Simply Forbidden Read Online Free

There was no sign of Miss Ross, and it was now two minutes past five. She’d probably played him for a fool and was sleeping happily in her bed, laughing at him in her dreams. He stuffed his battered watch back into his pocket and turned toward the elegant lines of the impeccably kept stables.
    His stupid impulse to help her had been exactly that: stupid. He should know by now that society ladies were far too shallow and frivolous to actually keep their promises. More fool him for imagining that Miss Ross was somehow different. He let out his breath and started toward the stables. Since he was up, he might as well take Wellington out and try his paces.
    “Good morning, my lord.”
    Gabriel stopped walking and looked back over his shoulder. Miss Ross had appeared on the path, her cheeks flushed as if she had been running. He took out his watch and checked it again.
    “You’re late.”
    Her eyes widened at his tone and her chin went up. “Hardly.”
    “Almost five minutes late.”
    “And it makes a difference because?”
    He scowled at her. “Because I don’t like to be kept waiting.”
    She kept walking until her boots were lined up in the gravel with his and poked him in the chest. “I’m not one of your men and this isn’t the army. If you have other things to do, I’ll wish you good morning and go back to bed.”
    He looked down at her for a long moment and grudgingly admired the lack of fear in her eyes and the way she stood up to him. “Don’t be late next time.”
    “Yes, sir.” She pretended to salute him. “Now, are you going to teach me how to ride properly or not?”
    “Aye. Your horse is already saddled and I’ve spoken to Mr. Green.”
    “Good, then shall we cease wrangling and be off?”
    He bowed and gestured to the mounting block by the old red-brick wall. “Wait here.”
    She did as he asked and climbed up the three steps to stand on the top of the old stone step. From this angle Gabriel had the perfect view of her long, shapely legs encased in tight buckskin. She looked well, dressed as a man. He immediately wondered whose clothes she had borrowed, imagined her wearing just his shirt instead, her legs riding his hips….
    “My lord?” A young voice interrupted him and he found himself staring down at the gap-toothed stable boy.
    “Thank you, lad.” He took Sugarplum’s reins from the stable boy and led the horse over toward Miss Ross. “I want to see you mount up.”
    She paused, one hand on the horse’s saddle. “Why? I can manage this part.”
    “I’m sure you can, but I want to see your seat and check your stirrup position.” He waited until she swung herself into the small saddle and pushed her booted feet into the stirrups. “Ah, the stirrups are too long. Let me fix them for you.”
    He slid his hand under Miss Ross’s knee to release her foot from the stirrup. She jumped and the horse sidestepped and threw back its head. He realized her calm demeanor was a sham. “It’s all right, lass.” Instinctively he smoothed his hand down her shin and back up over her knee in an endless caress until she stopped shaking.
    “Are you talking to me or the horse?”
    Her tremulous question made him look up from her boot to her pale face. He stared into her eyes and couldn’t look away. The mixture of courage and fear in them was one he was so familiar with, he could almost taste it. “Both of you.” He squeezed her ankle. “You both need to relax.”
    She sighed and he felt the vibrations all the way through his fingers. “I
was
thrown recently. I was very lucky not to be trampled to death.”
    “That’s enough to scare anyone.” He patted her knee and let go of her ankle. “I’ve changed the stirrups. I’ll mount up now. Will you be all right?”
    “Yes, of course.”
    He admired the lilt of her voice even as he doubted its validity. “Perhaps you can show me a nice level field or piece of ground away from the house where we can practice undisturbed.”
    She nodded