Reyona declared she was going to give her horse the most regal name in history.
"When I can rationally think of one that I wouldn't regret later," she added, with the most adorable look Maxwell had ever seen on her.
After spending some time with her new horse to make up for the initial lack of acknowledgement, Reyona declared she was ready to make her childhood dream come true.
"Which is?" Maxwell asked indulgently while drinking in every inch of her joyful exuberance.
He couldn't believe that a woman who had so much more would be deeply touched by something as simple as what he had done.
It made him want to think of many more ways to surprise her.
He knew if he could live the rest of his days seeing this kind of smile on her face, he would be the most fulfilled man on earth.
"Back when my dad and mom used to fight, I would hide under my covers and try to block them out." she started with a pensive smile on her face.
Maxwell hugged her to himself and kissed her hair as she continued "Well, I have always had this vivid imagination that a handsome prince would come galloping on his fine horse, you know." she chuckled sheepishly as she shook her head. "I could even picture the horse. The shining coat. Black. It had always been a black regal horse, almost like these beautiful creatures here." She said as she reached out to run her hand through her horse's mane.
"Then the prince would be in a white knightly uniform, of course."
"Of course," Maxwell said as his chest rumbled against her back.
"Hey, don't mock me," she said as she gently nudged him with her elbow. "It was a valid imagination. Quite vivid too. Cinderella had her prince, you know. Who says I can't have mine?"
"You deserve every prince in this world, milady," he said automatically.
Reyona shook her head and wondered aloud. "Why am I even telling you this?"
"Because you want to finally live your dreams?" he prompted.
"Yes, that. Anyway, you already know the rest of the story. I never got my prince but I got Grandma. And…"
"And now you have got a very life-sized prince that is more handsome than any prince of your imagination," Maxwell said, as he turned her around and kissed her lips firmly.
She crooned as she slung her arms around her neck and deepened the kiss.
Then she leaned back and scrunched up her nose at him before saying "The jury is still out on that, you know? I had quite the imagination, you know. He was so damn gorgeous." she said with a grin as his eyes narrowed.
"Well, guess who is here right now while he is not?" he said before seizing her lips in a searing kiss.
The grooms standing some distance away had developed hard hearing and instant blindness anyway.
"Ah!" Maxwell said with a triumphant exclamation. "Can he do that?"
Reyona grinned at this silly side of his.
Then she flicked her hair back and said "Well, in my imagination, he did quite a lot, you know. I am not sure if you can live up to that."
"In that case, milady, I am rising to the challenge," he said. "Let me start by giving you an unforgettable ride on your recently acquired prize."
Reyona's look turned heated as she moved closer to him and leaned around to whisper in his ear. "There is only one ride that you can give me right now that will be unforgettable." she looked back at him with a sultry look before nipping at his lips.
"Reyona" he groaned helplessly as he covered his face.
Then he exhaled and forced himself to look away from her tempting lips and alluring body as he said "You can tempt a saint, Mrs. Rohan, but I am a knight and I have to complete this noble mission without thinking of ravaging you in the fields.
Reyona laughed and whispered "Coward," before dancing away from him.
"Come along now," he said in an affected accent as he gestured grandly at her horse.
"Really?" she asked in excitement.
"We might not be able to do some galloping and flying across the terrain, but we can do a trot. It is the thought that matters, anyway," he said as he reached for her and gestured to the groom to lead the horse closer.
Then, just before the groom got to them, he whispered to her, "Hold that thought, ma'am. One day, Enzo is going to hear your screams and I will be the object of equine jealousy."
Reyona's face heated at the thought of what he meant.
"Really?" she thought. "Will he, really? On the…"
"Ahem," she cleared her throat as he simply turned away innocently when the groom got to them.
Reyona had the sudden urge to fan herself as he guided her on how to put her legs into the stirrup, and he hoisted her up on the horse, whose warm silky skin beneath Reyona was doing nothing to calm her sudden raging hormones.
She tried. She did try to focus on the glory of being on the back of a horse for the first time.
Yet it was difficult with his warm broad chest behind her.
When he wrapped his arm around her to keep her in place, as he increased the pace of the horse, she almost moaned in desperation.
With his rush of warm air against her ear as he explained how to handle the horse to her and show her the vast terrain of lush greenery that led from the field to the part of the estate that had not been tampered with, Reyona simply gave up and leaned languidly against him.
She grew bold at a point and squirmed against his bulge brushing against her.
"Babe," he gritted out through clenched teeth.
"I did not ask you to be noble, you know. Scratch that. I do not want you to be noble. I am not even feeling any pain anymore. Why wouldn't you just throw me over your shoulder and behave like a caveman here in this greenery? I don't mind," she said in frustration.
He chuckled behind her and gave her lingering, nibbling kisses on her neck that only spiked her passion more.
She was almost twisting around on the horse to face him and finish what he started when he raised his head and swore under his breath.
"Don't you dare stop now," she moaned, and he swore again when he saw her smouldering eyes.
"We have to. Everyone is waiting."
"I don't care about everyone. Waiting for what?" she asked incomprehensibly.
"Fuck" he said before he told her to hold steady, and he got down from the horse.
Then he led her to the nearest tree there before saying "This will have to do for now. Hang on."
With that, he held her sitting sideways on the patient horse, with her back to the tree and her legs facing him.
Before she could ask what he was doing, he bent down and slowly raised her skirt.
His heated look was enough to answer for her.
"Oh," she held on to the tree behind her with both hands as he removed her pants and dragged her slowly forward so that she could feel the light breeze on her core when he parted her legs more.
"Bless the horse," she thought in ecstasy as his warm mouth replaced the breeze she felt in her core.
Oh yes!