Chapter Five
Sweat ran down her face with each leg extension. She used her anger to lift the weight around her ankle. She refused to acknowledge her anger was fueled by the fact that Skyler’s assessment had given voice to her own nagging doubts. Next was twenty minutes in the hot tub beside the pool to loosen up the muscles she’d just worked, fifteen minutes icing the knee against swelling, and then down to the barn to saddle Rampage.
The Olympic-sized swimming pool sat under a glass dome adjacent to the fully equipped gym. Jessica hobbled out to the main room and dipped her fingers into the Jacuzzi to test the temperature, then looked around for her gym bag. Oh, crap. She was still half-asleep when she’d stumbled out of bed, and had forgotten to add her swimsuit to the rest of her workout gear. No way was she walking all the way to the house to get it.
She glanced around. The farm outside the pool’s dome remained dark except for a few lights in the barns that probably were left on overnight. She turned off the overhead lights and left only the pool lights burning. The water in the hot tub was very warm and she felt the tension begin to leave her body as she floated in the silence. Just relax. Think about Rampage. Don’t think about Miss I’ve-Got-a-Gold-Medal. She envisioned sailing over jumps, completing a perfect dressage routine. Collecting her own gold medal!
Grasping the side of the hot tub, she let her feet float out behind her and began the aquatic stretching exercises her physical therapist had prescribed. The splash of the water and the hum of the filtration system faded as she listened to her own breathing and saw that medal again, glinting as it was held aloft in front of her. Then the national anthem and the cheers.
“Uh, sorry to interrupt—”
Jessica froze at the closeness of the low, silky voice. She could hardly bring herself to look up. Skyler stood just a few feet away, with her arms folded across her chest and head cocked to the side. Her grin made Jessica’s face burn. Damn, damn, damn.
“Sure is early in the morning for skinny-dipping.” Skyler continued to stare down at her, obviously enjoying her embarrassment. “I do hope you’re planning to wear clothes for dressage later.”
Jessica clenched her teeth to stop the caustic remark on the tip of her tongue. She needed to get the upper hand on this woman just once. Collecting herself, she pulled herself up on the other side of the Jacuzzi and stood there naked, her unwavering gaze on Skyler. She waited for several seconds before sauntering toward her.
Skyler’s heart beat wildly as the dark-haired vision approached. The image of a feminine, yet well-toned, frame burned into her brain. This was Kate’s little girl. You are her trainer. You will not look down. The mantra her brain recited apparently wasn’t reaching the part that controlled her eyes. For an ever-so-brief second they flicked downward.
Kate would kill her.
Skyler took a step back. Jessica was just trying to get under her skin. She stopped only inches away, her naked flesh almost brushing Skyler’s shirt. Pale blue eyes looked deeply into hers. Skyler shifted her stance in a futile effort to relieve the building pressure between her legs. Her lips parted reflexively as she felt the warmth of Jessica’s breath on her face. She reminded herself that she’d seen beautiful women before. They only played with her until it become inconvenient. Then they dumped her. Remember?
Skyler’s clit twitched when Jessica’s pink tongue flicked out to wet her full lips. A hot blush crept up her neck and burned her ears as she struggled to appear nonchalant.
“You said seven.” Jessica lifted the towel hanging on the chair next to Skyler and stepped back to wrap it around her glistening body. “It’s only a little after six.”
Skyler sucked in a quick breath. “I…uh, I wanted to let you know I already fed Rampage a light breakfast.” Her voice was hoarse. She let her gaze travel down the sculpted shoulders to where the soft swell of Jessica’s breasts disappeared under the thick towel. “We probably should go over his training schedule in my office before we head to the ring.”
Amused by the effect she was having, Jessica couldn’t resist pushing it a little. She pulled the ends of the towel loose and brushed them across her erect nipples, wiping the droplets of water from them. Skyler’s eyes followed her movements before snapping to safer territory.
Looking everywhere but at her, the trainer said, “I want to see you work the stallion on… dressage this morning and on the jumps after lunch.”