Free Love Me Like No Other by A. C. Arthur Page A

that.
    They’d been riding for almost a half hour in complete silence. Linc didn’t take his horse above a mild canter and when she’d tried to go beyond that he’d quickly caught up with her and grabbed her reins. Now she had no choice but to stay right beside him as he only allowed a slight berth between them. Nevertheless, the scenery was magnificent. While Nevada is known for its steamy deserts, the Donovans’ land was an endless stretch of emerald green. Acres and acres of rolling lushness that boasted the simple life, a life of rest and relaxation personified.
    She reveled in that for a while, remembering how Grammy always wanted to live in the country. She had planned to buy her a house just as soon as the spa was doing well. After the hefty inheritance Grammy had left for her, Jade wondered why her grandmother hadn’t simply bought her country home herself before she died. Thoughts of Grammy had her feeling nostalgic and she glanced at Linc.
    He looked tense, as if something weighed heavily on his mind. She wondered if he was regretting asking her to come. He could have easilyfound another date. Why he’d asked her to do this was a mystery. This made her question, for the millionth time, what had happened eight years ago. Why had he approached her and asked her to accompany him to his room? Even then he could have had his choice of girls. They were from different worlds. She was sure he’d known that then just as he knew it now.
    “Why did you leave?” she asked spontaneously.
    “What?” He looked at her with a baffled expression.
    “That night in your dorm. Why did you leave without saying goodbye? I mean, you could have stayed. It was your room.” Although he held the reins she nervously twisted her fingers around the leather strap of the saddle. Business deal or not they had a past and she felt like she deserved an answer. Whatever he said now wouldn’t change what happened but she would finally be able to reconcile with it.
    He paused another minute. “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past.”
    “It does matter. We were both consenting adults. I would think that earned me some level of respect.”
    He didn’t look at her but spoke quietly. “It wasn’t what you thought.”
    “Then tell me what it was. I gave myself to you freely. If you didn’t want me you should have been man enough to stick around and say that.”
    “I wanted you…” His words trailed off.
    “Just not for keeps.” The admission hurt her more than she’d anticipated. Why, after all this time, was the pain still so fresh and so strong? She turned away from him then looked toward the golf course just beyond the house.
    Linc turned down an incline that led into a cluster of trees, yanking on the straps as he pulled her horse along. “I can’t go back and change what I did.”
    “I know,” she said sadly, wishing they could both go back and make different decisions.
    He took a deep breath and looked as if he were contemplating what to say next. “I didn’t want a relationship,” he said in a quiet tone. “I had plans.”
    His dark eyes were nondescript. There was something strangely consuming about his response, about the quick shift in direction, the hint of emotion he’d let slip. Was he angry with her or with himself? “I don’t recall asking you to marry me, Linc.”
    He let out a deep breath and dropped her reins as they came to a small creek. Both horses bowed their heads to drink. Linc glanced up at the sky, then toward the trees. He didn’t speak and neitherdid she. Around them birds chirped and the light rustle of water soothed even as emotions ran hot and swift between them.
    “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors that I’m not marriage material,” he began quietly. “I never have been. I’m self-centered and ambitious. Those things keep me from actively participating in a healthy relationship.”
    “Only you can keep yourself from being in a relationship. Being self-centered and ambitious