Page 33 of Mistaken as His Royal Bride

Maddi lifted a hand to shade her eyes. ‘Wow, it’s so quiet here. I would have expected it to be thronged.’

‘We’re still on palace property.’

Of course.Maddi should have realised.

Sooty was dancing under Aristedes and he said, ‘I need to give him his head—will you be okay if I give him a gallop?’

Maddi waved a hand. ‘We’ll be fine. You go ahead.’

So she could watch him like a proper voyeur.

And they were magnificent, man and beast. They trotted down to the water’s edge and then they were off, galloping through the sea foam. A vision in masculine beauty, muscles rippling, Aristedes was in total control, barely moving in the saddle.

La Reina seemed content to meander up and down near the treeline, but suddenly out of nowhere a bird was startled and rose out of a bush, squawking loudly. Before Maddi could do anything the horse had reared up.

Somehow, miraculously, she managed to cling on. But then the horse bolted. Maddi realised she had absolutely no control over this powerful beast, which suddenly didn’t feel like such a sedate grand dam any more. She felt like a bullet.

Every bone in Maddi’s body was rattling as she clung on to the reins for dear life. Surely she’d come to a stop at some point? But they were heading straight for a clump of jagged rocks at the other end of the beach and the horse showed no signs of slowing.

Maddi was about to close her eyes and pray for mercy when a streak of black appeared beside her. Aristedes leant out of his saddle to grab Maddi’s reins and he managed to bring both horses to a canter, and then a trot, and eventually to a walk, mere feet away from the rocks—one of which was particularly spiky.

Maddi barely had a chance to get her breath back before hands were reaching for her, around her waist, and she was off the horse and standing on legs that shook like jelly.

Aristedes took off her hat, threw it aside. His was gone too. ‘Are you hurt? Are you okay?’

She couldn’t answer because he was running his hands all over her—arms, waist, hips—and crouching down to check her legs. He stood up and she realised she was clutching at his arms and her teeth were chattering.

He cursed and pulled her into him, rubbing his hands up and down her back. ‘I’m sorry, that was my fault. I should never have left you alone. La Reina is still powerful. Something must have startled her.’

Maddi pulled back. She was feeling marginally less wobbly, and now other sensations were piercing the shock and adrenaline rush. Like how close she was to Aristedes, their bodies pressed together. How his touch was tender and comforting, but also like an electric charge, transmitting something much more potent than comfort or tenderness.

There were still tremors running through her body but her teeth had stopped chattering. She tried to speak. ‘It was a bird... I think. Flew out of a...bush.’

Aristedes looked down at her. ‘She could have thrown you.’

Maddi tried to smile but her mouth wouldn’t work. ‘She tried.’

‘Maddi, I’m sorry. The last thing you need when you’re learning how to ride is a scare like that. It can put people off for life.’

Maddi didn’t want to seem weak or scared. Stoutly, she said, ‘I’m okay. I can get back on.’ She mentally crossed her fingers, hoping she wouldn’t suddenly be terrified.

Aristedes’s mouth twitched. ‘We’ll leave it a minute, hmm?’

Something shifted in the air between them. An awareness of their bodies so close together. Of Maddi’s breasts crushed against Aristedes’s broad and very hard chest.

They were hip to hip. Thigh to thigh. Suddenly certain that she wouldn’t be able to hide her reaction behind shock any more, Maddi tried to pull back—but his arms didn’t budge.

‘Where are you going?’

She looked up and swallowed. His dark gaze was intense. Surely not... She wanted to shake her head.

She said, ‘To stand on my own two feet?’

‘Overrated.’

Maddi’s brain went into a spin. Aristedes caught some of her hair around his hand. Of course it had fallen loose. It was untameable. Maddi wanted to groan. She must look as if she’d been pulled through a bush backwards.

Then he said, almost musingly, ‘I should have known you weren’t Laia the moment I laid eyes on you...’