The Romeo Arrangement: A Small Town Romance

by Nicole Snow

  “Grace?” he says. “Still with the living, babe?”

  Oh my God.

  How much time did I lose?

  I flop back against the bed and groan, loving how the cool air feels against the sheen of sweat left behind by his antics.

  “Sorry,” I gasp. “It’s just...it’s been awhile.”

  He leans over, threading his fingers through my hair, bringing me back to life with another one of those kisses far too X-rated for Sleeping Beauty comparisons.

  “Good. Means you’re ready to have some fun,” he tells me.

  “Oh?” My heart beats even faster again.

  He grasps the hem of my shirt, pulling it up, over my head and off my arms. My boobs have been begging for his hands all night, still are, and at the first touch, my nipples go hard.

  “I promise,” he says, kissing my chin. “You’ll walk away satisfied—if you can walk at all.”

  Promises, promises.

  The bad news is, I know now what he’s truly capable of.

  What sounds like a brag is really fair warning when it’s Ridge Barnet saying it.

  “What about you?” I ask, trying to sound sexy.

  I’m sure I sound more like a bundle of nerves.

  He chuckles softly. “I’ll get everything I need. Don’t you worry.”

  It’s hard not to shudder at how sure, how smug, how determined he sounds.

  That thrills a dark part of me, and my eyes drop to his pants.

  He laughs, reaching for my hands.

  Reading my mind, he guides them toward his waist, bathing me in blue-eyed heat.

  I catch hold of his belt as I sit up, helping unbuckle it while he pulls his shirt off. As I unsnap his jeans, he pushes down, kicks off his pants, then falls on top of me as we both smile.

  Skin to skin, heat to heat, soul to soul, we share another deep kiss, tasting and teasing until my senses whirl, my heart pounding, a fire lit between my legs so hot it scares me.

  His hands caress my sides, my breasts, teasing my nipples as his mouth slips off mine.

  He’s too good at what he does, trailing soft kisses down my neck, along my shoulder blades, slowly moving down. I nearly explode as he sucks one of my nipples, then the other.

  Ridge looks up, this feral glint in his eyes, reminding me of every wicked thing he did to me before with that tongue.

  It’s happening again.

  Only this time, there’s no easy relief, no way to keep my nails off him as they press into his skin.

  Please!

  I know when he gives me that fullness throbbing behind his boxers, barely covered, it’s going to deliver the orgasm of the century.

  “Ridge!” I whisper, a brilliant, hot flush spreading over me. “Enough. I want you. So bad. Now.”

  So yes, it’s bad when I can’t form complete sentences.

  He kisses my stomach slowly.

  I can barely move, everything below the waist turned to jelly, and I’m still riled for more. But as he steps away from the bed, confusion fills me.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To the bathroom. Condom.” He winks. “And this time I won’t even have to worry about hiding anything from Tobin.”

  “Hurry!” I whisper.

  Even while I’m basking in the sweet anticipation, I’m fully aware of how hungry I am.

  How eager I am to see what he looks like when he comes and hear the pleasure snarling out of him.

  He’s seen me twice.

  Fair is fair.

  He returns a moment later, naked and glorious.

  My eyes instantly fall to his erection.

  Uh-oh.

  Apparently, the Barnet family jewels are actually museum-worthy. Like, ready to be displayed in a gallery with every artist who ever spent hours of their life crafting the perfect manhood.

  He’s thick. He’s granite-hard. He’s pulsing.

  He’s alive and wide-awake with an eagerness that freaks me out as much as it enthralls me.

  The very thought of feeling him inside me makes my pulse roar in my ears.

  “I’m clean, in case you’re wondering,” he says, climbing on the bed. “We’re not all degenerate fuck-machines with unlimited money. I’ve never slept with anyone without a condom and never done anything harder than a couple joints in my teens.”

  I smile. It’s sweet that he’s able to rein in his lust enough to be real.

  His commitment to his health and mine warms my heart.

  “Ditto. In case you were wondering,” I say, mirroring back his words with a wink. “Mom was good with the birds and the bees. Use the pill for true love and condoms for fun. That was her motto.”

  “Smart lady.”

  My heart swells. “She was. She also had a body kinda like this when she was younger.”

  “Fuck,” he growls, burning me alive with those hellfire eyes as his gaze sweeps across me. “You slaughter me, Grace.”

  Somehow, I think it’s the other way around a moment later.

  Ridge moves in for another all-too-maddening kiss, tongue chasing mine, palming one breast.

  He strokes my full curve, twirling the nipple, raising my temperature from oh, no to inferno.

  Low thunder echoes in his throat as he cups my face in both hands, waiting for me to look at him.

  “Gonna let you in on a secret: I’ve never wanted to be inside a woman so bad in my life.” His lips brush mine as he speaks, pulling my bottom lip again with his teeth.

  Dead.

  I’m telling this story from the Great Beyond (not really).

  “Funny,” I whisper, trying to stay cool. “I’ve never wanted a man inside me like I do you, right now.”

  Truer words were never spoken. Even if they’re the kind that make me want to hide my face under the covers.

  I’ve never been a dirty talker, but God...for this man, a woman could learn.

  He smiles, strokes my hair, and finally looks down at his length, pulsing with a life of its own against his abs.

  Anticipation fills me as I watch him rip open a condom packet with his teeth, toss the foil behind him, and take my hand. He pushes the rubbery sheath into it.

  “Do the honors, darlin’.”

  I never thought those goofy Sex Ed lessons like sliding a condom onto something as thick as a banana would come in handy. With Ridge, it’s not even ample practice. He’s bigger.

  Thankfully, I manage to get it fit snug without embarrassing myself.

  We lock eyes as I wrap my hand around him, pumping his fullness.

  Oh, hell yeah.

  Here we go.

  He moves between my legs, then positions himself above me, grinning. “We’ll go slow. Tell me if I hurt you,” he whispers.

  Legs spread, I lift my hips toward him, ignoring his warning.

  “Please!”

  I bite my lip, watching his hips roll back, gripping his cock by the base as he pushes forward. He bares his teeth like an animal in rut.

  His swollen head enters me, feeling so divine I lurch, letting out my pleasure in a breathy moan.

  Full penetration completely slays me.

  He stretches me, pressing deeper, one hot inch at a time.

  A blue-eyed god taking what’s his, rendering me down into a mess of nerves and emotion when he’s finally in to the hilt.

  “So fucking tight,” he grinds out. “Grab on, Grace. Won’t be stopping until this pussy comes for me real sweet.”

  He slides back, then dips into me again, a colossal moving machine of pure muscle marked with wild ink. My legs tangle with his and I try to match his rhythm.

  No easy task.

  Ridge surprises me every time, picking up his tempo, then pulling back to leave me in agony.

  He doesn’t do it like other men, rushing to their own selfish finish.

  Surprise, surprise, he’s a magician in the sheets.

  The slow-burn is his art form.

  Those hips know when to go turbo and when to peel back, when to cares
s and when to punish, when to make me shake and how to make me beg for dear life.

  Holy hell.

  The first O, he drags out of me, growling my name as he feels me convulse, tightening around every pistoning inch of him.

  “Grace!” he calls out, crashing straight through it, pummeling my hips and igniting this friction with his pubic bone on my clit.

  The pleasure comes so hot, so ruthless, it’s almost blinding.

  My vision vibrates, the whole freaking world, reality itself bowing to the insane fact that the Ridge Barnet is screwing me absolutely stupid.

  His thrusts rivet me to the bed, slowing just enough to catch my breath as I come down from the high.

  I should be satisfied.

  I should need a breather.

  But he’s triggered something deeper, more primal, this animal need to feel him come, to milk him dry.

  No, my brain doesn’t care about the condom.

  No, I’m not thinking like a rational human being anymore as I start panting, throwing my hips up to meet his, pulling him into me.

  My nails rake his back, clutching and tearing, totally gone in a riptide of ecstasy.

  And when he groans, shoves his forehead to mine, and our eyes lock in this lusty stare to the death, I drown in Ridge.

  He never takes his eyes off me on the final stretch of round one, his pace quickening, his cock reaching so deep inside me I have to fight back every scream.

  “Ridge!” I belt out, the only coherent word I’m able to still speak with another O threatening to take control.

  I want—I need—him to come with me.

  Luckily, I think he gets it.

  My gaze remains on him as long as possible, until my eyes flutter shut as the storm draws in, but I last just long enough to enjoy his pleasure growling out of him.

  Watching, feeling, loving how his muscles tighten, those bright-blue eyes transformed into velvet smoke a split second before his head whips back, and his groan shears the night.

  Then it’s just both of us in a collision of flesh and sounds that aren’t human.

  It’s heat and pressure and the feel of his cock expanding, throbbing, pouring out his savage tension as he thrusts to the hilt and claims me forever.

  Forever, distilled into one hot night.

  “Damn it, Grace,” he rumbles when I’m conscious enough to hear him again. “You got me at a three to one orgasm ratio. Usually I last a lot longer.”

  I smile. “Now you know how I feel. It’s embarrassing how fast, how easy I...”

  “Only one way to even the score,” he says, mischief dancing in his eyes as he strokes my hair. “Put that sweet mouth to work helping me up and I’ll show you what I mean.”

  He doesn’t have to.

  I already know, but of course that’s not even in the same universe as learning it in the flesh.

  A short time later, I realize I’d been wrong about one thing.

  I haven’t just had the orgasm of the century.

  The one that strikes next as Ridge eases me up after I’ve finished sucking him, flips me around, and mounts me from behind puts the last few climaxes to shame.

  I come so hard I break.

  It’s a miracle I only sleep a few hours past dawn after we finally bed down for the night.

  I wake up feeling happier than ever with his huge, inked arm around me. I’m careful to slide out so he can doze.

  Another hour later, after sneaking out of Ridge’s bedroom and showering, I walk to the cabin to check on Dad. Mixed emotions flit around my insides like unsettled hornets.

  No question, that was the most fun I’ve had in ages, the best sex of my life, and probably the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.

  All in one night.

  Crud city.

  “Good morning,” Jackie greets me. “He’s awake and super grumpy. I think that means he’s feeling better in Nelson-speak.”

  “Oh, good. You picked up his language fast.” Giggling as I walk through the living room, I have to admit she really is the best nurse we could’ve found.

  “Morning, Dad,” I say, entering his room and closing the door behind me.

  “What’s good about it?” he grumbles. “Nurse Ratched still won’t let me out of this damn bed.”

  He looks so much better than he did two days ago. There’s actual color in his face, he’s breathing normally, and it’s been a while since I’ve heard that ugly cough.

  I point to the oxygen tube. “Did she say you could take that off?”

  “Yeah, yeah, don’t worry. She’d have already shoved it back up my nose if she hadn’t.” He levels a serious gaze on me. “You went to town with Ridge last night, right? How was it?”

  He knew, I’d talked to him before leaving.

  “Fine and dandy.” I bite my tongue, not mentioning the hitch with Jess and the men prowling around the truck. “We went to this bar in town. Not the Bobcat, but a nicer one on Main, Libations, I think it was called. He announced our engagement just as planned.”

  It still feels weird saying those words.

  “Hmm. I didn’t think you’d agree at first, but then, I remembered you’re you. And you’ll do anything you possibly can for an old fool who bit off more than he could chew.” His face falls toward the ground. “I’ve been a shitty father.”

  Whoa.

  Clearly, someone’s been doing some heavy duty thinking while stuck in bed.

  My heart breaks a little as I take a shaky step toward him, studying the deep lines of age and stress on his face.

  I sit in the chair beside the bed, taking his hand. “No, you haven’t, Dad. You made serious mistakes, but...it wasn’t malicious. We never had much, and I know you grew up poor. Everything you’ve done was for me and Mom. You tried to give us something better, whatever the rights and wrongs.”

  I don’t think I’m convincing, judging by the sharp, sad look he throws back.

  My mind also tries treading down another road, but I won’t let it.

  I have enough to worry about without drowning in my own regrets. My own blame. My own stupid mistake trying to help the situation by fighting Clay and just making it worse.

  Dad doesn’t know about it, and if I have my way, he never will.

  “You’re making me more noble than I really am, Gracie. It was jackass pride, plain and simple.” He sighs, rolling his shoulders. “I hitched up with Clay for money. I was greedy, jealous, always hating how I busted my hump on the lines for years and saw the managers swapping out their rides every other year for cars I could only dream about. I wanted to buy your ma nice things, the farm she always wanted, and send you off to school without worrying about any damn loans. But I could’ve done that without Clay. If I hadn’t boxed myself in, if I hadn’t been so bitter, too old or stupid to learn anything new...”

  “Dad, no,” I whisper, rubbing his back. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

  Shaking his head, he solemnly adds, “I took the bait, the first easy money that came along. Stupidly thought I’d found us a golden ticket. Truth is, dirty money is always filthy. How many people did I help that bastard kill with the stuff he was shipping? How many folks ruined their lives or killed each other, fighting over that junk?”

  Drugs.

  Just like I always guessed.

  Jesus.

  He’s never admitted it outright before, but now...

  Now, I get it, and I know part of what’s been wrong with Dad wasn’t just his health. It was guilt, poison in the soul, constant and suffocating.

  Arguing won’t do him any good, though, so I nod.

  He isn’t wrong.

  Dirty money will always be filthy, even when it sucks good people in.

  “Well, hindsight is twenty-twenty.” I fold my hands on my lap.

  “I’m glad you have a good head on your shoulders. I didn’t want you to suffer, but Ridge’s plan is our only option now. It might even end all of this. You know it’s a game to call Grendal out of the woodwork. When it’s ov
er and done, then we’ll go wherever we want. Start over.” He pats my hand. “Hollywood folks get engaged and break up all the time, so no one’s even gonna question that. They’ll probably figure a man like Ridge would never settle for someone who wasn’t born with millions.”

  Ouch.

  My stomach sinks because he’s right.

  Fantabulous sex aside, it’s all a game.

  A plan to neutralize a monster so we’ll finally be free. He’s on-point about Ridge, too, and if I want to keep my heart intact, I’d better remember it.

  Hollywood princes don’t fall for pumpkin farmer peasants.

  16

  No Regrets (Ridge)

  It must be time to get up because Corny Pecker is screaming his beak off.

  For once, he’s on time, welcoming the morning like a normal rooster. I see it’s roughly nine o’clock when I sit up.

  His shrieking has nothing on the double jolt I get when I see Grace out the window.

  My heart wakes up and so does my cock.

  Even after hours of horizontal acrobatics, I still have the biggest hard-on of my life and zero regrets.

  I can’t muster up any guilt for taking her last night, indulging my lust, my desire.

  I’d started it on the dance floor, all for show, or so I’d thought.

  Technically, it was part of the act at Libations.

  But the showstopper aspect took on a life of its own, leaving me wanting Grace like I’ve never wanted anyone. When I came upstairs to find her, I knew damn well what I was doing.

  A grin jerks at my lips as I watch her enter the barn. She’d wanted me, too.

  Of course I sensed it long before we got home, practically felt the smoke rolling off her.

  I’d tried to not act on it, even when I came up sniffing around like a moose in rut, but seeing her in the hall shattered my restraint and my judgment.

  My senses are still beyond mangled as I clean up and head downstairs to my office, where I dick around with my accounts and reply to a few random fan emails from my website.

  Despite my shit-fight with Hollywood, I haven’t totally forgotten the people who love me.

  Every so often, I’ll write to answer a mundane question about one of my movies or promise to send them an autographed photo.