Page 32 of Dangerous

“I haven’t been out of London in eons,” I sighed as I flopped back in my seat. “This is amazing. I wish we could do this every day.”

“Hmm,” he hummed noncommittally. I took that to mean I shouldn’t get too used to impromptu picnics and sighed with resignation. Perhaps, when I did manage to escape, I should find myself a village in the countryside somewhere and settle down for a while.

After we’d turned off the motorway and had driven along windy farm roads for a good twenty minutes, Blaine finally pulled up a long driveway that led to what looked like an equestrian farm. Horses nipped at the frozen ground behind wooden fences on both sides of the driveway.

“What are we doing here?” I asked. Even though I couldn’t fathom what business Blaine had to see to on a farm, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I’d loved horses with a fiery passion since I was a little girl, but hadn’t had much chance to be around them since I left Ireland. Hopefully, I’d be able to at least pet one before we left again.

“You’ll see.” Blaine looked extraordinarily smug, and I frowned as he got out of the car and headed toward the tweed-dressed, middle-aged woman approaching us from one of the stables. Whatever he had planned, I couldn’t so much as hazard a guess as to what it might be.

My curiosity piqued, and I hurried to undo my seatbelt and get out of the car. When I got to Blaine and the woman, he put his arm around my shoulder as if it was the most natural thing in the world. I froze at the unexpected touch, but if he noticed, he ignored it.

“Mrs. Wallace, this is my wife, Mira.”

Mrs. Wallace nodded at me, with a smile on her weathered face. “Pleased to meet you. You sure are one lucky girl, to have such a doting husband.”

I blinked, too stunned to form any words in response.Doting husband?Just what the heck was Blaine playing at? I narrowed my eyes and gave him a hard stare as Mrs. Wallace turned back to the driveway. Blaine just gave me a smirk and pointed in the direction Mrs. Wallace had turned.

“Oh look, perfect timing. Here they are now.”

I looked down the driveway and saw a horse transport slowly make its way up. A nervous knot formed in my stomach as I saw the large vehicle approach. He hadn’t. Surely, he hadn’t. There was no way Blaine would do something like that for me. No way at all.

When the vehicle stopped in the middle of the yard, its passenger gave a loud whinny from within. A couple of horses from the field answered it.

I did my best to shake the chills of excitement that ran down my back. “Blaine, what is this?” I said, my voice low to keep Mrs. Wallace and the driver, who had just jumped out and walked around to the back, from hearing me.

Blaine released his grip on my shoulders and shoved both hands into his jean pockets. His gaze was fixed on the horse transport in front of us, so I couldn’t decipher his expression, but his voice was calm and devoid of emotion when he said, “You warned me about Gerald. Turns out you were right.”

The driver flipped the ramp at the back end of the transport down, revealing the horse inside. It was a gorgeous, white gelding.

“It’s a Lipizzan. I’m told it’s got a fancy pedigree, but if it’s not the type you want, we can take it back and get another one,” Blaine said, as casually as if he’d gotten me a necklace.

I stared open-mouthed at the horse while Mrs. Wallace untied it and led it out of the box, stopping in front of us.

“What do you think, Mrs. Steel? He’s a handsome one, isn’t he?”

“Y-Yeah,” I croaked. “Gorgeous.”

“I’ll let you two get acquainted. The grooms have his box ready when you’re done looking him over. Just lead him to stable six, and we’ll get him settled in.” She handed me the rope and walked back toward the stables, and I was left staring dumbfounded at my very own horse.

“Is he… really for me?” I managed, without taking my eyes off the horse.

“Yeah, he’s yours,” Blaine confirmed. “Mrs. Wallace will be in charge of his daily care, but we should be able to get someone to drive you out here once a week or so.”

The anxious knot grew until it made my chest tight with emotion I couldn’t begin to name. Blaine Steel, the man I’d hated from first sight, the man who had made it perfectly clear he hated being forced to marry me as much as I did… had fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams. To say I was shaken to my core would have been an understatement.

“How did you know?” I whispered, not trusting my voice for anything louder. “How on earth did you know I’ve always wanted a horse of my own?”

“You said you wanted one as a kid. I assumed you likely still did, since you brought it up.”

With a start, I realized he was referring to the time he’d saved me from that group of thugs and walked me to the train station. That he had actually remembered a detail like that, and put it to use to… to what, reward me for being useful? I finally managed to tear my gaze from the horse to look over my shoulder at Blaine. He looked as calm and arrogant as ever as he stood with both hands down his front jeans pockets and the black leather coat zipped all the way up. But past the façade, there was more than just the bad boy mafia son. I wasn’t sure if I only just noticed it now, or—more likely—he finally let down one or two of the shields he usually kept up. Either way, I suddenly, and with a warm flood of confusing emotion I didn’t dare decipher, knew that the real Blaine was in there underneath all the swagger and smugness. And he might just be a man I’d like to get to know.

Seventeen

Blaine

I hadn’t really thought about what would happen after I gave Mira that horse.

Originally, I’d gotten it because she had saved me an arse load of money—along with my reputation. Okay, soIsaved my reputation as someone not to be messed with when I burst into Gerald’s home with six other, heavily armed men and demanded he draw the contract back, but without her, I wouldn’t have known it was needed until it’d been much too late. And to top it off, I’d gotten to see Gerald nearly wet his pants as he pleaded with me to spare his miserable life.

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