A Christmas Seduction. Daire St. Denis

glad.” She gazed into his eyes, half smiling, half frowning, as if she couldn’t quite make up her mind about the situation.

      “I wouldn’t complain if you wanted to take another shot—”

      “Thad?”

      Shit. He turned to see Curtis walking across the yard. “You gonna come help finish chores or what?”

      “Yep. I’m on my way.” He squeezed Jolie’s hands. “Chores call. You coming?”

      Her features still waffled between a smile and a frown. She settled on the frown. “Uh...you know what? I’d better go do some work myself.”

      * * *

      SITTING AT THE DESK in her room, Jolie tried to work on her article for Travel America, except every time she started typing, she found herself caught up in an instant replay of kissing Thad. She should be embarrassed...except she wasn’t. At all. How could she be when Thad was such a good kisser? The way he held on to the back of her head, tilting her the way he wanted her, holding her close? The way his lips were both soft and firm, lulling and commanding all at once?

      Divine.

      The way he’d used his tongue on the inside of her lips, tracing them, tasting her?

      Heavenly.

      The way he tasted of black licorice?

      Delicious.

      She ran her thumb over her lips, letting her lids flutter closed in recollection, playing the kiss over one more time, adding a few embellishments along the way. Like Thad’s hand dropping to her ass, his head dipping low in order to whisper naughty things in her ear.

      Glancing at the top of her screen, she read through some of her previous entries. Be the person you’ve always wanted to be... Try new things.

      “What are you going to do, Jo?” she asked herself. Was she just going to write those things for the sake of the article? Or was she going to live them?

      Pounding the desk, she muttered, “Dammit. I’m going to live them!”

      A second later, a knock sounded at her door and when Jo called for whoever it was to come in—what if it was Thad?—the door opened and Gloria peered inside. “We’re heading out to find a tree. Do you want to come?”

      “I wouldn’t miss it.”

      She grabbed her jacket and followed Gloria to the porch, where the rest of the guests had congregated. Their hostess introduced everyone: there was the father-and-son duo, Simon and Zak, and a young couple, Kaylee and Evan.

      “We just got married last month,” Kaylee explained, beaming with happiness. “This is our first Christmas together.”

      After congratulations, Gloria said, “I hope we can make your stay a memorable one.” Then she clapped her gloved hands. “And we’ll start by finding the best damn Christmas tree there is. Dillon says the nicest ones grow up on that ridge.” She pointed to a spot that looked an awfully long way away. “As long as everyone’s game, we thought we’d ride up there.”

      “As in, horses?” Jo blurted amidst the sounds of excitement from the rest of the guests.

      “Yes. Is there anyone who hasn’t ridden before?”

      Jo raised her hand. Other than Zak, she was the only one, and her resolve to be the daring, adventurous Jo she’d always wanted to be slipped.

      “Why doesn’t Zak ride with me for his first time,” Dillon offered.

      While Zak complained that he wanted to ride his own horse, his father nodded, saying he thought it was a good idea.

      “Evan and I can ride together,” Kaylee piped up, winking at her new husband.

      “What about you, Jo?” Gloria asked. “Do you want your own horse, or would you prefer to ride with someone?”

      “She can ride with me.” Thad was leaning against the rail, watching her carefully. His gaze created a little tickle at the back of her throat.

      “Okay,” she replied thickly. “I’ll ride with Thad.”

      “That’s settled, then.” Gloria pointed toward the barn. “We’d better get going. The sun sets early this time of year.”

      Jolie followed the rest of the group toward the barn, feeling light-headed. It wasn’t nerves exactly; it was...excitement? Excitement and anxiety all mixed up together?

      With a dash of arousal?

      She could still feel the effects of Thad’s gaze, which was warm, probing...kind of like his tongue.

      Once inside the barn, her mixed feelings only intensified. Horses were beautiful animals, but they were also big and scary, which both thrilled and terrified her. Then she considered Thad. There was something seriously hot about watching a man do something he was really good at, and he was clearly good with horses. Good with animals in general.

      People, too.

      Within no time at all, Thad, Curtis and Dillon had saddled up six horses, and everyone who knew what they were doing mounted. Once on top of his horse, Dillon leaned down, instructing Zak to take his hand so Dillon could pull him up in front of him. Evan did the same with Kaylee.

      It was just Jo left.

      “Take my hand,” a deep voice said from above her.

      “I’m a little bigger than the others,” she replied, feeling insecure all of a sudden.

      “I got you.”

      “You said that last night.”

      “I don’t make the same mistake twice.” He grinned. “Now put your right foot in the stirrup to give yourself a boost.”

      She did as she was told and, true to his word, Thad pulled her right up onto the horse. It was awkward getting her left leg over to the other side, but thanks to her biweekly yoga routine, she managed it without any mishaps.

      “There now, you all right?” Thad asked, the words tickling the inside of her ear.

      “I’m fine,” she said, wriggling in the saddle. “But this can’t be very comfortable for you.”

      “On the contrary. I find it very comfortable.”

      “Oh!” Jo wasn’t sure if her exclamation was the result of Thad’s big body snugging right up to hers—his thighs on either side of her legs, his chest pressed against her back, his arms wrapped loosely around her waist—or because the horse had started moving. She leaned back into him and the horse stopped.

      “As much as I enjoy you leaning against me,” he whispered roughly, “you need to sit up straight for the horse to move.”

      “Oh...okay.” She sat up and the horse started walking again, following the others out into the yard. It was such a strange sensation, sitting up so high on the back of an animal, swaying side to side with the horse’s undulating gait. Completely unnatural...yet kind of cool, too.

      “You okay?” Thad asked softly.

      His deep, melodic voice sent shivers into the pit of her stomach. “I’m okay.”

      “You let me know if you’re not.”

      “I will.”

      The other horses moved off ahead of them in single file and they brought up the rear. Slowly.

      “You’re tense.”

      “Am I?”

      “Yep, and the horse senses it.”

      “I don’t know how to not be tense.” She tried to turn in the saddle to face him, felt off balance and swiveled back around, grappling for the knobby thing on the saddle.

      He tightened his arms around her and she immediately felt better. She