Teach Me To Ride (8 page)

He set her on the ground and, with her gaze on his, Caroline snapped open the button on her trousers and lowered the zipper. She still wore no panties and the air blew against her wet pussy. The erotic rush of her arousal made it harder than ever to wait, but she forced herself down onto the grass. She leaned back on her hands, and thrust her aching breasts forward; it was agony waiting for his touch. His gaze wandered over her, his jaw tight as he lay down beside her. Their eyes locked and something deep and significant shifted inside her. This man was special. Not just because of his passion, his love, or his determination—in that moment, she understood he was special to
her.

She reached for him before the fear of what that meant could set in and she ran away. She always ran from anything remotely emotional or disconnected in any way from her career. She had to try this. Had to see what would happen. How could she turn away when it felt so right? She wouldn’t. Not this time.

He brought his hand to the back of her neck, and they kissed as she unbuttoned and eased off his shirt. The skin-to-skin contact made her yearn for more and Caroline reached for the clasp and zipper on his jeans. His cock was rock hard, thick and long beneath the denim, and her pussy ached for more.

But first she would taste him, lick him, bring him enough pleasure that Michael would forget the Trials, horses, and his father. She hoped, for the moment at least, he would only think of her.

Their tongues tangled and tasted as she shifted to ease the pants over his thighs. His cock sprang free and she clasped its thickness. The power of him pulsed against her palm and she groaned into his mouth.

“Lie back.” She whispered her command.

He did as he was bid and she tugged off his boots and trousers, tossing them to the side. She glided lower and kissed his chest, his nipples, lower over this washboard stomach, using her nails to tease and claw gently over his skin. Shifting lower, she brought one leg over to straddle his until the bone of his knee pressed firmly against her clit. With her face hovering above his erect cock, she lifted her eyes to his and offered a gentle smile. Michael closed his eyes and dropped his head against the grass as though surrendering to the inevitable.

He lay like a bronzed and muscular Roman god before her. Bathed in silvery moonlight, every ridge, every muscle and contour was displayed to perfection. She licked her lips and trailed her fingernails down his torso and into the thatch of pubic hair at the base of his engorged cock.

Slowly, she trailed her fingers down the shaft toward his balls. He quivered. Caroline smiled. Forget Roman god, he was a slave at her mercy. She cupped his tight balls in her hand, before quickly grasping his cock and guiding it to her eager mouth.

He tasted of pure man. Hot, musky masculinity assaulted her senses as she sucked, tasted, and licked his flesh. She moaned and writhed harder against his knee as her arousal soared. Around and around, she licked his cock, sucking in his pre-cum and coming back for more. He throbbed against her lips, the veins protruding…begging for release.

“Yes, Caroline. Yes. You are so fucking sexy.” His growls came from above her, urging her on, encouraging her, and making her feel like a goddess.

He lifted his hips, pushing his cock deeper and she took in more and more. “Jesus Christ.”

She gripped the root of his shaft and slid her fingers up and down, groaning and moaning with pleasure. He pulled back a little and his fingers gripped her hair, pulling her lips gently from his cock. Their eyes locked, both out of breath and shaking with need.

He seemed to restrain himself and groaned, “I want to taste you, too.”

Caroline smiled. “With pleasure.”

She stood and slowly reached into her small patch of pubic hair and he followed the motion with his gaze. She dipped her fingers deep inside her weeping pussy and her mouth dropped open at the evidence of her slick need for him.

“Come here. Let me see you.” His jaw tightened.

She walked to him and planted a foot either side of his head, facing the delicious view of his erect cock. He gripped her ankles. Slowly, Caroline crouched lower, moved her knees wider, feeling the air whisper across her open and wet pussy. Her arousal grew knowing that Michael had a full view of her. She lowered over his face and his tongue shot like a viper into her aching slit.

She exhaled and then gritted her teeth as she slapped her hands to his chest for support before her legs gave way completely. She watched dazedly as he slathered his tongue in and out of her pussy, before moving forward to lick and circle her hardened clit. His enthusiasm was more than she could stand, his hands gripping tightly to her ankles, his groans and pants reverberating around her.

She stared at his cock, so big and ready for her. “Oh, yes. Yes.”

Caroline leaned toward his hips to have that cock once more in her mouth. He shifted beneath her before resuming his feast. The sexy sounds of their feeding filled Caroline’s ears as she rubbed her hand up and down the length of his cock, sucking and taking him deep to the back of her throat. His body was taut under her fingers, his shaft as hard as rock. He shifted his hips to her face as she pressed her pussy to his.

The first sensations of her rising climax throbbed in and around her pussy. She had seconds before she would come on his face. She pulled back and lifted away to drop to the grass beside him. Turning around, they lay eye to eye, her breaths panted from her, her body weak for something only he could give.

“Fuck me, Michael. Please.”

He gripped her hair and kissed her hard. With their lips still joined, she dropped on her back. They parted and he turned away to snatch up his jeans. Impatient and aching with lust, Caroline watched him take a condom from his pocket and sheath himself. Moving back to her, he edged her legs apart and settled between her thighs. With his eyes locked on hers, he lifted her shaking leg onto his shoulder and, with his other hand, he positioned his cock at her slit. Without word or warning, he drove mercilessly into her heat. Her anguished, satisfied gasp shot out into the quiet night.

He fucked her hard.

Again and again, his cock hit a spot deep inside that sent Caroline over the edge before she could stop or savor it. She quivered and writhed beneath him as Michael pounded harder and deeper, her orgasm crashing through her and momentarily blinding her. Emotions soared as her blood roared in her ears. She quivered as wave after wave of sweet pleasure whispered through her core. Gripping his shoulders, grasping for anchor, Michael thrust and pushed until he groaned aloud and gave a final deep and lingering thrust. His body stiffened beneath her fingers and he shuddered out a curse.

Slowly the tremors deep in her pussy subsided and Caroline’s heart beat hard with the feelings Michael evoked every time he touched her. She opened her eyes. He watched her, his gaze wandering softly over her face and telling her all she needed to know. He was equally as scared as her.

Chapter Nine

Caroline got out of her car for the fifth and final day of the Trials. The sun shone high in the sky and the balmy temperatures warmed her face. Locking the car, she slowly made her way toward the circle of tents, excitement thrumming steadily through her. Michael had dropped her at home after their “ride” with a kiss and a promise to see her that morning. Her impatience to talk to him over the twenty-four hour separation was as pathetic as it was worrying.

The drive back from the deserted fields had been a frenzied time of excitement, laughter, and planning. They knew what they had to do and how they would do it. Lewis Canton would not get Michael, but Michael would get his chance to prove to the world what he was capable of—as would Caroline.

She smiled. Today the games truly began.

The arena was abuzz with the anticipation of Canton’s arrival and, as Caroline scanned the area, she searched for any clue that he was there already. Michael warned her that his father would arrive with fanfare, so she was confident from the mass of chatter and lack of attention on the ring that Lewis still hadn’t made an appearance. She moved to the hospitality tent and bought a latte before carrying the steaming cup away from the hubbub toward the stables.

Michael had his back to her when she entered the yard, but her heart sputtered as she took in the delicious sight of him. Even from behind, he was spectacular. Her clit gave a pulse of appreciation. He stood nose to nose with Marshall May, whispering to her, every now and then stopping to blow softly into her nostrils. The horse gently scraped its rear hooves against the gravel as though controlling the urge to step closer. Who could blame her?

Dragging her gaze from Michael’s butt and rock-hard thighs, Caroline looked at his face as he moved to the side of the horse and patted her neck, his lips still moving. He closed his eyes and Caroline’s heart filled with empathy and care for a man so filled with passion that he’d crawled under her career-orientated barriers to make her want to fix every nuance of worry in his life. So much so that she’d give someone else the bigger byline any day of the week if only Michael won every event today. This would arm him with the confidence to do whatever he wanted next, without any support from his father.

As if sensing her presence, he lifted his head and his eyes met hers across the distance. When his brow smoothed and his face broke open with a wide smile, Caroline’s heart leapt into her throat.

She walked closer until barely a foot separated them. “Hey you.”

He ran his gaze over her from head to toe and back again. “Hey yourself.”

A rare blush seared her cheeks as his blatant appraisal and she looked to Marshall May. “Is someone going to make sure they show off Daddy today?”

The horse whinnied in response and they laughed. Michael reached for her and pulled her tight against his body. She stared at his mouth, desperate to feel it on hers. “How are you feeling?”

“About the event or you?” The question rolled from deep in his throat. Sexy and suggestive.

Her body tingled. “The event. I am on the back burner for now. Today is all about you and showing your father what you’re capable of.”

His smile dissolved. “Don’t remind me.”

He stepped away to walk to the other side of Marshall May and Caroline winced. Damn it. She already missed the feel of his arms, the scent of him around her. She met his gaze over the saddle, his eyes burned with irritation. What she wouldn’t give to take away Lewis’ emotional hold on him.

“He should be here by now.” Michael glared toward the gates behind her. “He’s playing the press. He’s playing with the fans and with me.”

“Then don’t let him.”

His gaze bored into hers. “Once he knows I’ve slept with—”

“He won’t.” She swallowed against the nausea that rose bitter in her throat. She didn’t doubt for one minute that Lewis knew. Based on the bastard’s cocky self-confidence on the phone, he had spies around Michael twenty-four seven. The trouble was, she hadn’t given that a second thought while they’d made love in the forest.

“He will. The man’s a snake. He’ll do his utmost to ruin whatever we have going on between us, especially once he knows I won’t compete for him.”

She drew in a shaky breath. “Yeah, well, we’ll see about that. You’re doing this for you, not him. I’m writing this story to inspire others, not to escalate that man’s ego or the tension between the two of you. You’ll get closure and I’ll get my byline.”

His eyes flashed with irritation. “And then what?”

Caroline frowned, her heartbeat picking up at the anger in his voice. “What do you mean?”

“This isn’t just about my father anymore, Caroline. What happens when I win today’s trials? You disappear to London?”

She looked away, smoothing a trembling hand over Marshall May’s neck. “I don’t know. How can either of us know what will happen next? I haven’t thought past today. Nor should you.”
Liar. Who was tossing and turning into the early hours? Who was longing for this man? You’re scared. Scared to give up your career and have nothing to call your own.

She turned back and he glared at her before gripping the saddle and swinging onto his beloved horse. Caroline stepped back lest she get kicked in the face. He stared straight ahead, a muscle leaping in his jaw. Caroline swallowed hard. She was doing this for her own protection.

Sadness enveloped her. She didn’t want them separating on bad terms. If she could trust that things might last between them…but she couldn’t. She needed more than this to change her plans and stay in Fayre Mead. “Michael, look at me.”

He turned. “I don’t want to force you into anything, Caroline. My emotions are running wild here.”

“What
do
you want?”

He closed his eyes. “If I knew that, I wouldn’t be in this position with my father…or you.”

Frustration hummed inside her. “You can’t keep doing this.”

He snapped his eyes open. “Doing what?”

“Burning up with anger and frustration and then lashing out. Make a decision and stick to it.”
God damn it, make the decision for me.

“What if I have?”

She shook her head. “I don’t just mean with your father. I mean with everything. I love my job, my career, and I want more and more from it. We have to change our lives for ourselves, Michael. No one is going to do it for us.”

He glared. “You think I don’t know that?”

Caroline faltered at the flash of hurt across his eyes before he blinked and anger blazed once more. She fisted her hands onto her hips.

“Fine, Then do something about it.” She had to get him focused. If angering him did that, so be it. Regardless of the effect it would have on whatever was building between them. “Stop thinking about what you could have had, what wrong decisions you’ve made. Get out there and ride.”

He pulled the reins tighter in his hands. “The one thing I don’t need from you is telling me how to deal with my father. I’ll see you later.” With a click of his tongue, he threw her a final look of determination and reined Marshall May across the yard and out the gate.