Page 21 of Too Much Heat

“Anything for you, baby.” I kiss the back of his hand again, and Shane squeezes mine.

When we pull up to the small building at the trail entrance, a middle-aged woman dressed for riding steps out. She’s tall and slender with black hair in a long braid down her back. “Ezekiel and Shane?”

“That’s us,” Shane answers, threading his fingers through mine after I help him from the passenger seat.

She smiles and waves us over. “I’m Donna. Welcome to Misty Pines. It’s a pleasure to show you around today.”

Shane looks around, a puzzled look on his face. “Are we the only ones here? This place is huge. I expected it to be packed.”

“Oh,” Donna says, looking back in surprise. “You had the entire ranch reserved for today, am I correct?”

“You are,” I tell her, smiling over at Shane.

He beams at me, leaning over to kiss me on the cheek. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“I do, but I like hearing it.” He giggles and shakes his head, face turning red as the soft sound drifts from his lips.

Donna leads us into the stables where all the horses are located. Some of them have their heads over the gate, whinnying and snorting as we walk past. She stops at the door of a chestnut mare, petting its muzzle. “This is Blossom. She’s one of our finest and most gentle horses. She usually takes beginners out. This is the first time for you both, right?” We nod. “Whichever one of you wants to, step forward and pet Blossom. Let her get a feel for you. No need to be nervous. Horses may be large, but they are gentle.”

I nudge Shane and he looks at me with a wide grin before stepping to Donna and sticking his hand out to Blossom. Shane sighs happily when his hand lands on Blossom’s muzzle, rubbing her gently. “You’re beautiful, girl,” he mutters, taking another step forward so he can rub her more. “Such a good girl.” Blossom makes a soft sound, nuzzling against Shane’s hand. The smile on my man’s face is radiant and my heart skips in my chest. I would do anything to keep him this happy.

Donna smiles and nods. “She likes you. Now, as for you,” she steps over to the next paddock where an almost silver horse is, tossing its head and whinnying, “this is Dasher. He’s a stallion, but don’t let that scare you. He listens to commands well and is another great horse for beginners. Come say hello.”

I do as she says, sticking my hand out to Dasher. He presses his muzzle right against my palm. I smile, loving how the velvety hair feels.

“Good,” Donna says. “My stable hands will get them tacked and we’ll be ready to go. The trail is about three miles, an hour and a half round trip.”

She leads us outside and two men come out of an office near the stable. While we wait, I lead Shane over to a small man-made lake that’s off to the left of the parking area. Standing behind him, I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my chin on his shoulder. “Are you surprised?” I ask, unable to completely keep the smug pride from my tone.

He leans back into me, releasing a long sigh. “I am. I had no idea you were so romantic.”

Chuckling, I kiss him on the neck, right over where I want to put my mark on him again. “I can be. For the right man.”

“Guess I’m a lucky man, huh?”

“Nah, I’m the lucky one.”

Shane turns around, putting his arms around my neck. “We can flip for it,” he mutters, before he kisses me softly. I return the kiss just as softly, in no rush to make it heated. That’s not what this is about. This kiss is full of love, heart and emotion, no heat. My dick responds—anytime I’m near Shane, my dick responds—but I don’t pay it any mind.

We stand there, wrapped in each other’s embrace, the cool air off the lake drifting over us. I think we would have been content to stay there for many minutes more, but Donna calls out, letting us know the horses are ready.

Giving Shane one more kiss on his kiss-reddened lips, I lace our fingers together, leading him to the barn and walking backwards. “Come on, baby. Let’s go on an adventure.”

“Every day is an adventure with you,” Shane jokes with a light chuckle.

I laugh too, turning around to the stables. “I plan to keep it that way.”

The trail ride was amazing. Donna took us to overlook the valley below, the large expanse of land gorgeous from our vantage point. We sat there for a while, letting the horses rest as Donna told us about Misty Point. The land belonged to her great grandfather who was a part of the Seminole tribe. He kept the land in the family, fighting to make sure it wasn’t seized. It was passed down through the generations, Donna’s father the one that allocated half the land to the trail rides.

“Over the years,” she told us, “my family made these trails as they made trips across the land. We’ve always had horses to travel over the space and their hooves are the reason we’re able to enjoy these sights today.”

“It’s beautiful out here,” Shane said earnestly. “Thank you for sharing the story of your land.”

Donna dips her head and we started back down, listening to Donna’s stories of her family. It was really an enjoyable experience.

Once we get back to the stables, we bid Dasher, Blossom, and Donna goodbye, promising to come back. I’ll have to tell the brothers about this place. They’d love it. Maybe we could have an event out here, without the drug drops, for one of our charity events. I’ll put it to a vote with the club next time we have a meeting.

After I help Shane in the car, I slide behind the wheel and start the car up, though I don’t drive away immediately. “Did you have a good time?”