by Em Petrova
When she finished the call and slipped into the seat next to him, he nudged the cards she’d been dealt.
“Thank you.” Around him, she found herself a bit breathless, a lot turned on. His masculine scent hit her nostrils and went straight to her pussy.
“What was that about a kindergarten class?”
“Um. Well, it’s a publicity thing. My agent sets these up for me, because it looks good. But I usually enjoy myself.”
“What exactly is it?”
“We’re bringing some local children here to show them the ropes of the filming and the ranch.”
His dark brow worked its way upward. “So it’s for show. A big celebrity hobnobbing with the kiddos while they learn how to groom a horse.”
“Not exactly. Okay, yes, in a way. But it was my idea to work with the kids.”
He held her pinned in his steady gaze. “Your idea.”
She nodded, feeling that shyness again. “Working with you on these things that I knew nothing about made me feel a bit like a child with a brand-new world opening up to me. It got me thinking about kids.”
When he smiled at her, it enclosed her in a private world where only the pair of them existed.
“King.”
“Yes, Bellarose?”
“After I’m finished for the day, I’d like to spend some time with you.”
Maybe it was her tone of voice and her husky insinuation. Or maybe it was the expression on her face. But either way, King understood. He slipped a hand beneath the table and placed the warm weight on her thigh.
* * * * *
When King entered his bedroom, he grunted to see little jars cluttering every surface. The dresser, the nightstand and even along the windowsill.
“Damn crew can’t fucking listen, can they?” he muttered and strode into the bathroom to shower.
The cold rain had finally seeped through the shoulders of his jacket and he could use a warmup. Besides that, he wanted to clean up for Bellarose. The way she’d looked at him over her poker hand had him burning.
No, burning was too tame of a term for what he felt for that woman. She kindled an inferno inside him and there was no dousing it.
He switched on the shower and got in before the water was fully hot. With his back to the spray, he squeezed a dollop of body wash into his palm and soaped himself. His cock was already at half-mast, knowing he’d have Bellarose in his arms again.
It was his own fault he hadn’t had her in a few days—keeping her at arms’ length hadn’t lessened his desire for her. And if anything, that warm light in his chest for her was brighter.
Especially after witnessing what he had today with that horse. When Dickson had suggested the body double to take the galloping scene, pure fire and determination had crossed her beautiful face.
In that second, King had known—without a fucking doubt—that she was the woman for him.
All his life he’d had visions of what his wife would be. A small-town woman who loved animals and could slip right into his lifestyle. There might not be much fire between them but mutual respect and a bit of love was all they needed.
At least that was what he believed. Until meeting Bellarose.
She was everything he’d never expected, hell, never even known about. Almost from the start she’d shown her true colors and he’d seen what a hard worker she was. His respect had been earned, and that surprised the hell out of him. People rarely surprised King.
He twisted into the water and rubbed the soap off his body. His hair came last, and then he reached out for a towel.
Somebody placed it into his groping hand.
Shocked, he stuck his head out to find a laughing redhead standing in his bathroom.
Quickly, he started toweling himself with the curtain still closed.
It was ripped aside. “Not being shy, are you, King?”
He grunted a laugh. “No.” To prove himself, he dropped the towel to the floor and stepped out completely naked.
Bellarose’s eyelids drooped as she skated her gaze over his bare, water-flecked chest, following his love trail of damp, dark hair into the trim mass cradling his now stiff cock.
Her tongue flicked out and she wet her lower lip.
He emitted a groan and reached for her. She came into his arms easily and he stripped off her top. The lightweight fabric—probably expensive silk—drifted to the bath mat. Beneath it she was bare.
Her full breasts peaked, her nipples tight hard candies.
Lowering his mouth inch by inch, he watched her nipple quiver a split second before he sucked it onto his tongue. She tossed her head back on a moan.
With a hand at her lower back, he gathered her to him, roving his fingers up and down her spine. He slid one into her waistband, and finding it stretchy, eased her pants down her body.
She stepped out of them, and his eyes popped. “When did you stop wearing panties?”
“I didn’t bother after I changed, because I knew I was coming here.”
“So you planned to seduce me.”
She coiled her arms around his neck, looking into his eyes. “That was the plan,” she whispered a scant breath from his lips.
He crushed his mouth to hers with a growl and lifted her. She wrapped her thighs around him, her wet, hot pussy pressed to his abs as he carried her to bed.
The need within him had his gut clenching when he laid her on the mattress. Then realizing there was a lot of light in the space, he raised his head.
Each little jar he’d only glanced at with irritation on his way to the shower was now lit with a small candle. The glow bathed the room, and Bellarose’s skin, in a golden warmth.
“You did this,” he grated out, lips hovering above hers.
She nodded. “King, there’s something I need to say to you.”
There’s something I need to say to you too. I love you.
But he didn’t utter the syllables that would break him in the end.
She traced a finger down his spine. Her eyes were clear and bright with something he couldn’t read.
“When you were so short with me…” she began, swallowing hard, “I never realized how much something like that could hurt.”
“Oh fuck, darlin’, I’m sorry. It’s just—”
“Let me finish,” she said gently. “It isn’t because I’ve never had people cast me off. It’s—”
“I wasn’t casting you off. I was—”
“It’s because I love you, King. It hurt because I’m in love with you.”
His jaw dropped but no air passed from his lungs. He stared down at her for a full minute before understanding hit.
“Jesus, how? I don’t deserve it.” He kissed her with a brutality that she responded to, rising up to meet him with hard, passionate kisses and thrusts of her soft tongue against his.
Need filled him, and he reached out to lay his hand on the nightstand drawer. He hardly remembered getting the condom in place. Between Bellarose’s kisses and her scorching touch on his body, he’d fallen into a trance.
A spasm of desire hit his cock when she took hold of him at the base, spread her thighs and guided him home.
The first thrust was pure sin and heaven wrapped into one. He groaned long and low, and she let out a small cry. Clutching him with her inner walls, she rocked upward.
He drove in an inch farther.
He cradled her head in one hand and brought her lips to his own as he started to move. The clench and release of her slick walls around his cock had him right on the edge.
“King, you feel so good. Soooo…” She sucked in a gasping cry and gripped him tighter.
Christ, he was far too close and she wasn’t near her pinnacle yet. He had to slow down or risk being a terrible lover. The last thing he wanted with Bellarose. Need mingled with the whisper of her words bouncing around his head and the way she kissed him back slayed his control.
He pulled out and shoved deeper. She slid up the sheets toward the headboard with each thrust of his hi
ps.
“I want on top,” she rasped.
It took a second for him to figure out what she was asking of him. With a growl, he tumbled with her, settling her overtop him, legs splayed. Through her sparse red curls her clit was slick and swollen. When she began to ride him in slow twitches of her hips, he pressed the pad of his thumb over her clit.
“Yes!” She trembled, frozen in place. He strummed her distended bundle of nerves once more and took over the moves she seemed incapable of for the moment. Watching her come unglued for him was the hottest fucking thing he’d ever seen and likely ever would again.
A low rumble came from him, and he jerked his hips hard and fast, pounding the head of his cock into her wet heat while circling her clit with his thumb until it stiffened even more.
Her orgasm was building. Her cheeks flushed and dew broke out on her hairline. She shimmied against him, which had his length dragging through her wet folds and his balls overflowing.
“Darlin’, I’m close. I’m not gonna last.” To heighten her arousal, he licked his thumb, tasting her juices, and pressed the wet digit against her clit again.
The new sensation was all she needed to send her over the edge. She fell forward, their hips banging together and filling the room with their groans of pleasure. She dug her nails into his shoulders and sailed over the edge with a wail.
His mind blanked on the massive release that was raging out of control just inches off.
Forget that—it was here.
The first spurt left him breathless and the second and third ripped an animal moan from him. Each jet of cum shot him higher.
Bellarose collapsed on him, and he held her close as their breathing slowly gained a more normal rhythm.
He’d been so stupid. Trying to push her away would never work, and he didn’t know why he hadn’t seen it. Because she wasn’t someone to just set aside—she was burrowed deep into his heart and part of his soul now.
He didn’t know how he’d make it work—with him having the ranch and her working both in Hollywood studios and different locations. When they’d see each other or how they’d be able to keep this spark alive were very real questions he should be asking himself right now instead of falling more in love with her.
But facing those situations seemed easier than letting her go.
When she turned her face to his and smiled, his love flowed faster in his veins. He brushed his mouth over hers, and she went still, holding the moment. He caressed her spine and she went boneless.
“You had a long day of filming,” he said softly against her hair.
“Mmm-hmm. Especially wanting that all day.”
He made a noise in his throat. “Did you now?”
“Yes,” she drawled out. Then she lifted her head to look at him. “Thank you for that earlier.”
He found her hard button between her thighs and stroked it. “For this?”
“Yes, that. God, you make me want you again and again. No, I mean the confidence I needed to do the galloping scene.”
He stopped teasing her pussy and cradled her to him. “I knew you had it in you. You just needed to know it too.”
“There was no way I was using a body double.”
“Not my girl.”
They shared a smile.
“You hungry?” she asked.
“What ya got for me to eat?”
“Save that for later. I mean, I have a surprise for dinner.”
“If you mean the microwave pancakes in the freezer, they’re not very good. They were out of the ones I like.”
Chuckling, she said, “Not that. I have a meal prepared.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Why don’t I get up and set it out for us?”
He pinched her bottom. “All right. I’ve gotta check the horses and then I’ll be in for your surprise dinner.” He brought his juice-damp fingers to his lips and sucked. Her eyes fluttered shut and when she opened them, they shone with love.
When he left for the barn, Bellarose was puttering in the kitchen. The clink of plates and the sound of her humming made the place feel like a home.
At last.
For the moment, he could picture this—more of this. Living together, making a life.
* * * * *
Bellarose wasn’t much in the kitchen but she could heat up soup. The carton she’d sneaked into the refrigerator was from a local restaurant. When she pulled the top off, the chowder smelled just spicy enough with notes that made her think of home. Her mother loved chowder and she hoped King did as well.
She dumped the contents into a pot and turned on the burner to heat it. Then she drew out the light, flaky biscuits and arranged them in a big bowl. They were flecked with herbs and ham, which sounded hearty enough for a rancher. The meal didn’t compare to what his sister Rachel had shared with them, but it beat microwave dinners.
After the soup began to bubble, she turned off the burner and looked to the front of the house. King was taking a while. She didn’t know what his tasks were, but he’d made it sound as if he’d be right back inside.
He covered the pot with a lid and went to the front door. Slipping on her boots and one of King’s jackets.
Outside, the evening was rapidly darkening, clouds covering the moon and any light from the stars. The fresh air teased the hair around her face and she dragged in a deep, cleansing breath.
She knew her way to the barn well enough, even with it so dark. Once she grew closer, she saw lights on and shadows behind the window on the front.
She opened the door and closed it behind her. “King?”
“Son of a bitch. Bellarose, I’ve got a horse down with colic and I can’t come in for dinner!”
Shocked by the way he was speaking to her, she took a step back. Her spine pressed to the door where he’d once crushed her long enough to steal some kisses.
Her mind caught up and she realized he was very upset about the horse. “Colic?” she asked, drifting forward and following his voice to a stall. She clapped a hand to her lips. “It’s Mare-ida!”
He didn’t look at her but gave a hard nod. “I need to get her up and get her walking or the colic can’t pass.”
“What happened?”
When he glanced up, she saw fury twisting his hard lips. He sent a glare her way. “Mishandling, is my guess. That handler failed to put her up right and now she’s suffering.” He pushed to his feet and grabbed the horse’s lead.
“C’mon, girl. Let’s go.” He tugged, but the mare didn’t budge. Bellarose’s heart sank as she watched him try to get the horse to move.
“Should we call the vet?” she asked.
“I don’t have money to call the vet!” he snapped. “Dammit. C’mon now, get up.” One more yank and the horse folded her hooves beneath herself and stumbled to a stand. She swayed.
King nudged past Bellarose. “Watch out.”
She watched him lead the horse out of the barn, her brows pinched in worry but confusion as well. He’d never treated her this way—and now he was acting as if the horse’s colic was her fault.
Following them outside, she folded her arms against the growing chill of the night and the freeze-out she was getting from King.
“Gotta get a tube in her stomach,” he muttered, shoving past her again.
He stomped into the barn and came out with some small plastic tubing. “You’d best go, Bellarose. This isn’t for someone like you to watch.”
“I don’t want to go into the cabin, King. I’ll help. Tell me what to do.” She shifted her arms inside the sleeves of his too-large coat she wore. Ordinarily, the scent of the man would have brought some measure of comfort, but not this time.
He met her gaze. “Call your driver and go back, Bellarose.”
“But—”
“Look, these horses are just props to you but they’re my livelihood,” he barked.
She flinched. “This isn’t my fault.”
“It’s your show.”
Her mouth fell ope
n. Was that what he thought of her? That she was just part of a show, like the people who annoyed him so much? Hurt tears burned at the backs of her eyes, and she forced them back.
Arms folded over her body, she stared back at King. “This. Is. Not. My. Fault.”
He whipped the tubing outward, so it unrolled from its coil. Ignoring her, he moved to the horse again. Bellarose watched for several minutes while he worked to ease the horse’s pain.
Realizing she hadn’t moved, he turned his head, giving her a look at his strong profile in the faint light coming from the barn. “Go,” he said.
Spinning away, she took off for the house, stripping off his coat as she went. The next minutes were spent calling her driver and pacing the yard waiting for him. Each step she took drew her closer to her anger and further from the stubborn ass of a rancher she’d so recently confessed her love to.
She couldn’t believe he viewed her as such a pain. After all these weeks together, she’d believed he understood her—even understood her better than anyone else in the world. How wrong she’d been. King had slept with the celebrity just like everybody else.
I’ve been so stupid.
When her driver came to take her away from Blackwater, she stared out at the night and thought of all that she’d had here. Go, he’d told her. Leave the ranch.
She was, dammit. And it might be a cold day in hell before she came back.
Chapter Twelve
At least the mare was feelin’ better. Because King was wrecked.
After spending most of the night watching over the horse and helping to ease the pain in her stomach that could put her out of commission entirely, he’d finally watched the animal drink and knew she was turning the corner.
But fuck, he wouldn’t be. He’d let his anger and his big mouth lose the only woman who’d ever meant a damn thing to him.
How could he even begin to apologize for the way he’d snapped at her or placed blame on her for the horse’s illness? Even if he said the words, the damage had been done.
He knew Bellarose from the tips of her polished toes to the thoughts going on behind her eyes. She’d looked so stricken—then furious. And a woman like her didn’t get over something like this easy.