Ride a Rancher: Rancher Only Series

by Christensen, Elle

  At the moment, though, she was practically shooting daggers at me with her ocean-blue eyes. She looked almost as magnificent riled up as she did when she was flushed and dazed with passion. I couldn’t wait to see her laid out on my bed with her hair spread around her like a halo and her skin pink with desire. I couldn’t wait to sink inside her and feel her come around my cock.

  That thought led to how it would feel to take her bare, which then put the image in my head of Helena with a sweetly rounded belly. Fuck. Somehow, in the space of a few hours, I’d gone from having no time for anything but ranching to planning my future with Helena. I expected at least a part of my brain to reject the idea of love at first (okay, maybe second) sight. To my surprise, there was nothing other than peace and contentment at the thought. For a moment, I considered whether I might have grown a vagina considering how fucking sappy I was being, but the steel pipe between my thighs proved otherwise.

  “This has nothing to do with you, Stone Kensington,” she snipped. “It’s not like I need to worry about someone overhearing you making me scream.” Her tone was haughty, but her expression was wary. I almost smiled. She was obviously worried about my reaction, and I decided to take advantage of the situation.

  “That’s where you are wrong, baby.” Without warning, I swung her up into my arms and stalked back over to Pandora. Once Helena was seated, I jogged back over to the house, locked the door, and shut it. Then I returned to my girls and swung up into the saddle.

  “What do you—” Helena gasped when I slipped my arm around her middle and blatantly dragged her back against me, fitting her ass snugly up against my rock-hard cock.

  Before Helena could speak up again, I urged Pandora into a full gallop and headed straight for my land. Helena’s hands gripped my arm that was banded around her waist. I glanced down at her upturned face to make sure she wasn’t terrified but found her smiling widely, her eyes bright as she took in the scenery. When Pandora jumped the fence between our properties, Helena laughed joyfully, making a smile steal across my face.

  Once we were about halfway across my ranch, I slowed Pandora to a leisurely canter. Helena twisted her head and dropped it back so she could look up at me. “Where are we going?” she asked with a frown.

  “Home,” I replied.

  “But the bunkhouse—”

  “I swear, Helena. If you mention that fucking bunkhouse one more time, I’m going to spank your ass.”

  Helena whipped her head around to glare at me. “You wouldn’t dare.” Her blue eyes sparked with indignation, but I didn’t miss the tell-tale way her body shivered.

  “You keep pushing me, you’re going to find out,” I warned, giving her a light squeeze with the arm around her middle.

  Helena started to say something—probably something smart, which should piss me off but just made me want to fuck her—but we were cresting a hill, and in a few seconds my house came into view. Helena gasped and leaned forward, distracted from our banter.

  “Is that your house?” she asked, her voice infused with awe as she gazed at the five-thousand square foot “mountain-modern” home. It was timber frame and construction with old-world detailing. We were approaching from the back of the house, showing off the floor-to-ceiling windows making up the exterior wall of the living room. “It’s amazing.”

  Pride filled my chest, along with pleasure at knowing Helena liked her new home. “Welcome to Rebel K Ranch.”

  “K as in Kensington?” she inquired. I nodded. “And Rebel?”

  I shrugged, reluctant to get into the shit that inspired the name of my ranch. Then I thought better of it. This wouldn’t work if I wasn’t open with her. “My family can be…demanding.” I paused, considering how best to describe the situation. “My parents are very wealthy, and they run in the elite, high-society circles in Austin.”

  Helena gasped and looked up at me with incredulity. “Austin? You were raised there?”

  “Yes, but—”

  She cut me off with a scowl. “And you’ve been giving me crap about being from the city?”

  I placed my hand over her mouth before she could go off on a tirade. “Just listen, alright?” Her blue eyes sparked with defiance, and I gave her a pointed look. “Option two is that you don’t get to hear the story, and I find a much more enjoyable way to shut your mouth.”

  Helena muttered something I couldn’t understand with my hand over her mouth. She seemed to be weighing her options. When she nodded, I uncovered her mouth. She frowned at me for a few moments, then turned around and settled easily back against me. Since she couldn’t see my expression, I didn’t suppress the grin that emerged at the way she had begun to naturally lean into me.

  “Anyway, when I was around twelve, my parents went out of town for the summer, and I spent it with my friend, Austin, on his family’s cattle ranch. I was bit by the bug and wanted to learn everything.” I smiled and shook my head at the memory. “I worked my ass off that summer. Then I asked to spend every summer and school break out there. My parents were happy that they could jet set without worrying about my care, and Austin’s family appreciated having me there to help.”

  I glanced at Helena and was intrigued to see a knowing glint in her eyes. She nodded, as though she completely understood the situation. It was something I’d dig into later.

  “When I graduated high school, my parents pushed hard for me to go to medical school. I was accepted to some of the best schools in the country, but I wanted to study ranch management. Finally, I agreed to go to medical school if it was to study veterinary medicine.” I blew out a breath and rolled my eyes. “That went over like a stone in a well. But I stuck to my guns and followed my own path.

  “I moved out and found a crappy apartment near the campus of a community college that offered an Associates in Ranch Management. JP, my friend’s dad, helped me get a position at a nearby ranch, so I was basically able to do my internship congruent with my degree. I lived as cheaply as possible while I scrimped and saved and managed to go on and get my bachelor’s in agriculture and then an MBA in Finance.”

  We were getting nearer to the house, so I hurried through the rest of the story.

  “After my education was done, JP offered me the position of ranch manager. Austin had no desire to work on the ranch.” I laughed. “He’d actually followed the path my parents had wanted for me. He became a surgeon.” The next part of the story still caused an ache in my heart. “A year later, Austin was killed trying to shield a patient from a maniac who’d pulled out a gun in the Emergency Room because they wouldn’t let him see the girlfriend he’d put there in the first place.”

  “Oh, Stone,” Helena sighed. “I’m so sorry.”

  She used the palm of her hand on my chin to turn my head so we were face to face. Her expression was sympathetic, her eyes filled with genuine anguish for my pain. My heart softened, and I placed a kiss on her forehead, then murmured, “Thanks, baby. Austin’s mom had died a few years before, and he was an only child. JP decided to move on from this life. He offered to sell me the ranch, but my savings was nowhere near enough. Then he offered to give it to me outright, but no way in hell was I going to let him do that. So, he asked me to run it in his absence and, hopefully, I’d be able to buy it eventually.” Pride filled me as my eyes scanned over the land.

  “Your friend’s ranch was Rebel K?” Helena asked in surprise.

  I nodded and continued. “It was called Lady Belle Ranch back then, but yeah. I made some changes, and all of my studying and experience paid off. The ranch became incredibly successful and gained a reputation for our beef. I had saved enough for a down payment, so I got a loan and bought the ranch from JP. I named it Rebel K because it was my own little way of reminding myself that this place was mine because I’d rebelled against my upbringing and followed my own path. I found my slice of heaven and had worked to make it mine.”

  I smiled ruefully and shook my head before telling her the next part. “I wanted to do it all on my own, but JP ha
d the last laugh. Not six months after I bought the ranch, I received a letter in the mail. The mortgage had been paid off, and the envelope contained the deed.”

  Helena chuckled, and when I glanced at her, I was lost for a moment in the beauty of her smile. “Sneaky.”

  My head bobbed in agreement, and I smiled down at her. We’d reached my stables, and Sawyer, the stable manager, lifted a hand, questioning whether I needed help. They knew I usually dealt with Pandora on my own but offered anyway. Since I had Helena with me, I gave him a chin lift, accepting his assistance.

  Sawyer jogged over, and the first thing he did was reach for Helena. An involuntary growl bubbled to the surface as I narrowed my eyes and shook my head. He raised a brow but didn’t say anything as she stepped back to give me room to dismount. Once my feet were on the steady on the ground, I started to grasp Helena’s waist. She slapped my hands away and huffed. “I’m not helpless, Stone. I can get off a horse by myself.”

  I ignored her and wrapped my hands around her. “I’m sure you can, baby. But I like having you in my arms,” I explained with a wink as helped her off and then swept her up in my arms and held her close to my body. Sawyer had detached Helena’s bag from Pandora, and he handed it to me. I gave him a nod and mumbled, “Thanks.” Then I stalked toward the house. I glanced down to see Helena watching me dubiously. I kept walking and waited for her to voice whatever thought was churning in her head.

  “I’m confused. First, you seem like I am an annoying inconvenience, then you kiss me like you just couldn’t help yourself but tell me it’s a one-time thing. Then you attempt to get rid of me at my house before kissing me again and taking me back to your house.” She narrowed her eyes. “Do you suffer from a split personality? Because if so, you need to tell your doctor that the meds aren’t working.”

  I threw my head back and laughed harder than I had in…I couldn’t remember the last time. When I caught my breath and returned my eyes to her face, she was staring at me with wide eyes, her mouth forming a little “o.”

  “Your laugh is beautiful,” she said breathlessly.

  My lips tipped down in a frown as I grimaced. “Beautiful? Baby, you could do a lot of damage to a man’s ego by describing any part of him as beautiful.”

  “Even his cock?”

  Shocked, my feet stumbled, and I sputtered, unsure how to respond. Hearing her say something like that was hot as hell, and it made me imagine other, filthier things coming out of her sexy mouth. My dick certainly knew what he wanted, though, because he began to lengthen and swell. I’d been half-hard from having her body pressed up against me, but now my gait was a little off from the steel bat between my legs.

  “Um, yeah,” I muttered absently. “Probably should stick with more masculine adjectives.”

  Helena’s cheeks heated, and she chuckled nervously. It made me wonder if she’d ever said anything so crude before or engaged in dirty talk. If not, I was definitely going to be the one to introduce her to it. She shifted then froze when her ass brushed over the top of my hardness.

  “Doesn’t seem like your dick minds being referred to as beautiful,” she teased with a snort of laughter. It was adorable and, amazingly, I stiffened further. Shit. I wasn’t going to be able to walk if it kept going.

  “Baby, my cock doesn’t give a fuck what word you use. He’s just happy to have your attention.” I locked eyes with her and didn’t shutter them at all, letting her see the naked hunger burning in them. “And looking forward to becoming better acquainted with you.”

  Instead of just her cheeks, her entire face flushed pink, and she glanced away, seeming uncomfortable with the intensity radiating from me. “That’s awfully presumptuous,” she said quietly. Her words were admonishing, but her tone lacked conviction. When she brought her gaze back to me, her eyes were heated. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smirking and just nodded.

  I stopped at the door on the side of the house that opened into a mudroom. After unlocking it, I gestured for her to enter first, then followed her inside while enjoying the sight of her ass in those skintight designer jeans. I hung her bag on one of the coat hooks before lowering onto a bench and removing my boots. Helena hesitated, but after a minute, she sat next to me and did the same. Once my boots and socks were discarded, I stood and took her hand, tugging her up onto her feet. I swept her into my arms again before grabbing her bag and slinging it over my shoulder. She protested, but I gave her a squeeze and said, “Told you. Like holding you. Get used to it.”

  “You say that like I’m going to be around long enough for you to—”

  “Welcome to your new home,” I interrupted as I entered the large kitchen used to feed those who lived and worked on the ranch. There was a smaller, private one through another door. I’d never been opposed to settling down and having a family, but I’d been so focused on making Rebel K a success that I’d never given it much thought. When the designer showed me the plans, I barely noticed the extra kitchen setup. Now, I made a mental note to send the guy an expensive bottle of scotch.

  Helena stuttered and pushed at my shoulders, but I refused to budge and continued on into the living room.

  “Are you crazy? I can’t live here with you!”

  I didn’t bother with a reply. She’d figure out soon enough I wasn’t going to budge on that either.

  6

  Helena

  I was torn between gawking in awe at Stone’s house and fighting the Neanderthal about his ludicrous plan. It wasn’t until he entered a large bedroom, tossed my bag on the bed, and kept walking across the space that I decided to focus on the latter. I’d ogle the gorgeous room later.

  “Stone! This is crazy. I don’t know you, and frankly, I’m not sure I even like you.” I stopped when he shocked me by laughing. It was a rich, sexy sound, and it made my skin sizzle and drenched my underwear. “You—um—you don’t like me either,” I stammered, trying to get my brain back on track.

  “Trust me, baby,” Stone practically purred, officially ruining my panties. “I like you just fine.” The way he said “fine” felt as though it held a wealth of innuendo. “And if you were being honest with yourself, you’d admit you feel the same way about me.”

  I huffed and folded my arms over my chest, which made Stone’s eyes dart to my breasts. His already-heated gaze turned hungry, and his tongue glided along his bottom lip. It was unbelievably sexy, and I suppressed a groan. But when he lifted his head and met my stare, it seemed like he knew exactly what I was feeling.

  “You are so damn, beautiful,” he whispered as he dropped my legs and let me slide down his body. Damn, his body was hard and sculpted. I gasped when I once again made contact with the very large, stiff bulge in his jeans. He was staring intensely at me, and it was causing a burn in my belly and…below. It was overwhelming, and I had to look away so I could suck in a deep breath. That’s when I noticed we were in a spacious marble and wood bathroom.

  “What…?” I trailed off as I looked around, forgetting about my question when I spied the spectacular sunken bathtub on the far wall. It was deep and wide, perfect for soaking with a glass of wine and a good book.

  “I’m dirty from working out on the ranch today. I need to clean up.” Stone’s words drew my attention back to him. I’d almost forgotten he was there.

  “Okay, I’ll just wait in the living room.”

  I started to walk away but found myself being spun around when he grabbed my hand. Then he walked me backward until I was pressed up against the wall with his arms caging me in. “You’re going to need a shower too, baby.”

  “I’m not dirty,” I protested vaguely. I was distracted by the sudden image of his wet, naked body. Was he implying he wanted me to stay here and watch him shower? The idea definitely wasn’t unappealing, but it seemed like it would be awkward.

  “You will be when I’m done with you,” Stone responded in that low, panty-melting voice.

  I opened my mouth to ask what he was talking about but didn’t get a so
und out before he sealed his lips over mine.

  HO-LY FUCK. Stone had kissed me several times now, but something was different this time. Something threatening to consume me. It was overwhelming and like nothing I’d ever felt before. My first instinct was to run in the opposite direction, but Stone had me locked in place, not only with mouth devouring mine, but his arms had me caged in, and his body was pressed into mine. The feel of his very hard, very—from the bulge, I felt confident saying this—large erection digging into my belly caused a tingling between my legs. I moaned and placed my hands on his shoulders just as my knees buckled. I didn’t know how, but I knew Stone wouldn’t have let me fall. Still, I held on tight.

  After a few more minutes of twisting tongues and low groans, Stone glided his lips down to place a soft kiss on my jaw, then he ran his tongue along the bone until he reached my ear. He nibbled lightly, making me shiver (who knew the earlobe was an erogenous zone?) before burying his face in my neck. His hands tangled in my hair, and he inhaled deeply.

  “You smell so fucking good,” he rumbled. “I bet you taste even better.” He bucked his hips, letting me know without words he wasn’t talking about my mouth. My breath hitched as dampness flooded my panties.

  Stone’s lips returned to mine, and his hands slid down to my shoulders before tracing my collarbones with his fingers. He stopped at the top button of my blouse and what little remained of my sanity forced out a weak protest.

  “This is kind of fast,” I mumbled against his mouth. “Maybe—”

  He stopped the flow of words by kissing me deeply, his velvety tongue tangling with mine, and I barely noticed him popping open the buttons on my shirt until he was pushing it off of my shoulders.

  He leisurely pulled back and dropped his gaze to my breasts. My heart was racing, and my breath was coming out in harsh pants, making them bounce up and down. The hunger I’d glimpsed before intensified as he watched them, then he licked his lips and the tingle I’d felt exploded into a desperate ache. What would it feel like to have that tongue all over me? Inside me? I moaned at the thought, and it drew Stone’s attention. A slow smile stretched across his face, and the glimmer in his eyes made me think he knew what was going on in my head.