He swung the barn door open. “This is Daisy.”
A glossy black mare lifted her head over the wooden gate and neighed.
“Hello, beautiful.” Brody greeted her like a long-lost love. He walked over to the horse’s stall and stroked her neck as she put her nose against his face. Seemed Brody wasn’t the only one who considered them soul mates.
“Is this your horse?”
“She came with the house. That’s sort of what sealed the deal for me.” He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t say a word about the name.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Rebecca was too busy marveling at the undeniable bond he’d developed with an animal he hardly knew. Although the idea of Brody Dixon riding a horse whose name seemed more appropriate for a ten-year-old’s pony did make her smile.
“What brought this on?”
“I’ve always loved horses.”
“Not just the horse. All of it.”
Brody stopped stroking the mare and looked Rebecca in the eyes. “You did.”
“Me?” she squeaked.
He nodded. “That day we looked at apartments. You asked me to describe the house I grew up in and, with your sneaky little ninja ways, reminded me of the promise I’d made to myself when I was eighteen.”
“Which was?” Of course Rebecca remembered Brody telling her he’d promised himself that if he ever made it big, he’d buy himself a home like the one he grew up in, but she was enjoying their conversation far too much to cut it short.
“That as soon as I could afford to, I would pay off my parents’ ranch and then buy a home of my own that was just like it.” His expression switched from nostalgia to mischief. “With a few upgrades, of course.”
“Like a shower big enough for the O-line?”
He laughed. “Look at you with the lingo.”
Rebecca merely smiled. Wasn’t like she was about to admit she’d been doing a little research in preparation for the start of the season. “Dixon Homestead 2.0?”
“Exactly.” He held her gaze, sending ripples of awareness across her overheated skin. She wanted to go to him, to wrap her arms around his neck and press her softness against her hard planes. To tell him how much it meant to her that he wanted to show her his new home, and more than that, how she was ready to christen each and every room. But instead, she stayed the course. The farm might have been Brody 2.0, but despite her intentions, Rebecca was stuck in beta.
“It’s really amazing, Brody. I’m so happy for you.”
“Are you ready?”
“To leave?” They’d hardly been there any time at all. And while she might not have had the guts to suggest they get naked in the hayloft, she was definitely in no hurry to leave.
“No.” His head fell back on a laugh. “To ride.”
“Ride?” She really needed to do something about her monosyllabic, high-pitched replies.
“All part of the Brody Dixon Adventure Package.” He cocked his head to one side. “That is what you asked for, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but—”
“Great.” He clapped his hands together. “You can help me saddle her up.”
Staying a little longer suddenly didn’t seem like such a great idea. The horse was beautiful but, like, ten feet tall. Okay, maybe not that high, but it certainly seemed that way as Rebecca stood beside her at barely five foot four.
“I’m not so sure this is a great idea,” she said. “I mean, I have no idea how to ride a horse.”
Brody chuckled as he opened the gate. “Wasn’t that the point of asking for my help, to do things you’ve never done?” The look on his face softened in response to the panic that was no doubt written all over hers. “Relax. You’ll be with me. All you have to do is hold on.”
Well, when he put it that way…
Rebecca watched as Brody picked up a brush and began sweeping it along the mare’s coat from one end to the other. She knew being jealous of a horse was ridiculous, but the way he handled her—with a firm yet gentle control, all the while coaxing her with whispered affection—was an undeniable turn-on. She pressed her thighs together as she imagined him laying her out on a blanket, his fingers exploring her skin while he murmured all manner of naughty intentions into her ear.
The horse neighed, pulling Rebecca from her erotic daydream.
“Good girl,” Brody practically purred. She knew he wasn’t talking to her, but that did nothing to lessen the surge of heat that pulsed through her core. Sweet Jesus, was she really living vicariously through this horse?
Brody placed a blanket on the mare’s back, then secured a leather saddle over the top.
“Surely the team doesn’t allow this?” It might have sounded like a feeble attempt to avoid their ride, but there was some truth to her question as well. Rebecca had read an article one time that talked about insurance policies teams took out on superstar athletes, and the subsequent restrictions the companies placed on their activities. No such luck.
“I grew up on a ranch,” he said as he fed a leather strap through a ring on the saddle. “Learned to ride about the same time I learned to walk. No contract was going to take that from me.” He pulled the strap tight, then repeated the process on the other side before going to work on the bridle. Rebecca watched in fascination as he worked smoothly and methodically, as if he had been taking care of Daisy her whole life. When he was done, he grabbed a riding helmet off one of the shelves.
A wave of panic gripped her chest. “I thought you said this was safe?”
To his credit, Brody didn’t mock her for what deep down she knew was an irrational fear. Instead, he spoke to her in the same soothing tone he’d used with Daisy. She would have been slightly put off by that if it weren’t for the fact that even she had to admit that, at the moment, the horse wasn’t the most high-strung female in the barn.
“Relax, Rebecca. It’s just a precaution. Nothing bad is going to happen.” He placed the helmet on top of her head. “But could you imagine Cole’s reaction if by some crazy chance something did, and I hadn’t insisted you wear a helmet?”
She lifted her chin as he secured the buckle. “My brother is an overbearing control freak.”
“It’s not just for him.” Brody smiled. “I could never live with myself if anything happened to you.” Rebecca didn’t need a mirror to know she looked ridiculous in the safety helmet, but you would have never known it from the look on Brody’s face. The boyish excitement was still in his eyes, but there was also something more, something darker that sent a rush down her spine.
“Am I good?” she asked. Her voice sounded all breathy and nothing like her own.
“Perfect,” he said, matching her tone. Brody leaned closer, and as he did, Daisy let out a huff of air. He looked at her over his shoulder and, swear to God, she shook her head. It probably had something to do with the bridle and impatience, but it certainly came across more like a horse version of “Hands off. He’s mine.”
They shared a laugh. “Looks like someone is ready to go,” Rebecca said.
Brody took the reins and led them out of the barn.
Forget what she said about him looking happy in the truck. On a horse, the guy was downright euphoric.
“Hop on.” He held out his hand to help her climb on, something she did with as much grace as possible given the height of the stirrup. Once she was settled, Rebecca wrapped her arms around his waist and took a deep breath through her nose. The air was an intoxicating mix of warm sun, freshly cut hay, and Brody Dixon.
“Hold on tight,” he said before giving the reins a quick snap. She molded her body against his back and rested her cheek against his shoulder. The thought of riding a horse might have terrified her at first, but now that she was wedged into the saddle behind Brody, Rebecca realized there were undeniable perks.
He turned the horse toward a trail at the edge of the clearing. She had no idea where they were headed. All she knew was she was definitely in no hurry to come back.
Chapter Fifteen
Brody didn’t
think he’d ever enjoyed a ride more. They’d started out slowly at first, but once Rebecca began to relax, he’d pushed both her and the horse to their limits. She’d squealed when they broke into a gallop, although the sound wasn’t one of panic, but rather pure joy. He knew she felt the same high he did whenever he rode, the feeling of moving as one with the horse, each of them an extension of the other. But when she’d splayed her hands across his chest and gripped his hips with her thighs, the only ride he was thinking of involved Rebecca perched above him as she lost herself to the feeling of him moving inside her.
It had been all he could do not to lay her out on the soft grass. And when he finally did help her down off the horse, he couldn’t help but wonder if her pink cheeks and bright eyes meant their ride had affected her the same way or if she had just discovered a love of riding. Either was a win as far as he was concerned, but as they walked to the truck, his cock was definitely voting for option one. Too bad he had to send him to the locker room.
Fortunately, the second part of the Brody Dixon Adventure Package provided a much-needed distraction.
“Seeing as how that wasn’t technically driving…” he said as he held out the keys to the pickup truck.
Rebecca frowned at him.
“I seem to recall you wanting to drive too fast and drink too much. And since they should be in that order…”
It was an offer he didn’t have to make twice.
She snatched the keys out of his hand, but then her wide eyes narrowed. “Surely this breaks some clause in your contract?”
“Technically, it prohibits me from driving high-performance cars at dangerous speeds,” he said as they climbed into the cab of the truck. “And since this beast definitely doesn’t fall into that category, and I’m not the one driving…I’d say we’re all good.” That’s not to say that his agent wouldn’t have given him a twenty-minute lecture if he found out. One that would have no doubt ended with the poor man pulling out several of his remaining hairs, but what Marty didn’t know didn’t prematurely bald him.
Rebecca put the key in the ignition. It took two tries, but when the engine finally roared to life, she grinned and clapped like a kid on Christmas.
“You know how to drive, don’t you?” Might have been a good idea to ask before he gave her the keys, but still.
“Of course! Just don’t get much chance in the city.” She shot him a look. “Couldn’t have come up with this idea when you had the Lamborghini?”
Brody chuckled. “I’m adventurous, not suicidal.”
He buckled his seat belt, then held on for dear life as Rebecca sped down the country roads. She did a few donuts in a field that nearly caused him to lose his lunch, but the smile on her face made it all worthwhile.
When they finally came to a stop, her cheeks were flushed, and she was breathing like she’d just sprinted the entire length of a football field. “That was…”
“Terrifying?” He was teasing her, but she didn’t even notice. She was too busy riding the high.
“Exhilarating, liberating…outstanding!”
Brody knew his smile probably looked as goofy as hers, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t recall a time when he’d felt so happy about something that had nothing to do with him. It was a feeling he never wanted to end. In fact, when he took the truck back tomorrow, he was going to see if the owner would sell it to him, if for no other reason than the sight of it parked next to the barn would serve as a reminder of this day, this woman, her smile, and the way he felt watching her.
“Welcome to an adrenaline rush,” he said. “Now for the drinking.”
The smile slipped from her face. “I have a confession to make.”
The warm feeling in Brody’s chest plummeted right to his gut.
“I know we agreed no work, but if you don’t mind, I need to make one stop.”
His relief was palpable, but he wasn’t about to let her off that easily. He raised a teasing brow. “Is this going to involve me dancing?”
She laughed. “No, you’re safe. I just need to see a lady about a penguin.”
As if she didn’t already have his full attention.
“Not a specific penguin per se,” she was quick to clarify. “Cassie and Hank are having their party at the Shedd Aquarium, and I just need to confirm a few details, like the donation they’re making to the Antarctic Conservation Fund and the one to the Emperor Penguin Foundation.” Her eyes darted to his. “Except nobody’s supposed to know about that part except me, so if you see Hank, don’t say anything, although I’m sure he wouldn’t care that you knew.” She was speaking so quickly, he was starting to worry she might pass out. “He just doesn’t want it in the press, who are probably the last people you would talk to, not that they wouldn’t want to talk to you, but not about—”
He placed his hand over hers. “It’s fine, Rebecca.”
“I just don’t want you to think I’ve gone back on our pact.”
“Cassie and Hank aren’t clients, they’re friends, so I’d say you’re safe.”
“A loophole?”
“Exactly.” A warm smile passed between them before she glanced down to where his hand covered hers. He didn’t want to pull it away. He wanted to curl his fingers around hers and hold her hand all the way back to the city like they were a couple of teenagers and this was his daddy’s truck and when they got to her house he was going to drop her off and then park the truck around back and sneak through her window and definitely get further than second base.
“Guess we should get going, then?” she said.
“Guess so,” he said even though it was the last thing he wanted. “You good driving the beast back into town?”
And just like that, the little grin and bounce were back. “Absolutely.”
Rebecca restarted the truck, and while Brody didn’t hold her hand on the trip back to Chicago, he did steal more than a few glances as she drove. Oh, who was he kidding? He was outright staring for most of it, committing every detail to memory—from the way she tapped her fingers on the wheel when a song she liked came on the radio, to the way she growled when a slow driver came between her and the open road. He couldn’t help it. Something about this woman had captivated him from the very first moment they met, and getting to know her had only made the attraction grow stronger.
“This won’t take long. I promise,” she said as they pulled into the lakefront park that was home to most of the city’s museums. Rebecca didn’t stop at the parking garage. Instead, she pulled around to the rear of the stone building. The place was a ghost town. “They actually closed about an hour ago,” she added, which not only explained the empty lot, but also the reason for using the employee-only entrance. It was just as well. Places like aquariums and museums meant school field trips, which meant large packs of kids who could recognize an NFL player from a hundred yards away. Not that Brody minded spending time with his younger fans, but a busload of them would take a boatload of time, and that was something he wanted to spend with Rebecca.
The security guard posted at the back door directed them through a maze of hallways until they reached the rear of an exhibit that smelled a whole lot like the ocean.
“I’ll only be a minute,” Rebecca said.
“No problem. You do your thing, and I’ll just hang here with the fish.”
But as Brody walked the length of the glowing tank, he didn’t see fish. In fact, he didn’t see anything at all. Perhaps whatever was supposed to be in the habitat was out in the public viewing areas, a fact he found more than a little disappointing. “Bummer,” he said to no one but himself.
Something or someone squeaked in reply.
Brody turned to find a penguin. But not just any penguin—this one had a spike of yellow and black feathers on his head that made him look like a tiny punk rocker. “Hey, little guy.”
The bird—were penguins birds?—flapped his wings and hopped closer, then looked up at Brody and squealed.
Brody bent and extended his hand as
though the tiny feathered version of Billy Idol was a dog who needed to smell his hand before trusting him. The penguin hopped closer and cocked his head to one side. Slowly, Brody stroked his wing. Or were they called flippers? Damn, he should have paid better attention in school. Either way, the penguin certainly seemed to enjoy it. “Are you supposed to be out here on your own?”
“Rocky thinks he runs the place,” someone said. Brody looked up to find a woman wearing a khaki uniform and large rubber boots that came clear up to her knees. Rebecca was standing beside her, watching in fascination. “Once the visitors leave, he likes to make the rounds.”
Brody stood, and as he walked toward the two women, Rocky followed.
“He likes you,” the aquarium lady said. “Doesn’t usually take to people so quickly.”
“Brody has that effect on animals,” Rebecca said. “And kids.” She turned to the other woman. “Jessica, this is my…” She paused as if trying to decide how to describe what they had become. Brody hung on the dead air, curious as all get-out to see what word she chose. “…friend, Brody Dixon.”
Friend, huh?
Brody could hardly blame her for the noun choice. After all, he hadn’t exactly done anything to let her know he wanted more. At least not since the night of the poker game. But that was before Cole had put the kibosh on anything except friendship. Rebecca had described him exactly how she should have. So why did it bother him so much?
“Nice to meet you,” Jessica said. “I’d shake your hand, but they smell like fish, and then we’d have to worry about Rocky following you home.” She laughed. “As it is, I think he’d like to pack his bags.”
“Sorry, bud,” Brody told him. “But I don’t think my hotel would appreciate you taking up residence in the bathtub.”
“I’m going to get this little man back to his habitat. You guys feel free to have a look around if you’d like. And, Rebecca,” she said, “call me if you need anything before the event.”
Brody followed Rebecca as they made their way into the building’s rotunda. An enormous tank sat in the middle, offering 360-degree viewing of a soaring coral reef. “So, you’re all done, then?”
Save the Date (Wild Wedding Series Book 3) Page 16
