Page 28 of Roped in Chaos
He ignores me and continues on, pushing Dom into a fast walk. I push Rooster into a faster walk to try to keep up, but Asher goes into a trot. I’ve been practicing my different paces on horseback, but only in an enclosed ring. I take a deep breath and push Rooster into a trot too. I’m almost caught up when the tree line breaks, and there’s a massive open field ahead of us. Asher throws his hand on his hat and takes off running with Dom. Fuck, here we go. I stop Rooster so I can take a deep breath and calm myself before doing this. I’ve learned that if I’m nervous, the horse is nervous too. I can’t do this until I calm down.
I look out and see that Asher is getting further away. I know he won’t get to where he can’t see me, though–he’s always making sure I’m okay, and I love that about him.
I take another deep breath and push Rooster into a run. I squeeze my eyes shut as I feel her legs move underneath me and finally open them after she takes a few strides. The ground is moving so fast underneath me, and I feel like I’m flying. I feel the grin across my face, and my chest fills with pride and excitement.
Asher has stopped farther up to wait for me, and I see the smile across his face too. When I get close to him, I throw a wink in his direction and continue moving Rooster past him in a full-blown gallop.
“What the fuck?” I hear him chuckle as I speed up. I chance a glance over my shoulder to see him galloping toward me. The race is on.
Chapter22
What Ifs
Asher
She goes flying past me, her hair whipping all around her and the biggest smile on her face. As much as I love this side of her, there’s no way in hell she can win this race. I take off after her, pushing Dom to his maximum speed. I’m loving every moment, watching her enjoy herself and feeling the warm summer air surrounding me. There’s a random shrub up ahead, the only thing remotely close around us to use as a finish line, and I stare right at it, willing it closer. There’s no way she can win, not when I’m on Dom. As cute as she is, I am also very competitive at heart.
“Come on, Dom,” I shout out, pushing my heels into his side. Esme is still up ahead of me, and if I don’t haul ass, she’s going to beat me at my own game.
After another couple of strides, I’m on her ass, getting closer. The bush is coming closer, and we’re both laughing and willing our horses to go faster than they’re used to. What once was up ahead is now passing me on the right side. I pull the reins and look ahead simultaneously to see…she won.
“How the fuck did you manage that?” I ask her. “You totally had a head start, no fair,” I say, laughing and patting Dom on his neck. He worked up a sweat, he’ll need a good rest later on. I watch Esme lift up to bend over and hug around Rooster’s neck too. She nuzzles her face into her neck and hugs tightly.
“Thank you,” she whispers to her horse.
We turn around to make our way back into the tree line and head out to the river. There’s a little bit of daylight left, so I want to let the horses chill out for a little and get some water before we go back home. Plus, the fireflies are dying out for the season, so it’ll be nice to see them again before their numbers deplete until next year.
We ride side by side until we get to the river and jump off the horses. We take them to the water to get a drink and then tie them up to the normal tree to get a breather. We go sit and wait for the sun to drop a little lower.
“How are you feeling after the ride?” I ask her.
She turns to look at me with a smile from ear to ear plastered on her face. “So fucking good,” she exclaims. “I can’t believe we did that. It was so much fun, and ugh, Asher, the rush!”
“Tell me about it.” I chuckle. “You know if you just stayed here, we could do that a lot more often.” I bump her shoulder with my own and bend down the pick at a weed. I continue to shred the leaf as I wait for a response that doesn’t come. She remains quiet, and I continue to think.
“What if you just stayed…” I continue.
“Asher…”
“What if I kiss you?”
“You should definitely kiss me.” She laughs.
I turn and stare at her for just a moment before I do just that. I kiss her hard and memorize every moment of the way her lips feel against my own. They’re plump and soft and taste like her own unique combination of flavors.
I pull away and get up to walk back to Dom.
“What the fuck?” she calls.
I lean against my horse with my arm on my saddle and my head on my arm.
I am shoved and look over to find her standing there looking up at me and fuming.
“What the fuck do you want me to say, Es?” I back off and turn my back on her again.
“I want you to tell me what the fuck that was. You get all romantic and kiss me and then walk away?”
“I can’t get too close to you, Princess. You didn’t even fucking answer me. What if you stayed?”
