One Week with the Best Man: Reclaimed by the Rancher

by Andrea Laurence

He started by removing her panties. He slid them down her legs, tossing them out of his way. Then he crouched down and started a trail of kisses that ran from the inside of her ankles, up her calves, to her inner thighs. He let his hot breath tease at her center. She squirmed beneath him, the anticipation of it likely building inside her.

  Without warning, he let his tongue flick across her flesh. Gretchen cried out, her fingers grasping fruitlessly at the stage beside her. Julian gave her a moment to recover before he did it again. He pressed her thighs farther apart, exposing more of her to him. His fingers and tongue started moving over her in earnest now, the relentless pursuit of her release foremost in his mind.

  Gretchen’s gasps and groans were an encouraging melody. As they escalated in pitch and intensity, he knew she was getting close. Her thighs were tense beside him, as though they were made of steel. He redoubled his efforts until a desperate “yes, yes!” filled the room.

  Gently, he slipped one finger inside her, knowing it would put her over the edge. He felt her muscles clamp down on him and half a second later, she came undone. She gasped and cried, writhing on the hard stage even as he continued to work over her with his tongue.

  It wasn’t until she collapsed back against the stage, her thighs trembling, that he pulled away. Her ragged breath was the only sound in the massive ballroom as he smoothed out her skirt and sat back on his heels.

  Several minutes later, Gretchen pushed herself up to look at him. Her pale cheeks were flushed red, her eyes glassy, but she was smiling. It made his chest ache to see it. The women in his life always seemed to demand so much from him. Gretchen appreciated even the tiniest of gestures.

  “Well,” she said at last. “I’m never going to look at this ballroom the same way, ever again.”

  Seven

  “Take me to the hotel, Julian.”

  Julian’s gaze met hers, a heat in them she couldn’t ignore. And yet he hesitated, swallowing hard before he spoke. “Are you sure?”

  “I am.” She’d never been so certain of anything in her whole life. She wasn’t foolish enough to think this relationship would last past the weekend, or that she would be anything more than a faint memory in Julian’s mind, but she couldn’t pass this chance up. Even if she had been with a man before, making love to a movie star was every woman’s sexual fantasy.

  And yet the doubts plagued her. Of course she wanted him. But his wanting her was another matter. “Unless you don’t want to,” she added in a quiet voice.

  Julian rolled his eyes and took her hand, tugging her up off the stage. “I want to. You have no idea how much I want to. I just don’t know that I should. I can’t promise you anything.”

  Gretchen gazed up at him and shook her head. “All I want you to promise me is a night of hot sex and enough orgasms to last me until the next guy comes along.”

  Julian smiled, making her relax into his arms. He wasn’t turning her down, thank goodness.

  “That,” he said with a wicked glint in his blue eyes, “I can do.”

  They left the chapel so quickly, Gretchen barely had time to grab her heels and switch off the lights. The drive to his hotel seemed to take an eternity. In the dark of the car, Gretchen bit at her lower lip and tried to stay in the moment. While her body was still pulsating from the orgasm he’d given her it was easy to propose they go further, but the reality was creeping in with every mile they came nearer to his hotel. She was about to have sex. The idea of it both thrilled and terrified her.

  As they walked the length of the hotel corridor together, hand in hand, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. On the other side of the door was what she’d been fantasizing about since she was sixteen years old.

  “Would you like a glass of wine?” he asked as they stepped into his suite.

  “No,” she shook her head. “I’d rather just...get to it.”

  Julian frowned at her and crossed his arms over his chest. “Gretchen, this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.”

  “I know,” she replied, knowing it had come out wrong and right at the same time. She wanted it done so she could put the anxiety aside and enjoy herself.

  Julian dropped his arms at his side and approached her, stopping just short of them touching. He placed his large, warm palms on her bare upper arms, rubbing them in a soothing rhythm. “Relax. Enjoy yourself. Unless you change your mind or the hotel catches fire, I guarantee it’s going to happen.”

  Gretchen let out the ragged breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding in. As the air rushed from her lungs, so did the tension that had built up in every muscle. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I’m just so—”

  Julian’s lips met hers in an instant, stealing the words from her mouth. His touch made all her worries disappear. She melted into his arms, pressing into the hard body she couldn’t get out of her head. Even when she heard the sound of her zipper gliding down her back, she didn’t tense up. The glide of his tongue and the hungry press of his fingertips into her flesh made her whole body soften like butter.

  He tugged the straps of her dress and bra down her shoulders, planting a line of kisses along her throat and across the newly exposed skin. Julian’s hungry gaze flickered over her breasts before he dipped his head to taste the flesh that threatened to spill over the top of her bra.

  With her dress open in the back, she could feel the fabric slipping down, pooling at her waist, but she fought the urge to stop it. By all indications, Julian liked what he saw. Tonight it was all coming off, no matter how anxious she might be about it.

  Reaching behind her, Julian unfastened the clasp of her bra, sliding it down her arms and draping it across the nearby chair. Her nakedness was immediately covered by his hands and his mouth. Gretchen’s eyes fluttered closed as he drew one hard pink nipple into his mouth. A bolt of pleasure shot right through her, making her core tighten and ache and her legs start to tremble beneath her.

  She was so lost in the moment that when Julian crouched down and lifted her up into the air, she was caught completely off guard. With a cry of surprise, she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. “You’re going to throw your back out or something,” she complained as she clung to him. She wasn’t some skinny-minnie supermodel, as though he could forget with her half naked in his arms.

  He narrowed his gaze at her, a challenge in his eyes. “Gretchen, even on a bad day I can bench press twice what you weigh. Stop worrying and let me carry you into the bedroom to ravish you properly, all right?”

  Squeezing her eyes shut, she buried her face in his neck. She couldn’t let her stupid insecurities ruin this moment. With one arm wrapped around her waist, Julian’s other slid along her outer thigh, gripping one round cheek beneath her cocktail dress. She felt his palm explore her skin in a curious fashion before he spoke.

  “Naughty,” he whispered as they started toward the bedroom.

  “What?” She didn’t know what he was talking about.

  “You never put your panties back on.”

  Gretchen straightened up in his arms, her eyes wide as she gasped. “Oh, my God. I left them on the floor of the ballroom.”

  Julian chuckled and shook his head, continuing into the bedroom. “Someone’s going to get a surprise first thing in the morning.”

  Thoughts of Bree or Natalie running across those sheer black panties in the ballroom suddenly consumed her. How embarrassing. Then Julian lowered her onto the bed and her bare back met with the soft, plush fabric of the comforter.

  She watched as he unbuttoned his dress shirt and slipped it off, exposing the famously familiar muscles beneath it. God, he was beautiful. There was a Michelangelo-like quality to the definition of his body, as though each muscle had been carved out of flesh-colored marble with a fine chisel.

  Her eyes remained glued to his hands as he unbuckled his belt,
unzipped his trousers and let the last of his clothing fall to the floor. He kicked off his shoes and stepped out of it all, taking a step toward the bed in all his naked glory.

  “Well?” he asked after giving her a moment to take in every inch of the glorious sight. “Will I do?”

  Gretchen laughed in a nervous titter. The man was beautiful, rock hard and very aroused. Any doubts she had about his attraction to her were instantly quelled. They were replaced by the anxiety of realizing he was a large specimen of man. She covered her nerves with a wide smile and a nod. “I suppose so.”

  One dark brow shot up at her blasé assessment of his manhood. Without responding, he approached the bed and reached for her waist. He gathered her dress and gave it a firm tug to slip it over her hips. When he dropped it to the floor, his gaze returned to her fully naked body.

  Gretchen took a deep breath and fought the urge to cover herself. Instead she raised her hand and crooked her index finger to beckon him to her.

  He didn’t hesitate. Julian covered her body with his own, every inch of his blazing-hot skin touching hers. The firm heat of him pressed at her thigh, urging her to open herself to him, so she did. He slipped between her legs and rested there. She could feel the tip of him teasing at her, but he didn’t press forward. Not yet.

  Instead, he hovered over her, lavishing more attention on her breasts. He kneaded and tasted her flesh, nipping at the tight peaks and flicking over them with his tongue until her back arched off the bed. Then, with one nipple drawn into his mouth, his hand slid down her stomach to delve between them. As he had at the chapel, his fingertips sought out her most sensitive flesh. He stroked over her in soft circles, building up another climax.

  He slipped one finger inside her, stroking in and out of her tight body while his thumb still teased at her apex. The sensations coursing through her were so intense. She was desperate to keep her eyes open, yet no matter how hard she fought, they kept closing so she could savor the feeling.

  He added a second finger, stretching her body wider and intensifying the ache in her belly. She easily accommodated him, anxious and ready for everything he had to offer.

  That was when he pulled away. Gretchen’s eyes flew open in time to see him reach for something beside the bed. A condom, she realized, as he quickly applied it and returned to the bed. As he moved across the mattress, his hands slipped behind her knees and bent them, drawing her legs up and spreading her wider for him.

  Julian hovered over her then, watching her with a curious expression on his face. Then he lowered his face to hers and kissed her. Gretchen wrapped her arms around his neck and gave herself over to the kiss.

  He rocked forward in short, slow strokes, rubbing the tip of his erection against her, picking up where his hands had left off a moment ago. She felt the orgasm building up inside her again. He sped up, rubbing over her sensitive flesh again and again as her cries escalated.

  She was about to come a second time. She could feel the tension in her, about to break. “Julian,” she gasped, clinging to his neck. “Yes, yes!” she cried out as she went over the edge.

  That’s when he entered her in one quick thrust. Pleasure. Pain. It was so fast, she almost didn’t realize what had happened until it was done. She gasped with a mix of surprise and release as the last tremors of her orgasm traveled through her body.

  Julian held himself remarkably still, even as he was buried deep inside her. His eyes were closed, a look of near pain on his face.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  His brows drew together as he looked down at her. “Aren’t I supposed to be the one asking that question?”

  “I suppose, but you’re the one that looks like you’re being hurt.”

  He shook his head. “Oh, it doesn’t hurt. Not at all. I’m just trying to restrain myself a little.”

  Testing the waters, he eased out slowly and thrust forward again. Gretchen’s body lit up with tiny pinpricks of sensation, most of them wonderful. “Don’t. It’s done. Now make love to me, Julian. Please.”

  With a curt nod, he shifted his weight and moved in her again with agonizing restraint. Now it was his turn to groan aloud. The feeling was amazing, but Gretchen couldn’t help watching Julian’s responses. She loved that she was able to give him pleasure, something she hadn’t entirely considered before this moment.

  Any residual soreness faded away as his movements came faster. Feeling more bold, she drew her knees up, cradling him between her thighs. The movement allowed him to move deeper, and she gasped as she adjusted to the feeling.

  Julian swore against her cheek, a low rumble of approval that vibrated to her core. “You feel so amazing, but if you keep moving like that, I’m going to lose it.”

  “Lose it,” she encouraged. She wanted him to lose control because of her. “Like you said earlier, we’ve got all night.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  Closing his eyes, Julian moved harder into her, the quick thrusts pushing him over the edge in mere minutes. His muscles tensed beneath the skin, his breath labored. She watched as he surged into her one last time, his jaw dropping open with a silent groan and shudder that ran through his whole body.

  And then it was done. It was official. Gretchen was no longer a pathetic twenty-nine-year-old virgin. Julian rolled off onto his side and collapsed back against the bed with ragged breaths.

  Gretchen could only lie there and smile as she gazed up at the ceiling. They’d just finished, and she couldn’t wait to do it again.

  * * *

  A familiar sound roused Julian from his satiated sleep. One eye pried open to look at the screen on his cell phone as it charged on the nearby nightstand. It was the last number he wanted to see, especially at such an early hour, but it was the one he’d been anticipating all week. He’d had a feeling something wasn’t quite right with his brother, and he was usually spot-on with that.

  Shooting up in bed, he grabbed the phone and answered.

  “Hello?” he said in a sleepy, gravelly voice.

  “Mr. Curtis?” the woman said, using Julian’s real last name.

  “Yes?”

  “Mr. Curtis, I’m sorry to call at such a late hour, but this is Theresa from the Hawthorne Community.”

  He knew that. He knew the minute he picked up the phone. Now get to the point. “Is James okay?”

  A hesitation, slight but noticeable, preceded her answer. “He’s stable,” she said. “He’s developed pneumonia and we’re going to be transferring him to the hospital for observation.”

  Julian fought the confusing mix of sleep and panic. “Do I need to come? Is he going to be all right?”

  “We don’t think you need to come yet,” Theresa said. “Right now he’s stabilized. We’re going to see how he reacts to treatment. He already has so much difficulty breathing, this just makes things that much harder for him.”

  “Yes, I know. Someone will call me as soon as there’s a change?”

  “Yes, Mr. Curtis. That’s what James’s file says, which is why we called you at such a late hour. You’re to be notified any time there’s a major medical change for him.”

  Julian nodded at the phone. That was the way he wanted it. If anything went wrong, he wanted to know. He couldn’t be there with him, but he could make sure James had all the best doctors and treatment that a movie star’s salary could provide. “Thank you.”

  The call ended. Julian dropped the phone into his lap and took a deep breath to expel the fear that held his lungs captive. It was only fair—if James couldn’t breathe, Julian shouldn’t be able to breathe, either. That was never the way it was in reality. Julian was perfect. Healthy and able-bodied. James was not. The constant stream of late-night calls over the years had proven that much.

  “Julian?” Gretchen’s soft, concerned voice called to him from the pillows. “Is
everything all right?”

  A sudden feeling of dread, more powerful than the one that rushed over him as his phone rang, overcame Julian. Gretchen was in bed beside him. She’d heard everything. This situation had the potential to go horribly wrong.

  “Uh, yeah,” he said dismissively, hoping she would let it go. Very few people in his life knew about James’s situation. Hell, almost no one knew about James at all. Julian kept it that way on purpose. He certainly didn’t need the press exploiting this story. James had never asked for anyone’s pity, and making him a headline could potentially have millions of people looking at his brother as though there was something wrong with him. He didn’t want that. Despite everything, James had always just wanted to live a normal life. Being at the Hawthorne Community had given him that. He had his own apartment, his own helper and a staff of professionals to care for him when he needed it. Julian didn’t want to ruin that for his brother.

  Gretchen sat up beside him in bed and leaned her bare shoulder against him. “For an actor, you’re not a very good liar.”

  Julian chuckled softly. “Three a.m. is not the peak hour for my craft, I suppose.” He turned to her, planted a soft kiss on her lips and ignored the concern in her eyes. “It’s nothing. You can go back to sleep.”

  He expected her to lie down, but instead he felt her arm wrap around his shoulders. “Julian, I told you my secret and you were able to...uh...help me out. Tell me what’s going on and maybe I can help you in return.”

  He shook his head. “Gretchen, if this was as simple as making love to you, I’d tell you in a second. But this can’t be fixed by you or anyone else.” Julian returned his phone to the charger and lay down in the hopes she would do the same.

  She did, pressing her naked body against his and resting her head on his chest. Normally, thoughts of desire would’ve rushed through his mind and he would’ve made love to her again, but there were too many worries in his mind now.

  “Tell me,” Gretchen said. “It’s dark. We’re both half asleep. You don’t have to look at me while you say it. Just get it off your chest. You’ll feel better.”