Page 27 of Taming Mika

“Let’s go,” Alfie commands, his flat tone leaving no room for discussion. Gripping my upper arm, he keeps me close to his side as his remaining men close in around us.

My palms are sweaty as I take Fate’s reins to guide her, and she bounces nervously beside me. Piper, still perched in her saddle, looks anxious, and she hops down as soon as we get back to our row of stalls. The tense silence seems to alert the grooms that something’s wrong, and they pause, the celebration of Fate’s win all but forgotten.

“Pack it up,” Alfie says, raising his voice to address everyone. “I want us out of here within the hour.”

“What?” I demand, stopping in my tracks and pulling my arm from his grasp.

Hector and Piper keep moving, taking Fate to the grooming stall to unsaddle her and rub her down, but I turn to face Alfie.

“We’re leaving,” he states—another command.

Considering the underlying tension in his exchange with Nikolai, I can see why Alfie would be on edge, but leaving? That seems like a bit of an overreaction when we’re in such a public place—and the races are just getting started. “We can’t just pick up and go. We’re supposed to be here for two more days. We have several more horses that still have to runtoday,” I insist.

"It's not worth the exposure after the threat the Russians just made.”

The grooms who hadn’t been a part of the procession from the race track pause, their interest suddenly piqued. They don’t stop packing completely, but their nervous glances increase the building tension. Tingling fear trickles into my belly, but my frustration flares up, overwhelming the warning instinct because, once again, Alfie and his world are getting in the way of my methodical training.

“These are young horses,” I argue, jabbing my finger toward the stalls where the rest of our Thoroughbreds wait. “They need every opportunity they can get to acclimate to the track while they’re at an optimal age. Do you have any idea how much it would cost us to just up and leave?”

“I don’t care about the fucking money,” he growls.

“I’m not talking about money!” I insist, my voice rising. “You hired me to train these horses to race, and if we walk away now, we could miss that perfect window to spark their competitive drive. You think you can just waltz in here and know what’s best, but you don’t know anything about horses. You said you would let me decide what’s best for the animals, and as soon as it no longer suits you, you just take control and tell me how it’s going to be.”

Alfie’s eyes flash dangerously, and a tendon pops along his jaw as he clenches his teeth. Glancing up and down the alley, as if to see who might be listening, he grabs my upper arm once again. It’s not a painful grip, but it’s firm enough that I can’t just pull away as he hauls me toward the tack room we’ve been assigned for the duration of theraces. Rather than make a scene, I keep pace with his long stride as I brace for the coming argument. I won’t back down. This weekend is important, and if we leave now, we’ll be giving up critical experience that some of the younger horses might never have the opportunity for again. I don’t want to completely derail their progress over some stupid confrontation. Sure, Nikolai threatened me, but it’s not like he can actually do anything to me—not here, not now. Even if he’s some hotshot head of the Russian mafia, he wouldn’t dare come after me in such a public place.

Alfie glances down the alley once more to ensure no one’s watching us, and while the grooms studiously keep their eyes fixed on their tasks, I know they’re paying close attention to the argument. Alfie’s men keep their distance, though they man each of the entrances to our designated area.

My stomach lurches nervously as Alfie pulls me into the tack room and shuts the door behind us, leaving us completely alone. Francisco’s snide comment about what Alfie and I do behind closed doors leaps to the front of my mind. My heart flutters, and my stomach knots with shame as my body responds enthusiastically to Alfie’s sudden proximity. This is a small room—barely bigger than the average size of a changing room—and I’m intensely aware of how close we have to stand, how high I have to lift my gaze to meet his.

“Listen, Alfie—” I use his first name, hoping it will help persuade him, but he doesn’t let me finish.

I realize a second too late that the fire in his eyes isn’t anger. He steps forward, invading my very limited amount of personal space as he forces me to take a step back. I gasp, the breath leaving my lungs in a rush as my shoulder blades hit the tack room wall. Before I can think to move, Alfie pins me in place, his hips aligning with mine, his powerful arms caging me against his muscular chest. One strong hand curves around the back of my neck as his thumb tilts my jaw up—and then his lips seal against mine.

Heat radiates from my core, sending waves of tingling anticipation through my veins. The air fills with an electric charge, as if moments from a lightning strike, and the hair on my arms stands onend. His kiss is passionate, filled with desperation as he claims my mouth. It’s as if he’s been trapped beneath the water’s surface, suffocating all this time, and I’m the only one who can provide him oxygen. I don’t know what to say—what to think. I was so ready for a fight that my muscles stay rigid, my fingers fisting around the lapels of his suit jacket. Intense desire wipes my mind blank, and for a moment, all I can do is succumb to the throbbing ache building in my core. When Alfie breaks our spine-tingling kiss, I’m out of breath.

My mind is in shambles as I try to make sense of what just happened, and I search his blazing hazel eyes for an explanation. My heart hammers against my ribs, counting the seconds.

“You belong to me now, Mika,” he breathes, his deep voice so dark and possessive it sends the butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy. “I refuse to risk your life over a few meaningless races. There will always be more.”

My lips part, but no sound comes out. I don’t know what to say. Our staggered breaths mingle as Alfie keeps me trapped against the tack room wall, his body pressed against mine so I can feel every last rock-hard inch of his cock. My body throbs with treacherous desire. His words echo through the haze of my attraction, and my eyes narrow as their meaning finally hits home.

“Belong to you?” I hiss. “I don’tbelongto anyone. I’m not a horse you can buy or sell on a whim.” Heat flashes across my skin as insult overcomes my instinctive arousal.

Alfie’s eyes hold mine, his expression burning with an intensity that frightens me. The authority that radiates from him now is what makes men follow his orders without question, and if I weren’t so hell-bent on standing my ground, I could easily forget why I’m arguing. He presses the pad of his thumb against my lips with surprising tenderness, silencing me as my heart races.

“Damn it, Mika. That’s not what I mean,” he rasps, frustration coloring his tone. “I want you. Fuck, I called off my wedding for you. You’reallI want, and I knew it the moment I met you. I bought the whole damn barn to be near you. That means you’re under my protection now, and I take that responsibility very seriously.”

“Because I work for you?” My voice is breathless, my pulse fluttering at his shocking confession. I wondered what could drive Alfie to such an extreme when I found out he broke off his engagement, but I didn’t think his desire for me could be the answer. He seemed so ready to make me a meaningless fling, but if he’s done all this to be with me, that can’t be all he wants.Could it?No man would buy a racing stable and end his engagement for a one-time fuck.

“Not just because you’re my employee,” he says softly.

“Then why?” I murmur.

“You don’t know?” he retorts impatiently, his frustration escalating. “You’re all I can think about. I’ve never met a woman so real and passionate and captivating.” He pauses, his eyes closing momentarily as he swallows hard. When he opens them again, they blaze with new ferocity, a passion so intense it threatens to swallow me whole.

It feels as though a magnetic pull keeps drawing us together with unstoppable force, tempting me to forget all the reasons I shouldn’t want Alfie. The silence is tangible, the air sharp with unspoken desire, and my anger evaporates in the wake of his almost romantic confession. I don’t know what to say. Alfie doesn’t just want me. Heseesme. Hehearsme. He broke an alliance with a very dangerous family to be with me. I shouldn’t like that, but a small part of me that I can barely allow myself to acknowledgedoes.

I’ve never wanted Alfie so badly.

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