Page 42 of The Scandal You Started
Looking at the moody horse, Dominic pinched his thumb and index finger together, slipped them under his tongue, and blew a loud call.
Beast ruffled his head before pushing into a trot, and damn all of Neves…
If the woman of his dreams was standing next to him, then the horse of his dreams was coming towards them, movingwith heavy, unquestionable power. And his dream horse went straight to his dream woman, greeting her with excited flicks of his head.
“Beast,” Rayna squealed and laughed with her head thrown back as the animal nudged his grey and pink nose against her neck, but met the palms of her hands instead.
She acquiesced to his plea for long overdue affection, patting and stroking his neck and snout, whispering the softest words of affection that Dominic might have been slightly envious of.
When Beast settled, she rewarded him with a carrot and three heavy kisses on the bridge of his nose. Kisses that Dominic was so painfully jealous of. Yet he didn’t want the beautiful scene to end either. He didn’t want to stop watching.
The attraction and longing he felt towards Rayna intensified tenfold, overflowing his chest and trickling to the tips of his fingers. It wasn’t the same as the aching tenderness and protectiveness he felt when he’d lain by her side that first night, but it was, and it was more.
It was admiration and amazement at the way she adored Beast, and complete enamour with her enchanting laugh and smile, so acute that his pulse was carving“her,” “mine,” “need,”and“perfect”right under his skin with every passing second.
Gosh, was she the one for him? Was she his? There was no other explanation as to—
“What are you doing to that horse, young lady?”
The abrupt interruption of a man’s weather-worn voice and the deep bark of a dog drained all delight and warmth from Dominic’s being. An ice-cold need to protect filled his veins instead, and he flew around, shielding Rayna with his whole body.
A big, black and white dog of a breed Dominic didn’t recognise, with brown cheeks and paws, plodded ahead of an older man wearing a wide-rimmed, dented hat. Tall and well-built despite the evidence of weight around his stomach, the man had pale brown eyes set under straight brows, a thick nose that looked like it’d been broken before, and his jaw was covered in a light brown, trimmed beard peppered with hints of grey.
“Do not come closer,” Dominic snarled in a tone that promised pain.
The older man stopped in his steps, his worn brown boots crunching against the gravel path, and the dog stilled too, his tail dropping. The man pulled out his hands from his trousers pockets, the brawn on his hairy arms obvious where the sleeves of his checkered shirt were rolled up, but his expression remained calm and stoic.
Dominic felt Rayna’s hands grip his arm and shake him as she tried to move out from the protective circle he’d enclosed her in against his back. “Bloody woods, Dominic, that’s Uncle Declan. Calm down.”
Wait, Uncle—oh…
Why the bloody woods had the man decided to sound so threatening for?
Dominic’s arm went slack around her, and she pushed out to stand beside him. “Hi, Uncle Declan,” she said with a smile and waved a dismissive hand at Dominic. “Sorry, just ignore him. He thinks he’s the saviour of the world.”
Dominic glared sideways down at the smirking little witch, while Declan Griffin grinned. “Is that so?” the older man said.
“My mistake for wanting to make sure a certain,tryingwoman remains unharmed, even after she refuses to accept that a mancanandshouldprotect her,” Dominic answered.
Rayna rolled her eyes like the audacious little nymph she was, then bent at the knees and fussed at the dog. “Hiya, Boris. Come here. Come on.”
The dog, Boris, shook his derriere and bounded for Rayna. He snaked around her legs with a whipping tail as she pattedand praised him. And damn all of Neves, envy weaved through Dominic’s chest all over again.
“It’s very generous of you to worry for our Rayna, my lord,” Declan Griffin said, making his way over to them. “Though if anyone needs protecting, it is likely me from her.”
Rayna’s head flew up. “What?”
Declan’s chest shook with a soft chuckle. She stepped into his open arm and hugged him while Boris tried to squeeze between their legs.
“How are you, child?”
“Good, thanks. Was just showing Dominic around the stables. How are you?”
The older man narrowed his eyes at her closed fist with knowing amusement. “I’m sure that’s all you were doing.” Rayna grinned sheepishly and slid her hand behind her thigh. “And I’ve been well. My lovely Win would never allow me to be anything less than that.”
He then angled towards Dominic and lifted his dented hat in greeting. “Declan Griffin. It’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Lord Norland.”
Boris rotated away from Rayna and inspected Dominic’s legs with curious sniffs as Dominic shook Declan’s offered hand.
