Lilly III

by Tiya Rayne

  “You have to learn to ride a horse, Lilly. We still have a lot of traveling to do and we cannot risk another episode like the goblins.” I flinch when he mentions those horrible cruel creatures. I will never forget my time with Hemrock and the other goblins. I seldom admit to hating people, but I despise that evil little man.

  “I understand that I have to learn,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. “But can I learn to ride another horse?”

  “What’s wrong with this one?”

  I look down as I roll my foot across the dirt aimlessly. “He laughs at me.” My voice is low.

  Assassin’s laughter startles the horses as it comes out as a booming sound. I should feel peeved that he’s mocking me, but I can’t. His laughter is so rare and so enticing that I find myself laughing with him.

  “It’s true.” I defend myself. “Look at him now, he’s looking smug.”

  Assassin’s laughter dies down but his face is still split with a huge smile. “I shall have a talk with him.” He turns to the horse and says in a very stern voice. “Horse, you will stop taunting Lilly this instant. She is very important, and I demand you not mock her attempts to ride you.” My face heats up with embarrassment, but I can’t stop laughing.

  He turns back to me and says, “Is he still doing it?”

  I straighten my shoulders and try to look as serious as he had. “No, I think you scared him straight. He looks very apologetic now.” My face cracks and I’m smiling again.

  For a moment we just stare at each other with big goofy grins on our face. It feels good to be silly and laugh. Lately, my life has not been so funny. Being pregnant and not married, then thrust into this world where I could be killed or kidnapped at any minute. Our spell is broken when a horse behind us starts to whine. Assassin seems to shake off his playfulness like drops of rain, when he looks back at me his face is serious again.

  “Shall we give it a try then?” He ask.

  As much as I didn’t want to try, I knew I needed to. I reluctantly nod.

  Assassin leads me and the white stallion outside of the barn to a wide open field. The trees are only specks in the far distance. So much of the Southern Kingdom that I have seen so far—which isn’t very much seeing as I just woke up a few hours ago—is mostly open field. I can’t help but think of what my Uncle Buddy could do with all this available space. He would finally get that garden he always wanted. Maybe build that shed so he could work on his trucks.

  Thoughts like this makes me miss my family. I didn’t have a huge family, well I did, but only a small amount was ever involved in my life. It was always just Mama, Uncle Buddy, his wife Millie, and their son Roy. I guess you could include my stepfather and cousin Lizzie in that as well. Even though my family was small and dirt poor, I still miss them.

  “Your first lesson,” Assassin says, bringing me out of my depressing thoughts. “Is to not fear the horse. Animals can sense your fear and your uneasiness. Horses, in the Locke, are highly intelligent. You need to get to know the horse, become familiar with it.”

  “Should I take it out to dinner first?” I say jokingly. Assassin laughs and shakes his head at me.

  “No, but you may have a good idea.” He waves his hand out in front of him and an apple appears in his palm. Still the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. He holds the apple out to me and with a smirk on his face says, “My lady, your date awaits.”

  “A horse will be my first date. Somehow, I’m not surprised.” I shake my head and take the apple from assassin’s hand. But not before I got a glance at the tug of Assassin’s lips as he frowns. I’ll store that for later to think about.

  I cautiously approach the horse—trying to be mindful of the massive hooves that could probably kill me with one wayward kick.

  “Hey, Horsie!” I say in a cheerful tone. The horse’s black glossy eyes stare at me as if he’s studying me. “I’m not going to hurt you.” the horse kind of tosses his head as if to say ‘Duh, you couldn’t if you tried.’ “I guess you wouldn’t be worried about that, huh?” I still cautiously approach the horse, making sure I stay in his line of sight.

  “I doubt a big strong horse like you would be afraid of anything.” The horse shuffles his feet a little and holds his head higher. If I didn’t know better, I would say it was preening at my compliment. That actually makes me smile.

  “You like that compliment did you?” I’m now directly in front of the horse with my hand slowly reaching out to its massive nose. The bright black eyes of the horse stare straight in mine and I don’t move. I just wait for it to come to me. Uncle Buddy once told me that animals needed their space too. He said that just as humans need to learn to trust and accept new people so does animals. It was after mama got that fat lazy house cat. I tried to pet it and it hissed at me. I was twelve at the time and still to this day that cat doesn’t like me. Hopefully this horse won’t be like mama’s house cat.

  For a while the horse and I just stand there, waiting, looking at each other. And then the horse pushes his nose into my hand nudging it. My face breaks out in a huge smile and I turn back to Assassin to share in my excitement. The look that greets me sucks all the air right out of my lungs and heats my skin. The look on his face is a cross between awe and pure lust. I have never had anyone look at me in that way and the sheer intensity of it sets my body on fire. I should turn away from those spellbinding eyes, but I can’t. I run my tongue along my bottom lip and Assassin’s eyes snap down to the movement. The air between us gets so charged that I could feel the pulses of electricity between us. What would it feel like to have his lips touch mine? How would those massive hands that know their way so well with a sword feel against my skin? The throbbing between my legs seem to dance with my own erratic pulse. Assassin swallows visibly and the tension in his body is noticeable in the way his muscles bunch underneath that dark tunic shirt and the way his fist are clenched so tight the veins on the back of his hands stand out like lines on a map.

  Was I wrong about assuming Assassin was gay? The way he is looking at me does not suggest he is gay. When it feels as if the tension has thickened to the point of swallowing us, Assassin takes a sudden step towards me and my heart nearly stops. Just as he looks as if he has come to some decision in his head, the horse puts his nose in my neck and nudges me, it tickles. I break contact with Assassin’s eyes and giggle turning to the horse. I give him the apple in my hand and he chomps the whole thing in one bite. The horse neighs and pushes its nose at me again, I rub my hand over its nose and it closes its eyes at my touch.

  “Very good.” Assassin’s deep voice comes from right behind me and I’m startled at the sudden closeness of him. He places his hand over my hip to steady me and It’s a wonder that I don’t collapse right there on the spot. The heat radiating off of him is enough to make a soft sheen of sweat break out over my body. Assassin removes his hand and I suddenly have the feeling of loss, even though I can still feel the heaviness and the heat from his touch like he burnt my skin.

  “You seem to have won over your date.” His voice sounds raspier than usual. He clears it as if something is lodged in it and then proceeds to say, “Now it’s time to learn to ride him.”

  I blush at all the dirty thoughts that come to mind at that phrase. I can’t even look in his direction. Even though his comment makes me think of being on top of him with my thighs spread over his hips as I make him explode, I know that it is only wishful thinking. I’m very new to sex, and even with Rykan I was only on the bottom. My lack of knowledge and experience would probably be dull and lacking to this beautiful sex-god. Assassin would need a woman with experience and talents that would know just how to touch a man to drive him crazy. The few times I’ve even tried to give a hand job to my high school “boyfriend” he had to guide my hands the entire time. Rykan didn’t seem to mind my slow and timid touches—in fact he loved them, but Rykan was a special case. And Rykan doesn’t seem to be on the same level as Assassin. What am I thinking? I have no reason to even think that I coul
d please a man like Assassin.

  “…..Lilly?” his voice brings my head up to meet his eyes. Apparently he has been talking to me for a while and I haven’t been paying attention. “What are you thinking about so hard?” He ask, with a bit of a laugh in his voice. I blush and I’m sure my face is the color of the apple that I fed the horse.

  I lean my head forward, covering my face with my hair. “Nothing.”

  “Are you ready to try riding him now?”

  I am glad he didn’t push the subject of my distraction. If my face heats up anymore from embarrassment I would have spontaneously combusted.

  “Are you ready for that?” I ask the horse as I stroke his coarse hair over his face. The horse neighs and picks up its hooves as if it’s impatient. I giggle at its actions. “I guess so.”

  “Come on.” Assassin holds out his hand for mine and I only hesitate for a second before I place my hand in his. His large rough hand covers mine as he wraps his fingers around it. He pulls me behind him until I am standing beside the horse.

  “For the first time I will ride with you. I want you to get use to handling him before you attempt it alone.” My body immediately warms to the thought of being this close to Assassin. Oh Crap! How am I supposed to deal with that?

  “Ready?” Assassin asks.

  I can only nod. Apparently my mouth has forgotten how to work.

  “Ok, grab the rein and place your right foot in my hands. When you get ready you will throw your left leg over the horse.” I swallow the large golf ball that has lodged in my throat and croak out ‘ok’. Assassin leans down with his hands cupped out for my foot. I grab the leather rein and at first the horse shakes his head and I thought I might have hurt him.

  “Sorry…Sorry.” I say, freezing and stroking the horse’s blonde hair.

  “It’s alright. He just needed to adjust to your grip.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Assassin didn’t answer, he didn’t need to. The horse turns his head towards me and gives a quick flick of his neck as if he is telling me to get on.

  “I’m starting to think he really can understand me.” I whisper to Assassin. He smiles at me and it has the most calming effect on me. In that one playful smile the awkward sexual tension lightens. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely still there—for me anyway, but it isn’t as suffocating as before. Again, I get that peaceful feeling that I always have when I’m around Assassin.

  “Maybe he does.” Assassin whispers back and I can’t help the grin that lights up my face. “Up we go.” He encourages. I turn back to the horse and grab the rein. I place my foot in Assassin’s hand and he helps me lift up, I kick my foot out and over the horse. Once I’m firmly planted on top of the horse I can’t help the feeling of accomplishment. I didn’t even get this far the first time.

  “Oh my goodness!” I beam down at Assassin. “I did it, I’m on a horse.” I squeal happily.

  “Yes, Lilly, you did it.” Assassin looks at me proudly and I blush, again. Even the horse seems to be happy for me as he snorts and stomps his hooves. I rub my hand up and down his neck soothingly.

  “Thanks…” I say, then stop when I realize I don’t know the horse’s name. “What’s his name?” I ask Assassin. I knew it was a male horse, I mean you can’t really miss that.

  “He does not have a name.”

  That doesn’t sit well with me. Something this beautiful and intelligent needs a name. I stroke my hand over his neck.

  “He needs a name.” I say. “Something strong.” He’s a white horse with blonde hair. “Thor.”

  “Thor?” Assassin repeats.

  “Yes, He is a Norse god of thunder. Lately he’s been made popular by Marvel Comics and this really hot actor that portrays him. I think the name is fitting. Don’t you, Thor?” I lean down towards Thor’s ear and ask my question. He neighs loudly and lifts his head up and down. I laugh at his enthusiasm.

  “I guess he does.”

  Like a champ, Assassin grabs the rein from my hand, swings his body up on the horse in such a swift move I didn’t even notice how he did it. My back is to his front and his inner thighs are pressed up closely to my outer thighs. Once again my body grows hot and tight. Assassin wraps his hand around my waist and pulls me further into his chest and the moment my backside makes contact with his crotch that throbbing comes back. I don’t even think I’m breathing anymore. Everything has stopped except the throbbing between my legs and the swooshing in my ears. Oh…My…God! Please let that be a flash light in his pants. A really hard, massive, thick flash light like the large metal one Uncle Buddy told me to keep in my car to use as a weapon. There is no way a man can have a penis that size. It should be illegal. I thought Rykan’s was huge, but if the size I’m feeling pressed against my rear is any indication, Assassin puts Rykan to shame. And that’s no easy feat.

  Assassin’s grip on my waist tightens. His large hand is spread out flat against my stomach and I can feel each ragged breath he takes. That over-whelming tension comes back to surround us like dense fog.

  How the hell am I going to relax wedged between his muscled thighs, with his hard sculptured chest against my back and that hot, thick…..

  “Flash light.” I say out loud.

  I stop breathing. Even the horse seems to freeze. I’m mortified. I can’t believe I just blurted that out. You are so stupid, Lilly. Think of something else to say. Talk about the weather, Sports, the climate changes in Antarctica, something! Before I could think of anything to say, Assassin starts to laugh. It starts off slow and deep and then ends in a loud belly laugh.

  “I’m sorry.” He says, still in the grips of his laughter. “I’ve never had it referred to as a torch light before?”

  “Ugh!” I bury my face in my hands.

  His laughter helps to lighten some of the tension and soon I find myself laughing with him. The awkward tension is suddenly broken and I actually do relax. Assassin slides away only slightly as he readjust his position on the horse.

  “How about we try this again?”

  I nod. “Yes, lets.” This time when he slides closer, it isn’t as close as before and now only my back and his chest are touching. Which, I feel happy and sad about—happy, because I can actually focus and not blurt out idiotic words, and sad, because I’m a horny pregnant lady and my body is craving that physical contact.

  “Ready?” Assassin asks, placing my hands back on the horse’s rein. He taps the side of the horse with his feet and says go. Thor shoots forward like he is racing in the Kentucky derby.

  I tighten my hands on the leather straps and my body tenses up. Assassin immediately places a hand over my clenched fist and rubs his other hand up and down my arm.

  “Relax, Lilly, and open your eyes.” He whispers in my ear and my body relaxes for an entirely different reason.

  My eyes pop open and I get that feeling like I did as a kid when I would ride my bike so fast that my pigtails would blow behind me in the wind. I could almost imagine those warm summer days when I spent so much time outside that my mom would barely see me. I almost hoped that when I looked down I would see Bo running along beside me like he did when I was just a kid.

  This time when I close my eyes it isn’t out of fear like before, but from the joy of having the wind blow in your face while you race against the breeze.

  We ride for what seems like hours. I didn’t mind, I loved being on top of Thor. And I think he loved me being here as well. When I told him to leap over a falling branch he did so with gusto, or when I yelled out “Faster, Thor, faster.” His hooves would beat against the ground with powerful thumps as he shot through the trees. Though I was in command, Assassin was the one guiding our direction as he would whisper in my ear to pull the rein to the left or right. When he finally directed me to stop Thor, we were at a place deep in the woods that had my jaw unhinged. It looked like something in a fairytale. Many times during my stay in this beautiful place my hand has itched for my camera, but no time more than now. I would love to
capture this place.

  The forest was thick around us. The ground covered in large roots and shrubs. Flecks of white flower petals blew through the air like snowflakes. Only a few feet away is a creek with gray stones that shimmers like jewels at the bottom of the creek bed. Something reminiscence of Spanish moss hangs from trees like tinsel. It is a magical sight.

  Assassin hops down off Thor and extends a hand to help me. His hands end up around my waist and mine on his shoulders as he lowers me from the horse. Even though my feet are planted safely on the ground he does not let me go. The proximity of his heated body seems to bring about that electricity that crackles around us whenever we are too close. My body heats up and my eyes drop down to those beautiful lips that makes me wonder what they would taste like.

  “I think I’m ok now.” I say. As bad as I want to stay in his arms, I know that if he doesn’t let go I will do something stupid, like lean forward and kiss those beautiful lips.

  He delays only for a second before dropping his arms from my waist. “Come, Thor needs a drink.” There goes that raspy voice again.

  I follow behind him as he leads Thor to the water’s edge for a drink. I stick my hands in the cool stream water. Marveling at how crystal clear the flowing water is.

  “Lilly,” I turn to the sound of Assassin calling my name. Again, I find my mouth hanging open. Behind me, underneath one of the trees, is a large picnic spread out for me. There are sandwiches and cakes and tall glasses of ice lemonade.

  “I may not be as entertaining as the horse, but I would like to be your second real date.” He bows his head in a royal gesture and I almost start crying at the happiness I feel.

  “I would like that.” I say, barely choking back the tears. I don’t know much about dates, but I know crying when a guy ask you out is a big No-No.

  “This way, My Lady.” He holds his hands out towards the blanket with the food. I sit down underneath the tree, sitting with my legs tucked under me. With a closer view I notice these aren’t just sandwiches, but Philly cheesesteaks from Mig’s—a popular restaurant back home that serves the best cheese steaks in town. I haven’t had one of these in a while.