Family Stone Holiday Box Set: (including Stone Cold Heart, Carved in Stone, and Heart of Stone) (Family Stone Romantic Suspense)

by Lisa Hughey

  He bowed and extended his arm. “After you.”

  Di snorted. And the inelegant sound made him smile. He was tired. He still had to file his top-secret report. And he needed to talk to her, had to make her see reason. See him.

  Riley unlocked the door to Jack’s office and flipped on the lights. His palms were damp as he gestured to the chair across from Jack’s desk. “Have a seat.”

  He thought about the first time he’d seen her sitting in that very chair. He’d walked into this room and something about her nearly brought him to his knees. But he knew now that she was immune to his charm. Immune to the one trait that defined him.

  So why in the hell did he even want to pursue this?

  Di threw herself into the black leather chair, while Riley sat down at Jack’s desk. A sheaf of papers lay scattered on the floor underneath the desk. He frowned. Why would there be papers under the desk? He glanced across the cordovan leather blotter and noticed that Jack’s fancy pen and holder were askew and the picture of the four siblings had fallen face down on the desktop. “What happened here?” he wondered aloud.

  “Can we get through this?” Di sniped. “So I can go home and crash. This is ridiculous. It’s like you want me to be pissed at you.”

  Riley hated the distance between them. Why had he ever thought that having the desk between them would lend credence to his words? She was mentally backing away with every word he uttered. And that was unacceptable.

  He didn’t want her to go to her home. What he wanted was for her to go home with him and crash in his bed. And instead of finesse, he just blurted out, “Come home with me.”

  Di blinked. Her pale brown lashes fanned across her high cheekbones and then lifted. “What?”

  “Come home with me.”

  “You’re out of your mind.” She stood abruptly. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but you need to stop. Right now.”

  Riley thought he’d lost. But then he watched her pulse flutter in the base of her throat. She was nervous.

  Riley moved around the desk to stop her from leaving. “I have condoms there,” he said bluntly. Smooth. That was real smooth Riley.

  “That’s great.” She gritted out, “Feel free to use them with Nanette.”

  “But I don’t want her.”

  She humphed. The sound a clear, yeah, right.

  He rubbed a hand through his hair and grunted. “I am not doing this well.”

  Di shook her head. “What is it you’re doing?”

  “I like you,” Riley confessed. “I like you a lot.”

  “No, you don’t,” Di shot back. “I like beer.”

  “So do I.” He took a step toward her.

  She took a step back. “I wear cotton t-shirts.”

  With X-rated underwear underneath, but he didn’t think that’s what she was getting at. “So do I.”

  She took two steps back. “I don’t have size triple D breasts.”

  Riley’s gaze dropped to her chest. “Your breasts are perfect.” He took two steps toward her.

  “Oh.” She flushed. “I’m not your type.”

  “I don’t have a type.”

  “But—”

  “Forget it. Yes I do. My type is you.”

  He swore he could see her melt. But he wasn’t finished so he kept going, “You have a compassion inside you that is beautiful. You want to help kids. You’re incredibly book smart. I love that about you.” Riley ticked off all the things he admired about her. “You have a passion for others. You have edges.”

  “I have edges!” she cried desperately.

  “I love your edges,” he said decisively.

  “No, you don’t.”

  “I do.” Riley stepped into her personal space, so close they were almost touching. “I also love when those edges soften and sweeten, just for me.”

  “Oh, they do not.” She propped her fists on her hips but she leaned into him.

  He grinned. He couldn’t help it. “Yes, they do.” He brushed a stray curl off her cheek and stared into her pale, blue eyes. He demanded again, “Come home with me.”

  “You’re crazy,” she whispered.

  “Crazy for you,” he whispered back. He was crazy about her. He loved her smart mouth. Loved how she called him on his bull. Loved how she gave with her entire heart. Loved her. Which was crazy. He certainly couldn’t confess that right this moment, she’d never believe him.

  “Really, Stone?” But she didn’t back away.

  He shrugged. He couldn’t completely turn it off. “It’s true.” And then he kissed her.

  Riley wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into the shelter of his body. Di hesitated, her mouth tentative and her palms hovered inches from his chest.

  He poured every bit of thanks into the kiss. Thankful she came into the office and hired GHR. Thankful Jack didn’t agree and go to Jolo with her instead. Thankful for the universe for throwing them together and forcing her to spend time with him. Thankful for her calling him on his bullshit and yet not giving up on him.

  Her lean angular body melted against his. Riley took two steps back, pulled her with him, until he rested on the edge of Jack’s desk.

  Di’s hands slid up his chest, and over his shoulders as he spread his legs and pulled her tighter into the deep V. Her sex hit right at his fully-aroused cock. He’d been hard since she started arguing with him.

  Riley scooted further back and knocked the blotter aside, which created a chain reaction and the picture and pen clattered to the floor.

  With every fiber of his being he prayed that Jack had condoms in his desk. Riley pulled her closer, tighter, not wanting to give her any room to change her mind. She was his.

  Di melted into Riley’s embrace.

  As if he wanted to anchor her to him, he pulled her closer and slid his hands over her ribs and cupped her breasts under his white t-shirt.

  She arched into the erotic touch. Arousal flushed through her. Goosebumps prickled over her skin at his firm, knowing strokes. With each caress, he ignited a separate erogenous zone. Oh God. She couldn’t resist this, him. She wanted him on top of her, inside her, she craved him like a drug.

  “I want you,” he confessed between drugging kisses. “Bad.”

  Oh thank goodness they were on the same page. But—”What about your rules?” No condoms.

  Riley broke away from their embrace and circled the desk. “Pretty sure Jack has condoms in his desk.” He yanked open the top drawer. He held up a foil package in triumph then tossed it on the desktop. Riley hastily headed back around to the front of the desk and Di.

  “I’ll be sure to get disgusted by that later.” She ripped his shirt over his head, while he unsnapped her pants. Now that she’d committed to the idea, she wanted to move at lightning speed.

  “Wait.” Riley grabbed her hands and held them tight to stop her from touching him.

  But she wasn’t stopping now. Di grinned with glee. “We’re not waiting.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Hell, yes.”

  Riley let go of her hands and pulled her shirt over her head. His thumbs rubbed over her lace-covered breasts and he smiled when her nipples stood at attention. “God, you’re pretty.”

  Di flushed and averted her gaze from his, taking a moment to savor his exquisite body. His stomach muscles rippled and his biceps flexed in the glow from the desk lamp. His stubble was two days old and dusted his jaw and upper lip with dark hair. The beard emphasized his stunning, clever lips as he smiled at her before he dove back in to torment her breasts.

  Di’s sex tingled and her knees weakened as he nipped a path down the middle of her breastbone. Riley’s fingers were tight on her hips as he held her still for his sensual assault.

  She worked at his zipper, taking time to caress the large bulge of his cock.

  He groaned against her belly button as she finally pushed his cargo pants down enough to wrap her hand around his girth. She almost crumpled into a puddle of desi
re as he pulsed in her grip.

  He was big. And thick. And primed.

  A drop of pre-come glistened on the head of his cock and Di wanted fiercely to taste him. Before he could stop her, she leaned over and lapped delicately at the proof of his desire. Riley jerked involuntarily and she moaned and sucked the head into her mouth. He tasted good and felt even better.

  “Let me go down on you,” she begged.

  He laughed softly. “While I love hearing that, it’s got to wait.” His fingers dipped inside her lace panties and curled against her dripping sex. “You’re so wet.”

  With a slick move, he slid one thick finger into her silken channel, then two, priming her for his cock.

  Di rocked her hips to the rhythm of his hand and continued to rub her thumb over the tip of his cock.

  “Fuck me.” He groaned and grabbed the condom.

  “Yes, please.”

  He ripped open the package and rolled the latex over his erection.

  She was pushing her pants down her thighs. Di made a sound of frustration, she still had her boots on and wouldn’t be able to get her pants off fast.

  “Fuck. I can’t wait. Stand up and turn around,” he commanded. Riley bent her over the massive desk and shoved her pants down to her knees.

  Di whimpered as he spread her legs as wide as the restrictive clothing allowed. He rubbed her wetness over her sex, teasing her. “Now Riley.”

  Riley positioned himself behind her. She could feel the roughness of his hairy thighs against the back of hers and his cock head rubbed along her slit. Di tilted her hips back. Ready to beg again.

  She needed him inside her, now.

  As if he understood, Riley slid home. The head of his cock hit her cervix and the root spread her wide. His balls slammed against her engorged sex. He was everywhere, his fingers tight on her hips as he set a brutal pace, slamming in and out of her. Each thrust tormented her, filled her, overwhelmed her, until she hurtled into orgasm. Her vision dimmed, went white as she held onto the desk and held on for dear life as he thrust, once, twice, three times and then he came in hot hard jets, his cock pressing, expanding her walls until she thought she’d pass out.

  Di’s knees buckled and she would have collapsed against the desk if Riley wasn’t holding her up. He bowed back against the power of his orgasm as he pulsed inside her.

  Di’s heart pounded hard from the most explosive orgasm of her life. It was a wonder she was still conscious.

  He surrounded her, his arms tight around her waist and his legs bracketing hers.

  As conscious thought returned, she knew it would be easy to just sink into the swirl of sexual completion and avoid any kind of strife. But Di knew they needed to address some things. And she knew he’d handle her need to talk about it right now, because Riley could handle anything thrown at him. It was one of the things she admired most about him.

  “We need to talk.”

  Riley smiled against her spine. He was still slumped over her back, his heart pounding against her, his hands holding onto her as if he never wanted to let her go. He pressed light kisses along her vertebrae, still buried balls deep inside her.

  They couldn’t talk like this. Di wouldn’t be able to concentrate. Plus she wanted to see his face while they talked. He prolonged the contact for another few minutes, until she wiggled her hips.

  “Give me a minute.” Finally Riley pulled out of her and disposed of the condom. Di pulled her pants up to her waist, grabbed the white t-shirt and covered up her body, then walked around the desk to drop into Jack’s chair. Her heart was still pounding and her body still throbbed. There was no way she’d be able to stand for this discussion.

  “Why were you the one to take me to Jolo?”

  Riley raised a brow as he yanked up his pants. “That’s what you want to talk about?”

  Not really. “Yes.”

  Riley sat back down on the desktop, his body still very close to hers, his chest still bare and distracting.

  “Jack knew that besides the fact that I have the most experience in country, I believe in what you’re doing for those kids,” Riley replied.

  And that’s when she knew. Riley was the right guy. The man who had similar interests, who felt passionately about making a difference, who would love her for who she was, and nothing else.

  Now she just had to convince him of that. “Why didn’t you take Nanette up on her offer?”

  “I don’t want Nanette.” Riley narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed. “I want you. I’d think that was pretty obvious since you were just bent over the desk and I was buried inside you.”

  “Careful, your charm is slipping.” But she didn’t care. She realized that Riley charmed everyone because that was how he got along. But he didn’t charm her. He didn’t need to.

  “So?” Now his tone was almost belligerent. “It doesn’t work on you anyway.”

  “I worked hard to resist you on the outside.”

  “You seem to be doing a bang up job of it,” he said sulkily.

  Di leaned forward and brushed a lock of hair from his suspicious eyes. “But I have a confession.”

  He perked up at that.

  Di’s heart pounded. This was scary. And life-altering. But if they were going to go on, they needed to begin in the right place. And she realized that he’d bared his soul, now it was her turn. She stood up. Re-energized. “I was so busy resisting your outside charms, that I fell for what’s on the inside.”

  “Really?” He wrapped his arms around her waist, as if he knew that just confessing that made her want to bolt.

  “Really.” She smiled at him. Her perfect hero was Riley. Even though he wasn’t perfect at all, just a charming man with his own set of issues. “You’re perfect for me.”

  His arms tightened around her waist. Riley slanted his head and began to kiss her again.

  She stopped him. “Or maybe it’s just the sex,” she teased.

  “All part of my evil plan to stun you with such incredible sex that you’d be too sated to do anything but agree to come home with me.” Riley grinned.

  It had definitely worked. Not that she’d let him give him that satisfaction. “Hmm. Not sure it worked.”

  Riley laughed and lifted her into his arms. He turned and lay her over the desk and began all over again. “Well, I’ll never give up. Let’s try again.”

  Twenty minutes later, Di was sprawled over the top of Jack’s desk. Riley was sprawled over top of her. His head rested on her breastbone, her heart thudded against his ear as he played with her ridiculously sensitive nipples and gave thanks for the fact that she’d said yes. And that Jack had condoms in his desk.

  The lamp shade was cockeyed and they were both butt naked.

  The outer door to the office banged open.

  “Riley?” Con’s deep voice called out from the outer office.

  “Shit,” Di whispered.

  “Con. Wait a minute.”

  “Everything okay?”

  Riley lowered his forehead to her neck, his shoulders shaking with mirth. “It’s great. We just need a minute.”

  “We?” Con started laughing. “Are you desecrating Jack’s desk?”

  Riley heard what sounded like Ava shushing Con’s laughter. And suddenly he remembered those papers on the floor.

  “We’ll be out in a few.”

  Di was shoving at his shoulders frantically trying to push him off her so she could get up. But the movement was doing pretty fabulous things to her sweet pert breasts. And Riley couldn’t help himself. He bent to give each one a slow sensuous kiss and suckled her, rolling each taut nipple on his tongue. And Di’s fists stopped beating on his shoulders as she arched her back and pulled him closer.

  Screw it.

  Con and Ava had to wait a lot longer than a minute.

  ***

  Additional books in the Family Stone series:

  Still the One (Family Stone #4 Jack)

  Jar of Hearts (Family Stone #5 Shane and Keisha)

 
; Queen of Hearts (Family Stone #6 Shelley) out 12/21/14

  Thank you for reading the Family Stone Holiday Box Set. I hope you enjoyed reading about the Stone siblings! If you did enjoy this novella, below are a few ways you can help a writer out!!

  Good: Lend the book to a friend

  Better: Recommend the book to your friends

  Best: Leave a review at Amazon, BN, Goodreads, Google, Apple, Kobo, All Romance…basically any place they sell eBooks. Every review helps my work get out to other readers and I cannot even express how much it means to me when you let people know you liked my work. Readers have so many choices nowadays and limited dollars to spend. It can be difficult to take a chance on a new author even if the premise sounds appealing. By reviewing books, you give other readers insight into the story world and help them make informed purchases.

  Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support!!

  p.s. Would you like to know when my next book is available? You can sign up for my new release email list/newsletter at Lisa’s Latest News

  RILEY’S RULES

  1. Never have sex without a condom and another form of protection

  2. Never be deliberately mean

  3. Never have sex without a condom and another form of protection

  4. Always have something positive to say

  5. Never have sex without a condom and another form of protection

  6. Always have your sibling’s back

  7. Never have sex without a condom and another form of protection

  8. No sex with clients

  9. Never have sex without a condom and another form of protection

  10. Never do more than lightly flirt with co-workers

  Books by Lisa Hughey

  Black Cipher Files Romantic Suspense

  The Encounter, A Prequel to Blowback

  Blowback

  Betrayals

  Burned

  The Seven

  Archangel Rafe

  Archangel Zach…Coming Soon

  Snow Creek Christmas

  Love on Main Street: A Snow Creek Christmas – 7 Author anthology

  One Silent Night (from Love on Main Street)

  Miracle on Main Street (standalone novella)

  Family Stone Romantic Suspense