She needed to take this leap, or she’d never know the true talent of her horse, and Phoenix deserved the best opportunity to race again.
“Good,” she said. “Then there’s one last thing to discuss.”
“What?”
Sweat broke out on her body, but this was too critical to squirm from. It was best to face the problem head-on. “Us.”
The air grew heavy with sexual tension. His bottom lip quirked, and his lazy gaze raked over her figure. He never moved, but he didn’t have to. That gaze caressed every inch of her, over and under her clothes. She could only imagine the things he could do with no barriers between them. “What about us, love?” he drawled, his voice dropping to a sexy growl. “Am I part of the contract?”
She ignored his teasing and tried to attack the issue with bluntness and logic. “I want to be clear that we won’t be sleeping together. We both need to be focused on Phoenix’s training. Having an affair has the potential to explode into chaos and ruin everything we’re working toward. Do you agree?”
He moved, shifting his body a few inches closer. Her back pressed against the roughness of the gate. His scent teased her nostrils, a combination of musk and spice and pure aroused male. Something about his quiet strength and confidence hit her straight in the gut.
And between her thighs.
Shit.
“You been thinking about us together, Harper?”
She licked her lips, then cursed herself when his gaze dropped to her mouth. Temper frayed at her nerves, reminding her the only way to face him was no-holds-barred boldness. “Yes. Have you?”
“Yes.” The word struck like a bullet. “In fact, since we’re putting all our truth out there, I should let you know I’ve been fantasizing about kissing you. And not just on your mouth.”
Shivers crawled down her spine. Her nipples turned to hard, aching knots beneath her shirt, imagining that sexy mouth kissing and licking her breasts. Searing heat exploded between them. It took her a moment, but she gritted her teeth and rallied. “Again, not a good idea.”
Another inch closer. His body heat practically glowed bright in the dim barn. Phoenix caught the swirling tension and snorted, shaking his head and taking a few steps back in the stall. “So no sex. No kissing. I’m going to assume that includes touching, right?”
Her body wept. Her temper ignited. “You like playing games, Irish? You want to get into my pants more than you want to race my horse?”
He braced one hand against the wall by her head, leaning in. She didn’t flinch and tried to ignore the soaring freedom he made her feel by the confrontation. “A crude way to put it, don’t you think? I’m just trying to make sure we don’t cut off all options before we even try.”
“There won’t be any test experiment. We both need to commit to the only thing that matters between us.” She lifted her chin. “Phoenix.”
A muscle worked in his jaw. His breath came out jagged. “Is that what you want?” he demanded.
Her heart skidded and tripped over itself to keep beating. No. But it’s safer this way. “Yes.”
The word took all possibilities away, yet his lips were poised inches from hers. If he ignored her declaration, she’d send him away. If he pushed his advantage, she’d be unable to work with him as a full partner. He needed to respect her claim for distance.
Her mind urged him away.
Her body urged him closer.
“I’ll give you what you say you want in exchange for one thing.”
Disappointment crashed through her. It was over. There might be a kiss, but there’d be nothing further. “What?”
“Say my name.”
She blinked, confused. “I don’t understand.”
The blistering heat of his gaze almost burned her alive. He overwhelmed her with his strong body, his breath mixing with hers, his hand just brushing her hair, his chest an inch from her straining nipples. “I want to hear my name on your lips one time before I walk away. Before we close this door between us.” His voice dropped. “Just once.”
Shock barreled through her. The demand was more intimate than a kiss. It was the acceptance that he already meant something to her, but she was voluntarily rejecting him. Speaking his birth name was the beginning of a relationship that would never happen.
A strange grief and pain tore at her insides, but she had no choice. She gave him what they both wanted in that moment. “Aidan,” she whispered against his mouth. Her voice trembled over his name. Her tongue tingled with pleasure, and she wished she could moan the beautiful melody when he was deep inside her, when his mouth swallowed hers whole, when she screamed it as she shattered to orgasm.
He sucked in his breath, as if the pictures in her mind had seeped into his, and he closed his eyes halfway, his shaking body fighting both of their needs to surrender to the wicked temptation and leave the rest to hell.
Instead, he stumbled back, fisting his hands, and turned. “It’s a deal. We begin tomorrow. Good night, Harper.” He patted Phoenix and left the barn.
She wrapped her arms around her middle and fought the overwhelming urge to go after him.
Eventually, she was able to straighten, lock up Phoenix for the night, and return home.
His words replayed in her mind like a mantra, and the sweetness of his name on her lips lingered for a long time.
Aidan surveyed the sprawling property before him. It’d be a decent workout track for now. He’d have a starting gate by the end of the week to begin practicing breaking out clean, but for now, he was about to make things a bit uncomfortable for the fiery horse.
Owen came up beside him. Peering over his aviator sunglasses, he stared at the empty field, where a worn dirt track wrapped around in an almost perfect mile. “What’cha looking at?” Owen asked in puzzlement.
“The training track,” he responded a bit gruffly. Deep down, he thought Owen was a good kid. Unfortunately, his lame-ass work ethic and phone addiction were getting in the way of figuring out if he could actually help on the farm. “You finish rounds?”
He wrinkled his nose and looked glum. “Yeah. Little Foot wouldn’t let me lead her in. Kept running away from me, so I ended up chasing her around, and then when I got mad, she blew a bunch of spit in my face. Disgusting.”
“Harper told you not to yell at her, remember? She’s young and a bit spirited, but if you’d stood your ground, she would’ve listened.”
“Yeah, I forgot.” He checked his phone and groaned. “I missed out on another outing at Splash Down Waterpark. My friend’s been posting pics all day. They don’t understand I’m stuck here.”
Aidan shook his head. “Your friends convince you to vandalize your dorm?”
Owen shrugged. “We were all drunk. Didn’t know what we were doing.”
“Did they get community service, too?”
Owen shifted his feet. “Nah, their parents got them out of it. Paid the college off.”
“But your parents didn’t?”
“My grandfather is a retired judge and wouldn’t let me walk away clean. He doesn’t believe in payoffs.”
Aidan nodded. “Sounds like a smart man. Trying to teach you that life doesn’t give free rides.”