His hot, angry gaze swept over her and landed on her breasts for too long before he met her gaze again. The man didn’t respect her. He just wanted her on her back, kowtowing to his every dirty need. Her stomach soured, but she held her ground, not giving an inch, because he’d take it and back her into a corner if given even a glimpse of weakness.
“I said no.”
Ken pulled the rope from Boots’s neck and walked out of the stall with Gillian on his heels. He turned, and she came up short. He reached over her shoulder and slammed the door closed at her back. She expected another argument about Boots. She never expected him to walk toward her and make her stumble back, smacking into the stall door. He loomed over her, only a few inches separating them. She planted her palm on his chest to keep him back and glared up at him, hoping her bravado lasted.
“I love it when your eyes flash fire.”
Gillian’s arm vibrated from the thrill that went through his body. Her gut burned and her heart raced.
“That’s right, baby. I like seeing that heat in your eyes. I’ll bet you’re a hellcat in the sack. Does Blake have what it takes to make you burn? Tell me, baby, does he make you come until you scream.” Her eyes shifted away, making him laugh. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “No. He hasn’t put his hands on your skin. I can feel you tremble. You want it, don’t you? You want me. I can make you burn, baby.”
“The only thing you make me want to do is throw up.”
“Liar. Blake’s not here. Stop pretending you don’t want me, like you do when he’s around.”
Delusional, asshole.
She kept her eyes steady on his, hoping he saw her anger and not the fear rising from her gut to choke off her throat.
Jeff, the trainer who helped her with Boots, walked into the stables. Ken heard his footsteps and stilled. His eyes narrowed, and he scrunched his lips. “Too bad, time’s up,” he whispered. “Maybe another time.” Disappointment and a promise filled his eyes, giving her the willies.
Jeff drew closer, his eyes narrowing on her legs, the only part of her he could see behind Ken’s body while she peeked out at him from between Ken’s arm and body. “Gillian, Blake’s on the phone in the office. He wants to talk to you.”
Gillian tried to sound normal. She hoped the fear she felt didn’t come out in her voice. “I’m coming.”
Ken kept his back to Jeff. She planted both hands on his chest and shoved. Surprisingly, he didn’t budge. A knowing smile bloomed on his face. More feral than tame. His taunting chuckle made her blood boil.
He finally stepped back. His gaze dipped to her shoulder, and his eyes went wide. “Damn, baby, I didn’t think I hit you that hard,” he whispered, his voice hesitant. The first sign he might actually be nervous about what he’d done.
Gillian glanced at the blood running down the outside of her arm to her pinky and dripping on the concrete.
“I didn’t mean to hit you. You know that.” His initial apologetic tone turned to ice. “Say otherwise, and I’ll make you regret it. Keep your damn mouth shut.”
“What’s going on here?” Jeff stood to the side of Ken, his gaze sweeping over her face and bloodied arm. He narrowed his eyes on Ken and the long stick in Ken’s hand. “Where the hell did that come from? We do not use whips on this ranch.”
Ken’s bravado returned, and he faced off with Jeff. “It’s mine. It’s a tool for the way I train horses.”
“Blake won’t approve you using that on any of the horses.” He made a point of looking at Gillian’s bloody arm.
Her stomach tightened with dread. The last thing she wanted was for this to turn into a fight. Her grandfather would fire them both. She liked Jeff and wanted him to stay. Even though she disliked Ken, the last thing she wanted to do was make Ken an enemy.
“Blake hired me to do my job. He never specified how he wanted it done, so long as the horses win. I believe my horse, Kit, placed third. Blake and Bud will both be happy. That’s what matters.”
Jeff eyed Ken, making it obvious with a frown he didn’t like the man. Gillian agreed. She’d given him the benefit of the doubt up until now. A little too cocky for his own good, Ken didn’t take direction well and thought he could make others do his work for him. If the way he treated her was any indication, he had no respect for women.
“Blake’s horses all placed first or second, and he never uses a whip or anything else that will harm the horses,” Jeff pointed out.
“Yeah, well, Blake won’t let anyone work with the best horses on the ranch. He gave me Kit, but it isn’t like Kit is a top-of-the-line Thoroughbred. Third is better than anything he’s ever done.”