I coasted along wishing it was just a few degrees cooler and dreaming about a cold beer back at the house. On one side, the deep green grapevines of the winery covered the small hills in precisely spaced lines. The house and riding arena were no longer visible.
I’d taken the crazy bet with Rodeo mostly because it added some fun to life, but the truth was, I’d known and dated more than my share of rich girls. They were always a disappointment. With the exception of my sister, a rare, quirky bird for sure, most rich girls were so full of themselves and so damn spoiled, they weren’t worth the time or effort. I’d taken a long shot bet that was for sure. I was certain that if I ever got past the hurdle of figuring out a way to meet her, I’d be so turned off, I’d probably end up just forfeiting and handing Rodeo the pink slip. That Corvette was pretty damn sweet though. I had to at least give it a shot. An invite to our Halloween party seemed the way to go, but I had a feeling she’d turn her nose up at the idea. Especially if I couldn’t even use my famous name as a lure.
I tightened my gloved hands around the grips and turned off along a path that led through some oak trees. It was the only patch of shade along the entire back of the property. Branches, dead leaves and acorns, the early signs of fall, snapped under my tires as I rode through the shadowy stretch of trail. The copse of trees ended abruptly at an outcropping of granite, and I made a quick right to avoid the rocks. Between my eyes adjusting to the change in light and the dust smeared across my goggles, I didn’t see the horse and rider until I was nearly up the horse’s butt.
The animal reared up. I turned sharply, applied the brakes too hard and went flying up and over the handlebars. In the midst of my flying trapeze act, as I waited for the jolt of pain, I saw the rider bail gracefully, landing on her feet for a second before falling in almost slow motion to her bottom. I smacked the ground, and the wind shot out of my lungs. I shut my eyes against the pain. The ground vibrated beneath me as I heard the horse trot away.
“Fuuuck,” I groaned with my first gasp of breath.
I lifted my goggles away from my face and turned my head to the side. The girl pushed to her feet. Even in my state of agony, I watched with interest as she dusted off what looked to be an exceptional ass. Shit, Finley was right. I was a degenerate. And now it seemed I was out one Corvette. My end of the bet had just reached a level of impossibility that even my skills couldn’t conquer.
I moved my legs, which was a good sign. When I landed, I hadn’t heard or felt the sickening reverberation that always accompanied a broken bone. Another good sign. And I’d been thinking about the girl’s ass, so I seemed to be thinking straight. With no helmet, I’d been damn lucky.
I pressed my hands against my ribs, gritted my teeth and sat up. Long legs tucked inside tall black boots stomped toward me, and I braced for a tongue lashing.
“Are you all right?” Her tone was soft with worry instead of brittle with anger.
“With the way you basically stepped off a giant rearing horse, and I, on the other hand, flipped like a rag doll over my slow moving bike, I’m only suffering from a bruised ego and shattered confidence.” My boots dragged along the dry ground as I brought my feet closer. A spike of pain shot through my ass. “I take that back. My tailbone is bruised along with my ego.”
I squinted up at her as she yanked off her helmet and pushed her sunglasses up on her head. Her face was still blotted out by the bright sun behind her, but then she crouched down next to me. The breath I’d just recovered got knocked out of me again. Almond shaped green eyes blinked at me with genuine concern. And as beautiful as her eyes were, it was hard not to stare at her lips. Fucking Denver. He had his nose tucked into his computer screen too much. A head turner. She was far more than that. My head wasn’t just turning it was spinning.
“I forget what I’m supposed to do in this situation.” She held up her hand. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
“Not sure but you have four of the cutest little freckles on the tip of your nose.”
She sighed. “You’re fine . . . and apparently your ego is back along with your confidence.”
She straightened and lowered her hand for me to take. She put a little more strength into the hand up than needed, letting me know that she was a touch pissed after all. The girl was tall and lean like a model, but her riding breeches and tight t-shirt still hugged a nice set of curves.
She cleared her throat. “If you’re through checking me out, I’m going to go look for my horse.” She was a dark brunette with glowing, sun-kissed olive skin that made the green of her eyes look like pale jade.
“Sorry, I don’t usually gawk like a fool, but you are even more beautiful than I expect—” I zipped my mouth shut.
She lifted a smooth dark brow at me.
I smiled. “Guess that sounds a little creepy as if I’ve been stalking you or something.”
“Now that you bring it up, yes, creepy is just the right word.”
I pointed back toward the house. “My friends and I were out riding dirt bikes, and I was watching you riding your . . . And I’m not digging myself out of this hole am I?” My hand swept in the direction the horse had run. “I guess we should find your horse, and possibly forget about the last part of this conversation.” I yanked off my glove and held out my hand but quickly withdrew it. I wiped the sweat off on my shirt, which was almost equally soaked with sweat. I stared down at my hand and lowered it. “I’m Cole King—Kingston, and I would just like to add that I’m not usually such a knucklehead when I meet an extraordinary girl.” I pointed back to my bike. “I think that fall knocked some of the suave out of me.”
“It seems to have caused you to forget your last name as well.” She smiled. It was the kind of smile that you never forgot. She held out her gloved hand. I shook it. “I’m Kensington. Friends call me Kensie.”
She started heading in the direction that the horse ran.
“I’ll help you find him, since it was my fault.”
“I’m sure Bentley headed back to his stall. He’s a little food obsessed.”
I walked along next to her, feeling my tailbone bruise with every step. “By the way, that was impressive, the way you just stepped off that horse. I’m really glad you didn’t get hurt.”
“Years of practice,” she quipped. “I might add that your dismount was equally impressive, if not a little less graceful. But impressive nonetheless.”
I rubbed my ass. “Yeah, I think I’m going to be sleeping with a pillow under my butt for a few days.”
Rodeo stepped around the copse of oak trees leading the horse. “Whooee, Cole, that was some trick. I was riding along, and I looked up ahead wondering what ole’ Kingston was up to and thought ‘are my eyes deceivin’ me or are those Cole’s Fox Racing boots flying up in the air’? Turns out, nope, they weren’t deceiving me at all. I give that an eight out of ten, taking off a few points for the thudding sound you made when your ass hit the ground.” He reached me and lifted his fist for a bump, which I ignored.
Kensington stepped forward and reached for the reins. Rodeo had finally zipped his mouth shut and had turned his attention to her for the first time. His mouth dropped, and he gawked at her as if she couldn’t see him ogling her. Continuing with the delusion that he was completely invisible to the girl standing directly in front of him, he looked at me. “Is this—?”
“Hey, Rodeo, this is Kensington. She lives next door.” I shot him a look to stop him from saying anything else stupid.
He seemed to understand my cue. “Right. How are you? Nice horse by the way. Warmblood?”