Page 66 of Knight Life In Vegas

I stared at him for a moment. “Are you afraid of horses?”

“They’re all very well trained,” Eduardo promised us. “They’re selected for their temperament.”

“Horses don’t like me,” Beau insisted.

“Probably ’cause you’re wigging them out with all that nervous energy wafting off you,” Dylan called down the stable.

“He’s not wrong,” said Eduardo.

“Scout’s lovely.” I patted the gelding’s velvety nose. “Here, I can show you.”

The moment I nudged our joined hands toward Scout, Beau froze up.

I turned, cupping his face. “Hey, it’s okay. They’re not going to hurt you.”

“They’re huge,” Beau replied. “I’ve seen them bite.”

“Scout hasn’t bitten anyone since he was a colt.” Eduardo scratched Scout behind his ear.

“That’s a history of biting,” Beau pointed out.

“You took one brave step today,” I told him. “This is just one more. I won’t push you if you really don’t want to, but I also don’t want you running around terrified of horses if I can help fix that.”

Beau sighed. “Very well.”

“We’ll be quick,” I promised.

I laid his hand over the back of mine so he could pull away if he needed to and then guided our hands to Scout’s cheek. I caught the subtle shake in Beau’s touch, but Scout didn’t seem to mind. Spreading my fingers apart, I let Beau make contact with Scout, his fingers falling between mine.

“See, Scout’s a good boy.”

“You’re here.”

I turned to see Francisco hustling into the stables.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you arrived. I’ve been stuck on calls with investors. You wouldn’t think it would be so damn difficult to find someone willing to support a business without wanting a stranglehold on it.”

“What are you looking for investors for?” Beau asked.

Francisco hesitated for a moment. “Just trying to recover from a few things that happened before I took over. I wasn’t exactly planning to be in charge this early.”

I turned very briefly back to Beau, whispering, “I’m proud of you for being brave. I’ll be right back.” I stepped over to Francisco and slid directly into his arms. His grip pressed me tightly against him, and it was impossible to miss the shudder that rolled through him.

“I was half expecting you wouldn’t come today.”

“I’m trying to be braver than before,” I replied, indulging in the instinctual drive to nuzzle against his chest. Planting my forehead against him let me take deep inhales of his orange liqueur and clove scent. A bit of agitation still burned the edges of it and my instincts didn’t like that one bit. I held my breath, standing on my toes so I could swipe my cheek against his throat in a scent mark.

Francisco froze. “Duchess, was that?—”

“A scent mark? Yes. You’re stressed.”

His orange and clove mellowed almost instantly and I hooked my hands behind his neck, drawing him closer. Our mouths met in a sweet brush before he groaned against my lips, diving deeper, his hand threading through my hair to cup my head. I shoved down my whine, body tingling at his touch.

“Does that mean you’re accepting the match?”

I chewed my lip, delighted at the way his gaze was drawn to it. “Not entirely. I still maintain I’m in no fit state to be contemplating relationships, but I don’t want to deny things that make us both happy. Does that make sense?”

“I can be a very patient man, duchess. If I get to keep you while you’re figuring things out, I’m certainly not going to say no to that.”

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