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Have you tried the Horsemen series? Dream Stallion is temporarily free at Ellora’s Cave.

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-5458-dream-stallion.aspx

Horsemen 1: Dream Stallion
by Kate Hill

Blurb:

Legend states that a Horseman and a human woman who share dreams are destined to mate for life.

Terra, an elite Fighting Carrier, has spent his nights in delicious torment, sharing dreams with a woman who stirs his soul like no other. Unable to control his desire, he travels to her home village to claim her.

Inez enjoys her freedom too much to chain herself to a husband, even one as magnificent as the rugged, black-coated Horseman who visits her dreams. Yet when astride his sleek equine back or wrapped in his steely human arms, she cannot deny the truest love she has ever known.

The following excerpt from DREAM STALLION is for readers 18 and over.

“For the last time, I said no! I do not want to see him, meet him, or talk to him!” Inez bellowed, jerking her thick black hair into a tail at her nape and securing it with a strip of leather.

“Inez, you’re crazy!” Susana stared at her friend in wide-eyed disbelief. “This is your dream lover. Don’t you understand that?”

“Yes. I understand. So we shared a few dreams. It doesn’t mean we have to spend the rest of our lives together!”

“Excuse me, but I believe it does.” Susana folded her arms beneath her ample bosom and tapped her foot on the shed floor.

Inez had banished herself to the shed that morning after her Carrier, a Horseman she had been stupid enough to call her best friend, had informed her he was pairing with another Gatherer. Why? Because the village Chieftain had told her a Horseman called Terra was arriving to claim her as his mate. The mention of the lover she met almost nightly in dreams had nearly turned her legs to water. She’d told herself they were normal dreams, though deep inside she’d felt a spark of magic in them. Of all the women in the world, why did she have to be among those bound to a frustrating, fascinating Horseman?

She knew their culture intimately. Ever since childhood, all she’d ever wanted to be was a Gatherer, to work alongside those magnificent beasts, seeking good lives for both of their peoples. They possessed unimaginable power, speed, and stamina, far surpassing almost every other species in the world. Their man/beast bodies endured hours of top-speed running and flight while bearing the weight of riders and cargo. In spite of their superiority they were loyal, intelligent, and usually decent. They were also arrogant, boastful, and whether they admitted it or not, looked down on humankind as a whole.

Inez loved them. She hated them. She admired them. But there was no way in hell she wanted to marry one.

“Just because we’ve shared a few dreams doesn’t mean I have to jump when he snaps his fingers!” Inez roared, shoving her feet into her riding boots and heading for the door.

“I’m going out. This Terror, uh. . .Terra. . . better not be here when I get back!”

“He searched months for you. Surely you can at least say hello to him?” Susana pressed. “Inez, he’s absolutely gorgeous!”

Inez knew that all too well, not only from her dreams, but because she’d seen him arrive. She’d been watching from behind a tapestry–a disgraceful position, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She had to see if he was as stunning in the flesh as he had been in her dreams. When he’d stepped into the longhouse to greet the Chieftain and seek her out, Inez had, for the first time in her life, felt giddy with desire for a man.

He was tall–so, so tall. And big. His long, lean legs, curved with muscle and encased in black trousers belted with a strip of leather, stood braced apart. Muscles rippled beneath the flowing black shirt he wore. The ties had been opened, revealing a good portion of his massive, hair-roughened chest. The tips of his pointed yet delicate ears poked through his long curly black hair, two braids dangling from his temples. Horsemen’s ears had far more mobility that those of humans. They were able to express their emotions through ear movements, such as twitching forward when pleased or pinning close to their heads when angry or upset. While some women found this characteristic strange, Inez had always considered it endearing.

Terra’s square jaw was smooth-shaven, not at all the Horsemen’s style. She wondered if he’d shaved to meet her, since he’d been bearded in her dreams. His nose was well shaped, though on the large side, permissible for a Horseman. At the tremendous speeds they traveled, large noses, strong hearts, and powerful lungs were mandatory to their very survival. The intensity of his enormous sea-blue eyes overshadowed his other features, however. Those eyes seemed to notice everything. Inez had actually trembled, fearing he’d seen her behind the tapestry. If he had, he gave no indication as he’d spoken to the Chieftain in a voice so deep and rumbling it was as if some great animal, such as a tiger or bull, had learned to speak in words.

Just thinking of him made Inez’s legs shake, though she continued protesting, “I do not want to get married!”

“Why?” another deep voice asked from the doorway.

Inez glanced at the dark-haired Horseman with a sturdy, brown beast-body. Moor had been her Carrier for over ten years. He was dependable, caring, and, like all Horsemen, quite in love with himself.

“Because I don’t!”

“You’re a caring young woman and should marry,” he continued.

Susana cast him an approving look. “He’s right.”

“I always said I would exercise my right of freedom as a Gatherer. Most women must marry, you know that, but Gatherers have the same privileges as freemen.”

“What Terra offers is a rare thing,” Moor said quietly.

“I know what he offers! He struts in here as if he’s a chieftain himself and demands my presence. To hell with him!”

Susana narrowed her eyes. “He demanded your presence?”

“He said he needed to meet her and wouldn’t leave until he did,” Moor said. “What he meant was, the dreams have made him desperate and his heart is yours.”

Inez lifted her eyes skyward and snorted in disgust.

“You dare question the power of Horsemen’s dreams?” Moor glared at her, his pointed ears sweeping close to his head as his temper reared. “And in my presence?”

Inez felt a twinge of guilt. “I’m sorry, Moor. I know how special your relationship was with Anita.”

“Part of my soul died with that woman, but I wouldn’t have traded a moment spent with her,” he said. “If you give yourself a chance with Terra, you’ll know a love as great as I did.”

“I think I’m going now,” Susana murmured, resting a hand on Moor’s broad shoulder before leaving.

Inez wanted to leave as well, but knew Moor would follow her to make his point. She wished he’d leave her alone. Between her lust for Terra and the memories of true love gleaming in Moor’s eyes, her resistance was shattering.

“Inez, you’re a kind, decent woman and a great Gatherer. I love you as a daughter. Would I push you towards a man I didn’t believe would care for you? I know of Terra. His reputation–”

“I know about his reputation. He’s an elite Fighting Carrier. The biggest, fastest, and most cunning of his kind. In short, he’s trouble.”

“He is a man who has come to pledge his heart to you, who has left his own life to seek you out. Give him a chance, and he’ll give you loyalty such as you’ve never known.”

“But will he treat me as an equal?” She held Moor’s gaze. “I’ve worked very hard as a Gatherer. I’m not going to become a housewife and–”

“If that’s his intention, then why has he agreed to become your Carrier?”

“It’s a ploy.”

“No. Just a partnership. One he wants with you.”

“But will he–”

“Only Terra can answer your questions.” Moor’s gaze intensified. “He’s come to pledge his life to you, Inez, to protect you until his final breath, and you can stand here denying him?”

Inez tried to think of an answer. Tried to fall back on a simple “yes!” It didn’t work. Not when faced with Moor’s powerful words, particularly when she knew they were true. She’d sensed so much from Terra in her dreams: arrogance, stubbornness, integrity, and affection. He wanted to love her, of that she was certain. Even worse, in spite of all her protests, she wanted to love him, too. What she feared was giving up her independence, her freedom of having no one to answer to, either family or husband.

However, with that freedom came great loneliness and an empty space Terra–beautiful, powerful Terra–could fill.

“All right,” she sighed. “I’ll meet him.”

“Good. Come with me.”

“You go. I’ll be along.”

“No, I don’t trust you.”

“I’d like to fix myself up a bit first.”

“You look fine.” Moor grasped her upper arm and dragged her toward the longhouse.

She jerked away, striding ahead, her chin lifted, her expression cool in spite of how she shook inside.

As she stepped into the longhouse, the villagers mingling and performing chores stared at her. She didn’t pay attention to them, however. Her gaze fixed on Terra.

“Inez, this is Terra,” began the gravel-voiced Chieftain seated at the head of the long wooden table.

“Yes. I know,” she stated, extending her hand to the Horseman.

He grasped it. Inez tried to keep her stomach from tumbling. His touch was firm but gentle, his palm callused. Like most Horsemen, his body temperature was much higher than that of humans, and his warmth seemed to spread through her hand, up her arm, and settle deep in her pussy. Damn, she was already wet for the man and he hadn’t even spoken a word, merely held her hand and stared at her with those huge blue eyes.

His thumb stroked her knuckles. “I’m so pleased, Inez. It’s taken us so long to meet–at least in the flesh.”

In the flesh. Gods, she wanted his flesh in hers right now!

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt us to say hello.”

“I’m told you don’t want me.”

Inez glanced over her shoulder, wondering how many of the villagers were listening. They all pretended to work, but their ears tilted toward the scene being played at the head of the Chieftain’s table.

“I haven’t wanted a husband, that’s true.”

“No,” he released her hand, his gaze fixed on hers, “I’m told you don’t want me in particular. Why?”

Inez sighed, shaking her head. “Do you think we could talk about this in private?”

“It would be my preference. You’re dressed to ride. I’ll change form and meet you in your village’s Running Way.”

“I never said anything about riding you!”

Repressed giggles sounded throughout the room as maids and servant boys hid their grinning faces.

“Will you all be quiet and go about your work!” the Chieftain roared. “Inez’s Horseman is none of your business!”

The chuckles ceased and the servants disbursed.

“I like the sound of that.” Terra’s full lips turned up in the slightest smile. “Inez’s Horseman. See you on the Running Way.”

Without another comment, he strode out of the longhouse.

Susana, who had been watching from a corner of the room, rushed to Inez. “Oh, you get to ride him! I saw him when he landed earlier, he’s–”

“So did I,” Inez snapped. She’d been spying then, too. His beast half was just as magnificent as his man half.

“The last thing I need right now is to ride him,” Inez muttered as she made her way out of the hall, Susana at her heels. As lust-ridden as she felt, she doubted she could endure him between her legs without betraying herself. “I never should have agreed to meet him.”

“He seems kind enough. And he’s so attractive, Inez–for a man with primitive features, that is.”

“Primitive? You mean masculine.”

Susana grinned. “I meant no insult, but it’s good to know you like him enough to defend him.”

“I don’t think an elite Fighting Carrier needs defending.”

Inez walked to the Running Way in the field west of the longhouse. Several other Horsemen and a few Gatherers milled around, preparing for flight. Another building, nearly as large as the longhouse, stood a short distance from the Running Way. It was used to keep tack and for the Horsemen to shift shape in private.

Terra emerged from the building and Inez’s knees weakened. Again. The man was turning her to pudding and she both loved and hated it. She’d just better make sure he didn’t know how she felt about him.

“Oh, Inez,” Susana breathed as Terra strode to the Running Way. His beast body was that of a tall, well-muscled stallion, far bigger than any Horseman in the village, even Moor. His short, gleaming coat was glossy black, save his four white feet. Large, black wings tipped with white sprouted just below his beast shoulders and pressed close to his sides. His tail was long, full, and curly as the hair on his head that was now wound into a tight braid flat to his scalp and dangling down his back. Inez’s heart pounded. He must be planning quite a flight to have bound his hair so. Most Horsemen braided their hair or wore it short to keep it from lashing their riders and flying in their own eyes during windy days or fast flights. The day was not windy–at least not down on the ground.

She noticed his man-half was bare, except for the thick leather harness wrapped around his shoulders and chest with two handles in the back for a rider to hold for balance. It was unheard of for a rider to cling to the torso of a Horseman while riding, just as it was a terrible breech of manners to stroke one as if he was a true horse. Asking permission to touch a Horseman was different. When approached nicely, most would consent to their beast back and flanks being caressed. They were beautiful creatures, and the desire to touch one overwhelmed most humans, especially when they first saw one up close.

At that moment, Inez had a mad passion to run her hands over Terra’s glossy flanks.

“Would you look at him.” Inez sounded bitter. “It’s as if he knows he’s the most beautiful thing anyone here has ever seen!”

“Have fun,” Susana whispered with a giggle.

Inez fired a furious look at her friend before straightening her back and approaching Terra.

“I didn’t adjust the stirrups. You can do what you like with them,” Terra said, glancing at the saddle on his back.

“With your permission, I’ll check the girth and mount,” Inez said, using the proper etiquette for riding a Horseman.

“Please do.” He offered her a sensual smile that she did her best to ignore.

She checked the girth on the saddle, noting he’d secured it perfectly. Her hands brushed his belly accidentally. His hair felt coarse but smooth against her knuckles.

“Would you move to the fence, please?” she asked. He was far too tall for her to mount from the ground.

He obliged. She swung onto his back and adjusted the stirrups, marveling at the heady feeling of sitting on him. She’d learned to ride almost before learning to walk, first horses then Horsemen, but never had she experienced such a wave of giddy pleasure just from sitting astride a creature.

She fitted her hands into the grips, careful not to touch his skin. The muscles of his shoulders and back were incredibly well developed, as were his arms. She longed to see if they felt as hard as they looked and to feel the warmth of his skin, but she refrained from even suggesting it.

As he strode forward, he glanced at her over his shoulder and whispered, “When we get high, if you want to forget the grips and hold onto me, you can.”

“Not necessary,” she said, her jaw tight. “I’m a very good rider.”

“Suit yourself.” He wrinkled his nose and winked before turning his attention to the Running Way.

He walked for several moments before moving to a trot, then a canter.

Inez tried to calm her excited breathing. He moved so perfectly beneath her, it was as if they were truly one creature, and not just because she’d learned to ride well. They were soul mates. She knew it. The dreams hadn’t lied. The problem was, could she live with it?

Terra’s massive wings lifted as he switched to a gallop. Inez’s knees gripped the saddle and she leaned close to his back, shielding herself against the wind. His wings pounded the air as they soared. Inez could have laughed aloud. It was like riding a tornado, except she felt perfectly safe.

“All right?” he called.

“Yes! Fantastic, actually!”

“I aim to please!”

He tilted, soaring higher, then flattened himself out, beating his wings as his legs churned beneath her. As many times as she’d flown, she’d never gone so fast! Moor was an excellent flyer, but this was unprecedented! She could have gone on forever. She began to wonder if Terra could as well. He galloped on air, racing over fields and lakes. Villagers’ huts were tiny dots below. The sun felt warm and the breeze pleasant, but nothing compared with the perfection of the magnificent Horseman beneath her.

“You ride well!” he called.

“On you it’s simple!”

“I need to turn up fast. Mountain ahead! Hold on!”

He tilted so sharply that she flung her arms around him–at least she told herself it was due to the swiftness of his motion. In truth, she and Moor had gone through horrible storms and some pretty quick turns and she’d never clutched him as she clung to Terra now. Her arms wound beneath his and she clasped his chest to keep her balance. It was far better than the grips ever were! His entire torso felt like hot granite beneath smooth, slick skin, except for his chest which was matted with soft hair. She gripped the plates of muscle and pressed her cheek to his sweating back, closing her eyes and enjoying the sensations of the flight–and the man. His heart slammed against her palms pressing against his ribs as she gripped him tighter.

I’ll never let you go, Terra! she thought, her breathing quickening, almost keeping time with his. Never!

His descent began, yet she still clung to him, her arms tight around his torso, her knees squeezing the saddle until her legs ached. Her pussy felt like hot liquid and it throbbed, as if approaching climax.

He landed so smoothly she might not have known had the wind not suddenly ceased and she could hear again. He continued at a walk, taking several deep breaths. She marveled at his stamina. She’d seen Horsemen panting after slower, shorter rides than they’d just completed.

Inez’s legs relaxed, as did her arms, though she didn’t release him. She stroked his hot, damp chest until his hands closed over hers.

“Inez.” He glanced around at her.

She tugged her hands from his and dismounted, walking to his front, her body trembling from the deepest sexual desire she’d ever felt, yet it was more than that. Her belly quivered and her throat constricted. It was as if he’d forced his way into her soul. She knew from the expression in his eyes he felt the same.

“I came for you,” he stated. “I want you.”

“We don’t even know each other.”

“Then I’ll stay until you feel you know me.”

“Why didn’t you keep away and leave it as a dream?” She folded her arms across her chest and turned away.

Suddenly she found herself in his embrace, lifted off the ground. She slipped an arm around his neck and placed her free hand on his chest. His blue eyes bore into hers and his lips parted slightly as he bent his head, covering her mouth with his. Inez’s eyes slipped shut and her tongue joined his, tasting and stroking. His lips felt so soft and moist; his breath tasted of fresh spring herbs.

“We’ve shared dreams for months, Inez,” he said against her lips, his deep voice rumbling in his chest. “We belong to each other. Tell me you’ll give it a chance. Let me share your bed tonight, and if you find you don’t want us to part, say you’ll marry me in the morning.”