Sweet Renegade (4 page)

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Beau*

I’m sitting at the kitchen table with the trashcan between my knees, as I peel a crapload of potatoes. My mother makes the best mashed potatoes from scratch. I love having home cooked meals. I eat out way too much; it is difficult, though, when I’m always on the go. I watch Lizette from the corner of my eye. I was shocked to see her on my mother’s back porch earlier. A ghost of a smile pulls at my lips, glad the phone isn’t working; now I get to spend some time alone with her.

She is perched on a stool on the opposite side of the island counter, talking to my mother. Her back is to me, but every once in a while she glances over her shoulder at me. I give her my charming, southern boy smile, which makes her roll her eyes and turn back around.

Eventually, my mother takes a break from her jabbering and goes to set up the guest bedroom. Lizette turns on her stool and leans her elbows back on the counter. She looks incredible in her black slacks and white sleeveless blouse. Her hair is loose and flowing over her shoulders. I’m thankful that I’m sitting down; otherwise, she might notice the bulge straining against the front of my jeans. I can’t help it. Every time she is near, I end up with a boner.

“It’s funny seeing you peel potatoes,” Lizette muses, a small smirk on her face, amusement gleaming in her pretty, green eyes.

I cock an eyebrow at her. “Why?”

“Um, hello! You’re Beau Kennedy, uber famous pop star, every teenage girl’s wet dream,” she replies as if saying “Duh.”

I roll my eyes at her. “So?” I huff.

“Famous people don’t usually peel potatoes, Beau,” she giggles.

“I’m not most famous people, Lizette,” I reply quietly, dropping my gaze to the potato in my hand.

“I can see that,” she replies softly.

I glance back up at her. Her face is impassive and I have no idea what she is thinking, which irks me. She is usually very easy to read.

“Your mom is great, you know? I just love her to pieces,” she says.

“Yeah, I do know, thank you.” I nod and send her a grateful smile.

Lizette nods. “You’re welcome.”

Silence falls between us. I’m not sure what to say to her. The last time we had talked, she had shot me down again. I don’t know what to do or say to get her to give me the time of day to prove that I’m not the immature little boy that she thinks I am. I may have an idea…

“Have you ever ridden a horse before?” I test the waters.

She laughs. “Me? The girl from the city? No.”

I lift my eyes to meet hers. “Do you want to?” I ask, raising an eyebrow in question.

She narrows her eyes at me. “That isn’t some sort of cheesy pick up line, is it?”

I bark out a laugh and shake my head. So, her mind is in the gutter, I see. Nice to know. “No, but that’s good, I might have to use that sometime.”

Something flashes across her face for a second before it’s gone. I didn’t have enough time to figure out what the look was before she covers it up. I ignore it for now. She isn’t very receptive to me to begin with, so I’m not going to push her to tell me what she is feeling or thinking.

“So? What’d you think? Would you want to go for a ride after dinner?” I ask her.

Lizette thinks about it for a moment then nods slowly. “Okay…yeah.”

I smile. “Good, you’ll have fun, believe me.”

Yes! She is going to love it!

After dinner, everyone helps clean up before going off to do their own things. I have Lizette change into borrowed jeans, a t-shirt, and boots from Leila. She didn’t bring anything other than her laptop and purse, thinking that she wasn’t going to be staying. It worked out well, though. Leila’s jeans fit her just fine and the t-shirt is a bit snug, but I sure as hell don’t mind, it makes her tits look fan-fucking-tastic.

Lizette watches while I saddle up a pretty mare for her, and then Rebel for me. I can feel her watching me. When I glance over at her, she quick looks away, but I can see the slight blush creep up her cheeks. I smirk. She can’t resist me for much longer.

“There are a couple of things you should know about horses. The biggest thing is to never come up or walk behind a horse. They will kick out and you can get seriously injured,” I say in all seriousness.

Lizette nods in understanding.

I then give her the basics on how to steer the horse and what not to do while in the saddle. For the most part, the horses are well trained and know what they are doing. It’s not hard to ride an already trained horse. I hold the horse steady as Lizette clambers on. I almost give into the urge to palm her luscious ass to help her up, but I control myself. I hand her the reins then slip onto the saddle of my own horse.

“What’s this horse’s name?” she asks.

“Willow,” I tell her.

I see her smile fondly and bend forward so that she can speak softly to Willow as she smooths her hand down the mare’s neck. I blink stupidly, my naive heart skipping a beat at the sight before me. This is really the first time that I’ve ever seen Lizette dressed down, and I have to say that I love the look on her. She looks comfortable and at ease, when she usually looks uptight and tense. And that smile she’s wearing - the sweet, awe-filled smile - is doing crazy things to my heart.

She lifts her gaze to mine. “What?” she questions, still petting the horse’s neck.

I swallow hard. “You look so beautiful right now,” I blurt.

That blush is back and it creeps up her cheeks again. She straightens back up and drops her eyes away from mine. She shifts uncomfortably in the saddle and clears her throat.

“Are we gonna go?” she asks, changing the subject.

“Yep,” I mutter and urge my mount forward.

Willow follows instinctively. I take Lizette along the trail that leads around the large property. The sun is starting to set and the sky is a mix of pinks, blues, and golds. None of that is as lovely as Lizette in my eyes, though. I glance over my shoulder at her. She is smiling softly as she looks out at the world around her. I feel the determination set in. She is going to go out with me, I will not take no for an answer. If I can get at least one kiss from those luscious lips of hers, I can die a happy man.

I’m about to see if she wants to go a little faster when some kind of animal darts out in front of us, spooking the horses. I’m skilled enough on horseback to know how to control a spooked horse, but Lizette on the other hand, not so much. I watch in horror as Willow bucks, tossing a screaming Lizette off her back. My heart stops beating and the raw terror I feel is nothing I’ve ever dealt with before. I have a flash of Lizette in a motorized wheelchair with a breathing tube sticking out of her throat because she’s a paraplegic.

“Fuck!” I exclaim viciously and quickly jump off Rebel.

I sprint over to where she fell; she’s lying in a patch of long grass on the side of the path. I skid to a halt, landing on my hands and knees next to her. Her hands are covering her face and her whole body is trembling. I tear my hat off and toss it aside.

“Lizzie? Sugar, are you hurt?” I ask frantically, as I look over the rest of her body.

I don’t see any bones sticking out, which is a relief. Lizette slides her hands away from her face and rests them on her heaving chest. I’m confused when I see that she’s laughing to the point of crying. Oh good god, she’s probably banged her head and is now delirious.

“Lizzie?” I ask again in concern and fear.

“That…was…so scary,” she says, shaking her head.

I quickly clasp the sides of her head, just under her ears, to stop her from moving her head. “Don’t move, you could have seriously injured yourself,” I say, my voice surprising harsh. But damn, I’m practically shitting my pants here.

“No, I’m okay. I swear. I mostly landed on my ass, which has plenty of padding and cushioned my fall.” She giggles and reaches up to hold my wrists.

“Nothing hurts? You can move your legs?” I ask seriously. My heart is still trying to pound its way up my throat.

“I’m okay, Beau, just a little shaken,” Lizette assures me.

I stare down at her for a moment, studying her face. I don’t know if I should believe her or call for help. She could have serious injuries and not know it. She blinks her big green eyes at me, a soft smile on her sweet lips. Lips that I just want to devour. She gives my wrists a squeeze.

“I’m fine, I promise,” she murmurs.

I nod and help her slowly sit up before I make her reassess her body to see if she feels any twinges or pain anywhere. She insists that she is fine so I help her to her feet. She brushes off her pants while I help with the grass and leaves on the back of her shirt. She then glances around before looking at me, panic in her eyes.

“Where’s Willow?” she asks.

“Probably on her way back to the stable.” I snort. Dumbass horse. “As soon as you were off her back, she took off in that direction.”

“Poor thing. What ran out in front of us? I only caught a glimpse.”

“I think it was a squirrel.” I chuckle.

Lizette laughs, brushing her hair back from her face. “So now what?”

“You ride with me,” I say and give her a wink.

“Aw, hell,” she groans.

I give her a dirty look, making her snicker. Once we are both mounted, with Lizette sitting in front of me, I guide Rebel back toward the house. I swear that I have died and gone to heaven. She is finally in my arms and it feels even better than I could have ever imagined. Her hair smelled glorious, light and flowery, and her ass is pressed snuggly against my dick. Every step the horse takes makes her shift slightly, causing her ass to rub against me, causing my body to react involuntarily. Between her scent and her sexy body rubbing against mine, there is no way I could have stopped it. No way in hell.

“I hope that’s not what I think it is,” Lizette groans. “Please tell me it’s a flashlight.”

“Sorry, can’t help it, there’s a beautiful woman in my lap.” I snicker, totally unrepentant.

“Jesus Christ,” she breathes.