on Maya and I had affected everyone’s lives. I looked back at Enoch when he brushed his hand over mine while it still rested on the side of his horse. He forced a crooked half smile. I didn’t pull away – I should have.
“Fair enough,” he said gently. “Get on.” He gestured with his head, his eyes glinting in amusement as he looked at me. He was in a really strange mood. I frowned up at him.
He held out his hand for me and I nervously grabbed it, lifting myself onto the horse and seized the reins. When I looked down at him, a huge smirk appeared on his face. He shook his head.
“I don’t think so,” he said mockingly and mounted the horse, gently pushing me aside to take his place as the rider in charge. My heart almost exploded out of my chest at having him so close to me.
Maya giggled nervously and mounted a white, lean, graceful mare, with a gray and black mane. She shot Enoch a look of disgust as she kicked the mare into a slow gallop. Enoch bent over not the least perturbed and whispered “ride Gale” in his horse’s left ear as we took off. The horse launched forward powerfully, jerking me backwards and forcing me to grab onto Enoch’s shirt simultaneously pulling him back into me. He laughed while I attempted to hide my embarrassment by trying to compose myself quickly; before he could figure out that I had lied about being on a horse before. We raced past the others. Willard looked on, wide-eyed and waving eagerly when we shot past him. His brown and white patched horse bucked wildly, causing all the utensils to clatter together in a loud symphony of metal against metal. It would appear we were going to camp out. Sam would be so mad – all my peers would be so envious should they ever discover my new found freedom. Perhaps, life outside our city was in my destiny too, I smiled to myself. Willard snapped back to attention as the bucking of his stallion became almost uncontrollable, his eyes hastily returned to his horse as he steadied him again. I laughed softly and could feel Enoch’s body shaking as he joined in. Suddenly, I forced myself to tense up. I am too relaxed around this arrogant jerk , I reprimanded myself. He has to know that I am still angry with him. I stiffened my body a bit too much, feeling it when my behind bounced up and hit back down onto the horse’s spine making me cringe a little in anguish. Apparently, bare-back was the way to go? My body resisted and anticipated every unbearable hit after that. A while later, Enoch slowed the horse with a tight pull of the reigns. He turned his chin back toward me. “Stop resisting, or this is going to be a very long ride for you.” I could see him grin – he knew. “We have a long way to go.” He sneered.
“Okay!” I shouted back, the heat flaring up in my cheeks once again.
“First off…” he said, taking my hands and tightening them around his waist. My stomach twisted with pleasure at the touch of his rock hard abs, and at the discomfort of ever being so close to a man. Enoch was much older than I was. He must have been in his late teens, if not early twenties. My cheeks burned a steady glow at that thought.
“Despite what you think, I won’t bite you.” He said, all knowing.” Now, move closer,” his arm bent back and pulled my body to meet his. I almost shook with horror. “Lock your arms around my waist and hold the horse’s spine between your thighs. Try to move with the horse, instead of against it.”
“Become one with the horse!” Tatos yelled from a few paces in front of us where he had stopped to stare at us in amusement. I felt myself twitch at the revelation that someone had been watching us. Against my better judgment, I savored the feel of muscle beneath my fingers as I slowly laced them together. I was feeling a guy up! What had gotten into me? Why had Maya not insisted I ride with her? Don’t be scared , I determinedly ordered myself. I knew that this was not the time to be afraid. I needed to
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