“I knew you were coming and decided to wait.” He lowered her hand but didn’t let it go, instead brushing over the place his lips had kissed with his thumb. “I could hear you coming from here.”

Jessie started violently, tugging her hand out of his grasp and causing Aphrodite to dance nervously away from Lucifer. Gabriel’s words seemed to carry with them a double entendre, and Jessie had a moment of sheer panic as she wondered if Gabriel could have been privy to her exertions by the pond. No, she reasoned, Aphrodite would have scented Lucifer if he’d been near. It must be my imagination. “Well,” Jessie said too brightly, “thank you, Your Grace, for doing me the kindness of greeting me. You’ll excuse me though if I don’t stay. Liam is preparing supper and I don’t wish to be late.”

“Of course,” Gabriel said easily, not at all daunted by Jessie’s attempts to dismiss him. “Liam invited me to supper earlier in the day. We wouldn’t want to keep him waiting.”

Jessie blanched. Of course Liam would have telephoned Gabriel. The two seemed great friends, not to mention that Gabriel was the neighboring MI6 agent Liam also handled. “Lovely.” Jessie’s lips felt tight, and she was sure her smile was forced.

Gabriel didn’t sense her mood, or didn’t care. “Do you know what he’s preparing?”

“Not at all.” Jessie kept her answers clipped, hoping that Gabriel would shut the hell up long enough for her to regain her composure. Now that she’d had that first thought of taking on him and Liam together, her body seemed totally out of control and she was responding to him in ways she hadn’t foreseen.

“That’s just as well. I love surprises. Don’t you?” Gabriel smirked at her, his aristocratic left eyebrow rising.

“I hate surprises,” Jessie said on a growl. She didn’t know what kind of game Gabriel was playing today, but she wasn’t interested.

“That’s too bad. Perhaps I could come up with something to change your mind.” Gabriel smiled winningly at her, but Jessie still had a niggling feeling she was missing something.

“Not likely, Your Grace,” she snapped, digging her heels into Aphrodite’s flanks. The horse shot forward, leaving Lucifer behind as Jessie raced toward the manor. She didn’t like the way Gabriel always kept her off balance, didn’t like that she always felt the urge to crawl up on his lap or sink to her knees at his feet. Sure he was a Dom, but he was the most arrogant, controlling man she’d ever met, and she’d worked too hard for her freedom to allow someone like him to make her helpless once more.

She heard his laughter echo behind her and risked a look back, outraged that Gabriel had taken her hasty departure as a challenge and now spurred Lucifer toward her, obviously doing his best to catch up.

Jessie leaned low over Aphrodite’s neck, the challenge of outrunning Gabriel exciting the daredevil in her. She called words of encouragement to her mare, shaking the reins and encouraging her to even greater speed. She looked back again, thrilled to see that Lucifer hadn’t managed to gain any ground. As the stable came into view Jessie looked back one last time, seeing that Lucifer was still a healthy distance behind her. Her eyes narrowed, though, when she noted Gabriel’s hands on the reins. He was holding Lucifer back! Why the hell was he letting her win?

Jessie thundered right up to the stable before reining Aphrodite in. The mare had run extremely well and deserved some special treatment, Jessie thought as she guided her into the stable at a walk. Jessie’s eyes lit up when she saw Liam was waiting.

“Aphrodite beat Lucifer!” Jessie crowed her victory, jumping down into Liam’s arms and hugging him, wanting him to share in her excitement. Who cared if Gabriel let her win? A win was a win!

“Did she now?” Liam laughed, twirling Jessie around in his arms before setting her down. “I’d say that deserves extra oats.