Page 47 of Virgin's Stolen Nights with the Boss

And he was such an incredible horse that she took him through a few basic movements.

And then some more.

When she did some flyover changes, it felt as if she was asking a high school student to spellcat. There was nothing this horse could not do.

Let’s see...

She gave him an instruction and his hindquarters lowered.

‘You complete star!’ Carmen said, patting his neck. ‘You could dance if I had time to train you.’

Gosh, he really was perfection, Carmen thought, and decided to try a levade—a move where the hindquarters were lowered fully and the front legs were lifted.

She held on to his mane and gave the signal. And she felt the absolute beauty as Dom moved and then brought his front legs up...

What the hell...?

Elias didn’t even know if he’d said it out loud, but as he watched Dom rear up his impulse was to dash forward. And yet he knew it was imperative that he stay calm, so as not to spook the stallion.

Elias had felt pure terror once—the night Joel had died. Tonight, he felt it again.

Seeing that Dom was missing from his stable, and the lights were on in the old riding school arena, at worst he’d thought he might be about to catch Carmen doing some ground work with the bad-tempered beast. But not...this.

It was then that he realised he hadn’t spoken out loud, for horse and rider hadn’t noticed him, and he stood in silent awe, watching true poetry in motion.

He’d known Dom was stunning and had great potential, but it was the sight of Carmen that had reduced him to silent awe.

She was perfection...barely moving as the horse moved, an utter master as she brought him up again, onto his hindquarters, and then cantered around the arena a couple of times.

Even her long black hair barely rippled, and her brown legs were relaxed. She gracefully brought him to a halt and then did the manoeuvre again.

Elias wasn’t sure if it was Dom or Carmen who saw him first, but there was a slight wobble and a less than perfect landing as the horse lowered himself down.

‘Good boy,’ Carmen said, stroking his mane, and then added, ‘I think we’ve been busted.’

‘Carmen...’ he said, keeping his voice even with great difficulty. Even though his heart was still thumping in terror, he refused to be provoked, knowing that anything could unsettle Domitian. ‘Get off him.Now!’

‘I don’t want to,’ she said.

‘Get. Off. Him.’

‘We’re fine.’

‘Oh, I’m not asking,’ he warned, and finally she met his eyes.

No, Elias was not asking; he was ordering her to get down.

He watched her dismount, as lightly as a cat jumping from a table, and then she calmly took some liquorice from her pocket and fed Domitian a treat.

‘I’m taking him in,’ Elias told her.

‘I can manage,’ she responded tartly. She looked at him again. ‘Shouldn’t you be at your after-party?’

‘Do I look as if I’ve been at a party? Or going to one?’

Her eyes took in his attire, and he knew she must see that he was still in his match gear, but it didn’t change her stance.

‘I told you. I know what I’m doing.’

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