She chuckled. “Why?”
“Because for once I’d like to see your hair completely uncovered.” On that unexpected note he strode away from her on his long, powerful legs. No guy could look better in riding breeches than he did. At six-two, he was becoming a man.
His comment had caused her to tremble. She removed her Devon riding jacket and helmet. After shaking her head to loosen her hair, she walked over to Blaze and offered him a treat and gave him a hug.
“You were brilliant today. I love you. How would you like to take me for a ride without the saddle? We’re going on a walk with Rajah.”
She removed the trappings and her devoted horse nudged her. “Ah…that feels good, doesn’t it?”
Donetta reached for the reins and mounted him. No more competition today. No more rules. Just pure fun with the most gorgeous guy she’d ever known. For him to have asked her to go riding with him on this special day made her happier than she’d ever been in her life.
As they backed out, she saw Enrico without his helmet, coming on his stallion. Normally they didn’t allow stallions to enter the competitions, but it seemed they’d made an exception for the prince in this competition. He had total control over his animal.
Enrico, too, had shed his jacket and had loosened his white show shirt at the throat. When they walked out into the sun, the rays glistened on his luxuriant black hair.
* * *
Donetta’s willingness to ride bareback was one of the reasons Enrico found it so exhilarating to be with the princess. Her spirit of adventure made her different from all the other princesses his family forced him to spend time with.
None of them could ride the way she did or be more entertaining. As his best friend and first cousin Prince Giovanni had been saying since they’d been coming to the concorsos together, Princess Donetta was poetry in motion, on or off her mare.
Her five-foot-seven-inch height gave her a regal elegance that had nothing to do with her title. In her navy-and-beige riding kit she looked spectacular, especially with her silvery gold hair cascading down her shoulders and back, shining like one of the waterfalls secreted in the mountains of Vallefiore.
She’d been very pretty, but now with those shimmering light green eyes that reminded him of the South Seas he’d seen in his travels, she’d turned into a raving beauty. Whenever he saw her in a crowd—always surrounded by more males than females—he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“You rode a new horse today, Enrico. Why did you name him Rajah?”
Her question brought him back to the present. “To befit his kingly Arabian ancestry. His breed runs wild on the plains in my country and his instincts are phenomenal.”
“I’d love to see a sight like that. He’s absolutely gorgeous. With him you’ll continue to win every competition from now on.”
“I’m sure you will, too. No other rider comes close to you.”
She beamed as he led them on a path away from the track to the park in the distance. When they reached the trees, they dismounted. “I brought a picnic for us.”
“You’re kidding!”
Enrico pulled a blanket out of his saddlebag and spread it on the ground. Then he produced several sacks of sandwiches, fruit and drinks.
“This is fabulous, Enrico.” She sat down with him to eat.
“Much as I want to spend the entire weekend with you, that isn’t possible. I’d give anything if we were eighteen. Then I’d be able to take you to an early dinner and dancing in some trendy café. But we’re not old enough to go out to a place like that yet.”
“No. My parents would never allow it. What about you?”
“I could steal away with you now if I could, but since that isn’t possible, we’ll have to wait until we’re eighteen. Then we’ll do whatever we want. You’re the only girl I want to be with.”
“I think about you all the time.”
He darted her a penetrating glance. “You don’t know the half of it. As soon as we turn eighteen, we’ll go out after every concorso. That’s a promise. In the meantime we’ll have to make do with picnics.”
“Next time it will be my turn to bring the food. I’ll manage it somehow.” She glanced at her watch and moaned. “I’d better go back. Lorenzo gave me an hour.”
“What would happen if you’re two hours late?”
“I don’t dare test him and find out.”
“I was just teasing, but it doesn’t mean I can’t dream.”
“I know. I feel the same way.”
He got to his feet and cleaned up the mess. After putting everything back in the saddlebag, they returned to the stable.
Frustrated that they had to part, Enrico dismounted in front of Blaze’s stall. “I’ll help you down.” He held out his arms. “I won’t let you fall.”
Donetta glanced at him again with that enticing smile. “I’m sure I can trust you.” She reached for him. The second he felt her in his arms, he pulled her against him before lowering her to the ground. Every beautiful part of her fit perfectly, increasing his desire for her.
“I’m going to miss seeing you, let alone our talks, Donetta.” Unable to help himself, he lowered his head to kiss her mouth, knowing he wouldn’t be able to be with her until the next concorso. She tasted so good he couldn’t stop and began kissing her long and hard, sweeping them away until both were breathless. This kiss would have to last.
Sometime later he unwillingly released her. “Until next time. Have a safe flight home, bellissima,” he murmured before reaching for his horse’s reins to walk away.
* * *
Two years later, there’d been twenty more horse competitions where Donetta had met with Enrico. They’d enjoyed picnics and kissed each other until they were breathless. Now that they had both turned eighteen, Donetta was dying to be with Enrico again because they could really be together now for hours and hours.
After she won the overall championship for eighteen-year-olds at the concorso in Vienna, she’d worked it out with Lorenzo to look the other way while she and Enrico went out to dinner. She promised to be back at their hotel by 11:00 p.m., and Giovanni had hired a limo for them.
Donetta almost died with happiness when Enrico took her to a club where they could have dinner and dance. He never let her out of his arms, kissing her cheek and neck.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this, Donetta.”
“Oh, yes, I do! Thank heaven there’s another concorso next month, otherwise I’m not going to be able to handle the separation.”
He kissed her lips before dancing them back to their table. It was already getting to be eleven o’clock, but she didn’t care. She wanted to stay out all night with him.
“Donetta,” he said after they sat down. “There’s something I have to tell you, but I’m dreading it.”
Some nuance in his voice told her she wasn’t going to like it. “What’s wrong?”
“Today was my last time to ride in a concorso.”
She blinked. “What are you talking about? We can ride in competitions until we’re a lot older. I don’t understand.”
He gripped her hand across the table. “Next week I’m leaving for England to attend university at Cambridge. Giovanni will be going with me. I won’t be riding in any competitions