Page 6 of Fundamentals in Flirting

“Hannah, I think I should take you to hospital,” he said in a gravelly voice, running his hands down my arms and lacing his fingers with mine.

“That won’t be necessary. I’m fine.” I pulled away from him, his proximity and tenderness causing a ripple of unwelcome desire to course through me. My libido already annoyingly optimistic at this most basic of touches.

Teddy stood up and stepped back in contemplation, a frown on his face. “Are you far from home?”

“No, the stables are about ten minutes away.”

“Right, well, I’m accompanying you back there,” he said, his tone allowing no room for negotiation.

I snorted. “Who are you and what have you done with the smug, self-centred guy I went to school with?”

He raised an eyebrow and chewed his lip thoughtfully, before muttering, “I can be chivalrous too, just like Henry, you know.”

For a moment we stared at each other, a strange crackling intensity to the air. Charged particles seemed to be zipping between us, invisible protons of weirdness that were holding me captive in his gaze, until with exaggerated annoyance, I plonked my riding hat back on my head and stalked over to Pluto. His reins were broken, but otherwise he was unscathed and I was grateful for that. Taking a few calming breaths, I hung onto his reassuring bulk and familiarity, grounding myself by pressing my nose into his soft grey coat and inhaling the comforting aroma of horse.

Meanwhile, Teddy had disappeared into the undergrowth and was retrieving his bike from a particularly vicious-looking patch of brambles. When he reappeared, I noticed a trickle of blood running down his leg where his baggy shorts were now fairly tattered, exposing an indecent amount of thigh, which I had to make a conscious effort not to ogle.

Overactive libido be gone, what the hell are you thinking, Hannah?

But nothing looked as tragic as his poor, crumpled bike. The front wheel was no longer round – more sort of D-shaped – the front forks horribly bent, frame a little twisted, and he stared forlornly down at the mangled wreckage.

“Can it be fixed?” I asked.

Glancing up, he sighed and shook his head slightly. “I think it might be toast.”

“Oh.” I felt a little sad for him, then remembered that he had been hurtling down a steep bank at speed, and I felt my eyebrows knitting together in consternation. “Maybe you’ll be a little more careful with your next bike.”

Teddy scowled in response. “You were going at quite some rate yourself, Hannah. I had to take pretty evasive action not to hit you or your horse.”

I glared. He glared. Pluto munched happily on some sticky grass that was stuck to Teddy’s T-shirt, oblivious to the glare-off going on next to him.

“Is this yours by the way?” he asked, holding up a bent horseshoe and I looked down to see only three of Pluto’s feet still appropriately shod.

Well, isn’t that bloody fantastic.

“Yes, thank you,” I said, snatching it from his hands.

“You’re welcome.” Lifting up the front of his bike onto its back wheel, he started to push it along. “Which way are the stables?”

Grumbling, I reluctantly pointed down the hill and set off after him, definitely not watching the muscles of his back and arms flexing as he marched off ahead of me.

Nope. No siree. Most definitely not.

ChapterFour

Teddy followed me into the livery yard where I kept Pluto. It was a busy Saturday morning and the hive of female horse owners turned in unison to watch him wheel his broken bike along beside us, staring open-mouthed like I’d just brought some international rock star back with me. I didn’t need to look at him to know that he was flashing knicker-dropping smiles left, right, and centre, as the appreciative expressions from all around told me everything I needed to know. Why did he still have to be such a flirt?

“You never told me that the stables would be such a hot bed of women, Hannah,” he said over the stable door, as I put Pluto away and began taking off his saddle and bridle, checking him over again for any injuries or anomalies, other than the lost shoe.

Not dignifying that comment with an answer, I busied myself with making my horse comfortable, flicking a brush over his body and ensuring he had enough hay and water. With my back turned, Teddy had left his bike outside and come into the stable, and was now cautiously stroking Pluto on the neck.

“Right, Teddy, you can see I’m fine so you don’t need to hang around here any longer. Don’t you have a home to go to?”

Irritation bristled with every word. I couldn’t put a finger on the exact reason this unexpected encounter had rattled me so much, but I was more on edge than I had been in a very long time, and desperate to be alone so I could work my way out of the whole-body funk he was subjecting me to.

“He feels so soft. I’ve never touched a horse before,” Teddy whispered distractedly. Pluto turned his head, blowing warm, sweet breath over Teddy’s face. It made him laugh and he stepped back slightly. “Is that him telling me he likes me? Or that he wants to eat me?”

“Pluto likes everyone – he’s not discerning,” I muttered, teeth gritted.

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