Adored By The Rancher: Mail Order Brides Box Set

by Dreams, Brittany

  "In the closet?”

  Lilah waved her hand impatiently. “Yes. Just a few minutes. He’s talking about business. Damn it. I want him to stop talking about business with me and I have a plan.”

  “A plan.”

  “And I need to practice. Humor me.”

  Finn shrugged. “Okay.”

  “And I absolutely need – oh. Okay.”

  She took a deep breath, not expecting him to instantly agree. But she wasn't going to argue. Calming her nerves, Lilah started.

  “So I have this – why are you coming closer?”

  His warm body was suddenly very close, but his look was casual. Her back was on the wall, so there was nowhere to go. “Don’t worry. You’re not my type. This is practice.”

  Lilah sneered. “You’re not my type, either.”

  “Obviously.”

  This was getting nowhere fast, but she really had no choice. It was now or never. Taking a deep breath, Lilah started again.

  “So I read this book.”

  “Book?”

  “Yes, this book. Humor me.”

  His gray eyes danced. “Alright. What book?”

  She tilted her head, angling it enough so she could look him straight in the eye, and let him smell her lily scent.

  “Oh, just a book. Book with some…acts.”

  “…acts.”

  She stepped closer and deliberately inhaled, eye contact lowering as her chest touched his for a second. She felt him go still.

  “Acts of a man and a woman. There’s this thing about the tongue and the things it can do to...pleasure a man.”

  “The…tongue?”

  “Oh, yes. Tongue. Perhaps you’d like to…give it a try.”

  "..."

  "Like...right now."

  “Delilah.”

  Lilah finally looked back up – and her breath stopped. His eyes no longer danced. Finn was looking at her with an expression that had her heartbeat thudding fast.

  The mood shifted, the air around them growing thick with tension. Nervous, she licked her lower lip.

  His gaze slid to her mouth.

  Practice. I won’t feel anything.

  It was like being possessed by a desire that she couldn’t control, as she licked her lower lip again and found his hooded gaze darkening in response. Their breaths quietly mingled in the air. He didn’t move, but a slight tic on his jaw indicated his not-so-firm hold on control. She felt herself moving out of her own accord.

  Warning bells sounded in her head. Ignoring it, Lilah stood on tiptoe.

  Then she kissed him.

  ---

  Her kiss was experimental and almost shy, but it might as well have been a train bulleting right through his body as he hardened all over.

  No tongue. No contact, other than their lips.

  Lilah tasted like Lilah – sharp, fresh and all fire.

  Sister. Almost-sister. Fucking sis—

  He kissed her back, opening his mouth fully and putting his palms on the wall on either side of her. His tongue finally asked for entrance.

  Her mouth yielded against him, opening completely.

  His fists tightened against the wall.

  He must keep it light. No touching – absolutely no touching.

  To control himself, he kept the kiss short and feathered his kisses elsewhere – her soft cheeks, her creamy throat, the sensitive skin behind her ear…

  She trembled against him, a whispered sound coming out of her lips that had his blood pounding in quick response. It made him want to swallow those sounds with his mouth, calling to him like a warrior's beat. It made him want to touch her at her core and slide his cock inside, and hear her moan his name. Over and over.

  Oh, he was going to hell.

  Dimly, voices registered in the background.

  “I wonder where she is…”

  “…good cookies…”

  “Upstairs…”

  Raggedly, quietly, he tore his lips away from her skin.

  Seconds passed, not a single one of them moving. The voices disappeared.

  Finn opened his eyes, and found her green ones staring at him, clouded with lust. He opened his mouth to say something.

  She banked down her expression and lifted her chin.

  “Thank you for letting me practice.”

  What?

  Before Finn could get a word in edgewise, she was already out the closet door, leaving him alone and annoyed and aching.

  Right. Practice.

  Two things clicked in place for him as his resolution toughened.

  One, he wanted the irritating, odd, prickly woman.

  Two, he wasn’t going to do anything about it.

  Chapter 5

  Lilah sneaked inside Finn’s room at the break of dawn, a speech and a reason already in her head. There was a lump in the middle of his huge bed, and she hoped to God that there wasn’t anyone with him at the moment.

  James invited her to a party and she needed a dress, because tonight was the night.

  Without further ado, she went beside his bed, lowered her head and whistled like an alarm beside the lump that was probably his head.

  No movement.

  She poked him with a finger, and…nothing.

  Impatient, she poked him harder, wishing he’d wake up so—

  A hand shot out in the air, circling around her wrist and dragging her in bed before she could so much as squeal. Then she was turned until her back was flat on the sheets, and a long shadow was on top of her, and—

  Finn.

  Finn settled his naked, warm body on hers, and she felt his heat sear in her before she could control her reaction. She prepared herself to shout as panic set in.

  Something hot and hard ground against her very center, and she froze as sheer liquid heat pulsed in her core. There was a soft murmur, before his mouth covered hers.

  The panic scattered away as her mind blanked, and desire flooded in a vicious eruption. It clawed at her, leaving her raw and writhing beneath him before she could stop herself. It was an open-mouthed kiss, hot and persuasive, one that had her tasting him fully – and for the life of her she couldn’t stop herself from kissing him back, from touching his skin. He was hot, and he was male, and he felt so real.

  This felt real.

  His mouth left hers, trailing kisses over her throat, making her moan.

  Then he stopped.

  His breathing was harsh, erotically so, as he rasped in her ear.

  “What are you doing in my bed?”

  Words were scrambling in her mind, like sand through fingers. “I – party – I don’t.” Then, “James.”

  His body stilled, his sleepy eyes going clear and unreadable.

  Silence filled the air.

  “Morning wood.”

  “What?”

  “Morning wood,” he murmured softly. “I thought some other woman was in my bed.”

  The insult snuck through her and left her stunned, even when it wasn’t even an insult to begin with. It was probably the truth.

  It shouldn’t matter.

  “I…James invited me to a party. I need help.”

  His dangerous mouth breathed gently on her ear, making her shiver. Her own mouth itched, moving a fraction to his skin. His skin was hot. Too hot—

  “You have a fever, Finn.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “But you—”

  “I’m fine.”

  Suddenly he was off her, bringing the blankets with him – along with the weight and the warmth. And then he was striding for the door, with only a few parting words.

  “I’ll get you a dress.”

  Lilah stared at the ceiling and tried not to imagine his naked backside when he left. Then she tried to control her palpitating heart. So she lusted after the guy - and damn it, he made her feel things. So what? It was nothing.

  Tonight was the night.

  ---

  “He’s not here.”

  “He will be.”

&n
bsp; “He’s never late.”

  “Calm down.”

  “I am calm.”

  Her insistence at the last statement had Finn smiling slightly as he scanned the crowd, looking for his surprisingly late brother.

  It was one of his cousin’s birthdays, held at a posh hotel in the middle of the city, and it was now in full swing as relatives and guests mingled. The theme was simple elegance, and everywhere he turned he saw things shimmering and sparkling - from glasses to dresses and shoes, to diamonds on their throats and jewels on their cuffs.

  Even having grown up in a rich family, this has never been his kind of scene. He would rather be in the kitchen and cook – better yet, be with Lilah and put his hands on—

  Yeah, stop.

  This lust was getting out of hand and it was threatening to drive him insane. But lust was natural. The best way to deal with it was to find a woman somewhere and slake it.

  Or better yet, find James fast so Lilah would no longer be near him the whole time, distracting him with her fascinating contrasts.

  And so he scanned the room, and ignored the woman standing beside him.

  They mingled after a while, him off to his favorite cousin Serena and her to some old friends. She’d worn the white dress he’d suggested, a simple little thing that worked wonderfully for her skin and her eyes. His brother would be an idiot not to notice this, and appreciate it.

  Other people were obviously appreciating it – particularly one of James’ business associates, Marcus, who was staring at her in interest and flirting while she animatedly talked to him. The sight made Finn frown. Without thinking about what he was doing, he strode to where they were, and stood right beside Lilah.

  Marcus looked at him in surprise, cut off mid-flirting.

  “James wants to see you,” Finn intoned without preamble.

  Lilah blinked. “What?”

  “James,” he repeated.

  “But…he’s not even here?”

  He thought fast. “On the phone. He called me and wanted to speak with you.”

  There were so many things wrong with that explanation – particularly that Lilah had a phone of her own, and a working number. But she only raised a brow, and let him lead her away from a very puzzled Marcus.

  “We were having a very wonderful chat, you know.”

  “I noticed.”

  “What’s the deal?”

  “He’s an idiot.”

  She blinked again, her mouth forming an O. “…and?”

  “He likes you.”

  “…and?”

  Impatiently, Finn waved a hand. “You’re here for James, right?”

  “And he’s not here.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Finn finally saw his brother in a suit as he entered the room. Without breaking stride, Finn nodded his head in that direction. “He’s here now.”

  Lilah’s eyes widened as she sucked in a breath, her hand automatically going to Finn’s arm as if to steady herself. He didn’t move, aware of that hand, as she gripped at him as if for support.

  Quietly, his own hand went to her elbow. He felt its warmth before taking her arm away, sliding down her hand for a second…then cutting the connection.

  “You’ll do well. Have fun,” was all he said.

  Then he left.

  ---

  Before midnight struck, Lilah invited James for a private moment and took courage by the horns. She was nervous and giddy and slightly tipsy, and there was no other best moment for revelations like this.

  “I love you.”

  James looked at her quietly.

  “I always have, James.”

  “I…had a feeling.”

  His answer left her stunned, and almost reeling back. But the alcohol was doing something to her system, and before she knew it, she was stepping closer, and so was he.

  “Can I kiss you?” she asked. She meant for seduction to come, in small and erotic heartbeats, but he was already pulling her towards him without words, and his mouth was on hers.

  It was as natural as breathing, and hot. It was purposeful and determined, as he framed her face with his hands, as if she was some precious treasure to cherish. He was a great kisser, attentive and masterful, coaxing a response in her until she was kissing him back with all her might – all the frustration, the desire that built up to this moment, this contact.

  And then the alarm bells came.

  Finn’s face floated in her mind. Finn’s laugh, and his wicked comebacks, and his wicked mouth. Everything they shared together came back as panic set in, wrenching her away from James like a tide of violence she couldn’t control.

  James was staring at her with what might have been pleasure, tinged with regret.

  And then everything clicked into place.

  Their breaths were heaving, and so they took a minute to get it back to normal, as the space filled with silence.

  It was James who spoke first.

  “Not what you expected, huh?”

  It was more than she’d expected, more than what she wanted. But it didn’t set her soul on fire as she’d needed. She was flushed all over as her mind and heart warred, as realization came crashing like a painful, broken glass sliding against her skin.

  “Was it…what you expected, James?”

  He smiled sadly at her. “I think we both know the answer to that.”

  Silence.

  “Can I at least take you home, Lilah?”

  Lilah looked him in the eye. “Can you take me to your brother?”

  He looked back at her for a minute, as realization and understanding came. “Of course.”

  She refused to acknowledge his understanding, because really - what was there to understand?

  She wasn’t in love with James, and Finn wanted nothing more. That was all there was to it.

  "I'm just gonna check on his fever. Then I'm leaving."

  "...of course."

  Chapter 6

  His fever was raging, and his dreams were taking him to places he didn’t quite understand. Shadows stalked him, vicious and spiteful, chasing him at the edges of the wind.

  Then soft hands were caressing him, and a voice was murmuring that everything was going to be okay. He smelled lilies, an addictive scent.

  The shadows were kept at bay. His dreams cleared in peace.

  ---

  When Finn woke up, it was to aching muscles and darkness. The fact that he wasn’t shivering anymore told him that his fever was gone, and in its place was recovery. With a quiet groan, he made a move to shift in his bed.

  Then stopped.

  He stilled as he felt warmth beside him, and a solid object resting on his chest.

  Turning his head, he found Lilah in bed – his bed – sleeping soundly. Her breathing was normal, and her body was lax, still in the white dress she’d had on last night. There were dried tears on her eyelids, and the sight of them had him staring, almost afraid to move. Instead of fully turning, he shifted a little instead, adjusting his hips as he stretched and tried to sit up.

  A small towel fell from his forehead to her arm. She didn't move.

  In the still-dark room, he assessed the other small towels at his night table, the basin of water and the opened capsule containers. It didn't take him long to deduce that it was she who helped keep the fever down, and she who stayed the night to make sure he was alright.

  Lilah stirred, murmuring something in her sleep.

  Fatigue settling in on him, Finn simply looked at her for a full minute before drifting back into slumber.

  When he woke up a second time to full sunlight in his room, indicating the start of a new morning, he turned to his side, seeking her out to bring her closer. Instead he found the bed empty.

  She was gone.

  ---

  Lilah was taking stock of her inventory in the bookstore very early in the morning when Finn walked in without further ado, an irritated expression on his face as he uttered words that left her stunned.

  "I beg you
r pardon?"

  "No one leaves my bed without my permission."

  The way he repeated it was slow and clear, with just enough arrogance to have her narrowing her eyes. Slowly, Lilah closed the book she was holding and stood up to her full height - which wasn't much, but by God, she was going to use every inch of it.

  "What exactly are you implying?"

  "I'm saying that none of the women-"

  "I am not one of them. I was helping you out."

  "I don't need help."

  “I—”

  “You were crying.”

  She blinked at the change of topic. “What?”

  “In my bed earlier. I saw you crying. What did my brother do?”

  A dangerous tone had taken on his voice, as calm as a storm about to strike.

  She backed away. “Nothing. I kissed him.”

  Quietly, Finn stalked closer. “Did he hurt you?”

  “No.”

  “Then why were you in my room?”

  Patience running thin from lack of sleep, Lilah grit her teeth. “I was taking care of you. Obviously you’re too arrogant to ask for help.”

  “I don’t need—”

  “Neither did I need to be there, but I will help whether you like it or not. And I’m busy right now. You need to leave.”

  “What happened with James?”

  “Nothing. We kissed and then nothing. Now leave.”

  “No.”

  “I have a date with Marcus for lunch. Leave. The door’s right there.”

  This was a lie, just to get rid of him. If she said she was dating Marcus, perhaps he'd leave her alone. She needed peace, and time away from him.

  It was the wrong thing to say.

  “No. We will discuss Marcus.”

  Her temper finally snapped. “Oh, just leave me alone!”

  “No, Lilah—”

  She walked out on him before he could finish.

  Of all the stupid things! Lilah's fury boiled over, a violent thing that made her want to hit something - particularly him, with his arrogance and his idiotic ways. One of his women. Then discussing Marcus like he had the right? He'd all but abandoned her that night at the party, as if he wanted nothing to do with her anymore. Of all the chauvinistic, pigheaded things to say-

  An iron grip clamped on her wrist.

  Before she could protest, her body was being backed away on a solid wall of books - section 18, literary classics. Great, just great.