"Seriously?" Bruce questions with some semblance of true shock. "You wanted to go horseback riding for your bachelor/bachelorette party? Yet I had to sit through Wally complaining about strippers?"
I can't hold it back anymore and start laughing along with Lois. "Babe, it's not that bad."
"No, but if they wanted to go riding they should've told me. I own stables just outside of Gotham." He sighs, locking the SUV he drove here and shoving the key in his pocket.
Snagging his hand, I fall into step beside him, watching as Lois and Kal do the same, Lucy tagging along behind us with her eyes glued to her phone, as usual.
"I don't even know how to ride," Lucy complains, causing Lois to stop and tug her fiance to a halt as well. Bruce and I also stop, turning to watch.
"What?! And you didn't tell me?! I brought this up weeks ago and you didn't say anything!" Lois shrieks.
"I didn't think you'd actually choose to go horseback riding!" Lucy shrieks back. Lois pinches the bridge of her nose as she begins to fret. I pull free of Bruce's hand and approach my friend, trying to figure out how I'll save her 'party'.
"I only signed up for four horses." Kal admits, rubbing the back of his neck as we all turn to look at him.
"What'd you do that for? You can't count?" Bruce asks with a roll of his eyes and I shoot him a warning look.
"What? I thought Lois and I would ride together." His face flushes with embarrassment.
"Oh, honey, I was hoping to ride my own horse. I haven't gone riding in years!" Lois admits, turning away from her sister.
"For fucks sake," I hear Bruce mutter under his breath. "Diana, Lucy, Lois, and Kal will all ride their own horses and I'll lead Lucy's."
"Bruce, no, I couldn't ask you to-" Lois starts but Bruce cuts her off, holding up a hand
"You didn't and I won't take no for an answer. It's your pre-wedding party." Lois squeals then throws herself at him for a hug. Bruce makes a rather unhappy face before patting the excited woman on the back awkwardly.
"You're the best!" She leans up and pecks him on the cheek before grabbing Kal and Lucy's hands to yank them the rest of the way towards the barn up ahead.
Bruce watches them, glancing at me as I grab his hand once more, swinging it slightly between us as we also begin to walk towards the barn. "That was awfully sweet of you, oh, Dark Knight." I tease but squeeze his hand.
"I couldn't let their party be ruined." He sighs. "I should've worn shorts." I laugh, checking him over for at least the fifth time since we'd left the manor. Knowing we'd be in the sun, Bruce had opted for a sky blue t-shirt that hugged him in all the right places, paired with dark washed jeans and cowboy boots.
"I like this blue on you-brings out your eyes," I compliment and he glances at me, smirking slightly but remaining quiet as we step into the barn behind Lois.
"She looks like a kid on Christmas," Bruce mutters under his breath. I nod in agreement, watching with a smile as Lois bounces from horse to horse with a large smile, making sure to give each of them the same amount of attention.
"Which one are you riding, Lois?" I ask as we step up beside Kal and Lucy.
"Oh, I hope the yellow one!" Said yellow horse towers over her and stands a few inches taller than Kal and Bruce when his head is held high.
"That horse is for more advanced riders." The lady who's checking the saddles tells us.
"I'm probably too rusty to be considered advanced," Lois comments dejectedly before glancing at a slightly shorter horse. "What about him?"
"Batman?" All of our heads, save for Lucy, snap to the woman. "Oh, he's a sweetie. He'll take care of you!"
"What did you say his name was?" Bruce asks.
"Batman! He was awfully anxious and tended to run when we first got him. Took a lot of training for him to let anyone ride him and now he's the perfect gentleman! Aren't you, boy?" The lady kisses the side of the horse's face who snorts in return.
Bruce's lips are pressed firmly together as he fights not to show his annoyance at being related to a horse that spooked easily. "Well, he is darkly colored." I whisper quietly to him, trying to contain my laughter.
"Not helping."
The lady moves to throw the saddle pad over the blonde horse and he backs up last second, causing the pad to fall to the ground. "Sunny!" She scolds.
Realizing this could be my chance to ride bareback, I step forward. "Excuse me! I don't suppose I could ride him? Without the saddle? I've ridden my entire life."
"Dear, are you sure? Sunny can get a bit wild and I'm not sure riding bare would work out the best."
"I'm positive!"
She hesitates before lowering the saddle pad. "Well, if you're sure." I nod before stepping forward to offer my hand to the horse, smiling when he steps forward to knock his nose against my hand. "Just be careful. He might try to bite cha! Just be firm with him and smack him on the nose if he tries!" Nodding again, I step back beside Bruce.
The woman stops and counts, frowning when she realizes there's more people than horses. "Sir," she turns to Kal. "You only paid for-"
"I'm not riding," Bruce cuts in. "I'm going to lead whichever horse you put her on." He points at Lucy who raises her hand for a second, eyeing the horses nervously.
"Ah, okay, so I've got mostly experienced people here?"
"Your horses will be well taken care of, ma'am." Bruce assures her.
"Well, I'll give you my number just in case. The name's Ronda." She hands Bruce a business card, which he takes with a nod and slides into his back pocket. "Now, who wants to ride!" Lois and I both raise our hands excitedly, leading our respective horses out of the barn into an open space.
Kal assists Lois in climbing up onto her horse before easily mounting his, a red horse with pretty white speckles named Ringo.
I glance over at Bruce who has cupped his feet together to help Lucy mount her own horse, the shortest and oldest of the group, Cookie. She gracelessly throws her top half over the horse before awkwardly trying to sit up and move her leg over the horse's back. Bruce sighs before pushing her leg over, helping her to clear the saddle before he places her feet in the stirrups, tucks the reins in her hand, and steps away, looking quite impatient.
Ronda has gone back inside to find a suitable lead for Bruce to use but I can see her just within the entryway of the barn. "You getting on, Princess?" Bruce appears by my side, Lucy panicking behind him as she's left alone with her horse. However, Cookie's more interested in snacking on the grass at his feet than moving anywhere.
"I don't know if she knows who I am." I admit. "I don't want to garner any unwanted attention in case she doesn't know I'm Wonder Woman, but this horse is quite tall and I don't want to spook him by yanking on his mane."
Bruce stares at me for a second before grabbing my waist and lifting me up onto the horse effortlessly. "Problem solved." He smirks at me before returning to Lucy who had begun to call for him in alarm as Cookie had taken a few steps forward to more grass.
Refusing to admit how much I enjoyed him practically manhandling me without warning yet somehow making me feel like a princess being lifted onto her steed by a knight, which is not far from the real truth, I tuck my chin into my chest as I move my leg to be properly straddling Sunny. Side saddle is far too uncomfortable anyways.
While waiting for Ronda to get Lucy, Bruce, and Cookie situated, I comb my fingers through Sunny's pale blonde mane, glad to be on the back of a horse once more. While I haven't ridden in years, it all comes flooding back to me, like muscle memory my muscles can't forget.
I'm pulled out of my thoughts by Ronda stepping up beside me to check Sunny's reins. "So you've ridden bareback before?"
"It's how I grew up riding." I smile at her, braiding a small plait into Sunny's mane that immediately unravels when I let it go.
"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that. Sunny can be such a good boy but such a pain in my behind too." The horse snorts and shakes his head, as if disagreeing. "Oh, you are too, you oversized glue stick." I laugh at her insult, even as she affectionately strokes down the horse's nose. "Well, I hope he doesn't give ya any trouble! I gave that handsome young man over there my number and if you stay on the paths, I can catch up to ya with a four wheeler or another horse!"
She gestures to Bruce who is absent mindedly stroking Cookie's neck. "Bruce?" I know she gave Bruce her card but she could also be talking about Kal for all I know.
"That one," she points more directly at him, catching his attention. His eyebrows furrow slightly in question but I give a shake of my head and he relaxes his stance once more.
"Yes, that's Bruce. That's my husband. We're here for our friends bachelor and bachelorette parties." I nod towards Lois and Kal who are laughing with each other from atop their horses.
"Oh, you lucky girls." Ronda teases, winking at me. "Fine young men. Who's the newbie over on Cookie Dough?"
"That's Lois' little sister, the maid of honor." I explain, watching as Lucy fidgets rigidly in her saddle.
"She's lucky she's on ol' Cookie Dough. The other horses would be freaking out about her nervousness. Cookie don't care, though. He just wants to snack," she rolls her eyes before stepping towards said snacking horse.
"Pull his head up! Don't let him do that! Damn horse." She says as she pulls on one of Cookie's reins, pulling his head off the ground, chuckling as she does so.
"Time to ride! Since this young fellow over here's walkin', I suggest you stick to the blue path. The trail's well worn and marked with blue ribbons. It'll take you up the side of a steep hill but zigzags down the otherside at a very slight decline. Remember, when the horse is walking up a hill, lean forward! When they're walking down something steep, lean back! And let them have their heads! Their main priority will be to get themselves up or down safely without flipping over which means they'll be trying to get you up or down safely."
She turns to Bruce and tells him something before waving Lois and Kal forward. As they move towards an open gate down the road, Ronda turns towards me. "Sunny's the baby of the group and don't like being in the back but Ringo knows the path best and will kick at Sunny if he gets too close. Try to keep Batman between them." I bite my lip to withhold my laughter before nodding.
"Good, Cookie'll also try to get to the front but for the sake of you walkin' and her being a nervous wreck, he needs to bring up the rear. He won't like it but he'll have to suck it up." Bruce nods before holding an arm out, a sign meant for me to go ahead. I give a slight kick to Sunny's side and he's off. A peek over my shoulder shows Bruce tugging Cookie behind him as we begin our trek towards the tall hill I can see a ways away. I hope Bruce's cowboy boots are comfortable.
After almost forty minutes of riding, we reach the base of the hill. "Did she say to lean back when they go up?" Lois calls over her shoulder.
"No!" Bruce shouts from behind me. "Lean forward, against his neck! If you lean back, it increases his chances of flipping backwards!" Lois nods before ducking forward, Kal and myself copying her.
"I don't think I can do this," I hear Lucy fret from behind me as I give Kal and Lois' horses some space to climb.
"You'll be fine. I've got the horse and the horse has got you." Bruce tries to reassure her.
"But this hill looks rough! What if I fall off?"
"Haven't you heard the saying, 'if you fall off, get back on again,' or something like that?"
"I will not be getting back on this horse if I get thrown."
"This horse will keep you safe. If you fall off, it'll have been your own doing." I hear Lucy make an upset noise before I direct Sunny to begin his assent, leaning forward to assist as much as I can.
It feels like we've been climbing for a solid ten minutes by the time we reach the top. A quick glance over my shoulder shows Bruce sweating, small beads of sweat gathered at his hairline. He wipes the back of his hand across his forehead and drags it through his hair before wiping his hand along his jeans. His breathing is surprisingly even, if not a little fast but he seems to be okay.
I consider saying something but don't know quite what I would say to him so I remain quiet, turning to look forward and watch as Kal and Lois move to ride side by side again, talking quietly to each other and completely lost in their own little world. I smile at them, glad that they're happy.
Ronda was right when she said the descent was a lot less steep than the ascent. As I ride silently, I hear Bruce quietly talking to Cookie and Lucy behind me, assuring Lucy that she's getting the hang of it and that if the horse hasn't thrown her yet, he's not going to. My lips quirk at that.
A few moments later, I sit a little straighter when I hear Lucy hesitantly say that she thinks she can do it without Bruce leading her. After double checking, I look over my shoulder to see Bruce toss the lead rope over Cookie's neck, ready to be grabbed at a moment's notice but not dragging on the ground where it can be stepped on.
We ride a bit longer with Bruce continuing to walk alongside Lucy and Cookie. Lucy's posture has loosened drastically from when we first started and now seems to be more at ease in the saddle and more comfortable.
"Babe," I call over my shoulder, Bruce's head glancing up to look at me, a silent question in his eyes. "Ride with me?" I hold a hand out, twisting on Sunny's back to be able to see him easier.
He glances at Lucy who has become panicked at my suggestion, her eyes darting between Bruce, the horse, and myself. "I-I dunno if that's a good idea."
"You'll be okay and if I need to jump off the horse, I will." Bruce insists.
"I still don't-"
"Lucy! Let the poor man ride for a little bit! He's been walking for the last hour or so up a steep hill!" Lois calls out over her shoulder.
"I guess I'll be okay." Lucy mumbles, fiddling with her reins.
We all guide our horses to a stop and I climb down, stretching for a moment as Bruce familiarizes Sunny with him. He pulls on Sunny's mane to see if he reacts. His ears bend back but he doesn't move so Bruce takes it as the all clear to swing up. He gracefully swings himself up onto the horse before holding a hand out to me.
"In front or behind me, Princess?"
"Um, I'll ride behind you." He nods as I grab his hand, gripping his forearm. He gives a firm yank and I swing up onto the horse behind him. Sunny shuffles for a moment before settling.
I wrap my arms around Bruce, pressing myself flush against his back and resting my head between his shoulder blades. A moment later, Bruce clicks his tongue and presses his heels into Sunny's side. But rather than going forward, he turns us so he can assist Lucy in getting Cookie to move forward again.
As soon as Cookie begins a lazy amble forward, Bruce moves to be slightly ahead of him once more, not wanting to disrupt the horses' order.
I settle into my spot against Bruce's back, not minding the sun on my back or the heat of the sun peeking through the canopy of trees above. My fingers idly trace between the different grooves of Bruce's muscles through his shirt. I can hear his heart beating steadily from and feel the way different muscles in his abdomen tense as he subtly moves with Sunny's movements.
He constantly checks over his shoulder to make sure Lucy and Cookie are still moving along but I stop paying much attention, letting my eyes fall shut.
Just up ahead, I can hear Kal and Lois talking softly to each other, comments like, 'so cute' and 'made for each other' loud enough to make out. I smile to myself, agreeing as I nuzzle more into Bruce's back.
The longer we ride, the more drowsy I become between the smooth gait of the horse and the heat on my back. My hands repeatedly droop and after a few too many times of brushing accidentally against Bruce…down below….I decide I need to place my hands somewhere that art out of the way and won't cause too many distractions for my husband.
He remains quiet as I try interlocking my fingers as some semblance of a hug, wrapping one arm up over his shoulder, which was uncomfortable, before I mentally say screw it. My right hand pulls up the edge of his shirt and I shove my pointer, middle, and ring finger just into the waistband of his jeans, right at the sharp cut of his Adonis belt, my other hand hooking into the belt loops at his left hip.
"Princess-" Bruce starts, voice edged with warning but when I further melt into his back, my hands now able to relax without risk of falling somewhere dangerous, he quiets and allows me to do so. It briefly crosses my mind to push my right hand further into his pants but I know that'd be a bad idea so I stick with settling in for a nap.
I'm nearly asleep when I hear someone grumbling. Bruce's back doesn't reverberate against my cheek so I know the sound isn't coming from him. I pop open an eye and glance over in Lucy's direction. She's looking quite sour, her face twisted in a sneer as she mutters things under her breath, her eyes suddenly meeting mine which causes her to duck her head away, looking a lot more guilty now.
Not wanting to dwell on it, I make the mental note to ask Lois about it later. Sunny hasn't taken five more steps before I drift off into peaceful sleep.
"Mmm, Bruce," I sigh as my beloved Dark Knight rests over me, pressing me into the mattress with his full body weight. I move my hands, scratching lightly at his shoulders, not missing the small twitch of his shoulders and the way he settles more comfortably against me, his head resting on my chest. I press a kiss to his forehead, a hand moving from his shoulders to smooth his hair back.
"Princess," he breathes and I can't help the smile that slips across my lips, feeling as if my being is just being completely overwhelmed and filled with affection and love for this man. My mother is so missing out.
"Princess," Bruce repeats.
"Yes, my love?"
"Princess," his voice grows louder.
"Bruce?"
"Wake up, Princess."
"What? I am…." The weight of Bruce begins to lighten until he fades away. "Wait-" I feel myself falling forward, which doesn't seem possible as I'm lying on my back.
"Diana, we're almost back at the ranch."
"Wha?" My eyes crack open and I lift my head from its spot against Bruce's spine, my one hand still lightly scratching at his skin, only, as I become more aware, I realize it's the hand I had tucked into the waistband of his pants.
"Whatcha doin' back there, Di?" Lois calls teasingly from her spot ahead of us and I immediately retract my hand from Bruce's jeans and hide behind him, my face flushing. In battle, I hide behind no man, but when being teased by my friends, I'd rather hide behind my man instead of allowing them to see me turn the color of a tomato. Lois and Kal's laughter can be heard as I wrap my arms back around Bruce's chest, watching as we step out of the trees and back onto the path leading towards the ranch.
"Do you think she'll be upset that you're not still leading Cookie?" Bruce holds up a hand and shows that he has Cookie's lead, making me realize that the older horse had been ambling quite close to us since I woke up.
We continue back to the barn in comfortable silence, though I'm glad when we step into the shade of the trees outside of the old building. The sun is far more intense when you've gotten used to the canopy of trees.
"Ah! You've made it back! How was your ride?" Lois is quick to begin gushing about her experience and as Bruce offers me his arm to help me slide off of Sunny, I glance at Kal who watches Lois with obvious affection. As soon as I'm on the ground, Bruce slides off the horse and hands Ronda his reins, immediately moving to help Lucy.
I turn my attention to her and watch as she looks at Bruce expectantly, keeping her feet in the stirrups but he does nothing except watch her, an eyebrow raised in annoyance. "Well, are you going to help me?"
"As soon as you take your feet out of the stirrups and swing a leg over."
"Oh, I don't know if I can do it," Lucy feigns worry. Lois steps up beside me, having dismounted her horse and we watch Bruce continue to stare at Lucy, his gaze hardening into a glare the longer she takes.
"I think she's hitting on my husband."
"Unfortunately, I wouldn't put it past her." Lois throws her hands up before walking up to Lucy and Bruce, placing a hand on his arm. He looks to her for a second before stepping back, Lois stepping up and roughly yanking Lucy's foot out of her stirrup.
"Ow! Hey! Lois!"
"He's married, Lucy. You can get yourself off of this horse without his help." Lois reprimands and Lucy's face turns from annoyance to terror. I mash my lips together to fight the laughter bubbling up in my throat. Part of me feels bad, knowing that Bruce is devilishly handsome and has always been a lady's magnet, but Lucy has also been getting on my nerves and surely getting on Bruce's so it's nice to see her brought down a peg.
"Now, where's the nearest club?" Lois rubs her hands together maniacally and grins evilly at her fiance who has also joined the group.
"Ooh, yes! I could go for a good cocktail!" I agree. Lois helps Lucy down from the horse before interlocking her arms in mine and Lucy's, dragging us down the gravel road towards the SUV.
She and I call out 'thank you's' to Ronda over our shoulder as Kal and Bruce hang back to make sure everything is squared away and I see them helping unsaddle the horses with a quick glance back.
Right before reaching the SUV, the headlights flash and the car honks twice before unlocking and starting, the AC blowing wonderfully cool air as we step in. Gotham may be getting rather chilly in the evening but when the sun's beating down during the day, it's easy to forget we're heading into autumn.
"So, Diana, what were you-" Lois begins to say after a few minutes of cooling off when the driver's door opens and Bruce steps in behind the wheel. Kal slides into the passenger seat and each moves for their seatbelts.
"Where are you thinking for drinks?" Bruce asks, eyes making contact with Lois in the rear view mirror.
"I don't care! Just somewhere that's not trashy!" Bruce nods before pulling out of his spot, turning the car around and heading back towards the city.
"I think this was a bad idea." I hear Bruce mutter as I throw my arm over his shoulders. The music is bumping, the drinks are flowing, and I feel great!
"Yeah, I think so too," Kal nods, sipping his beer as Lois throws back a shot.
"No, baby, this was a great idea!" I insist, pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek.
"'Baby?' You two are so gross." I hear Lucy complain from her spot folded over on the table. She'd taken, like, five shots when we first got here and was not doing so hot.
"You're just jealous!" I stick my tongue out at her before roughly turning Bruce's head towards me and slamming our mouths together. Bruce entertains the kiss for a few seconds before pulling back, hands hooking onto my shoulders to push me back a little.
"Easy, Princess."
"Nooooo," I whine but am quickly distracted by a new song starting. "Lois!" I grab her hand and yank her onto the dancefloor, Bruce and our short kiss forgotten.
"So," Lois slurs as she leans into me. "What were you and-hic-Bruce doing when we were riding earlier?" She pumps her eyebrows at me and I start to laugh, tears lining my eyes from the force.
"It's not like that," I try to say around large gasps for air.
"No? Looked like you were try-na get some." She pumps her eyebrows again before looking over my shoulder. "Imma go get some." And suddenly she's gone. I spin a little too fast and nearly fall on my face when strong arms catch me.
"Excuse me, sir, I'm married." I hold up my hand but the chuckle I hear doesn't seem to care.
"There's no ring on that hand." He says as he leads me off the dancefloor.
"What?" I hold my hand in front of my face, noticing that the stranger is right. My ring! "Oh my gods! Where's my ring? Where's my-" my other hand suddenly appears in front of my face and I see my ring sitting on my left ring finger. "Oh, thank Hera!" I clutch my hand tightly to my chest, eyes lifting to our table to look for Bruce. "Wait, where's my husband?" The stranger chuckles again as we make it back to our table.
"Lois!" I screech, her head turning towards me and causing her entire body to sway. "I can't find Bruce!"
Kal immediately begins laughing, one of his hands leaving Lois' waist to support himself on the table. "Oh no! Let's go find him!" Lois attempts to move away from Kal and I try to follow her but we're both kept in our spots.
"Princess, I'm right-" My head snaps, making my vision blur, but the second I focus on the man suddenly beside me, I throw myself at him, squealing with joy.
"Lois! I found him!" I shout over my shoulder.
"Oh, good!"
"I thought you disappeared! I didn't know where you went!"
"Maybe we should head out. Alfred's prepped a couple of the guest rooms for you guys." Bruce addresses someone behind me.
"We should go riding again." I say as I'm pulled into Bruce's side and led towards the door.
"Yeah!" Lois cheers behind me at the same time Lucy can be heard groaning 'no'.
"Bruce!" I pull him to an abrupt stop, Kal and Lois nearly running into us before Kal steers her around us and continues towards the car. "We should go riding tonight!"
"I don't think so, Princess. I think our bed is calling your name."
"Even better! I can ride you in bed!" I eagerly pull on his hand, new mission in mind.
"Wait, Diana-" I ignore him, eagerly climbing into the front seat of the car and leaving Bruce to climb into the driver's seat, closing my own door with a loud slam, startling Lucy in the back, before buckling my seat excitedly.
"I get to ride again!" I cheer to myself, clapping my hands as I begin to imagine what else Bruce and I can do.
"What? No fair!" Lois whines. "I want to go riding again too!"
"No! I'm the only one who gets to ride Bruce!" I declare loudly. Bruce freezes, his hand halfway to the gear shift. Kal clears his throat awkwardly from the backseat as Bruce takes a deep breath before resuming his task. "Right, babe?" I ask. Bruce says nothing, instead grabbing my hand to try a soothing motion with his thumb.
I grow distracted with his hands, fiddling with his fingers as he drives, music quietly playing as Lois and Lucy sleep in the backseat. I begin to feel myself drift off, my hand slipping from Bruce's, who moves to rub his thumb soothingly above my knee instead. The motion puts me to sleep.
A bit later, I'm roused from my sleep as I'm pulled from the car and into someone's arms. A deep inhale reveals the scent of my husband, who mumbles something before we begin to walk away. I quickly fall back asleep, snuggling into Bruce's chest with a content sigh.
A/N: I had so much fun writing this chapter! But since it needs to go up in the next two hours, it has once again not been proofread.
Horseback riding is one of my all time favorite things to do. I don't get to do it very often but being on a horse is a happy place for me. So horseback riding is a major plus! Though I'm not sure about billionaire riding….might leave that to Diana.
Thx!
AMM