‘Wear trainers,’ Noah had said. ‘And something old, and warm, and you will need gloves.’
Daisy had no idea what he was planning for their second date (if a hasty, interrupted meal in a hospital canteen could be called a date), but she did as she was instructed, fervently hoping he didn’t expect her to walk up a bloody great mountain or something.
He picked her up from David’s house, and gave her a slow, sexy smile. She had done her best, but old warm clothes weren’t exactly the height of sexiness, though he told her she looked lovely, and she was grateful for his kindness, even if it wasn’t the truth.
At least her hair looked nice. She hadn’t yet drummed up the courage to have her long locks chopped off, and she’d spent ages in front of the little mirror in David and Zoe’s spare room, pinning it up into a loose chignon. It didn’t go with the old coat she was wearing, but at least it showed she’d made some kind of an effort.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked.
‘You’ll see,’ was all he said, and he refused to be drawn any further.
As they headed out towards Malvern, leaving the city behind them, Daisy was certain he intended to drag her up the famous Malvern Hills. She’d walked up them before, and though the view from the top across the wide Severn River Valley was spectacular, the steep climb wasn’t. She’d been breathless and knackered by the time she reached the top on her one and only trek up the hill, and she’d been a fitter, younger version of herself. Twelve years old, to be exact. Goodness knows what state she’d be in this time! She’d probably need mouth to mouth.
But the car didn’t take the Malvern turning. Instead, Noah eased the vehicle into a narrow lane, and drove up the twisty winding road for a mile or so. The countryside was pretty, admittedly, even though the trees were bare and the day was grey and overcast.
When the car pulled into a farm yard, Daisy gave him an odd look.
‘Are we there yet, or are you lost and wanted to find somewhere to turn?’ she asked.
‘We’re here.’
‘And where is here?’
‘Coldbrook Farm.’
‘What’s in Coldbrook Farm, except cows?’ she asked. She didn’t need to see their black and white backsides, she could smell them through the closed car windows.
‘Horses,’ he replied, a huge grin on his face.
Was that supposed to mean something to her? ‘Horses,’ she repeated.
‘You said you wanted to go riding, so we are going riding.’
Daisy didn’t know whether to hug him or slap him. She couldn’t believe it – not only had he remembered her saying it, but he had taken the trouble to do something about it. He was either very considerate, or very silly. The next hour or so would decide which.
She got out of the car in a daze. Her – riding? What if she fell off? What if she made a total arse of herself?
‘My mate’s parents own the farm,’ Noah was saying, as he took her hand and almost dragged her around the back of the farmhouse. Her heart lurched at his touch, but it almost jumped out of her chest when she saw what was around the corner.
Two horses, both of them enormous.
There was no way she was getting on one of them. No way!
Five minutes later, she had one foot in the stirrup and another braced on Noah’s hands as he hoisted her into the saddle.
‘His name is Killer,’ Noah said, as she balanced precariously at what she felt was about a hundred feet off the ground.
‘Killer!’ Daisy shrieked, and the horse’s ears flicked back menacingly.
‘Just kidding, he’s called Max.’
Oh, that’s alright then, Daisy thought sarcastically, as Noah gathered up the reins and showed her how to hold them. Then he adjusted her stirrups.
‘Comfy?’ he asked.
‘No.’
His chuckle sent shivers down her already shivery spine.
Dinner would have been nice, lunch even. In a pub or restaurant where there wasn’t a hairy, smelly beast in sight. She could happily have coped with a play, or a concert, something indoors, where it wouldn’t matter if she fell off her chair…
‘How do you steer it?’ she asked. ‘More to the point, how do you get it to stop?’
‘To stop, you pull back gently on the reins, and to steer you use your legs and your hands to tell him which direction you want him to go in.’
‘I don’t want him to go anywhere. I’m quite happy here,’ Daisy stated.
Noah winked at her. ‘You’ll love it,’ he promised.
I won’t, she thought.
Noah mounted the other savage animal, who whuffled through its ginormous nostrils at him as he clambered on board, and Daisy nearly wet herself in fright.
Noah clicked his tongue, dug his heels into the animal’s side, and the horse began to move, one huge foot in front of the other. Daisy cried out when hers lurched forward, and she grabbed at his mane to stop herself from toppling backwards.
Thank God Noah had insisted she wore a helmet, she thought, even though it did mess up her carefully styled hair. At least she wouldn’t knock her brains out when she came off, and come off she most certainly was going to. How did people balance on these things?
Max fell into line behind the other horse, plodding slowly after it. Daisy forgot the reins existed and clutched the long, coarse hair sprouting from low down on the animal’s neck, holding on for dear life.
But after a while, she relaxed enough to take one hand off the mane (her knuckles were white where she’d been gripping so hard) and pick up one of the leather straps. When nothing happened, she did the same with the other.
‘How long are we supposed to do this for?’ she whispered, not wanting to speak too loudly in case it annoyed her horse.
‘As long as you feel comfortable.’
‘Does that mean we can stop now?’
Another chuckle. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention. Dammit, but he was sexy, though all she could see of him was his broad back, ramrod straight, oozing confidence and competence as he swayed slightly to the rhythm of the horse’s gait.
She was aware she was doing a similar kind of sway, but she certainly didn’t feel sexy. She felt gauche and uncertain, but she had to admit she felt a thrill. She was doing it – after all these years, she was finally on the back of a horse. And this was no pony; this was a full-sized animal, chestnut in colour with darker mane and tail. Noah’s horse was a dappled grey, even larger than hers, and she admired the way he controlled it with ease. The slightest touch from Noah’s hands or feet, she noticed, had the animal instantly obeying him.
He turned in the saddle, twisting to look at her. ‘You okay?’
Actually, she was. ‘I’m fine,’ she called, and was rewarded by a wide smile. He was simply gorgeous when he smiled – his whole face lit up. He should do it more often.
They cut across the farmyard, and through a field, Daisy marvelling at the way Max stopped obediently while Noah angled his mount sideways on to the gate, then Noah leaned down (her heart was in her mouth at this point, scared he would fall off) and opened the gate, his horse stepping backwards.
He’d clearly done this before, and Daisy felt a twinge of envy and curiosity. Had Noah grown up around horses, or had he learned to ride later in life? There was so much she wanted to learn about this man, so much to discover. She was looking forward to it immensely.
‘Well?’ he asked.
‘Eh?’
‘Are you going through, or what?’
Or what, because she had no idea how to get her horse moving.
‘Gently kick your heels into Max’s side,’ Noah instructed, ‘else he won’t know what you want him to do.’
Kick him? Daisy was appalled. Surely the animal cruelty police would have a field day if she did that.
‘Better still, squeeze your legs together,’ he added. ‘He’ll respond to that, too.’
Daisy’s treacherous little mind wondered if Noah would respond in the same way, and she blushed furiously, her cheeks feeling very hot indeed.
She squeezed and Max walked forward through the gate.
‘I can’t stop him,’ she called, as the horse kept going. She was conscious of Noah falling further behind as he closed the gate.
‘Pull gently back on the reins and lean back ever so slightly in the saddle,’ he called back.
Daisy did as she was told, surprised when the tactics worked and Max ground to a halt. He soon started moving again once Noah’s horse drew level and pulled into the lead.
‘I didn’t do anything,’ Daisy said in confusion.
Noah twisted around again – she wished he’d watch where they were going and keep his eyes on the road, so to speak. ‘Horses are herd animals,’ he explained. ‘Trigger here, is the dominant horse, so Max will automatically follow him, unless you tell him not to.’
‘Will he listen to me?’
‘Try it. I’ll keep walking and you ask Max to stop.’
Daisy remembered what Noah had said, and pulled gently back on the reins.
Nothing happened.
She pulled harder and Max plodded to a stop, swishing his tail.
I can do this, she thought, triumphantly, and she felt immensely proud of herself.
‘I haven’t thought about riding since I was little,’ she said, when she caught up with Noah, ‘but Jayne used to have lessons in an arena. I remember her telling me about it.’
‘That’s one way of learning to ride,’ Noah responded, ‘but this way is so much more fun. Fresh air, beautiful scenery, and no going around in endless circles.’
Daisy had to agree with him. After she realised that she didn’t have to keep her eyes glued to where they were going, and her heart didn’t jump into her mouth every time Max kicked a loose stone, or faltered as he picked his way over the uneven path, she settled down and looked around her. Never in a million years had she imagined going on a date like this. It was thoughtful, and also very different to what she’d been expecting.
When Noah judged she’d had enough, he cut through a field and headed back to the farm. By this time, her behind was numb, and her knees and thighs were becoming a little tender where the leather rubbed. She was also getting cold, and her hands were beginning to stiffen up, both from the chill air and her death-like grip on the reins.
In comparison, Noah looked as though he could keep going for hours. His one hand (just the one) held both reins and rested on the pommel (she’d learned a new word), the other rested on his thigh. She couldn’t help staring at it – his thigh, not his hand. As the horse moved, she could see the play of muscles beneath his jeans and it did funny things to her, and she wondered if his thighs ached.
‘Well?’ he asked, when they rode into the yard in a clatter of hooves, the horses with their ears pricked up, the pace slightly faster once they were on the home straight.
‘It was wonderful,’ she sighed. She was cold, parts of her she didn’t know existed ached, she stank of horse, and she had a feeling her nose resembled Rudolph, but she meant it. It had been wonderful. She wanted to do it all again, once she’d warmed up and the feeling had come back into her bum.
She watched Noah dismount and wondered how she was going to get down, when he came alongside her to help.
‘Take your feet out of both stirrups,’ he said, ‘then lean forward and slide your leg over the horses back. Don’t worry, I’ve got you.’
He did too. His hands were on her waist as she slid down the horse’s side and landed on her feet. He held her a fraction longer than she needed for her to regain her balance. His warm breath fanned her ear, and she leaned back into him, just for a moment.
Max whickered, making Daisy jump, and the moment was lost. Pity.
‘Here,’ Noah said, bringing a Polo mint out of his pocket.
She took it from him, wondering if she had bad breath and Noah was trying to be tactful. She lifted it to her mouth.
‘It’s not for you, it’s for him. Most horses love mints,’ Noah said, and she went to hold it out to the horse, using her thumb and forefinger. ‘Not like that, like this.’
He held a mint out to Trigger, the Polo resting on the palm of his flat hand. She watched the horse suck it up, with whiskery mobile lips.
‘Always use the flat of your hand,’ he said, ‘otherwise they might nip. They don’t mean to, but it hurts all the same.’
She gave Max his, giggling as the horse’s lips nibbled at her hand, the soft hairs tickling her skin. He chomped and chewed, his mouth working as if the little mint was the size of a golf ball, then he blew down his nose at her.
Daisy was enchanted, despite the slobber on her hand. She wiped it off on his furry neck, then reached up to stroke his mobile ears. The horse accepted her caress, and Daisy felt emboldened enough to pat his long nose.
‘I think a hot chocolate is in order, and a sit by a warm fire,’ Noah suggested.
‘Yes, please.’ It sounded lovely, especially the warm bit, and they drove back down the lane and drew up outside a tiny little pub.
‘This used to be a favourite haunt of mine when I was a teenager,’ Noah said. ‘They used to let me have a sneaky pint, even though they knew I wasn’t old enough. It’s changed hands since then,’ he added, ‘but I hope they still do hot chocolate with marshmallows.’
They did – thick, rich, and creamy. Daisy sat beside the fire, logs crackling in the hearth, with a frothy moustache on her upper lip, and slowly thawed out. Noah took a sip from his mug and the pair of them sat laughing at each other.
‘Will you trust me to take you on a date again?’ he asked, suddenly serious, ‘or have I blown it?’
Daisy leaned forward and stared him straight in the eye. ‘I’ve had more fun today than I’ve had in a very long time,’ she said. ‘I’d like to do it again.’
‘Oh, we will,’ he promised, a smile stretching across his face, ‘but I don’t want you to think I’m a one-horse wonder, and I’ve got nothing else up my sleeve. One horse… get it?’ He giggled like a small boy and Daisy shook her head.
‘You’ve got the most awful line in puns,’ she said, and Noah pretended to look hurt.
‘We can’t all be a whizz with words, Daisy Jones. I have to work with what I’ve got.’
Without warning, the atmosphere sobered, and Noah leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.
‘You’ve got a silly cream moustache,’ he told her.
She put her fingers to her face and was about to wipe it away, when he said, ‘I’d like to lick it off.’
Oh. Well. Good. Daisy’s thoughts leapt around in her head like a Springer Spaniel in a field.
‘Too much?’ he asked.
She shook her head.
‘Too soon?’
She shook her head again.
‘May I?’
‘Please.’ She tried to aim for a seductive purr, but it came out a breathy squawk.
He raised himself out of his chair, stretched right across the table and his tongue came out to gently lick away the cream.
She froze.
Never had any man done anything so erotic to her before. The tip of his tongue barely touched her, but her skin flamed all the same, and she was glad she was sitting down as her insides liquefied.
He drew back slightly, and Daisy saw a trace of white froth on the tip of his tongue, before it slipped back between his lips. Her own lips parted in naked desire, then his mouth was on hers, and she lost herself in his kiss.
‘Excuse me, but we don’t allow that kind of lewd behaviour in here,’ a voice said, and they broke apart to see the landlord, a little round man resembling a barrel of the real ale he served, hands on hips, staring at them with a furious look on his face.
‘What kind of lewd behaviour do you allow?’ Noah equipped, and Daisy giggled.
Noah had one hand behind her head where he’d drawn her close, and his fingers were buried in her dishevelled chignon. He took a moment to disentangle himself, allowing time for Daisy’s heart rate to return to a semblance of normality. It still beat harder and faster than it should, but at least it was no longer threatening to leap out of her chest. Her breathing was a bit heavier than usual though, and heat radiated outwards from somewhere south of her stomach.
She tried to blame it on her throbbing thighs, but she had a sneaking suspicion they weren’t throbbing just because of the riding.
Noah sat back in his chair and they finished their drinks in silence. He hadn’t taken his eyes off her and all she could think about was their hungry depths and the desire pulling her down into them. His lips were slightly parted and she remembered every second of them on hers, the feel of him, the smell of him.
‘I want to do that again,’ he said, finally.
‘So do I.’
‘We can’t,’ he replied, and Daisy almost burst into tears. Why take her out on a date at all, if his medical ethics didn’t allow it.
But then he added, ‘Because if we do, I won’t be able to stop there.’
Oh? Oh! She didn’t want him to stop either. She would have been quite happy to let him ravish her in front of the fire, if they didn’t have an audience.
‘I don’t want you to think I’m the type of guy who sleeps with a girl on a first date,’ he continued.
I don’t care if you are, Daisy wanted to say. Take me, take me! her heart yelled. Actually, it wasn’t her heart doing the yelling, it was something much lower down, and she realised she hadn’t felt like this in a long time. Maybe never.
‘I want to get to know you first,’ he was saying.
She wanted to get to know him, too, but the woman part of her argued that they could just as easily get to know each other in bed, whilst they were doing unspeakably sexy things to each other, as they could by sitting in a pub talking.
‘Okay,’ was all she managed to get out.
Here was the type of man she dreamed of, one who wanted her mind, not her body, and all she could do was pout because he wasn’t going to whisk her off to bed.
Damn him!