A Rancher’s Bride: The Stones of Heart Falls: Book 3

by Arend, Vivian

  Damn the man. The instant he loosened his grip she wiggled free, catching her balance before wrapping her fingers around his girth.

  Luke groaned as she dragged her hand upward. “Kelli.”

  He had a hand on her breast, squeezing tightly before deliberately easing off.

  “Now,” she snapped. “Dammit, Luke. Fuck me already.”

  As if a dam had burst, he moved. Crowding her against the wall, pinning her hips in place, he cupped her breasts and put his mouth over her. Sucking and biting as he worked his teeth along her skin and up her neck.

  Multitasking somehow because when he lifted her a second later, dragging her left leg over his hip and opening her wide, he already had the condom on.

  He rocked his erection between her folds, moisture spreading against her clit as her labia opened. Wrapping around him, getting him wet.

  His tongue drove into her mouth with the same rhythm. Mimicking sex, driving her higher.

  Luke pulled back far enough to look into her eyes as he lifted her slightly higher. The thick head of his cock slipped a little deeper. Poised now at her opening.

  “Yes,” she hissed.

  Slow, slow and then, as his face tightened, he rocked his hips forward and buried himself deep. Filling her completely with one thrust.

  Oh my God, it felt good. Kelli dug her fingers into his shoulders and panted, waiting for her body to stop buzzing, but that wasn’t happening anytime soon. Not with him touching her, teasing her.

  Dragging his hands over her thighs and ass as if he couldn’t stop.

  She was just about to tell him to get going when he read her mind, slipping an arm under her knee and widening her thighs to the point if she wasn’t flexible, it wouldn’t have worked.

  A smartass comment rose to her tongue, but before she could get it out, he was fucking her. Pulling back slow enough that every thick inch rubbed hypersensitive nerves.

  Plunging forward in a way that knocked his shaft against her clit before connecting his firm abdomen on hers. Each move crushed her breasts against him and gave her nowhere to retreat.

  Pull back, thrust. Back, then forward again. Harder now, the sound of his breathing harsh in her ears as he leaned his head on the wall beside her. Fingers dug into her butt cheeks as he controlled the motion, relentlessly driving deep. Again, and again, as tension spiraled out of control.

  The faint scent of chlorine clung to their skin, but it was all Luke in her nostrils. The taste of him in her mouth. The feel of him draped over her, and on her, and in her.

  Connected and so very deliciously dirty as he sped up. Harsh, short motions meant to send her over the edge. He adjusted position to put her weight on one arm. When he brought his free hand up to his mouth and licked his fingers, Kelli held her breath.

  He slid his hand over her belly and made contact with her clit, rubbing hard as he pounded deep.

  She rocked back, arching as pleasure descended in a rush. Her sex squeezed tight around him and she moaned his name.

  Luke swore, leaning into her. His thrusts grew erratic, out-of-sync, as he threw back his head and came.

  The two of them jerked and jolted as if they’d pressed up against an electric fence. Twitching. Shaking. Panting.

  The room spun for a long time, and until the world went solid, she just stayed there, satisfaction rolling through her system.

  Wow.

  Finally, Kelli loosened her grip, releasing her fingers one at a time from where she’d dug into his shoulders.

  Luke twisted his head until he could press his lips to her cheek. She turned toward him, and they reconnected. Gentler touches now, and another unsteady inhale as they attempted to get their breathing under control.

  He was still inside her.

  Just the thought of that was huge, and as Kelli let her fingers drift over the side of his face, staring into his eyes, she felt a little fragile.

  It’d been more perfect than she’d expected. With how many years she’d had to work on this fantasy, he’d had a lot to live up to.

  She traced a finger over his lips, staring at them. “We might want to go clean up the living room,” she whispered. “Before Jack and Diane get back.”

  “Good idea. I’ll get right on that as soon as my legs decide to work again.” He nipped at her fingertips, a soft smile curling his lips. “Was that fun?”

  She hummed as if giving it thought. “I think so, but to be absolutely sure, we’d better try again.”

  “Of course. Practice makes perfect.” He pulled out slowly, ignoring her noise of complaint. And as he carried her to the shower and put her down with a look of promised heat, Kelli realized she didn’t have much to complain about.

  “Again?” she asked.

  His sexy grin answered that question.

  * * *

  It was tempting to forget the entire reason they were there and just stay in bed with Kelli. Only the fact that she would be too sore to walk if he kept this up made Luke resist from going back for a third time in rapid succession.

  The shower had been a great chance to explore and play until they’d driven each other so wild he was thankful he only had to march across to the vanity to grab a condom.

  Although he was not telling Lisa her gift had come in handy.

  He brought Kelli back to their bed and dried her off, her amused expression clear that she was humouring him.

  “Grin all you want, I’m not embarrassed.” He tossed the towel away, stretching beside her so he could continue to run his hands over her skin.

  “You’re a lot more touchy-feely than I expected, that’s all.”

  He swooped the back of his knuckles over her breasts, circling her nipples. Smiling as they peaked. “What makes you say that?”

  “None of you Stone boys are big huggers,” she pointed out. “Except maybe Dustin, and I think he tries to hide it because he doesn’t want any of you giving him grief.”

  “Maybe it has something to do with the fact we’re constantly touching stuff doing chores.” He frowned as he spotted faint bruises on her forearms. “You did end up hurt.”

  Kelli wiggled up on her elbows. “Took you until now to notice?”

  Luke shrugged, leaning in to kiss her skin delicately. “I wasn’t looking at your arms earlier. There were a few more distracting parts.”

  Like her breasts, which were right there, inches from his lips…

  Before he could give in to temptation, he pushed up and kissed the tip of her nose. “Get dressed.”

  She sighed. “Okay. Suiting up.”

  They were dealing with the breadcrumb trail of clothing they’d left from the front door to their bedroom, the evidence nearly hidden away, when Kelli’s phone rang.

  She glanced down with a frown. “Unknown number.” She answered it, her eyes widening instantly. “Yes, ma’am. I’m free right now. Where would you like to meet?”

  Kelli flashed a thumbs-up right as Luke’s phone went off, and he reached to check his messages.

  Walker.

  In the background, Kelli was still on the phone. “I can be down in about five minutes,” she offered. “Okay, I’ll see you then.”

  She hung up, mouth open in a silent scream.

  Luke lifted a brow. “I take it you’re abandoning me?”

  “For a bit. Oh my God, Luke. Mrs. Petrie wants to chat. Said she needs to know more about Silver Stone, and did I like my tea sweet or not?”

  Kelli bounced with excitement. He pulled her against him and squeezed tightly before tipping her head. Locking gazes. “Said you were a rock star.”

  “I don’t think rock stars have this much fun,” she offered, leaning upon her tiptoes and kissing him enthusiastically before slipping from his arms and shoving her feet into her boots. A second later she had a jacket on and was headed out the door. “If you see Diane before me, tell her we’ll talk later. Oh, and text me if you need me.”

  “Same,” he reminded her.

  She was off before he could say anyt
hing else. No time to share how much fun he’d had, or how perfect the last few hours had been.

  Maybe it was a good thing because his brain was really pushing forward too fast, the way this new status quo felt so very right. Damn, Kelli was the best thing that had happened to him, and finally becoming aware of it—

  Instead of texting his brother back, Luke put through a call in the hopes Walker was somewhere with reception.

  “Hey. I didn’t want to interrupt you in case you were in the middle of a deal,” Walker said. “You keeping busy?”

  Momentary guilt set in, because for the last couple of hours Luke hadn’t been doing anything to progress the financial interests of Silver Stone.

  Then again, he couldn’t be socializing the entire time. “Just taking a break. It’s not like attending the rodeo or a press event. We’re talking about horses, and Silver Stone, but it’s definitely more about getting to know people.”

  Walker made a noncommittal noise. “Not to put the pressure on or anything, but any of those people seemed interested in tossing cash our direction?”

  “Kelli just headed out to an invite with the grande dame from Trafalgar stables.” Luke grinned as he spoke. “Kelli’s charming the birds out of the trees, Walker. So damn cool to watch her.”

  His brother didn’t answer for a moment, and when he did he sounded amused. “I take it you’re happy you asked her along?”

  Shit. Had he misjudged the situation? “Yeah, she’s doing wonders, but I’m sorry. I should’ve asked if you wanted to come.”

  “Oh, hell no. I wasn’t giving you grief for leaving me out. I’m glad you didn’t thrust me into the limelight again. I’ve done my share of that. I was just wondering how things were going between you and Kelli.”

  It was on the tip of Luke’s tongue to confess everything, but that was a potential disaster since he still didn’t really know what was going on, or what would be happening when he got home.

  When they got home.

  Yeah, the fact he and Kelli had hit the sheets wasn’t something to toss out in a phone call. He’d prefer to be home to deal with any problems in person. If there were problems.

  There might not be, if their fling was over.

  I’m not ready for it to be over…

  Lord, he didn’t know what was going on. Keeping his mouth shut was the smartest idea.

  “We’re great. Having a blast.” He thought that through a little harder and hurried to add, “Actually, we’re slaving night and day. You know, it’s been totally exhausting. I might need to have a bit of a holiday when I get home.”

  Walker chuckled. “Ass.”

  “Bro. You should’ve seen the size of the steak I was forced to eat last night.”

  “Because Silver Stone’s honour depended on it?”

  “Pretty much.” His phone buzzed. “Got another call. Chat later.”

  “Break a leg.”

  Luke switched lines, eyes widening as he spotted the name on the call display. Arabian Treasures. That was Timothy Carlyn’s spread.

  The man got straight to the point. “You have time for a coffee?”

  “Of course. Where would you like to meet?”

  Timothy gave him directions. Luke hung up with the sense of fairytale magic stealing over him. For scoring them an invitation to this event, Bertram was not getting a bottle of the good stuff, he was getting a case.

  Luke double-checked in the mirror before heading to his meeting, hurrying to the main floor and keeping an eye out for Kelli. Not that she needed checking up on, but it would give him a kick to see her hobnobbing with Mrs. Petrie again.

  Timothy Carlyn rose to his feet and shook Luke’s hand, but his gaze drifted. “I hoped Kelli would be with you.”

  Something a little dark and dangerous slid into his gut before Luke could choke it off. “She’s with the ladies. Is that a problem?”

  Carlyn gestured to the edge of the room. Comfortable overstuffed leather seats were arranged on either side of a low table that held a coffee pot and a tray of goodies. “Not at all. I just wanted you to know she’s always welcome. I don’t believe in keeping women shuttered off when we talk business.”

  As an excuse, his explanation made some sense, but it was also strange considering they weren’t really here to talk business. Unless they were—

  Luke gave up trying to second-guess.

  Carlyn was the ultimate professional, bringing the conversation around to a discussion of recent Silver Stone bloodlines that were showing great strength. Luke fell into data and breeding plans, and things were going smoothly until Carlyn turned the topic.

  Back on Kelli.

  “So it’s just a recent thing, your engagement?”

  Luke’s spine stiffened. “Very.”

  Grey eyes examined him before the man glanced out the window, coffee held in mid-air. “Weren’t you engaged to Miss Talisman for a number of years?”

  A blunt question after everyone else had inched around this topic. Still, it wasn’t something Luke needed to hide. “We were, but we called it off in August. It was mutual, and we’re still friends.”

  “And now you’re with Kelli.” Timothy put his cup down. “Relax, son. I’m not accusing you of anything. I find it interesting that Kelli’s been at Silver Stone for a long time, and you’re just now discovering what a good match you are.”

  “Sometimes it’s hard to see things that are right before our eyes,” Luke admitted with complete honesty.

  Something in his tone must have made that clear because Carlyn nodded slowly. “You know anything about Kelli’s family? She reminds me of someone.”

  That was a shot in the dark. Luke opened his mouth then closed it.

  Damn. He didn’t know anything about Kelli’s family. No way was he was going to confess that, though.

  He scrambled for something else to say. “Not sure where there might be a connection. Who does she remind you of? Maybe we can figure out if there’s a reason.”

  Timothy suddenly straightened, fidgeting with his coat. “Oh, it was just a random thought. Nothing to worry about. I’ll think about it a bit more. See if I can’t figure it out on my own.”

  The other man stood abruptly, catching Luke unawares.

  He had to scramble to his feet as Timothy offered a farewell handshake. “Sorry, have to run. Forgot I was expecting a call.”

  “No problem,” Luke assured him.

  But Timothy Carlyn was already gone, the square cut of his shoulders ramrod straight as he rapidly marched away.

  Luke watched him go, thoroughly confused, and now thoroughly curious.

  Why had he never asked Kelli about her family before?

  13

  By the time Saturday came to a close, it was late. Jack and Diane were curled up by the fire, which meant she and Luke had retreated to their bedroom.

  They sat on the bed, and she finally got to tell Luke all the things she’d chatted about with Sadie Petrie. Luke was quiet as she shared, but he nodded at all the right places.

  Then he turned out the lights and made love to her, teasing and touching until she squirmed with desire. Sexual satisfaction stole in and wrapped her up as tightly as the grip he used to hold her against his body.

  The next two days passed quickly, and Kelli should have felt exhausted. Truth was, between the excitement and the sex, she was running on sheer adrenaline.

  It’s not as if she hadn’t worked around the clock before, but she didn’t want to miss a thing.

  Monday she and Luke joined the Petries for dinner. Joseph Petrie apologized for monopolizing them, but Kelli didn’t mind. Sadie was a hoot, and neither of the couple blinked an eye when she ordered a steak the size of Luke’s then stole a few slices off his plate to boot.

  They were back up in the room when Diane announced all four of them were going dancing for the evening. Kelli was tempted to leap at Luke with a squeal of delight.

  Instead she patted his cheek mischievously. “Told you we needed our jeans.”
>
  Jack laughed. Diane pulled him from the room, but none of them wasted any time before regrouping and heading downstairs.

  “This isn’t a part of the hotel that’s been booked off for the gala and our all-inclusive setup,” Jack warned them. “It’s the regular hotel pub, but it sounds as if they draw a good crowd.”

  “So it’s not an open bar.” Kelli shrugged. “Not a problem. I don’t want to drink, I want to dance.”

  The place was strangely packed for a resort hidden in the mountains. When she said something about it to Luke, he shrugged.

  His arm was draped around her shoulders as they made their way into the crowded room. “There are a lot of staff working places like the Palisade. I imagine when they get time to kick up their heels, it’s nice to not have to travel far.”

  She glanced around, eyeing the couples already on the floor. Checking out which guys looked as if they could keep the beat.

  Utter shock struck when Luke pulled her forward with him, and for a second she just stood there, staring at him in confusion.

  He laughed as he slipped their fingers together, using the hand on her hip to pull her against his body. “Were you really looking for a dance partner?”

  “Old habits die hard,” she offered as an excuse. “Maybe we can’t dance,” Kelli teased.

  The heat in Luke’s eyes deepened. “Darlin’, we’ve been dancing. We’ll do just fine.”

  He whirled her, and he was right. There was no awkwardness, no uneasy steps. It was as if they were made for each other. Kelli relaxed into his arms and let him take control.

  They’d gone around for a half-dozen songs before he motioned to the side. “Break time.”

  “I need some water,” she agreed, “and a pit stop.”

  He pointed toward the ladies’ room. She went up on her toes and kissed his cheek before heading off. A quick glance over her shoulder showed he was staring at her ass, a smile stretching across his face. Kelli wiggled her hips a little harder as she sashayed away.

  Top of the world, that’s where she was. Absolutely top of the world.

  She stepped into the bathroom, whistling happily then jerking to a stop as a woman snapped back from her position in front of the mirror.