“Yeah,” I said gruffly, even as my eyes roamed over her again.
It didn’t feel incompatible the way she made my body heat. It hadn’t felt incompatible when her body was pressed to mine or when her mouth was poised and parted for my kiss. And it definitely didn’t feel incompatible to claim her as my girlfriend even though it should’ve felt worse; it should’ve felt illegal.Illicit.
Her weak smile flashed wide with bravado. “It’ll be easy.”
I almost choked. Easy ...Tell that to my cock.
Decades spent being raised as a survivalist, and as I pulled out of the lot, the only thing I could think was that I might not have the skills to survive a fake relationship with my ex-girlfriend’s little sister.
Chapter 7
Lara
Pretend to be dating Calder Stone.
I wouldn’t say it was my finest moment, but while I was on the phone with the receptionist, my skin had started to tingle the way it did when a trauma case came into the emergency room, and I had split seconds to make calls that could be life or death. While I hoped—desperately—that wasn’t the situation Rachel was in, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.
So I’d administered the lie ... and watched Calder turn from calm stone into a churning volcano. Glowing. Smoking.And about to erupt.
After instructing me to leave my rental and get back in his truck, we rode—in taut silence—back to the ranch.
I’d never seen him look so intense before. Not then. Not now. Calder wasn’t used to playing by anyone else’s rules but his own, and now I’d just gone and changed the entire game. I knew it wasn’t ideal—that I’d stepped on his proverbial professional toes.And signed us up for a couples’ retreat.But I didn’t have a choice. My gut told me this was the only way to find my sister.
My gaze flicked to the man stewing beside me. If I looked closely, I’d see the smoke of frustration coming out his ears. The problem was, if I looked too closely, I’d see other things: the knot of his jaw muscleabout to snap from the tension and the gold flecks starbursting from his pupils from our almost-collision inside the diner. With the way he stared at me—at my mouth—any other doctor might have diagnosed that look as desire, but I couldn’t; I wasn’t a specialist in my sister’s ex-boyfriend’s emotions.I couldn’t be.
As we pulled into the driveway, the sun dipped low in the sky, a yolk drooping toward the jagged, lofty mountains that would puncture its vibrancy and spill its soft warmth over the towering steeps. This time, the Stone homestead appeared like a gem nestled in a forested fist—a sanctuary tucked into its surroundings, protected and picturesque.
I could see why Cassius Stone had chosen it. Why anyone would choose it.
Instead of going to his Airstream, Calder drove past his dad’s house to the second building I’d spotted from the top of the hill: his brother Callum’s house.
The Watchtower, he’d called it.
Without speaking, on par for the drive, he parked and we got out of the truck. While Calder strode straight toward the entrance, my pace was slower as I took in the building.
It was newer construction, a wraparound porch that enclosed the whole building and provided a 360-degree vantage point to the fields and mountains that stretched in every direction.
Calder walked up the handicapped ramp to the front door, and I noted how the ramp wasn’t in addition to the stairs, but in place of them. My vague recollection yesterday was now confirmed: Calder’s younger brother had been the famed storm chaser who’d barely survived his last encounter with a tornado.
I moved to catch up and almost missed the home’s most striking feature: the glass-encrusted dome in the center of the roof, perfect for viewing stars and storms.
“Callum!” Calder called and banged on the front door.
A dog tore around the corner, emitting a single bark of greeting before wearing a circle around my legs. I recognized the breed—a blue heeler, just like my neighbor’s dog back in Phoenix.
“Hey, buddy.” I smiled and crouched, giving his wet nose my open palm to sniff.
“Lara, meet Twister,” Calder grumbled.
“Hi, Twister,” I said as he licked my palm, and then slid my hand back to scratch behind his ears. “Is he your brother’s?”
“Sort of” was the only answer I got before the door opened.
I stood, my eyes widening when there was no one on the other side.
“Cal?” Calder called again, stepping into the house.
I followed, seeing that the other side of the door was rigged with various sensors and a large pistonlike control that allowed for a remote command to not only unlock the door but also open it.