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She looks genuinely puzzled. “Everyone calls you that.”
“Everyone isn’t you.”
The silence that follows is subtle, but I feel the change in it. Her eyes linger on mine a fraction longer and I can almost hear the tension between us.
“Fine,” she says eventually. “Dario.”
My cock jerks at the sultry sound. My name has never sounded so good.
I have heard it shouted across boardrooms. Whispered by people who wanted favors. Spoken cautiously by men who feared disappointing me, and cursed by people who were about to have a very bad evening. None of those versions ever did anything to me.
Katya says it once, and suddenly I’m wondering what it would sound like against my ear. Or when she calls my name in the throes of passion. My cock hardens at the thought.
Christ.
I have known this woman for approximately ten minutes. Get a grip, Moretti.
“You’re concerned about L’Oscuro,” I say, bringing my mind back to the present.
“I’m concerned you’re going to make a very expensive mistake.”
“Then tell me why I shouldn’t sell him.”
She stares at me as if she can’t believe I’ve given her permission. Then she starts talking. And I mean talking.
The woman who stood in my doorway looking ready to bite someone suddenly becomes animated. Her hands move as she explains the stallion’s temperament, his intelligence, his stride, his balance, his speed, and the problem with every rider who has failed to understand him.
“L’Oscuro isn’t difficult,” she says, her voice becoming more passionate with every word. “He’s selective. There’s a difference, and people who don’t understand horses like him always confuse the two. He doesn’t trust everyone, and he doesn’t respond well when someone tries to dominate him without earning his trust first. But when he trusts you, he gives you everything. I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it.”
I watch her instead of the invisible horse she’s describing. Her golden eyes burn brighter, and I imagine them burning the same way when she’s turned on and at my mercy. The thought of having this wild, passionate Katya at my mercy sends blood rushing to my cock.
Oh fuck, Moretti…
I push those thoughts away and focus on her. She doesn’t notice. Good.
She continues, “His first racing season hasn’t even shown you what he’s capable of yet. His speed is there, but he needs time and the right training. His stride is powerful, and once he settles into a rhythm, he’s incredible. He doesn’t need to be sold. He needs someone willing to understand him.”
“You’ve ridden him?”
“Yes.”
“And you think he’s worth keeping because you have a connection with him.”
“No. I think he’s worth keeping because he’s talented. The connection is why I know it.”
I tilt my head. “And if you’re wrong?”
“I’m not.” The answer comes without even a breath of hesitation.
A laugh slips from me.
Her expression immediately tightens. “What’s funny?”
“You.” I push away from the desk and take a step in her direction. “I find you funny because you walked into my house prepared to tell me what to do with my property, and now you’re looking at me as though I’m an idiot for questioning your opinion.”
“I’m not calling you an idiot.”
“No?”
