Page 7 of Sheikh's Vacation Fling

Chapter 3

“Where are we going to find horses to ride this time of day?” Abby’s dark brows scrounged up at him like he was crazy.

Sadiq only laughed. One of the good things about his wealth and his status was that very few things were out of his reach, and tonight he used it to his advantage. “It’s already done Abigail. Do you need to change?” He hoped not because she looked incredible in the gauzy pink dress that brushed the ground and did incredible things for her cleavage.

“Um,” she held the syllable for a long time before blinking and focused on him again. “Yes but I’ll be just a second. Come on in.”

Sadiq followed her in and took a seat, knowing it never took women just a second to change outfits. It was a shame though because that dress was sexy and playful, words that perfectly described the woman as well. She intrigued him. Aroused him.

“Are we ready?” She frowned at him, pulling a laugh from Sadiq.

“Sorry I didn’t believe you when you said ‘just a second’.” And she looked even sexier in the yellow knee-length dress dotted with flowers.

“We’re riding horses Sadiq not attending a ball.” Her lips twitched at her teasing words and she nodded towards the door. “Unless it’s a horse ball in which case I have no outfit for that occasion.”

He laughed and placed his hand on her lower back. “Come on.” He took her to the small strip of beach designated for a sunset horseback ride on the beach and watched her eyes sparkle beautifully.

“Oh this is going to be fun!” She clapped her hands and went to the horses, kissing their noses and cooing her introduction. “You’re a couple of handsome fellas, aren’t ya?”

“I may or may not be jealous,” he deadpanned behind her.

With a sexy laugh she turned to look at him. “Oh you’re the most handsome of all,” she joked and cupped his cheek in much the same way she had the horses. He leaned forward and so did she, both of them leaning towards something they wanted. But shouldn’t.

“Get on the horse,” he told her gruffly, adding a smile to take the bite out of his words.

They rode in silence for a while, soaking up the setting sun and the waves crashing to their side. Then Abby broke the silence. “Tell me something about yourself Sadiq. I feel like I babble constantly about me.”

“I’m thirty eight.”

She laughed. “Ooh, top secret information there. I’m twenty-seven, big deal. What does a horseman do, exactly?”

He hated lying and this wasn’t technically a lie. “I ride and race horses, train horses and their riders. I even have a couple Olympic medals.”

“Wow, that’s so amazing! How did it feel?” Her gaze was expectant and hopeful. For him, he realized, not his winnings.

She constantly surprised him and it was one of the things he appreciated each time they were together. Abby never asked about his money or other famous people he might know, always about his experiences. “Incredible. Waiting for the scores to come in and then seeing my name at the top, it’s a feeling I’ll always remember.”

“You’ve lived quite a life,” she sighed wistfully. “Tell the truth, were you a sore winner? Shouting ‘in yo’ face’ at all the other horse riders and grabbing your crotch?”

He laughed at her visual and shook his head. “I am quite a bit older than you so the experience shouldn’t be a surprise.” A fact that bothered him more than it should. She was young and beautiful, what would she want with a guy like him? “As for the other thing, I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure.”

She scoffed. “You act like you’re pushing sixty Sadiq. You’re only as old as you feel, as my grandma always says and she’s pushing eighty. You wouldn’t know it though, she goes to bingo, book club, volunteers at the local homeless shelter and has time to dabble in matchmaking.”

He loved the way she spoke about her family, with such affection. “She sounds like an amazing woman.”

“She is, just ask her. She has a boyfriend too, he’s sixty-eight and she calls herself a cougar.” A laugh escaped that went straight to his gut, and lower if he were being honest.

By the time they made it back to their starting point and bid goodbye to the horses, Sadiq had begun to second guess his growing feelings for her. “I hope you’re hungry.”

“Starved,” she smiled at him, casually wrapping her arm around his as they made their way to the table he’d had set up for them. “What’s this?”

“Dinner.”

***

The man was a closet romantic! Despite his gruff outer exterior and his serious demeanor, Sadiq was a romantic. The sunset ride, the candlelit dinner on the beach, it all screamed romance. And courtship. Was she ready to be courted? Hell, was she ready to be in a relationship so soon? Did it really matter since they lived on opposite sides of the globe? “This is beautiful Sadiq. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I like seeing you smile Abby and I’ll do whatever I can to see that smile.”

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