Wild Horses (13 page)

Before his sentence was finished, Kai shrugged Attila’s hand off his shoulder and lighted out the door.

T
WENTY
minutes later, Attila turned Cayenne out with Sen and entered the barn to check on the horses that were spending their time inside that day. Halfway down the barn, a muffled sob carried to his ears.

Could it be…?

He scratched between Chicago’s ears, listening. Yes—up in the hayloft. He walked to the end of the barn, greeting his horses as he passed them, letting himself out the other end. Confusion and frustration gnawed at him as he walked down toward the house. He’d prepare lunch for them before the afternoon riders started to arrive for their lessons. Still, though—as his hands carried out the familiar tasks, his mind was preoccupied with Kai and his unusual reaction to being upbraided in the mildest manner possible.

What did I say? What were we talking about?

Unable to stand it anymore, he picked up the phone and dialed Tibor’s work number.

A
TTILA
ate his lunch alone. Kai’s tuna-on-rye sandwich sat on a plate across the table, a handful of cut-up vegetables on the side. The untouched food stared at him, and Tibor’s words kept returning to him in the midday silence.

“What can you expect? He’s damaged goods. How would you react if someone kicked you out of the house right after high school? Apparently he had some rough times as a minor, too. I spoke to the sheriff. He remembers Kai well. He’d get into fights, but it was always self-defense. The sheriff said most of their interviews took place at the local ER, and Kai usually took more than one guy to the emergency room with him.”

Then there was Kai’s admission of having had an ex-boyfriend who wronged him one way or another and ended up burning his things up in an accidental fire. Attila picked at his sandwich, wondering if there had ever been a time when Kai felt secure, like he belonged. It occurred to him that he and Vermillion—no, not Vermillion,
Cayenne
—that Kai and Cayenne got along so well because they were so much alike. Both were young, red-haired stallions, maladjusted and mishandled. The thought of taming Kai brought a sudden flush to Attila’s cheeks, and he stood, his abrupt movement knocking his chair over. He righted it, then tripped over it again and, spitting out a florid curse, kicked the chair to the side. He brought his dishes inside and took care of them, still wincing at the sore spot that was sure to bloom into a bruise right on his shin, when he heard somebody outside.

K
AI
happened to near the house to hear a noise from around the corner, then another, followed by a vile curse. A glimpse around the house let Kai catch the swift movement of Attila’s boot and a crash of wood against concrete, before he disappeared inside the recesses of the house. The outburst shocked Kai, and he halted in his tracks. So Attila was still mad at him. He had never heard him raise his voice or use off-color language before, and Attila kicking an object defied Kai’s imagination. There was food on the table; he swiped the plate and, only after Attila disappeared into the kitchen, tiptoed into the guest bedroom. Being as quiet as he could, he closed and locked the door. Then he devoured his lunch, but slipped the carrots into his jeans’ pocket for the horses. Sitting on his bed, he stared at the locked door with dismay. He had hoped to jump into the pool, wash his face, and change into a clean shirt. The plumbing in the guest bathroom couldn’t handle a shower right now, but he could at least wash his face.

One look in the mirror told him he needed more than just a splash of cold water. After hiding out in the loft, he had hay sticking out of his hair and his ponytail needed to be brushed out something fierce. Except his hairbrush and all other toiletries were in Attila’s bathroom, and that meant Kai would have to unlock the door and go get them.

The smooth, soothing calm of Attila’s character was almost hypnotic, trapping Kai in a dreamlike state where he could not envision Attila Keleman ever losing his temper. Never. Nelby used to act like that a lot, and….

Jus’ don’t think ’bout it.

Kai splashed enough cold water in his face to banish sweat, dirt, and other undesirables. He stripped off his soiled T-shirt and grabbed a clean one. Pulling a clean shirt over his filthy hair would be courting more mess, though, so he resolved to just carry his shirt and brush his hair out first. There were no sounds coming from beyond the door. Attila might have even gone back to the stables—or maybe he was on the computer, taking care of the week’s accounting and checking his e-mail. Kai felt like he was battling his way through molasses as he forced himself to reach out for the door. He unlocked the door and turned the knob as slowly and as noiselessly as he could, and gave the door a gentle push.

A
TTILA
had been aware of Kai stealing off to the guest room behind his back when he was doing the dishes. The man wanted his privacy. Attila resolved to put Kai’s lunch in the refrigerator for later, but when he went out to the patio again, the plate of food was gone.

Oh.

He racked his brain for what to do. An equine wanted peace and quiet to eat; apparently, so did Kai. That much made sense. Yet his door was closed. Kai had withdrawn because Kai had been upset. When a horse was upset, it was best to leave him alone until he settled, yet Kai was not quite like that. He had responded well to Attila’s company in the past. Attila thought back to their evenings together, reading and sipping wine or talking about horses and riding and what awaited them in the morning.

He stood there, staring at Kai’s closed bedroom door. He heard the sound of footsteps, then running water.

Ah. That makes sense… but the plumbing doesn’t work so he can’t shower….

Attila’s fine eyebrows drew together. He hated being stuck like this, paralyzed by indecision. The water stopped and there were no more sounds for a long time, and Attila felt a sudden pang of desire to make sure that Kai was all right.

I shall not be a coward.

Filled with newfound resolve, he raised his pale hand and was about to knock on the door when he heard it unlock—

Unlock?

The door swung open. Kai stood there on his tiptoes and hunched over like a thief sneaking in the dark. He was bare chested and wild haired, with hay sticking out of his coppery tresses in all directions. He came face to face with Attila and jumped back in surprise. The plate flew out of his hand and broke on the hardwood floor. Kai’s eyes were wide and his mouth opened, but no sound came out.

“Kai? Are you okay? I just wanted to stop by…,” Attila stammered.

“I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay.”

“I really am.”

“Kai, it’s just a plate. Let me get a broom and a dustpan.” Attila left, returning soon. “See, my grandmother used to say when you break something by accident, you get to make a wish. The better a thing you break, the bigger a wish you get. Except the damage has to be accidental. So… make your wish, Kai.”

“Really?” Kai asked, his mouth twisting into a goofy grin.

“Of course. And you make your wish during the cleanup part. That’s part of the way it works.”

Attila had to suppress his amusement at Kai’s eagerness. The man obviously had a wish. Attila could see the evidence of focused thought in his determined expression as he bent down to gather the shards and sweep the floor. “Okay, done,” Kai said, facing Attila at the threshold to his room with seriousness that told Attila Kai was not only referring to the cleanup.

Attila led him to the kitchen, where Kai disposed of the plate fragments and put the tools away.

“I am sorry about the plate.”

“That’s okay. I am sorry about having startled you,” Attila answered, getting them two glasses of iced tea.

“And… I am sorry about getting you so upset.” Kai’s voice was hesitant, as though his tentative fingers were reaching out to see whether the stove was still dangerously hot.

“Upset?” Attila thought back. “You mean over riding Vermillion like that? I have nothing against you doing it, Kai, as long as you wait until your paperwork is in order and you have proper health insurance. That way, if you fall off and break something, it won’t be as big a disaster.” Attila pressed the cold drink into Kai’s hand.

“You… I’ve never seen you kick… or yell….”

Oh.

“I usually do not. But that had nothing to do with you.”

Well… not entirely.

“Oh.” Kai finally raised his eyes, his clear brown irises surrounded by bloodshot whites, and the area around his eyes blue with bruising from his broken nose. “So is there anything I can do, you know, to help?”

A memory of a wet, sleek body getting out of the pool invaded Attila’s mind just then. The sun had brought inviting warmth to the color of Kai’s skin. Faced with Kai’s earnest expression, Attila could not ignore the way Kai’s lips looked firm and soft at the same time. He could think of a thing or two Kai could do for him—he took a sip of his iced tea in an effort to distract himself from the tempting image. With his next breath, Attila was choking on his tea and breaking into a bout of coughing. As soon as he reminded himself that such fantasies were best suppressed, he felt the palm of Kai’s hand hit his back.

“I’m fine,” Attila said. The redhead’s warm, strong hand still rested between his shoulder blades. Using his force of will, he moved away from the comforting touch and turned back toward Kai. “I want you to go get your hairbrush and go sit down outside.”

K
AI
sat in the very chair Attila had kicked over before, his hair loose behind him. He leaned back, enjoying the innocent contact of Attila’s body heat through the spaces between the wooden slats as Attila brushed his hair.

Nobody had ever brushed Kai’s hair before. It felt strangely intimate, allowing someone to touch him from behind, letting someone’s hands approach his neck, his throat.

“Relax, Kai. It might hurt a little, but I will try to untangle it.” Attila hummed, letting his nimble fingers attack strand after heavy strand. Kai felt Attila pull fragments of hay out bit by bit, tugging gently as he brushed the rescued tresses from scalp to the ends.

Enjoying the sensation, Kai wanted to purr in pleasure, but he sat with closed eyes and bated breath, hoping for Attila’s hands to brush his neck again, perhaps even to skim the sensitive skin by his ear.

“Quit tensing your shoulders, Kai.” After Kai’s hair was all brushed out, Attila ran his fingers through it for one last time before he braided it and fastened it with Kai’s rubber band. “Here, see how tense your shoulders are? Breathe, just like when you were riding Sen the other day. You were relaxed then. Think of the same feeling of being free and having fun.”

Attila’s deceptively strong fingers kneaded Kai’s shoulders then, strong thumbs attacking the knots in his neck. He leaned into the touch and a ragged sigh escaped him, then a gasp of pain.

“Too hard… sorry. There….” As his fingertips caressed the abused spots, Kai was ready to melt into the hardwood chair. His head lolled back, resting on Attila’s torso.

A
TTILA
didn’t move away and didn’t say anything while his fingers worked from Kai’s sore trapezii down to his defined deltoids. He found it was hard not to keep stroking the smooth skin of Kai’s bare shoulders and let his palms run from the redhead’s shoulder point to his neck and then back again, over and over.

Attila’s mind wandered back to his earlier conversation with Tibor. His brother-in-law’s comments were meant to be cautionary, not inspirational, yet Attila could not abandon a good idea once he set his heart on it. “Kai….” He made sure his voice remained soft. “Kai, if you find you like…, when the summer is over, would you consider staying?” Attila’s hands were still moving in their hypnotic pattern, not allowing the younger man to tense up at the suggestion.

“You serious?” Kai’s volume matched Attila’s, as though he were unwilling to wake up from a dream.

“Yes. You have no idea how much help you are, doing what you do. You’re good with the horses and with the people.”

“Not with Hal.” Even while relaxed, Kai’s voice betrayed a bitter note.

“Not yet. Think of him as though he was a horse. Some horses take time. What would it take to gain his trust?”

Kai closed his eyes, the back of his head still absorbing the warmth of Attila’s stomach. “I… I don’t know.” Kai spaced out for a moment, then flitted to the previous subject. “Where would I live?”

“Here. The house is too big just for me. We get along well enough.”

“But suppose you get sick of me? I am not a horse, you know. I talk back sometimes.”

“Mmm.” Attila hummed as he slid his hands up Kai’s neck, his fingers massaging Kai’s scalp along the hairline. “You will be paid a regular salary… minus room and board. If you decide to move out and still work here, I’d have to pay you extra. I can see how this would work well.”

“I can’t… can’t think when you do that.”

Attila sighed, forcing his hands to abandon Kai’s smooth skin. He stepped back to allow Kai to shake off the spell his hands had woven around him and sat in the chair across from him, giving him time.

The younger man pulled his clean T-shirt on and looked up, a ghost of a smile toying with the corners of his mouth. “If you really want me here, I’ll stay. I don’t want to stay just ’cause you’re sorry for me or…. I don’t want to do you any harm. That’s the rules. I’ll stay only if I can really pull my weight and do some good.”