Queen of Hearts: (Family Stone #6 Shelley) (Family Stone Romantic Suspense) by Lisa Hughey Read Free Book Online Page B

detail.
    “That’s a great idea,” Jack gushed.
    Shelley had no idea what idea Jack meant. “What are you talking about?”
    “Since I think it’s wise not to advertise that you’ve got a bodyguard, the cover can be that you’re dating.”
    Dating? Oh, hell. That was even worse.
    Shelley and Ric winced at the same time. Neither one of them had had any intention of seeing each other again after last night. It was supposed to be a one night hook up and stress free encounter.
    Oh my God .
    For the first time, ever, she had a one night stand and now Jack wanted him to become her bodyguard. By their nature, one night stands should be anonymous, and over in one night .
    She shouldn’t have to share the embarrassing and scant details of her dating and sex life.
    When she was younger and moved into the Stone Mansion, she didn’t date. At all. The kids had enough upheaval in their life with a father who was a total man-whore. She’d believed that they needed stability and kept the focus just on them. So, she didn’t date when the kids were in the house. By the time she was ready for a date, she’d been thirty-five and had more money than she could ever spend in her lifetime which meant that any interest was slightly suspect. She’d also been unsure about how to go about finding a date.
    Now Jack wanted her to ‘pretend date’ her one night stand.
    She wanted to mouth the word, sorry, to Ric. His dark brows were lowered over his deep, secretive eyes while he seemed to be assessing facts.
    “It’s best if Shelley stays here,” Ric said. “I don’t think it’s safe for her to return to her room.”
    Jack was nodding complacently as if he hadn’t just been chewing her out for spending the night with his friend.
    “What?” Stay here. As in stay with him? This just kept getting better and better. “No.”
    But Ric and Jack didn’t acknowledge her growing distress.
    Ric shot a guarded look at Jack. His face set in serious lines. “Did you check the room for bugs and cameras?”
    Jack said, “Waiting until the cops are gone.”
    Bugs? Cameras? “You think someone was spying on me?”
    “Not necessarily. Maybe they wanted to see your reaction to the destruction.” Ric was thinking out loud.
    It occurred to Shelley at the same time she saw Ric and Jack exchanged a weighted glance. “It’s possible that not going back to your room last night was a good thing.”
    They’d been waiting for her?
    Shelley’s heart beat in an uneven rhythm. “So someone could have been watching me? Or waiting for me?”
    That tidbit caused her more anxiety than the destruction of her clothes and stuff. The grim looks on both their faces told the story. Her stomach rolled, pitching like she were on a sailboat in the Monterey Bay.
    “I have some pics I took before security got to the room.” Jack thumbed through pictures taken with his phone to show Ric.
    Ric said quietly, “That’s an awful lot of rage.”
    “Let me see.” Shelley tried to grab the phone but Jack held it up and over her head. “Jack!”
    “It’s her life. She needs to see.” Ric peeled the phone from Jack’s hand. “Besides, she’s tough. She can take it.”
    The off the cuff compliment caused a pleasant tingle in her belly. He casually curled his bare arm around her back, the thick bunch of his bicep was firm and solid behind her shoulder blades while he held the phone so she could see the pictures of her room.
    Shelley’s breath caught.
    But not because of the pictures. Ric’s heat seeped through the thin cotton of the t-shirt he’d given her to wear. The memory of her straddling his thighs, her palms pressing on his shoulders, when he’d ab curled to a sitting position and completely rocked her world, had her going wet.
    Last night, he had curved one arm around her shoulders and the other low around her hips and guided her as she rode him, his cock splitting her in two, and his arms alternately lifting her up and then slamming her down. They’d