Free High Stakes Chattel by Andie Blue Page A

she came back safely.
    When he entered the barn, John was waiting too, obviously as worried about Samantha as he was. “ I’m sorry I did not see her until she had already saddled her horse and taken off. Shall I go after her, sir?” the lad asked.
    Nico shook his head, unwilling to risk them both. “She’ll come back when she’s ready.”
    John gave him a speculative glance. “She must have been upset. Beat her again, sir?”
    Nico laughed at the young man’s choice of words. “Yes, I suppose I did.”
    “How are the Chattel lessons coming?” John asked curiously.
    “She’s not half bad,” Nico admitted. “I think she might have a shot at winning the contest, if she can pull off her disguise.” That was the problem though. He still didn’t believe she could make anyone believe she was a boy.
    “ That will be a trick. She’s quite lovely,” John said, obviously love struck. “I never met anyone like her.”
    “Neither have I,” Nico said, realizing how true that was. Samantha was unique, to say the least. She had more fire and spirit than any woman he’d ever met. Perhaps that was why he was so drawn to her. Perhaps he wanted to capture some of her fire for himself.
    “You don’t have to wait,” he told his groom, realizing he was a little jealous about the young man’s interest in Samantha. “I’ll stay here and help her unsaddle her horse when she returns.”
    John nodded reluctantly and faded into the night, and Nico settled in for what could be a very long wait.
    At first he kept himself busy examining the tack that John kept so clean and organized. Next, he paced the floor of the barn, using the time to figure out what the hell he’d been doing with her. Nearly two long hours later, she finally returned, looking calm and satisfied. Nico eyed her warily as she dismounted, then moved forward to help her unsaddle Midnight and rub him down. They worked together wordlessly, giving the black horse a much needed brushing on his sweat covered back. Nico no longer sensed the anger that had driven her out into the night.
    “Are you hungry?” he asked. “I had Mrs. Lotte leave us a snack in the kitchen.”
    “Yes,” she said woodenly. “That sounds good.”
    Samantha followed him silently back to the house, wondering why he no longer seemed to want her to leave. When they reached the kitchen, Nico laid out the meat pies and lemon tarts Mrs. Lotte had left for them.
    She ate a pie in silence, then sat back in her chair, giving him a piercing look. “Why didn’t you make love to me tonight? Why did you embarrass me that way?”
    He looked surprised at her direct question. Probably most women that he knew would never dare ask such a question. “I’m sorry. I never expected you to take your clothes off and then once you did, I let things get carried away.”
    This made Samantha feel even more embarrassed, as if she had done something wrong.
    “No matter what you may think of me, I don’t want to ruin you,” he assured her, looking guilty about his behavior.
    Samantha focused her attention on the delicious meat pie loaded with buttery mashed potatoes. My goodness, she loved this food. She finished the pie, slowly licked her fingers, and then looked up to find him watching her.
    “ Can you please not do that? It’s hard enough for me to control myself around you.”
    She gave him a questioning look, but stopped. “You don’t act like it’s hard.”
    “It bloody well is… which is unusual for me. I’m not the kind to chase every beautiful woman who comes before me.” He wiped his mouth and set down his glass of ale. He looked frustrated and exhausted. She longed to reach out and move the hair that fell into his eyes.
    “ I’m sorry I’ve taken advantage of your situation.” He brushed the black hair back. “From now on, I’ll restrain myself and devote as much time as you like to finishing up your lessons.”
    “Thank you,” she murmured, not feeling as victorious as she should