"Oh, Bentley. Wow, sorry. I must've fallen asleep," she said. She felt shy under his intense stare.

She stood up slowly from the ground. "Come on, pretty girl," she said.

The horse jumped immediately to its feet.

Sara, laughing at how the horse seemed to follow her lead, clapped her hands. She turned to Bentley, expecting him to smile with her.

But his expression remained stony.

He walked towards her, his eyes locked on her face. "You're really quite something when you're asleep," he murmured.

Sara, caught off-guard, let out a giggle. "Well, uh, I wasn't exactly expecting anyone to find me out here."

He straightened the flower crown on her head. "Forgive me, your highness. I had no idea I was in the presence of a princess." He gave an exaggerated bow.

Sara started to crack up. "Oh stop," she said.

When he looked back up, his eyes were full of heat.

She sucked in her breath.

He'd stepped closer now, so that she was forced to stare at him. "What I'd give to watch you sleep every night," he whispered. His finger traced the top of her lip.

Sara made herself keep breathing, as all of her senses became immediately ignited by the feel of his hands.

He let out a sigh, his breath caressing her face. "I wanted to tell you this earlier, but I didn't want anyone else to hear," he said mysteriously.

Sara, transfixed by how golden brown his eyes looked in the sunlight, simply nodded her head.

He pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her back. He pushed his chin into the sensitive groove at the base of her neck.

Sara tried not to faint as she imagined shooting stars flying in circles around them.

He squeezed her closer, to the point where she could feel his heart thudding rapidly in his chest.

"She's yours," he whispered into her ear.

Sara blinked. Had she heard him correctly?

"What?" she asked. She dared not move as his lips grazed the side of her face. Her breath hitched, feeling his hands sliding lower along the backs of her thighs.

"I'm giving her to you," he said, his voice husky now. He bent his head and placed a gentle, burning kiss on the exposed skin between her chin and chest.

Sara felt herself swaying in his arms. "The horse?" she asked breathlessly, her mind acutely aware of his fingers sliding further up the sides of her dress.

"Yes," he murmured. His warm lips tickled the side of her throat. "She's my gift to you."

Sara stepped away from him. "I-I can't take your horse. S-she's yours. And where would I keep her?"

Bentley brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

Sara had to force herself not to lean into his hand.

"She'll stay on my pasture. But you can visit us whenever you want." He gazed at her, unblinking, his face filled with intense passion.

"She needs a name," he said softly.

Sara, biting her lip nervously, looked at the horse. "Princess," she said.

Bentley's mouth twitched into a smile. "Princess?"

Sara slipped the flower crown from her head and placed it on the horse's. "There, she's royal now."

Bentley suddenly rubbed his eyes as if he'd gotten something in them. He shook his head, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Everyone's waiting for us."

He took her hand in his. As he did, his eyes dropped for the briefest moment on her lips.

A low, sensual moan escaped his throat.

It seemed he couldn't fight it any longer. He grabbed ahold of her chin and, tilting her face towards his, kissed her hard on the mouth.