Rancher in Her Bed

by Joanne Rock

  “If you don’t stop seeing this upstart ingrate Currin, I’ll cut you out of the company,” Sterling threatened his daughter, leaning forward with his big shoulders. “Just see if I won’t.”

  Xander was ready to jump in if needed, his muscles tense. This wasn’t turning out to be the fun evening out he’d hoped to offer Frankie. The whole Perry family seemed to be angry with one another. And Sterling was angriest of all.

  Ryder put a hand on Angela’s back and spoke softly to her alone. Angela shook her head sadly. At least twenty people nearby strained harder to listen.

  “I’m sorry, Ryder,” she told him, setting down the crystal champagne flute right before she retrieved her small purse. “But I think it’s best if I leave.”

  “Just like that?” Ryder’s gravelly voice was pitched low, but Xander still heard him. “You’re going to let him dictate what you do?”

  His father was angry. Xander could see it in the way he held himself, even though to the rest of the world he might appear composed. No doubt, he’d put himself on the line to bring Angela with him here tonight. To have her walk away so publicly had to upset him.

  But that’s just what Angela did, taking Sterling’s arm as the two of them left the gala together.

  Xander could have sworn the musicians played louder, as if the whole place conspired to be more festive so the party could continue. He empathized with his father, knowing the pain of having a woman surprise him that way. Rena’s shocking news before her riding accident had haunted him long afterward.

  Old regrets of his own churned.

  “Should you talk to your father?” Frankie asked, laying a gentle hand on Xander’s tux sleeve while they watched Ryder disappear into a private room in the back. “He looks upset.”

  Xander forced himself to let go of his own demons, knowing this wasn’t the time for bad memories.

  “I think he’d prefer to be by himself.” Xander recognized that set to his dad’s shoulders, the stress of the night weighing on him. “I’ll check in with him tomorrow. Right now, I’m more concerned about you. This isn’t how I wanted to end the evening. It’s your call if we stay longer or call it a night.”

  For his part, he knew what he preferred.

  He’d wanted Frankie alone ever since he’d first spotted her in front of that wall of flowers.

  “As much as I hate for the night to end, I guess I’m ready to leave.” She took a party favor—a silver horseshoe charm—from one of the tables near the door. “I’m going to take this as a memento, though. It’s so pretty.”

  Her quick smile at the gift charmed him.

  For that matter, her simple appreciation of the token made him feel jaded to think how many functions like this he’d attended over the years, how many party favors he’d walked right past without even noticing them. Frankie looked at the evening in a much different way. Was it selfish of him to want to keep her with him longer, to see the world through her eyes for a little while?

  And yes, he wanted her close in every other way, too.

  So he wrapped his arms around her, drew her near to tell her what he’d been wanting to say all evening long.

  “Keep in mind, just because we leave the party doesn’t mean the night has to end.”

  * * *

  I sip my whiskey slowly, savoring the taste. The hundred-year-old brew is smooth, mellow and delicious, but it can’t compare to the thrill of another satisfying night’s work. Standing at the back of the Flood Relief Gala, I can’t help but savor how well things went tonight in my plan for revenge. I hate Sterling Perry and Ryder Currin for what they’ve done to me. For everything they’ve stolen and ruined in my life. But things are starting to turn in my favor. Every day, I get closer to bringing them down and making them feel my pain. Tonight, Sterling Perry was so angry he was breathing fire when he saw his daughter with Ryder Currin. I thought he might keel over from the fury!

  And Ryder didn’t fare much better in all the drama. His date walked out on him in front of the whole Texas Cattleman’s Club. The man hides his emotions a whole lot better than his rival, but of course he felt humiliated. Who wouldn’t have been?

  So much success to savor, and I hardly had to lift a finger.

  Now, I just have to keep my eye on the prize. Once Angela Perry discovers the information I planted about Ryder, she’s sure to cut him out of her life forever.

  As for Sterling? His good reputation is about to crash and burn.

  Five

  Frankie had driven through the front gate to Currin Ranch many times. But when Xander slowed his luxury coupe in front of the six-foot stone pedestals that held the wooden arches for the ranch’s welcome sign, the electronic sensor swinging the gates open, she acknowledged that her arrival felt very different this time as a guest.

  Xander’s guest.

  Back at the gala, he’d made it clear the night didn’t have to end when they left the party. She’d understood that the invitation meant they might well end the night in bed. Now, as he steered the vehicle through the gate and down the main drive toward the mansion, she knew it was up to her to make it clear what she would like to happen next.

  She knew what she wanted. She just didn’t know if indulging her desires was wise. It had been fun learning a little more about her sexy boss and his world, even though he’d been very skilled at getting her to talk about herself more than the other way around. She didn’t usually share details about her past like that—the way she’d grown to love the company of animals, or how she’d felt lonely as a kid because of her parents’ isolating lifestyle.

  But somehow, she’d shared all those things with him.

  “Do you want me to take you to your cabin?” He glanced over at her, his face illuminated by the amber glow of dashboard lights. “Or stop at the ranch house for a drink?”

  What she preferred was a kiss. And everything that went with it. But did she dare act on that inclination?

  She hadn’t come this far in life by backing down from what she wanted.

  “My place is a bit of a disaster,” she admitted. It was also very small and humbly furnished. “So if yours is an option, that might be better.”

  This was happening.

  “Definitely.” He pulled into the driveway and hit the button for one of the garage bays, the door yawning open at his approach. “The pool house is all lit up,” he observed before driving inside the mammoth structure. “It’s not too hot out tonight, if you want to sit outside for a little while.”

  “That sounds nice.” And romantic. Tempting. She waited in the passenger seat after they parked, and he came around to help her out of the vehicle. “I wouldn’t mind some fresh air.”

  She took his hand, unaccustomed to managing a gown and heels in a ballroom, let alone getting in and out of a low-slung sports car. Straightening, she followed him through a side door out onto the stone deck and around to the back of the pool house. The building had the same Western log style as the main house, one side full of floor-to-ceiling windows and a pair of French doors. Outside them, a patio table and cushioned loungers were half hidden by bright bougainvillea draped down from the red cedar pergola. Landscaping lights hidden in the surrounding trees and bushes made the pool area look like a nighttime oasis.

  “I’ll get us some drinks,” he offered, releasing her hand to open the door.

  “I’ll help.” She darted through ahead of him as he held the door for her. “Plus, I’m curious to see what a pool house looks like inside.”

  The Currin family’s lifestyle intrigued her. She was happy with the cabin she lived in that was part of her compensation as a ranch hand, but walking into the Currin world was like opening a glossy magazine about the rich and famous. She didn’t need that life, but it was beautiful to see.

  Her childhood home had been tiny, an out-of-way converted barn with no neighbors for miles.

&nb
sp; “My father isn’t much for decor,” Xander explained, gesturing to the huge open living space flanked by a bar on one side and a small kitchen on the other. “He’s definitely from the ‘less is more’ school of thought.”

  “Annabel’s suite wasn’t like that. But I’m guessing she decorated that herself.” She spun around in a circle as she strode deeper into the room. The natural stone floor was a nod to wet bathers, but other than that, it was graciously appointed. A leather sectional couch sat in front of a fireplace on the opposite wall.

  While the space was furnished simply, everything was high-end and luxurious, from the silent spinning ceiling fans overhead to the heavy bronze accents around the fireplace and pendant lights over the gray quartz bar. The pendants were dimmed to a low setting, casting a muted golden glow in the room. It was brighter outside by the pool, but the tall windows let in some of that light, too.

  “Annabel definitely put her personal stamp on her rooms. But the rest of the house is more stripped down. Have you ever seen the Perry place?” Xander asked as he poured two glasses of sparkling water. He returned the bottle to the refrigerator in the kitchen and then brought her a glass. “His ranch house looks more like a castle, so I guess I think of Dad’s taste as fairly subdued.”

  “I’ve seen photos of Perry Ranch in the news, so I know what you mean. But this is beautiful in a different way. Understated can be lovely, too.”

  Standing near a sofa table, she peered around the room, admiring it a little longer, until her gaze collided with Xander’s. Her skin heated.

  He raised his glass, his eyes still locked on her. “Cheers to making it through your first gala.”

  Her heartbeat sped faster as she lifted her glass. “Cheers to seeing the world I’ve been dreaming about with my own eyes. Thank you taking me tonight.”

  She took a slow sip, letting the cool water quench some of the fire rolling through her at the realization they were more alone than they’d ever been. The only sound was her breathing and the clink of ice cubes in their glasses.

  “The pleasure was all mine.” He set his drink aside on the sofa table. Then he took hers from her as she lowered it, and set that one down, too, balancing each one on a marble coaster. “I don’t usually care about glitzy events like that, but I enjoyed being with you tonight.”

  Her throat felt dry already, even though she’d just had a drink. She stared up at him, mesmerized, aching for his touch.

  “I’ve wanted to kiss you from the first moment I saw you tonight,” he confided. Reaching toward her hair, he plucked the orchid bloom from behind her ear. She’d forgotten that he’d placed it there when he first walked up to her at the gala. Now he laid the delicate petals on the table, too, while her heart kicked harder against the inside of her chest.

  She’d dreamed of him too many times in the months that she’d crushed on him. It hardly seemed possible she’d fantasized this moment into reality.

  “You have?” Her voice was a breathless squeak of sound, but she was determined to claim this one night with him. Or however many nights he was prepared to give her. So she forced herself to make her feelings more plain. “Then what are you waiting for?”

  He stared down at her for an interminable moment before one knuckle brushed the underside of her chin, tipping her face toward his. Anticipation tingled over her skin. He angled closer and she breathed him in for an instant before his lips met hers. A tender brush of his mouth.

  Sweet. Sensual. Tempting.

  She went still under the onslaught of sensations. The scents of cedar and musk. The warmth of his hand sliding around her waist. She all but melted against him, craving the feel of all that delicious male muscle. The silk of her dress slid between them in a teasing glide of fabric.

  The kiss tantalized her, reminding her of all the times she’d imagined this moment, and all the ways her imagination hadn’t done it justice. The reality of Xander was hotter. Harder. Hungrier.

  Or maybe that last part was her.

  Because when he deepened the kiss, she thought she might spontaneously combust. The press of his lips sent ribbons of pleasure through her. Her fingers were raking off his tuxedo jacket and wrestling with the buttons on his shirt, a feverish desire for more of him making her ache.

  He broke away suddenly, his breath ragged as if he’d been running. “Hold that thought.”

  Pulling his hands from her waist, he moved toward the door and locked it. The bolt slid home in a welcome, satisfying sound. When he turned toward her again, she took in his shadowed jaw and newly rumpled silk bow tie thanks to her questing hands. Two buttons on his pleated tuxedo shirt were unfastened, giving her a tantalizing glimpse of his chest.

  Her heartbeat echoed his footsteps, getting faster as he neared.

  “Come with me.” He took her hand and led her deeper into the pool house.

  She hadn’t noticed the archway off the kitchen earlier, but he led her through a nook where a coffee bar lined one wall and a wine cabinet the other. Then he opened a door to a guest bedroom. The white walls were offset by the gray stone fireplace at the foot of the bed and a gray planked ceiling that sloped under an exterior gambrel. A bed was tucked into the corner, the white comforter and gray leather headboard as understated as the rest of the room.

  Behind her, Xander closed the door. Blinds covered the windows, and it was dark for a moment before he hit a switch to light a wrought iron lamp on the mantel. She slid out of her shoes while he disappeared into the bathroom, emerging a moment later with a foil packet that he placed on the cedar chest beside the bed.

  He met her gaze. Waiting.

  She recognized the moment for what it was—a chance for her to be certain this was what she wanted. The condom was a clear indication of his desires. Now it was her turn. And she didn’t think twice.

  With a roll of her shoulder, she shrugged off one strap of her gown. Then she slid a finger under the other strap and skimmed it down. Turning her back on him, she put the zipper in easy reach before she swiveled a look over one shoulder.

  “A little help, please?” she asked, although she was so ready to be naked with him, she would have wriggled her way out of the dress if necessary.

  He shifted closer behind her, his knee grazing her. He pushed aside the luxurious waves Annabel had created with her hair, baring her spine before he placed a kiss there. The shiver that tripped through her was pure pleasure.

  Then he inched the zipper down. Silk fell in a sensual flow down her skin, the tissue-thin gown pooling at her hips. From behind her, Xander snaked one arm around her waist, nudging the fabric the rest of the way off.

  “Wow.” The soft word, reverently spoken, made her suddenly self-conscious.

  She’d never been a woman who inspired that kind of reaction in men. Spinning in his arms, she faced him.

  “Now I get to see you.” She unfastened the next button on his shirt, pressing a kiss to his heated skin as she worked one after the other. Losing herself in the feel of him, the rapid tattoo of his heartbeat under her lips, the taut muscle of his abs as she neared his waist.

  When she flicked open the hook on his trousers, he returned the favor by undoing her bra clasp. And while she still didn’t trust her wow-factor, she enjoyed the gleam of appreciation in his eyes before he cupped a breast in his hand, thoroughly distracting her from undressing him.

  She swayed on her feet, bracing herself by gripping his shoulders. Naked, hot, strong shoulders. Her knees wobbled even more until he walked her backward toward the bed, lowered her onto the downy comforter, then joined her there. The press of his hips against hers reminded her that the night was going to get so much better.

  Desire fluttered along her feminine muscles, like a butterfly kiss, and they hadn’t even gotten all their clothes off yet. Arching harder against him, she wanted more.

  Now.

  He obliged with a kiss to her
breast, drawing on the nipple until the peak pebbled impossibly tighter. She tunneled her hands through his dark hair while he kissed and laved the other breast, and tension coiled tighter inside her.

  “I’m so close. Please.” She stroked her palm down his back, fingers combing aside the waistband of the tuxedo pants.

  “You are?” He reared back to look down at her, his blue eyes a shade darker, the black centers wide. “You don’t need to wait for me.”

  He reached between her thighs, cupping her through the tiny scrap of silk she still wore.

  All that delicious tension stirred. She gasped from the pleasure of it.

  “I can wait. I just—” She reached for the condom, but the nightstand was too far. “It just feels—”

  He slid aside the silk and stroked circles right there, where she needed him most.

  “I can’t wait to make you feel good,” he whispered in her ear, his lips brushing her cheek while he spoke, one of his legs pinning hers in the most pleasant way imaginable.

  More than pleasant. It was sexy as hell.

  And whatever he was doing with his hand felt so—

  The building tension burst, her release hitting her hard and fast, the waves of oh-so-amazing fulfillment racking her body. Again. And again. He seemed to know exactly how to make it last, touching her in ways that elicited every ounce of bliss from an orgasm unlike anything she’d ever achieved on her own or with help.

  None of which she could articulate, since sparks still shimmered behind her eyes. Vaguely, she knew he’d stood up long enough to undress and retrieve the condom. By the time he dragged her panties off and stretched out over her, she was recovered enough to kiss him. To wrap her arms around his neck and stroke a caress up the hard, hot length of him.

  To look in his eyes as he eased his way inside her, inch by delectable inch, filling her.

  She wrapped her legs around him, holding him there while her body adjusted to him, and she tried to catch a breath. But looking up into the blue eyes she’d dreamed about too many times, she knew that probably wasn’t going to happen. She was in bed with someone she’d fantasized about. Someone she’d never hold on to.