Jon Black's Woman by Tilly Greene Read Free Book Online Page B

a past boyfriend
who, at the end of their relationship, treated her like dirt. It
actually sounded more like a viable solution and a great deal
cheaper. Maybe she could get rid of him and move on with life. She
wanted to get on with things and not be ashamed of her past or her
back.
    What a joy it would be to shake off
the past and be free of a mistake she’d once made. The more her
tattoo circled around in her head, the sooner she realized exactly
what the first step into something new should be.
    “From the age of twelve or thirteen,
somewhere around there, he was my coach for riding and eventually
eventing. He was my world. Everyday we’d meet up and for hours we’d
talk and do all things horse related. On my sixteenth birthday, we
had sex for the first time. I was an adult and we were starting a
life as a couple, at least to me.”
    “Sixteen? We’re talking about a
child. You couldn’t make any decisions at such a young and
undeveloped age.” Despite their relaxed positions, he didn’t keep
the note of anger out of his voice. She knew he wasn’t upset with
her, but with someone else. It was nice for someone to see the law
said one thing and know human nature another.
    “The legal age for consent in
England is sixteen. He didn’t break any laws, although I look back
now and know I wasn’t versed enough in life experience to make such
a decision.”
    “I’m sorry,” he whispered and held
her tighter. She wasn’t sure what he was sorry for, but it didn’t
matter. Being in his arms seemed to heal her open
wounds.
    “Both my parents were Olympic riders
and it was my goal to be one as well. I figured it was in my blood
and therefore a given. I was going to win the gold and surpass
them, be better than them, and they encouraged me to think in such
terms. Eventually my father retired and worked as an advisor for
the British team. There was never an assumption I was entitled to
any special treatment by the rest of the team or me. Particularly
me, but my skill and numbers put me there.”
    While they’d never been a
particularly close family, she hadn’t anticipated what
happened.
    “We were at Beijing and I’d made it
into the final round for individual eventers. I was preparing for
the last leg, cross-country, and looked for Max. Usually he would
be at my side, helping me get my horse settled and giving me advice
on the course. Then I found him and a daughter of another advisor.
They were walking with their arms around each other. It was no big
deal until the two became touchy feely and my eyes were opened.
Finally, I realized why he hadn’t been around as much.
    “Needless to say, my head wasn’t in
the mindset for intense riding and I was thrown. Of course I got
back on, redid the jump, and made it across the line in goodish
time. I won the bronze, not the gold. There was no goodbye, we’re
finished, let’s move on. As far as I was concerned, we were done
and there was no reason for a confrontation.”
    Molly took a deep breath and got to
the part that had hurt more than the breakup.
    “I was sad and figured eventually I
could move on, but it wasn’t to be. After all the muck, I left when
my parents told me to stop crying over a man. They figured I should
be crying over my horrific performance at the Olympics. Apparently
I’d shamed them and their standing within the equestrian community.
How could they continue to claim their expertise when their own
daughter, the golden child for the British equestrian team, choked,
failed…you get the idea.”
    There, the ugly marks on her past
were out there. She wasn’t sure what she wanted from Jon and tried
hard to not have any expectations, either. Sharing the past with
someone was one thing, wanting them to say something to make it all
better was wrong.
    With his chin rested on top of her
head and arms around her tightly, he shared a sigh. There were a
few ways she could take his response. Molly settled on the one she
wanted and hoped it was the same