The Secret Affair(8)

                Why did she get the feeling that getting to know her was something he felt forced to do? She took offense at that. “Don’t do me any favors,” she all but snapped at him while feeling her pulse pound.

                “Excuse me?” He seemed surprised by her remark.

                “There’s no need to get anything over with. It’s obvious Bailey roped you into doing something you really don’t want to do. I can see the rest of Westmoreland Country on my own,” she said, untying her horse and then mounting it.

                When she sat astride the mare she glanced back over at him. “I don’t need your company, Aidan.”

                He crossed his arms over his chest and she could tell by the sudden tensing of his jaw that he hadn’t liked her comment. She was proven right when he said, with a degree of smoldering intensity that she felt through her clothes, “I hate to tell you this, Jillian Novak, but you have my company whether you want it or not.”

                * * *

                Aidan stared hard into Jillian’s eyes and couldn’t help but feel they were waging a battle. Of what he wasn’t sure. Of wills? Of desire? Passion? Lust? He rubbed his hand down his face. He preferred none of those things but he had a feeling all of them were fighting for the number one spot right now.

                He all but saw steam coming from her ears and figured Jillian didn’t like being ordered around.

                “Look,” he said. “We’re wasting time. You want to see the land and I have nothing better to do. I apologize if I came across a little gruff earlier, but by no means did I want to insinuate that I am being forced into showing you around or getting to know you.”

                There was no need to tell her that Bailey had asked him to be nice to Jillian and her sisters. He’d always been cordial and as far as he was concerned that was good enough. Getting too close to Jillian wasn’t a good idea. But then, he was the one who had suggested she call him if she needed help preparing for medical school. He now saw that offer had been a mistake. A big one.

                She studied him for a moment and he felt something deep in his gut. It was a lot stronger than the kick in his groin he’d experienced when he’d watched her swing her leg over the back of the horse to mount it. He’d taken a long, explosive breath while fighting the sexual hunger that had roared to life inside of him. Even now, with those beautiful full lips of hers frowning at him, a smoldering spike of heat consumed him. One way he knew he could put a stop to this madness was to get her out of his system, since she seemed to have gotten under his skin.

                But the way he would do that wasn’t an option...not if he loved his life.

                “You’re sure about this?”

                Hell no, he wasn’t sure about anything concerning her. Maybe the main reason behind his attraction to her, in addition to her striking beauty, was that he truly didn’t know her that well. Maybe once he got to know her he’d discover that he didn’t like her after all.

                “Yes, I’m sure about this, so come on,” he said, nudging his horse forward to stand beside hers. “There’s a lot to see so I hope you’re a fairly good rider.”

                She gave him a smile that made him appreciate the fullness of her mouth even more. “Yes, I’m a fairly good rider.”

                And then she took off, easing her horse into a canter. He watched in admiration as she flawlessly jumped the horse over a flowing creek.

                He chuckled to himself. She wasn’t a fairly good rider; she was an excellent one.