ate morning on the first day of fal

ate morning on the first day of fall break, I stood in front of Lightning, gripping my crutches until my knuckles ached. “No.”
“You promised,” Jase reminded me gently, as if he was speaking to Jack.
“I don’t care.”
“That’s wrong.”
I glared at Jase, and he grinned. “I can’t get up there with my knee.”
“I’ll make sure you get up there just fine.”
My lower lip jutted out in a way that would’ve made Jack proud, who was currently quarantined to his bedroom and had thrown a Godzilla-­sized fit when Jase said he couldn’t come out with us. Jase’s mom was in the shower when we showed up and his dad was somewhere on the farm. I wasn’t sure if he was going to make good on his promise to introduce me as his girlfriend today, but I was nervous for some reason. Maybe it was because that was such a huge step.
But I still felt bad for the little dude. “Can we see Jack before we leave?” I asked.
Jase blinked once and then twice. “Yeah.”
“I feel bad for him,” I explained, shifting my weight on the crutches. “He really wanted to come outside.”
A soft look crept into his eyes. “We can most definitely see him before we leave. He’d like that.” He leaned in, brushing his nose across mine. “I’d like that.”
I smiled.
“But changing the subject isn’t going to distract me. You’re getting up on this horse. End of discussion.”
“I wasn’t trying to change the subject.” Even I recognized the whine in my voice as I looked at Lightning. The horse sniffed and turned his head in the other direction, obviously done with me.
“Stand still.” He pried the crutches from my hands and propped them against the split-­rail fence. Giving Lightning one more pat on the nose, Jase picked up the reins as he walked around to the other side. In the bright sunlight, strands of red and gold shone in his hair.
He leaped up on the horse with the grace of someone who’d grown up doing just that. Once on top of the beast, he appeared bigger and larger than life.
And strangely hot sitting astride a horse.
“Lift your arms,” he said.
That was the last thing I wanted to do, but I gathered up my courage and lifted my arms. The muscles in his thighs tensed against the horse as he leaned over, fitting his hands to my ribs. Our eyes met, he winked, and then he lifted me right off my feet and up in the air. I didn’t have time to panic because it seemed like in a heartbeat I was sitting sideways on the horse.
“Bring your left leg over,” he said, his hands slipping to my hips and holding tight. “I’m not going to let you fall.”
Gripping his arms, I twisted, keeping my injured leg stationary as I brought my left leg over the wide back of the horse. I bit down on my lip and my heart tripped up as Lightning moved sideways, but Jase didn’t let me fall. I slipped back in the saddle, resting between Jase’s legs.
“Good girl,” he said, his breath warm against the back of my neck, causing me to shiver. “See? That wasn’t too bad.”
My mouth was dry. “I guess not.”
His answering chuckle rumbled through me. He secured his arms around my waist, holding the reins in one hand. “You ready?”
I shook my head and added, “No,” just in case he was confused.
Jase laughed again. “You’re going to enjoy it. I promise.” Dipping his head, he pressed a kiss to the back of my neck, sending a race of tingles up and down my back. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
With the slight movement of his heels, Lightning moved into a slow canter, following the worn-­down track that circled the split rail. It took a bit to get used to the bouncing. Jase kept me tucked close as he told me about the first time he’d ridden a horse. He’d been six and had slipped right off the animal, breaking his arm.
“Did you get right back on?” I asked as we made another pass. “Or were you scared.”
“I was scared.” His thumb moved in a slow circle across my belly. “But Dad knew I needed to get back up on there. And I did. I didn’t fall again.”
An image of a young Jase filled my head. I bet he looked a lot like Jack and was just as adorable, but probably more of a handful. It took a good twenty minutes before I relaxed enough that I released my death grip on Jase’s arm. When I eased off, my fingernails had left little indentations in his skin.
“Sorry,” I said hoarsely, staring at the trees.
“It’s okay. It’s only skin.” He kissed the back of my neck again, a quick movement that was most likely undetectable, but then he pressed his lips to the space below my ear.
Our conversation from last night moved to the forefront. A lump formed in my throat. His words still got me all choked up. He wanted to take things slowly. He wanted me to be different from all the other girls—­which sounded like an extremely long list, but I would not think of them. He wanted our relationship to start off not being about sex.
Jase nipped at my ear.
A bolt of liquid pleasure zinged through my blood, immediately sparking an ache deep inside my body that throbbed whenever he was around.
The muscles in my back tensed and then relaxed. I felt him then, pressing against my lower back. A smug sort of smile formed at the knowledge he was just as affected as I was. Tipping my head back against his chest, I closed my eyes and smiled as the wind glided over my cheeks. My grip loosened once more, and under my legs, Lightning’s powerful muscles bunched as he picked up speed.
A trickle of fear inked down my spine as we went faster, but another emotion rose, overshadowing the tendrils of panic. Muscles in my core tensed. Not of anxiety but in anticipation, like those precious moments I’d lost, the ones that came seconds after I stepped onstage.
“I can feel it,” I whispered. I was awed because I could feel it.
His rough chin grazed my cheek as his arm tightened. “Would it make me a bastard to say I told you so?”
Opening my eyes, I laughed as I straightened in the saddle, gaining confidence that I wouldn’t fall and break my neck. Glancing over my shoulder, I met his smile with my own. The crushing disappointment of my recent reinjury eased a little. “Can we go faster?”
We went faster.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Makan pagi pada hari pertama jatuh istirahat, saya berdiri di depan Kilat, mencengkeram kruk saya sampai saya tulang ketuk jari sakit. "Tidak.""Anda berjanji," Jase mengingatkan saya lembut, seolah-olah ia berbicara Jack."Saya tidak peduli.""Itulah salah."Saya melotot Jase, dan Dia menyeringai. "Saya tidak bisa di sana dengan lutut saya.""Aku akan membuat yakin Anda naik ke sana saja."Bibir bawahnya jutted dengan cara yang pasti sudah membuat Jack bangga, yang saat ini dikarantina ke kamar tidurnya dan telah dilemparkan berukuran Godzilla cocok ketika Jase mengatakan ia tidak bisa keluar dengan kami. Jase dari ibu sedang mandi ketika kita muncul dan ayahnya di suatu tempat di pertanian. Aku tidak yakin apakah ia akan membuat baik pada janjinya untuk memperkenalkan saya sebagai pacarnya hari ini, tapi aku merasa gugup untuk beberapa alasan. Mungkin itu karena itu adalah sebuah langkah besar.Tapi aku masih merasa buruk bagi dude kecil. "Dapat kita lihat Jack, sebelum kita pergi?" Saya bertanya.Jase berkedip sekali dan kemudian dua kali. "ya.""Saya merasa buruk baginya," saya menjelaskan, pergeseran berat badan saya pada penopang yang berlainan. "Dia benar-benar ingin datang di luar."Lihat lembut merayap ke matanya. "Kita dapat paling pasti melihat dia sebelum kami meninggalkan. Ia akan seperti itu." Dia bersandar di, menyikat hidungnya di tambang. "Aku akan seperti itu."Aku tersenyum."Tetapi mengubah subjek tidak akan mengalihkan perhatian saya. Anda bangun di kuda ini. Akhir diskusi.""Saya tidak berusaha untuk mengubah subjek." Bahkan aku mengenali merengek suara saya saat melihat Petir. Kuda mengendus dan berubah kepala ke arah lain, jelas dilakukan dengan saya."Berdiri masih." Dia paksa kruk dari tangan saya dan tetap ditopang mereka terhadap pagar memisahkan. Memberikan petir satu lebih tepuk pada hidung, Jase mengambil kendali ketika ia berjalan di sekitar ke sisi lain. Dalam terang sinar matahari, helai merah dan emas bersinar di rambutnya.Dia melompat pada kuda dengan rahmat dari seseorang yang dibesarkan melakukan hal itu. Sekali di atas binatang itu, dia tampil lebih besar dan lebih besar daripada kehidupan.Dan anehnya panas duduk mengangkang kuda."Mengangkat lengan Anda," katanya.Itu adalah hal terakhir yang ingin saya lakukan, tapi aku keberanian dan mengangkat lengan saya. Otot-otot di pahanya tegang terhadap kuda seperti ia membungkuk, pas tangannya untuk iga saya. Mata kami bertemu, ia mengedipkan mata, dan kemudian ia mengangkat saya segera kakiku dan up di udara. Aku tidak punya waktu untuk panik karena sepertinya dalam sekejap aku sedang duduk di samping pada kuda."Membawa kaki kiri," katanya, tangannya tergelincir ke pinggul dan memegang erat-erat. "Aku tidak akan membiarkan Anda jatuh."Menggenggam tangannya, saya memutar, menjaga kaki saya terluka stasioner seperti aku membawa kaki kiri saya atas seluruh belakang kuda. Aku menggigit bibir saya dan hati saya tersandung seperti petir pindah ke samping, tapi Jase tidak membiarkan saya jatuh. Aku menyelinap kembali di pelana, istirahat antara Jase di kaki."Gadis yang baik," katanya, napas hangat terhadap bagian belakang leher saya, menyebabkan saya menggigil. "Lihat? Itu tidak terlalu buruk."Mulut yang mengering. "Saya kira tidak."Tertawa nya menjawab bergemuruh melalui saya. Ia berhasil mendapatkan lengannya di sekitar pinggang, memegang kendali di satu tangan. "Anda siap?"Aku menganggukkan kepala dan menambahkan, "Tidak," kalau dia adalah bingung.Jase tertawa lagi. "Anda akan menikmatinya. Aku berjanji." Mencelupkan kepalanya, ia menekan ciuman ke bagian belakang leher saya, mengirim ras tingles atas dan ke bawah punggungku. "Aku tidak akan membiarkan sesuatu terjadi kepada Anda."Dengan gerakan sedikit tumitnya, petir pindah ke canter lambat, mengikuti lagu dipakai-down yang dilingkari dibagi rail. Butuh sedikit untuk membiasakan diri memantul. Jase membuatku terselip dekat ketika ia berkata kepadaku tentang pertama kalinya dia telah naik kuda. Dia telah enam dan telah menyelinap langsung dari hewan, melanggar lengannya."Apakah Anda mendapatkan kembali?" Aku bertanya karena kami membuat lulus lain. "Atau Anda ketakutan.""Saya merasa takut." Ibu jari pindah lingkaran lambat di perutku. "Tapi Dad tahu aku perlu untuk mendapatkan kembali di sana. Dan saya lakukan. Saya tidak jatuh lagi."Gambar Jase muda diisi kepalaku. Aku yakin dia tampak banyak seperti Jack dan hanya sebagai menggemaskan, tapi mungkin lebih dari segenggam. Butuh yang baik 20 menit sebelum aku santai cukup bahwa aku merilis cengkeraman kematian saya di lengan Jase's. Ketika saya berkurang, kuku saya telah meninggalkan lekukan kecil di kulitnya.“Sorry,” I said hoarsely, staring at the trees.“It’s okay. It’s only skin.” He kissed the back of my neck again, a quick movement that was most likely undetectable, but then he pressed his lips to the space below my ear.Our conversation from last night moved to the forefront. A lump formed in my throat. His words still got me all choked up. He wanted to take things slowly. He wanted me to be different from all the other girls—­which sounded like an extremely long list, but I would not think of them. He wanted our relationship to start off not being about sex.Jase nipped at my ear.A bolt of liquid pleasure zinged through my blood, immediately sparking an ache deep inside my body that throbbed whenever he was around.The muscles in my back tensed and then relaxed. I felt him then, pressing against my lower back. A smug sort of smile formed at the knowledge he was just as affected as I was. Tipping my head back against his chest, I closed my eyes and smiled as the wind glided over my cheeks. My grip loosened once more, and under my legs, Lightning’s powerful muscles bunched as he picked up speed.A trickle of fear inked down my spine as we went faster, but another emotion rose, overshadowing the tendrils of panic. Muscles in my core tensed. Not of anxiety but in anticipation, like those precious moments I’d lost, the ones that came seconds after I stepped onstage.“I can feel it,” I whispered. I was awed because I could feel it.His rough chin grazed my cheek as his arm tightened. “Would it make me a bastard to say I told you so?”Opening my eyes, I laughed as I straightened in the saddle, gaining confidence that I wouldn’t fall and break my neck. Glancing over my shoulder, I met his smile with my own. The crushing disappointment of my recent reinjury eased a little. “Can we go faster?”We went faster.