"That was wonderful!" Her delight was genuine and he had to grin at her. "Can I do it again?"
"Sure. Come around and go the other direction around the arena."
Before she knew it, her lesson was over. She brushed her horse and laid her forehead against her neck for a moment, stroking her with shining eyes. Ben came closer and laughed when he saw her face.
"Ben, that was the best thing I've ever done! Thank you so much."
Impulsively, she threw her arms around him and kissed him. When he cupped the back of her head in his hand and kissed her back, she gave out a startled little moan. His kiss deepened and she gave as good as she got, humming a little in the back of her throat. The wave of desire that swept her was so intense that her knees went weak and she was immediately wet. She could feel the bulge in his jeans pressing against her groin and her arms tightened around him. His lips burned a line down her throat, and then he plundered her mouth again, making her moan. The sound of a car door in the barnyard made them break apart, staring at each other in shock.
"Hi, Ben," called the young girl who ran into the barn, eager for her lesson.
Ben cleared his throat and called back to her, needing a moment before he turned to face her.
"Go ahead," Savannah said. "I've got Reba."
"Okay. But this is not over." Ben's voice was husky, and he brushed her hand with his as he turned away.
Savannah smiled at her horse and said softly, "No, it sure isn't."
Chapter 10
At her next lesson, Ben had a surprise for Savannah. He turned her loose to warm up in the arena, and then he walked over to her and snapped a lead line onto Reba's bridle.
"It's time for you to ride outside."
Savannah's smile beamed as he led her to the outdoor arena. He closed the gate and told her to walk for a while, letting Reba look around at the surroundings. He watched his student go through her paces, savoring the sight. She was a natural on a horse, so much that he found it hard to believe she had never ridden before these lessons. And she clearly loved it. It would be a damn shame if she left Boone and went back to her jet set life, never riding again. In fact, the ache he got in his gut at the idea told him that it would be a damn shame if she left Boone, period. From some remarks that her grandmother had made when she'd visited Mrs. Harper the other day, he was pretty sure that GG felt the same way.
Ben had Savannah reverse her pattern and trot in some figure eights. Then he had her do some maneuvers around and over the poles he had lying in the center of the arena. She took to it quickly and laughed in delight at Reba's easy responses to her. The lesson was over much too quickly for Savannah, and she was already looking forward to the next one.
Ben walked up behind her while she brushed the horse and said, "That went really well. You have a natural seat."
Savannah felt absurdly pleased at his words. "Thank you. Reba makes it easy."
"I think you're ready for something new. Wednesday, I'll have you ride outside again, and next Saturday, we'll try riding outside the arena."
Savannah turned to look at him with shining eyes. "Really?"
Thinking quickly, Ben said, "Yeah. But it would be a really good idea for us to spend some time talking about things you need to know and be ready for when you ride out in the open."
"Okay, I'm fine with that."
Casually, Ben said, "How about if I buy you dinner this time? That'll give us plenty of time to talk, and if you have any questions, we can take our time and cover everything."
Savannah gave him a speculative look and said, "Okay. When?"
"Well, my week is a little busy, but I'm free tomorrow."
"I'm usually free on Sundays, so that'll work."
"I'll pick you up this time. We don't have a lot of choices; it's pretty much the pizza place or the bar. Hey, you could come here, and I could grill a couple of steaks and bake some potatoes."
Savannah said agreeably, "That sounds good. I'll just have Joey drop me off."
"Well, then, I'll take you home. Come around three, and we'll have plenty of time to talk."
Savannah was laughing mentally at his roundabout way of getting her to his place. She led Reba to her stall and gave her a carrot. Then she stepped close to her cowboy and placed a hand lightly on his chest.
"Thanks for the lesson," she said and stretched up to kiss him on the cheek.
Savannah started to step back, but Ben snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her back to him. He lowered his mouth to hers for a scorching kiss, taking her breath away. She twined her arms around his neck and fell into the kiss with a little moan. When they finally pulled away from each other, they were both breathing hard.
Savannah said breathlessly, "See you tomorrow."
She turned and walked out of the barn, leaving him staring after her and enjoying the view of her ass once again. He gave a low whistle after she was gone and realized that he was aching for her again. The next day was going to be very interesting.
Savannah pampered every inch of herself, spending several hours on Sunday getting ready for her "riding" discussion appointment with Ben. She was soft and smooth, gorgeous and smelling luscious by the time she was ready to go. GG looked at her, surprised, when she came down the stairs.
"I thought you had decided to sleep all day, dear. Are you going out?"
Savannah waved a casual hand and said, "Nothing important. I'm going to have a sort of lesson with Ben to help me get ready for riding outside in the open."
"Ah." GG nodded. "You're really enjoying the riding, aren't you?"
"When I do something, I want to do it well. But, I do enjoy it. There's just something about it. It's peaceful and free. Free feeling, I mean."
"You look beautiful. I'm not sure Ben is going to be able to keep his mind on safe riding techniques."
Savannah's face turned just the slightest bit pink, and she said casually, "I won't be here for dinner. Ben is paying me back for the taco date."
"Oh, where are you going?"
"Just over to the barn. Ben is going to grill a couple of steaks."
"Ah, I see. They used to call that being invited up to see a man's etchings."
"What?" The remark went completely over Savannah's head.
"Nothing, dear. Have a good time. I won't wait up for you."
"There's Joey. I've got to go. Love you, Gran."
Savannah rushed out the door, leaving her grandmother laughing as the door slammed.
Joey dropped her off at the barn, and she went through to the back where there was a little outdoor deck at the bottom of the stairs up to the apartment. It was big enough to hold a grill and a couple of lawn chairs as well as a table with an umbrella and more chairs around it. Ben was dumping ice into a big cooler he had sitting in the shade of the barn. He caught his breath at the sight of her, and she did the same.
"Hey, Savannah. You're right on time. Want something cold before we go get started?"
"Hi, Ben. Do you have water in there?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Ben pulled two bottles of water out of the ice and motioned her to head up the stairs.