He nodded. “Polo ponies born here go all over the world to play. Donadea has been turning out the best in the sport for nearly two centuries. Pontus here is a direct descendant of the original standing stud. A racing champion called Triton who took Haymarket by storm in 1815. After his run through all the racing cups of the day he was moved here from Warwickshire to live out his days and to establish a breeding farm at Donadea. It continues to be a hugely successful enterprise for the estate.”

“In Greek mythology Pontus was the god of the sea, father of the fish and other sea creatures, while Triton was styled the messenger of the sea—” I managed to shut off my idiotic rambling and reached out to stroke Pontus, hoping for a distraction from my embarrassment. It helped a little, but not before I felt the flush of heat creep up my neck. I had a habit of spouting off senseless facts that nobody ever cared to know. It was obnoxious.

Ivan moved in to nuzzle the side of my neck where I had to be flushed as red as a beet. “I like it when you talk nerdy to me, Gabrielle, and I’m going to insist we revisit this,”–-he placed his hand at my throat; wrapping it around my neck to hold me gently but with the force of something much more binding—“professor-student situation.”

I leaned into his nibbling lips. “You do? I was about to apologize for doing the professor routine. I try to refrain, but I can’t change the fact that I am a gigantic nerd. Anorak, as you Brits say.”

“You’re right about the Greek names. There have been many aquatic deities named among the horses bred here over the years.” He took me by the shoulders and turned me to face him directly. “An educated woman as sexy as you are is a rarity. Don’t you know that? It pleases me to see you interested in the world around you. You’re an intelligent, passionate, creature with absolutely no reason to apologize for being the gorgeous anorak you are.”

He grinned widely, giving me the view of his perfect white teeth but for the space between the middle two. I liked it on him. “Oh, so you agree I’m a nerd?” I pretended to be offended, even though I was secretly thrilled about the gorgeous anorak remark. “You’re supposed to contradict me and say it’s not true.”

“I would change nothing about you, Gabrielle,” he said with a soft shake of his head.

And then, his green eyes grew dark and determined as he leaned in and took my mouth in a blistering kiss that went on for a good while. Plenty long enough to make me forget all about being embarrassed in front of him, or even my own name for that matter. I’d discovered Ivan had a way of making me forget just about everything.

By the time he ended the kiss, I had been reduced to nothing more than a breathless, molten mess. Something Ivan could probably give a class on.