A Rancher’s Bride: The Stones of Heart Falls: Book 3

by Arend, Vivian

  “I get it. I hear you,” Luke insisted. He opened his knees, making a face as he moved, but then he caught her by the hand and tugged her to stand between his legs. When he caressed a finger over her cheek, Kelli wanted to nuzzle against him.

  June bugs were jumping in her belly.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” Luke said. “You’re somebody special, Kelli. I’m not going to fall into bed with you just to scratch an itch. No matter how much you say you’d be okay with it.”

  “It’s what I want,” she pointed out.

  “So you say, but this isn’t you and me acting in isolation. There are a whole lot of people at Silver Stone who’d be willing to tie me up and let the goats eat me if I treat you badly.”

  She’d already thought about this excuse. “We’re adults, and last time I checked, neither of us live our lives by committee. For the duration of our time here, I truly am good with us having a red-hot fling.”

  He was shaking his head. Still touching her, but with sadness on his face. “I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t enjoy kissing you. I think it was pretty clear I think you’re an attractive woman, but going forward, we’re not going to do anything. Not anything else, I mean.”

  Kelli shrugged. If it was true, she’d accept it, but in the meantime, teasing was in order. “You just keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.”

  A laugh escaped him, and he patted her cheek firmly as if he were dismissing one of the horses. “Come on. We should go unpack and figure out what we’re doing this afternoon and evening.”

  “We’re going to impress people, that much we know,” Kelli said as she backed up to give him room to stand beside her. She gave him a break and glanced away as he cautiously rearranged himself—guys’ nuts must be a pain and a half.

  But she was relentless as they stepped toward the hotel. She slipped her fingers into his, raising a brow pointedly when he would’ve jerked his hand away.

  And then damn if he didn’t adjust his grip, flipping their hands over to a more comfortable position. His firm clasp held her just right as they paced back to the gorgeous monstrosity that was their home for the next five days and nights.

  * * *

  Luke Stone had fallen down a rabbit hole and there was no escape.

  As they reentered the hotel, Kelli was all eyes again, staring in wonder rather than watching where she put her feet. Luke was glad he had a grip on her. It made it easier to tug her across the floor toward the glass-fronted elevators that led to the tower suites.

  She continued to crane her neck, looking everywhere, whispering quietly as she spotted decorating touches that made her grin.

  He fixated on the mirror in front of them, staring at her as if it was the first time he’d truly seen the woman.

  Kelli was small compared to him and yet a bundle of energy as she swung around, flashing a smile before she fell into jaw-dropped awe at a carving on display on the sideboard table. A couple of strands of hair had fallen loose from her braid, trailing past her cheeks.

  In the moments before the elevator doors opened, Luke let his gaze drop and openly take in the swell of her breasts, the dip where her waist cut in, and the flare of her hips—not very much there because she was so petite everywhere except up top.

  Her image slid into nothingness as the doors gaped, and she tugged him after her, pressing the floor number.

  Kissing her had been a revelation.

  His over-the-top reaction might partly stem from being officially solo since the end of summer. It had been July since he’d actually had sex, what with the way the relationship had worked out between him and Penny, but he didn’t think this was just his body craving a woman after a long dry spell.

  Kelli was sweet and spicy at the same time. Like the discussion he and Josiah had regarding chicken wings, and the damnedest thing was that Luke was a split second from opening his mouth and sharing his thoughts because he knew that Kelli would get a kick out of the comparison.

  He was so screwed. He liked her. He always had, but there’d been that barrier that said hands off and leave her alone. Kelli had thoroughly shredded that to ribbons with her blunt request and offer.

  Only she hadn’t thought this through. No more than he had making his boneheaded move and getting them into this circumstance in the first place.

  She said she’d had the hots for me forever.

  The elevator let them off on the top floor. Luke wasn’t sure if he could stop himself from marching down the hall like a rooster.

  They stopped outside the elaborately carved wooden door leading into their rooms for the next week. Kelli grinned at him. “This is going to be fun.”

  “Entertaining, no matter what,” he drawled.

  He placed his wristband to the keyless lock and it buzzed lightly, opening for them. He pushed the door open, holding it so Kelli could enter ahead of him.

  The enormous space was elaborate and yet comfortable at the same time. The room was a wide triangular shape with floor-to-ceiling windows opposite them that faced the Rocky Mountains. Outside the hotel, snow-covered peaks flared skyward close enough he could almost touch them, but inside was all about warmth and luxury.

  A gas fireplace stood freestyle as the centerpiece of the room. Tucked up against the wall with the massive windows on either side of it, the tall black stovepipe reached into the lofted ceiling. Three couches were arranged in a semicircle facing the view, and there were thick soft carpets underfoot and beautiful tapestries on the walls.

  Kelli’s fingers slipped back into his, but this time it didn’t seem as if she was trying to make a point. More like she was grounding herself. “Holy moly.”

  “Yeah, this is not going to suck.” Luke squeezed her fingers then twisted to take in the rest of the room. He slipped off his coat and hung it on one of the open wrought-iron hooks lining one wall. There was space for their boots underneath, although he caught Kelli wrinkling her nose as she arranged her well-polished but worn footwear next to Diane’s shining knee-high leather boots.

  Then she shrugged, distracting him with a bright smile. “Come on. I want to see our room.”

  She turned on her heel, and he trucked after her.

  “How do you know where you’re going?” he teased. “There are two identical doors in either corner of this place.”

  Kelli pointed across the distance as she turned the doorknob and leaned her hip against the heavy weight. “That one has a sock on it.”

  Luke snorted as he spotted what she was talking about. Sure enough, Jack had placed a plain white sock over the doorknob leading to their room.

  A further clue—behind their door, neat blue-and-white luggage was lined up at the foot of a king-size bed.

  Kelli was already moving toward the far wall and the door there. “Tell me there’s a bathtub in here with a view…” She cracked open the door then peeked over her shoulder at him, grinning from ear to ear. “I apologize now, but I might never come out.”

  He leaned over her shoulder. “Jeez, could they use a little more chrome and tile?”

  “You need to make a shower like this in your house.” Kelli pulled him farther forward, pointing at a glass-fronted monstrosity with three round showerheads directly overhead. “It’s going to be like standing in a downpour.”

  Her excitement was high enough to distract him from everything else he needed to worry about. “Let’s check the schedule and see when we need to be somewhere, then you can have free rein in here.”

  She suddenly straightened, glancing at him with a sly smile. “I don’t mind sharing,” she offered.

  “I’m going to unpack.” It was safer to ignore her invitations than to keep turning them down.

  Sure enough, Kelli was hard on his heels a moment later, still grinning, but she’d dropped the topic. “Which bag is mine?”

  “Not sure.” He undid the zipper on the first one, flipping the hard case open.

  Slamming it shut a second later.

  He pushe
d it to one side and pointed to the other bag. “That one is yours.”

  Kelli folded her arms over her chest, amusement on her face. “Shy about letting me see your underwear?”

  “Go unpack,” he ordered.

  Without another word Luke picked up his bag and carried it into the bathroom, locking the door behind him to make sure she didn’t trail after him.

  There was enough room to lay the suitcase on the counter, and he opened it carefully. Suits, shoes, slacks—all of that was folded and tucked neatly inside, but nothing explained the box of condoms nestled on top of the rest, safely held in place under the elastic straps.

  He hauled out his phone and hit the number for his sister-in-law.

  “Hello. Lisa Coleman speaking.”

  Luke figured she’d answer Tamara’s phone. Good thing, because Lisa was the one he wanted to yell at. This had to be her fault. No way would Tamara pull a stunt like this, and none of his brothers would’ve either. “What the hell, Lisa?”

  The woman had the audacity to laugh. “So. Did you have a good drive?”

  “Yes. We got here safe, and we’ve checked in, and everything is going fine. Now answer the damn question. What the hell were you thinking?”

  “You didn’t like my packing job?” She clicked her tongue. “Relax. I didn’t mean anything by it other than you are away with a certain young lady who has become important to me in a very short time. And if by some chance one thing leads to another, I didn’t want you either making a stupid mistake and stopping because you didn’t have supplies with you, or worse, making a stupid mistake and not stopping. Now you’re covered, if you’ll excuse the pun.”

  Luke eyed the box. Large size, bonus pack. He held his tongue about that part, still not happy with her. “I don’t appreciate you poking your nose into my business.”

  “If you don’t need them, whatever. Otherwise, consider it an early birthday present. I have to go. The girls will be home any minute. Have fun.” She hung up, and the line went dead before he had a chance to growl his frustration.

  He took the box and shoved it in the bottom drawer under the sink, covering it with a facecloth. Hopefully Kelli wouldn’t look in that drawer, or if she did, best-case scenario, she might think it was part of the standard supplies offered by the hotel.

  Luke dropped his shaving kit and bathroom stuff on the counter, picked up the suitcase and headed into the bedroom.

  Kelli had headphones in and was dancing as she unpacked, hips swinging as she tucked clothes into the set of drawers on the far side of the room.

  He did the same, slipping past her to the closet to hang up the suit and jackets Josiah had lent him. Doing everything with narrow focus in an attempt to ignore the enormous bed in the middle of the room, which was damn hard considering it was so big.

  Something to be thankful for, he supposed. More room to stay away from Kelli in a California king. Not that she’d take up a ton of room in the first place.

  He loaded the rest of his shirts and underwear into the dresser on his side of the bed—

  God, he had a side of the bed.

  He stopped with a jolt when something shimmery and pink slid from between his hands to hang over his arm. “Dammit, Lisa.”

  He must’ve said it too loudly because Kelli stopped her dancing, pulling one earbud free as she stepped to the side. “So that’s where that went.”

  She caught hold of his hand then slid the bra strap over his wrist and onto her own arm. “Pretty, isn’t it?”

  The only reason he didn’t stick his fingers in his ears was because he had frozen at the sight of the bra—and didn’t that prove he was nothing but a teenage boy, immobilized by a woman’s underwear?

  “I guess.”

  She lifted her eyes to meet his, and that vulnerable woman who’d been making comments about not being “feminine” was back. “Can I tell you a secret?”

  He waited, wordlessly.

  Kelli smoothed her knuckles over the soft fabric of the cup. Her attention drifted onto the material as she spoke softly. “I told my friends I’d never had anything fancy like this. I kind of thought women who wore stuff like this were crazy to waste the money. But you know what? I tried a set on the other day, and I think I’m hooked. It was so comfortable.”

  This was not happening. He was not really standing there next to Kelli James listening to her talk about unmentionables as she stroked its satiny finish.

  But it was happening. It was far too easy for his brain to do the next step which was picture the swells of her breasts behind that soft fabric. And the hands stroking the material were his, and the cursed part was he had a really good imagination.

  The next part that killed him? If he wanted to, he could totally admire the real thing. Kelli would be more than willing to model if he asked.

  She glanced back up, and that rush of protectiveness he’d felt standing in the ice garden flared again. She might be driving him wild, but she was doing it by taking a risk. There was worry in her eyes, and damn if he didn’t want to wipe away her fears.

  But he was damned if he took what she was offering—

  The long-time friendship between them won, forcing him to offer reassuring words. “There’s nothing wrong with liking pretty things.”

  Her smile brightened the room, and something inside his gut flipped. They had so much history between them, and he really did care about her, but when it came right down to it, a new door had opened between them, and now it was time to decide whether to take a step through or not.

  He still wasn’t certain what he would do when it came to her green-light challenge, but one thing he was certain of.

  Wanting to see her wearing a happy expression like she’d just flashed could get addictive.

  9

  As Kelli changed into the most comfortable of her dress-casual outfits, she scolded herself.

  She’d hesitated instead of simply stripping down and dressing in front of him. While she’d dilly-dallied, Luke had grabbed what he needed and retreated into the bathroom.

  Chicken.

  By the time Luke returned, she was ready as well. He must have stuck his head under the tap or something, because his hair was a shade darker with lingering wetness, and he finger combed it into place as he checked the mirror on the dresser hutch.

  “You missed a spot.” Kelli crooked her finger to get him to draw closer.

  To her shock he moved as ordered, and she stroked a hand around the back of his head, patting the errant strands that had been standing upright.

  It was too tempting to resist. She did it a second time, playing with a curl at the base of his neck before withdrawing her hand.

  Luke stared back as his breathing deepened slightly. His eyes—mesmerizing.

  He stood abruptly and cleared his throat. “We should see if our hosts are ready to go mingle.”

  Kelli nodded and trucked ahead of him back into the living room. It took a moment for her to find her balance. The view out the window was nearly as mesmerizing as his eyes. Nearly, but not quite.

  Still, she found herself pacing across the room to the window to stare into the majestic wilderness.

  The view was amazing. Old-growth pine trees reached nearly as tall as the fourth-floor windows where she stood. Snow balanced on their limbs from the afternoon storm creating a picture-perfect Christmas card with a faint dusting of green and silver where the feature lighting from the hotel shone through the fluffy layers.

  Luke stepped beside her. “It’s a miracle every time I get to see nature in all her glory like this.”

  “It’s even better because we don’t have to go search for missing cattle,” Kelli murmured. “Warm, hmm.”

  “Trust me, I’m appreciating that as well.” With a laugh, he draped an arm around her shoulders in a “good ol’ boy’s” way.

  She took total advantage and buried in tighter, wrapping herself against his side. Luke stiffened, and she debated backing off, when he sighed, relaxing and twisting toward
her.

  His familiar features were still for a moment, and then he smiled. Not the wide optimistic grin she loved, but the one he made when he was happy because something special had happened. Like the arrival of a foal, or the time she’d dragged him across the fields to show him the first crocuses of spring she’d discovered, poking their heads up way too early one February.

  He slipped his fingers under her chin. “You are one big complication, Kelli James. But I guess I like complicated.”

  Luke tipped her head and leaned toward her, the faintest brush of his lips over hers sending her senses reeling.

  Something had changed. Between unpacking and stepping out here in front of the window, something inside Luke seemed to have softened. She didn’t want to think too hard about what it might mean other than he was kissing her.

  Gentle but insistent. Nothing but his fingers under her chin, his mouth against hers, but their entire bodies could have been naked and pressed together for how turned on she was.

  He licked her top lip, and she gasped. The next second he’d taken advantage of the opportunity, teasing his tongue against hers. Drawing back before she could fully engage. Making her wild as he pressed his teeth into her lower lip for the briefest second.

  Something tugged deep in her core, but she forced her hands to stay at her sides instead of reaching for him for fear that adding to the touch might destroy the whole dream.

  A distinctive click sounded as the door to the other suite opened. Luke pulled back far enough that when her lashes fluttered open he was inches away, that secretive smile still in place.

  “You ready for this?” he asked.

  She’d been ready years ago. Heck, three seconds ago she would have climbed him like a tree, and waiting any longer—

  Oh, wait. He wasn’t talking about sex.

  Their roomies were chatting as they entered the room, and there wasn’t really time to answer Luke’s question now that Kelli had figured out what he was actually talking about.

  Still, she took advantage of how close they stood to slip her hands around his waist, keeping their bodies together as she turned to smile at Diane’s greeting.