Free Horse Play (Horse Play #1) by A. D. Ryan

hands, only to have Jensen knock again.
    “Madi, it’s really fine.”
    Understatement. There was nothing “fine” about naked-Jensen. He was un-fucking-believable.
    “No, it’s not.” I got up and ripped the door open to find him in another fitted T-shirt, this time black, and a pair of gray flannel pants. “What the hell were you doing here, anyway?” My eyes travelled down his body, remembering what I’d seen. I smiled before mentally slapping myself upside the head.
    Jensen looked at me, confused. “Um, I live here now, Madi.”
    I reached out and slapped his chest, lightly. The instant my hand touched his solid pecs, I wanted to let it roam up until I fisted his dark hair hard enough to force his face to mine. I was so screwed. Not literally. Well, maybe— No! My will power was wavering with every passing millisecond, and a raging war of emotions and common sense ensued deep inside me. “That’s not what I meant! You should have been working!”
    With a chuckle, Jensen explained. “I’d been working all day in the new barn. Putting up the stall doors and a few of the other finishing touches. Your dad said I could take off early, and that’s when I came to see you in the arena, but you were still with your last session. I figured I’d hurry home and shower before you got back—clearly, that didn’t work out so well.”
    My eyes went wide again as the memory slowly replayed—because I didn’t want it to “flash.” Trust me, nobody would.
    “We really need to stop talking about this. It was one thing when you were being all sex-voice, smoldery guy, but now … Jensen, I’ve seen you naked .” I whispered the last word.
    “Yeah, and?” he paused for a moment before smirking. “Madi …” He drew out my name teasingly before continuing, going the extra mile and poking the ribs on my good side playfully. “Have you never seen a naked man before?”
    “What?” I asked, my voice cracking like a pre-pubescent boy. “Don’t be ridiculous! Of course I have. But, we work together.”
    “Mmm hmm, and?” Jensen said, taking a step forward. My heart skipped a beat, and I felt a lump in my throat as the distance between us lessened more and more.
    I began to breathe heavily, his lips mere inches from mine. I wanted him. So badly. But I shouldn’t.
    “Well, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to wanting to take things further with you.” Jensen’s voice was soft and low as it vibrated beneath my skin.
    His fingers grazed my cheek before moving through my hair to the back of my head. My eyes closed at the tingling sensation of his fingers on my scalp, and I sighed before holding my breath in anticipation as his lips barely brushed mine. “I’m going to kiss you now,” he informed me.
    There was a spark as his bottom lip connected with mine, and in a flash, I backed up, covering my mouth with the tips of my fingers. “We can’t,” I told him breathlessly.
    Jensen watched me back into the still-hazy bathroom until my legs hit the edge of the tub. “We can’t?” I shook my head softly and he looked as though he understood. “You don’t want to?” Or not …
    Internally I screamed, “Yes!” but, out loud, I lied. “No. I don’t.”
    Jensen looked into my eyes, his own narrowing knowingly in an instant. “You’re lying.” That panty-melting, crooked smirk appeared, and while I considered telling him he was right—that my pants were most definitely on fire—I held firm.
    “Think what you want, Jensen. I just got swept up in the moment. We both did. There’s nothing here.”
    He still wasn’t buying it. In fact, he said the one thing I never, in a million years, would have expected. “Does this have something to do with Dane?”
    “Wh—what?” I stammered.
    “Well, I assume he’s an ex?”
    I nodded. “How do you even know about him?”
    Jensen shrugged, a tiny sliver of his abdomen showing for a fraction of a second. “He called while you were out.”
    “You spoke to