Shiver by CM Foss Page A

was going to be one of those girls who nibble?” I asked while chomping on a fry.
    He winced. “Maybe not nibble, but you aren’t exactly a big enough person to do what you just did.”
    I smiled and pushed my plate away, grabbing my wine and sighing contentedly.
    “So, what’s going on with you and Ethan?” he asked innocently.
    I immediately choked on my wine, my eyes watering and burning as I swallowed in an effort to not shower our table with it. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I croaked.
    “Right. I don’t want to be cliché, but he was a hair shy of mounting you and biting your neck right in front of me.”
    “Oh. My. God. I can’t believe you just said that!” I laughed incredulously and threw a balled-up napkin at him, all the while thinking of Ethan’s teeth on my skin. “And I don’t think that’s a cliché I’ve ever heard.”
    “I know. I said I didn’t want to be cliché. If I wanted to, I would have said he was about to pee on your leg. But hey, I work on a stud farm. I know horse breeding more than dogs anyway.” He smiled widely and leaned back in his chair.
    Once I calmed myself down from laughter, I took a deep breath. “Trust me. There’s nothing going on. Nothing noteworthy anyway. I’ve known Ethan for a few years now. He gets moody is all.”
    Lawrence looked at me quietly for a beat, brow raised, before smoothly moving to the topic of his family Christmas. He soon had me laughing uncontrollably at the antics of his four sisters and the whole loud family. They sounded crazy but loving, and it was something we had in common. Tina came back with the check, which he insisted on paying despite my claim that we weren’t on a date, and we parted ways with another much less awkward hug and cheek kiss.

Chapter 10
    T he next morning dawned cold, the skies covered in heavy, snow-filled clouds. We’d barely had any snow this winter, but the air had that feeling to it. However, with covered stalls and an indoor arena, a little weather wouldn’t stop us. Unfortunately.
    I was in the tack room getting ready while sipping on my first cup of coffee. I heard the door slam as Ethan walked in. He eyed me cautiously and walked over to pour his own cup.
    “How was your date?” he asked with his back to me.
    “Great!” I said brightly. And possibly childishly. “He’s a really nice, funny guy. Very much a gentleman.”
    I watched as Ethan’s jaw clenched in his effort to not be an asshole. Served him right.
    “Great. Well. Let’s get to work. I want to meet back here at one, and we’ll start working with the babies.”
    “Yes, boss.”
    He nodded and walked out.
    We exercised horses all morning, passing each other as we rode back and forth to the ring. It had started to snow, so we mostly just stretched the horses’ legs and gave them brief workouts. An indoor arena didn’t mean it was actually warm or pleasant for riding. I’d wrapped up my sets by one and was leaning back in the office chair, taking a five-second rest, when Ethan called out for me. Sighing a little, I got up and stretched. Riding wasn’t easy on my body at all, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever recover from having to take time off. I still felt stiff as I continued to get back into shape, and the weather wasn’t helping.
    Ethan was waiting outside the first stall, leaning against the side with a saddle propped against his hip. He pushed off the wall as I approached.
    “Are we waiting for Lawrence?” I asked.
    “I’d assumed you’d talked last night.” He looked sideways at me. “He’s having his truck tuned up today and will come watch tomorrow.”
    “Oh, okay. No we didn’t talk about it. But that’s easy. Do you want to…?” I gestured toward the stall.
    “Show me how you do it.” He handed me the saddle and girth and pad. I looked down at the tack in my arms for a minute.
    “You don’t want to dictate?” I asked, surprised.
    “No, you’ve done this part more than I have. I want