by K. M. Hill
Haha. Maybe they were right. Maybe he was an ass.
Chapter 28
Sabrina arrived at the barn early and was working without her stirrups as Zach drove up. He smiled to himself knowing she would do everything in her power to stay tight and not get popped off again. He delighted in how annoyed she got when he said she fell off.
“Hi Sabrina.” Zach said warmly.
Well, well. That’s the first hello I’ve gotten all weekend, Sabrina thought.
“Hi Zach.” Sabrina said not stopping what she was doing.
“Looks like he is round and supple and ready to go. I normally don’t jump this much in a week but with you leaving again tonight, we should probably get one more practice in before you leave.” Zach offered.
“How do you know I am going away?” Sabrina inquired, lightly out of breath from her work on the horse.
“You mentioned it to me the other night.”
Hmm. I forgot that I did. And, he actually is referencing the other night. This is interesting.
“I guess I did.” Walking the horse in a circle.
“Dubai, right? You’ll be back Wednesday night?” Zach inquired.
“Yes, that’s right.” Sabrina said succinctly. She wasn’t interested in engaging in conversation just because he suddenly was.
“Ok, well I wanted to talk to your about your return.” Zach said.
Here it comes, thought Sabrina. He’s kicking her and the horses out of the barn. Well, she’ll have to start the process all over again to find the right situation. It’s really too bad. She loved everything about this place, even with the awkwardness with Zach.
“What about my return, Zach?” She asked with some exasperation.
“Well, there is a show in Saratoga that runs Thursday through Sunday. It’s got some good jumper classes and a nice Grand Prix. The venue is fun and the town is great. It is one of my favorite shows. They have the racing in the summer but the track will be quiet.” Zach explained.
“I’ve been to Saratoga, Zach. It’s a great venue.”
“The prize money is good, the show is great and it’s in a nice setting. It’s short notice but I thought you might like to take the boys. I’m bringing four of my own and between them and yours that will fill up the trailer. We would bring two grooms with us.” Zach paused to see her reaction.
“Are you interested in showing, Sabrina?” Zach asked.
Zach had been so aloof up until today that she was actually considering leaving. She didn’t want tension and drama where the horses were. This was her haven. She hadn’t shown with him before and maybe she should do that to see if she could work with him. She had told him the other night she wanted to get back into competing and this was a great chance. Wow. Decision time.
“Ok, Zach. I’ll do it.”
“Great. Why don’t you fly into the airport closest to the show grounds to save time in getting there? I’ll drive the horses up on Tuesday and get them settled in. I’ll put them in warm up on Wednesday so they can get used to the rings up there. By the time you arrive, you should be good to go.” Zach laid out the plan.
“This sounds great. I’m actually pretty excited at the idea of showing. It’s been sometime and I think it is just what I need.”
“Yes, it should be good. I’m anxious to see how your crew does when they are on the road and how we need to prepare differently. Knowing what to expect at a show will be a good input to the work we do at home. I didn’t want to get too far down our path without checking that out.” Zach offered.
“Ok. What do I need to do for this?” Sabrina asked.
“Nothing. I’ll take care of everything.” Zach stated.
“You’ll do entries?” Sabrina confirmed.
“Yes. Mine are done but I’ll send yours in this afternoon. I’ll drive the trailer so that’s all set. I’ve already arranged for the few grooms that will come with us.”
“What about accommodations? Do you want me to take care of those?” Sabrina offered.
“Nope, those are all set too.” Zach said.
Hmm, she thought. What kind of accommodations would he book them into? A posh hotel? An old inn? Cheap motel? She hated surprises.
“What accommodations did you arrange?” Sabrina asked directly.
“The accommodations are lovely. There is a washer/dryer, a kitchen, we’re good. I’ve stayed there for years. All good.”
“Ok, Zach. How can I say no? It sounds like you have taken care of it all. I’m in.” Sabrina said finally.
“Great!”
“Can you hand me my stirrups so I can put them back on my saddle? I’ve done enough work without them for one day.” Sabrina asked.
“Yes, of course. Let me help.” Zach leaned in to get the stirrups.
“I can do it myself…” She started to say but he was already at it.
Zach pushed her thigh back to be able to slide the stirrup leather onto the flap of the saddle.
She should have known better. His touch was as hot as ever and shot a pulse right between her legs.
“Zach, about those accommodations… will we be staying in the same hotel?” Sabrina asked trying to sound nonchalant.
“We’ll be staying in the same house. We always rent a house when we travel to Saratoga. It actually saves money, is more relaxing and we can cook if you want. I’ve stayed at this house for 10 years now. It’s really lovely. Your bedroom is on the top floor and over looks the track.” Zach explained.
“I know that because my bedroom is up there too. It’s the best view in all of Saratoga.” Zach added looking up at her.
She asked herself for the thousandth time… what was she getting herself into? She’ll just need to keep things on track and not end up with a bad situation like the other night.
They finished up and she dismounted. She handed the horse off to the groom.
“Zach, I’ll see you in Saratoga. And Zach. Thank you.” Sabrina said kindly.
Zach watched her walk out and had to check himself for any drool. She was a killer. This weekend with her was a genius idea. He would get to see if she was really mad at him still or if she would revert back to her more relaxed self from the restaurant. If she didn’t revert, he had several ideas how to get her to revert and he was looking forward to using all of them. Typical, Zach thought. Once I have made up my mind about wanting something or in this case, someone…it’s all he could focus on.
Chapter 29
Sabrina landed and took a taxi to the address that Zach sent her. It was too late to ride and frankly she was too tired to get on a horse. Zach had done the horses in the warm up and said they were great. She was so excited about this weekend. It had been a while since she showed.
She was also excited to see Zach, in spite of what she told herself during the entire trip to Dubai. He filled her thoughts.
As she pulled up to the house, she smiled. It was adorable. She now understood why Zach rented this house year after year. It had a wide porch that went around the front of the house and she could see by the side that it had a huge pool with a waterfall in the back.
She had traveled around the world and Saratoga Springs, NY was one of her favorite places. The town was so clean, pleasant and had so many neat restaurants and shops. The racetrack pulled in tens of thousands of people each summer because both the town and the track had so much appeal.
She stepped out of the taxi and took her luggage from the taxi driver after she paid him. She walked up the stairs and into the house.
“Hello?”
Sabrina was greeted by a huge surprise.
As she put her bag down, she heard a sound she knew well. Triton and Sebastian came scrambling around the corner from the kitchen at full speed and plowed right into. Sabrina was knocked on her ass with the dogs both trying to greet her.
She was laughing a pure, rich laugh as Zach came around the corner.
She spotted him immediately and saw the smile go right up to his eyes.
“Welcome hom
e world traveler.” Zach said.
Home. Hmmm, thought Sabrina. She was happy to be back in the country and she was feeling very welcomed at the moment as she continued to smile.
“Zach. What have you done? Why are the boys here?” Sabrina asked with delight as they continued to push each other aside to get her attention.
“Well, I know it’s hard for you to see them because of traveling so much. I connected with Bella and picked them up before I drove up to Saratoga. There is a girl who lives next door who has been taking care of them during the day. I’ve known her since she was little and I’m a friend of her parents. I called and asked if she could take care of them in between and she said yes and then I called the owner and they said no problem.”
She was so touched. She hadn’t had someone be so kind to her in such a long time. She took a minute to collect herself so she didn’t become a slobbery mess.
“C’mon. Let’s get you off the floor. Dinner is coming out of the oven.” Zach announced.
He walked in-between her legs, pushing the dogs out of the way. He reached down for her hands. She placed them in his hands and he pulled her to him, right into him.
“Oh, sorry.” Sabrina said with a blush.
“No problem.” Zach said with a smile.
“C’mon boys, let’s go out back while your mom and I have dinner.” Zach directed to the dogs.
Your mom and I? Sabrina thought. What is this all about? Zach was in a better mood the last day she saw him but he was almost unbearable the days before. She thought it was because of their encounter at her house but maybe it was something else. The Zach she had now was very friendly and almost thoughtful.
Sabrina followed him to the kitchen and watched as he pulled Chicken Parmesan out of the oven.
“You cook?” she said incredulously.
“Yes, I cook. Yet another piece of my mom’s legacy. Her children were all going to be able to feed themselves and I found I liked it.” Zach explained.
“Wow. I must say I’m impressed.”
“Good. You are tough with high standards so I take that with a lot of pride,” smiled Zach.
They sat down and enjoyed the delicious meal.
“Wow, Zach. That was amazing. Your mother raised her children right.” Zach beamed with pride. He clearly adored his mother and the compliment was appreciated.
She was ready to relax after the big meal but stood up to clear the dishes.
“What do you think about a swim before we call it a night? That should help you wind down from your trip and help you relax before we go to sleep?” asked Zach.
He smiled. She was probably thinking it was because he was being kind but he was actually smiling because he almost said, “Before we go to bed” and that made him smile.
“You know, that sounds amazing. Let me help you clean the kitchen first.” She began clearing the dishes.
“No. I’ll do that. You go change. I already have my swim trunks on and this will take no time.”
She looked down and sure enough, what she thought was shorts were actually swim trunks.
“Go on, go change. The sooner we swim, the sooner you can get to bed. You have a big weekend ahead of you.”
“Ok, Zach. Thanks. I’ll be right back, “ and she went up the stairs two at a time.
Chapter 30
By the time she got back, the kitchen was clean and he was in the pool already.
She opened the slider and his heart stopped. Her beautiful hair shimmered in the moonlight and her black bikini hugged her like it was painted on. All of his words got caught in his throat. She was stunning.
Sabrina dropped her towel on the chair and executed a flawless dive off the board. She went the length of the pool under water and came up right next to him. She looked like a sea nymph as the water ran over her.
Before Zach realized what he was doing, he grabbed her around the waist and spun her in a circle in the pool. She squealed because it was so unexpected.
He quickly put her back down in the pool but didn’t move his hands from her waist.
“What was that for?” she asked him.
“You just looked so happy coming out of the water that it made me happy.” Zach said with a smile on his face.
She smiled back at him.
“Zach, you seemed to be in a very good mood.” Sabrina offered.
“Yes, I am. I love this venue; I’m excited to show my set of horses. I’m pleased you were able to come and looking forward to you showing.”
She looked at him. She felt like there was more to it. He seemed very different than he was last weekend.
She pushed off the wall and swam the length of the pool. She was so lovely to watch. So graceful. It belied the strength she showed on the horses. She reached the diving board and put her arms up and hung from it, bobbing in the water.
He pushed off the wall as well and made his way towards her. He swam up to the board and mimicked her pose by grabbing the end of the board and floating similar to how she was.
She smiled at him, with mischief in her eyes.
“Zach, what is that sound behind you?” Sabrina asked innocently.
As he turned his head, she made a move to push his hands off the edge of the board and caught him completely off guard. He lost his holding and under he went. He could hear her squeals of delight from under the water. He took his time surfacing watching the little fiend swim furiously under the water. He grabbed her foot and she shrieked and squirmed.
He made sure to surface right up the length of her body so his face was inches from her face when he surfaced fully. He tread water as he looked in her eyes.
“You little devil.” He growled.
She laughed.
“I just couldn’t help myself. I should probably say I am sorry but when I saw you dangling at the end of the board, you reminded me of when I swam with my brothers and that trick works every time on them.”
“You little minx. I’ll give you a trick.” With that, he started tickling her mercilessly on her sides and she squirmed and squealed trying to get away. She finally let go of the board in an effort to stop him and landed right in his arms.
He took full advantage by catching her and pushing her immediately against the wall of the pool. His eyes were smoldering. She could see the blatant desire in them. She was shocked to feel his growing hard on against her leg.
“Zach, I’m, I, um… I didn’t mean,…” she stammered.
“Too bad lady. Even if you didn’t mean to, which I don’t believe.... you did. And now you get your punishment.” He descended upon her lips like a man possessed.
He had thought about these lips for the last four days. She was still at first and within seconds melted into him. She opened her mouth for his tongue and he kissed her so fully and so completely that she felt like she never really had been kissed before. She wrapped her legs around his waist and felt his erection push into her.
She was lost. She spent her whole trip to Dubai putting this man out of her head but the slightest inclination and she lost all of her resolve. He was delicious. As he deepened the kiss, she heard him growl. That sound went straight to her sex and she was throbbing.
He dropped one hand to her breast and moved her bathing suit aside and began to suck on her nipple while massaging her other breast. His tongue flicked around her nipple. She heard herself moan and was surprised to hear it come from her.
Zach switched hands and gave her other breast the same attention as she dropped her head back. Her head was full of Zach. Even in the water, she could feel him, smell him. His hard-on was pushing against her bathing suit making her throb even harder.
He left her nipple and moved to her neck, licking and kissing his way down it as he imagined it doing so the first day he met her. He lowered his other hand and slipped it into her bikini bottoms, finding her sensitive nub.
She shuttered immediately, her body flush even though the water was cool. He rubbed her clit in a rhythmic motion that made her wild. He th
rust two fingers inside of her keeping his thumb rotating on her most sensitive spot and she became undone. Her sex clenched, her stomach flipped as she felt the wave over take her and take her under.
She rode the after shocks on his hand and when done dropped her head to his shoulders. She still had her legs wrapped around his waist. He held her close and waited for her to come back to him.
