jacket over his thin grey sweater. “I'm used to the harsh climate, you aren't,” he'd pointed out. She was now glad he'd insisted that she put on so many layers. Even with the thick sweater, the thick jacket and scarf, along with the gloves, she could still feel the cold seeping in. It was dark, with a pale moon struggling to shine through the thick clouds. Lights were placed at strategic points around the entire perimeter but the numerous thick trees somehow lent a mysterious air to the place.
“And icy!” Lance called out. He deliberately held his horse back so that he could stay behind and be there for her if anything went wrong. She was good—damned good, even better than some of his more seasoned men. She put the horse through the paces and each time she urged it to take the hedges, his heart would leap inside his throat. But she was one with the animal and he admired the fluid way she had about her. She pulled up sharply at the gazebo, causing the animal to paw the air as she brought it around to face him. “Why were you holding back?”
“Who said I was?” he tugged on Jet’s reins and brought the animal to a halt, patting his flank and keeping him carefully out of reach of Amy’s horse.
She sent him a dry look. “Don’t make me come over there. You thought I was going to fall, didn’t you?”
“I was being careful,” he told her mildly. “You were riding as if you were being chased.”
“I told you I wanted to feel the wind in my hair.” She patted the horse’s flank with her gloved hand. “Are you going to be a pain in the rump about this pregnancy deal?”