No Broken Bond Read online

  No Broken Bond

  Secrets Of Stone: Book Seven

  ANGEL PAYNE

  VICTORIA BLUE

  This book is an original publication of Angel Payne & Victoria Blue.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.

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  Copyright © 2018 Waterhouse Press, LLC

  Cover Design by Emmy Ellis

  Cover Photographs: 123RF

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  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic format without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  For the platinum bond in my life—the glue who keeps me together. I couldn’t do this without you, my Thomas. Thank you.

  Very special thanks to Victoria, who sees me at my worst and loves me anyway! — Angel

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  This one is for our dedicated readers who’ve stuck with us while we walked through our professional field of dreams. Finally! The completion of our trio’s story. — Victoria

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  Continue the Secrets of Stone Series with Book Eight

  Also by Angel Payne

  About Angel Payne

  About Victoria Blue

  Chapter One

  Drake

  “I’ll bet my money on the bobtail nag, somebody bet on the bay.”

  My best friend had officially lost his damn mind.

  I groaned at Fletcher, who ignored me and kept bellowing the well-worn lyrics as we plodded on horseback through the tall grass of a wide Wyoming meadow. The bastard answered my agony with a wink, a grin and more ear-piercing singing, encouraged by Talia’s laughter. She threw back her head, tumbling waves of dark silky hair down her spine from under her straw cowboy hat.

  Holy hell.

  Who knew the woman could get sexier than she already was? But yeah, sitting astride my favorite childhood mare sure worked that magic.

  Still didn’t take the place of the previous night. When she’d been straddling other things. Well, one other thing. Me. While I’d caressed her perfect tits and—

  “Drake!”

  I snapped my head in Fletcher’s direction. Judging by the look on his face, he’d called my name several times before mentally teleporting me back to the meadow. But the escape had been fun. For a few seconds, I’d been back in my adolescent bedroom at the house, during the hours from last night when the three of us had replaced innocent childhood memories with forbidden, naughty ones. What Fletch, Talia and I had done was a hell of a lot better than jacking off to fantasies about the varsity cheerleaders from high school, that was for damn certain.

  “What?” It was more a bark than an answer, but that was what Fletch got for interrupting my stroll down Memory Lane. Of course, neither he nor Talia missed the glazed look in my eyes, probably making me seem like the chocolate-smeared kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Yep. Sounded about right.

  “Where do you want to have lunch?” Fletcher’s eyes twinkled with mischief, matching my wider smirk. Have lunch. Ha. Read—Let’s take turns making a meal of our amazing girl, too. Preferably before, during and after enjoying the picnic Mom had insisted on packing in our saddle bags.

  The meadow waved softly around us, filling the air with the seductive whispers of the earth. The breeze swept through the wildflowers and wheat grass, scenting everything with a perfect combination of fresh sweetness and newly turned soil from the distant field Dad had plowed yesterday.

  In that moment, it hit me.

  Fuck, how I’d missed this.

  Growing up in rural Wyoming, a guy took nuances like the wind in the grass for granted. Though my over-privileged eyes had been opened a lot during an infernal tour in the Middle East with the United States Marine Corps, it had taken Talia and Fletcher and the love they’d brought to my life to make me view all of this with truly new sight. It was sheer natural beauty as far as the eye could see and I was honored to share it with the two people I loved more with every passing day.

  This. Right here.

  This is what it’s all about.

  How was our girl always saying it? Building our foundation. I understood that now more than ever. Every proverbial brick we laid, every experience we shared, cemented our hearts—our very souls—tighter to one another.

  “This should be perfect.” I gently pulled on the reins, halting Sinbad under the canopy created by the full foliage of an old crab apple tree. The blossoms, dropped to the ground, had been replaced by young green bundles of leaves.

  Fletcher halted his slightly taller horse, Marty, next to mine. We quickly dismounted then turned the animals into the meadow, allowing them to graze while we had lunch.

  Talia popped her feet out of the stirrups, swung her right leg over Gracie’s back end and slid down to the ground. She was already a natural with the mare, causing pride to swell in my chest. There wasn’t a single thing the woman couldn’t take on and master.

  Including the two of us.

  “Your mom really is amazing for packing all this food for us.” Her voice drifted on the light wind. “So…unexpected.”

  Fletcher frowned. “Why unexpected?”

  “Well, considering what my own mother is like—do I really need to say more?”

  I scowled because she had a valid point. Too fucking valid. After she’d finally confronted her parents about our unconventional relationship, tacking on an ultimatum to them—accept us or lose her to us—they’d been anything but warm and fuzzy about things.

  Not that ‘us’ was the most conventional idea to thrust on a family. Admittedly, I’d even worried about bringing Talia here, to meet Mom, Dad and Lizzy. Okay, so I’d hinted to Dad for years about my tastes in the bedroom, though I was damn sure he had a strong Dominant nature like me. I’d banked on that instinct a few times, floating out the idea of sharing a woman, just to see if he’d grab the bait. More often than not, his reaction was a deep chuckle and a slow shake of his head. I guessed he’d chalked it all up to me being young, rich and horny. A phase, passing like any other.

  So…the nerves had been high about this trip.

  And couldn’t have been more idiotic or unfounded.

  All three of them had surprised me in the best ways possible. It helped that Fletch was already a part of the family, but any strangeness around Talia simply never materialized. They embraced her with the warmth and understanding I’d dreamed they would, folding her into the fabric of our family without a second thought. I smiled a little, recalling the morning I’d watched from the breakfast nook in the kitchen as she’d helped scramble eggs and turn bacon, sandwiched between Mom and Lizzy as if she’d always belonged there. They’d chatted away about the latest episode of a mutually favorite show, oblivious to what was happening in the heart of the guy a few feet behind them. That morning, my adoration for my family had grown tenfold.

  “Do you want turkey or ha
m?” Talia’s question jerked me back once again. Perched prettily in the middle of the picnic blanket, she held up two neatly wrapped squares, weighing them in her hands.

  “I’ll have the ham.”

  I reached across the flannel blanket. Fletcher’s long arm blocked my reward.

  “Hey! I wanted that one.”

  I muscled him out of the way, grabbing the sandwich. “Unfortunate she asked me first, isn’t it?”

  I was being smug, fully preparing to give him the thing, but that was before a peach came flying from his side of the blanket. Talia’s laughter, sweet as the birdsong from the trees, accompanied my quick defense against the fruit bomb. “Dude,” I snapped, quickly flicking a wrist. “Really?”

  Fletcher chuckled hard.

  I narrowed a sardonic glare. “You really want to find out how cold the spring is this time of year?”

  “I’d like to see you try, big man.” His bright blue eyes reflected the sun, making them look like the Caribbean instead of the usual wintery Lake Michigan. Ranch life agreed with us all, making things looser, easier. That included the brotherly bond with my best friend—as well as our tendency to rib and torture one another.

  “Boys,” Talia finally chided. “That’s enough. Fletcher, if you really don’t want the turkey, you can have my egg salad.”

  His wrinkled-faced reaction to that offer was priceless. Fletcher felt about egg salad the same way as I did about lima beans.

  “Okaaaay.” Talia giggled, assessing his grimace. “Or not.”

  When she laughed again, the sound started pulsing through my bloodstream…and swelling in my crotch.

  “Turkey is fine, love. In fact, I was just thinking how hungry I was for a turkey sandwich.”

  “Oh, geez.” Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Her smile was barely concealed as she attempted a stern façade.

  “What?” Fletch teased.

  “You are so full of it, Mr. Ford.”

  I grunted around the bite of sandwich filling my mouth. “Don’t poke the bear before he eats his lunch, Tolly.”

  She nodded quickly, handing over his sandwich. Fletcher was the definition of gregarious, easygoing and lighthearted, until he was hungry. Then the world saw a whole new version of cranky—and she knew it, too.

  After devouring the sandwiches, along with fruit, cheese, pasta salad and some killer brownies for dessert, we spent the afternoon being lazy under the apple tree. The horses trotted through the tall grass, entwining their long necks and enjoying their freedom from the stable. Talia lay between Fletch and me on the blanket, switching direction occasionally so we both had a chance to taste the sunlight on her lips…and caress its warmth in her skin. Fuck, she felt good—and tasted even better. Mom had also packed us some sparkling apple drink, which blended with Tolly’s chemistry in some magical way, turning her lips into a damn ambrosia.

  I’d sure as fuck experienced hell before—and this was its polar opposite. Heaven. Paradise. Nirvana. Elysium. Rhapsody. Dreamland. Fairyville. Who the fuck cared? I only knew I never wanted to leave. I’d never have a friend like Fletcher again—and Talia Perizkova was everything I’d ever wanted. She was my drug, my oxygen, my addiction, my strength, my weakness…anything corny I could come up with and likely a few more beyond that.

  She had quickly become my everything.

  No.

  They had quickly become my everything.

  “What is it, baby?” I issued the quiet question in response to one of her sighs, heavier than the others.

  “I don’t want to go home tomorrow.” She lifted her head from Fletcher’s chest, reaching for the hand with which I’d been stroking her hair.

  “I was just thinking the same thing.” Unbelievably, Fletch’s cocky grin disappeared for a moment.

  His statement came as no surprise. The two of them were connected in a way I couldn’t fathom—a link that would’ve probably freaked me out if it were any other pair. But watching them, and seeing their pieces fit like that…only made my heart more full. I’d never cared for two people more in this world. Fletch’s bond with Tolly made as little sense—and as much sense—as the one I shared with him.

  “We can come back anytime you want, love.” I stroked fingertips over her knuckles. “You’ve successfully wrapped every Newland you’ve met around your pretty little finger.”

  The edges of her lips twitched. “Which one?” She playfully wiggled her pinky. “This one?”

  I quickly closed my hand around her wrist. “This very one.” Without hesitation, I sucked that cute digit deep into my mouth, then watched intently as her eyes grew wide…then glassy. Our girl approached her feelings as honestly and fearlessly as she did everything else, making it fun as hell to seduce her. Figuring out the different ways she could get aroused was one of my new favorite pastimes.

  “What about this one?” She wiggled the pinky on her other hand, calculated mischief across her face. She knew what would likely happen—and she was right—only Fletcher caught her gist and ran with it this time, grabbing her hand and repeating my gesture. Again, I sucked in her flesh, too. We watched each other please our girl, turning the simple act into an erotic moment.

  Or maybe it wasn’t our doing at all. Maybe it was the way Talia let her head drop back on her shoulders, chestnut hair cascading down, soon brushing her perfect ass as she circled around and straddled Fletch. I moved with her, sitting up. No way was I letting her out of my grasp.

  “You’re playing with fire, young lady.” My voice dropped to a deeper register, teasing all the right places in her senses. I knew it as clearly as I knew I breathed.

  Talia glanced back at me, gaze ignited with desire. She liked this. Very much.

  So did I.

  Very much.

  Fletcher groaned as she circled her hips atop his. I wasn’t going to confirm, but damn good chance the guy was already swollen and stiff. I was sure as hell halfway there myself.

  “What else is new with this one?” he managed in a growl.

  “True, brother,” I murmured. “Very true.”

  Talia pouted. “You can’t blame me. The two of you have awakened a she-monster. I lay the blame solely at your four gorgeous feet.”

  I let a deep sound rumble from my chest. “Baby…are you suggesting we’re the ones to be punished?” I carried the snarl through in the syllables, once more knowing how she’d respond. How she craved my dominance…

  “Well.” She huffed. “I think it’s entirely possible you need…to be…reprimanded.” Now, not so much of a huff. Her strong start faded as soon as her gaze confronted my stare. Her last word was just a whisper.

  I stiffened my composure. “Really?”

  Her gaze dropped. “No, Sir,” she rasped.

  Holy. God.

  My cock strained against the denim of my jeans. No. Screw that. The fucker pounded at my zipper—and I showed her so by rising, rubbing at the prominent bulge in my crotch.

  “Do you have any god damn idea what you do to me, Natalia?”

  She darted her gaze up. Let out a sharp gasp before plunging it back to her lap. “Y-yes?”

  “Is that a question?” I leaned in close. She was still sitting on Fletcher, who swallowed hard. I pressed in yet again, until I could feel her breathy exhalations.

  “N-not really. But—I was thinking—”

  I wrapped a hand in her thick hair, just at the base of her skull, before tugging her head back. “Don’t play shy with me, Tolly. I’ve learned you’re far from it. Tell me what you want, woman. You know it’s yours. You know we’re yours.”

  She looked directly at me. The afternoon sun shone into her eyes, making them sparkle like chocolate diamonds. “I-I thought—maybe if you showed me—I would know for sure.”

  Fletcher chuckled crazily. He pushed to a sitting position, getting more intimately involved in the conversation. With that one movement, shifting himself into Tolly’s personal space, he sent a gorgeous shudder through her body. Damn. Damn. She was wearing po
ured-on jeans and some kind of a fluffy cotton top, ending up like a sexy Daisy Mae. I suddenly, really wanted to change my name to Li’l Abner.

  “Fuck.” Fletch addressed me but didn’t veer his gaze from her. “This innocent shit…it’s really hot. I’m not gonna lie, man.”

  “I have an idea.” Abruptly, I let go of her hair. I rose, walking over to the saddle bags I’d pulled off Marty before the picnic. Anticipating—hoping?—we’d have this opportunity during the ride, I’d stowed a few extra supplies in the pack.

  I pulled the Ziploc bag out of the pack, shielding it from her view. “Take off your pants, Natalia,” I instructed. “Then sit back on Fletcher, just the way you are now.”

  Her answering stare was priceless. I was tempted to yank out my phone and snap a picture but doing that, right now? Hammer on a seashell, anyone? I was already pushing her. Besides, I had a damn good memory—especially now, because it danced with so many memories of her different facial expressions. This one, a mixture of ‘are you serious?’ and ‘I can’t wait to see where this is leading,’ was one of my favorites. Her curiosity would forever be one of her most endearing, fascinating qualities to me—probably because there was so little in life I could be that way about now. It was second only to the bravery and ferocity with which she tackled the items of that curiosity.

  “Drake?” Her voice was a whisper.

  “Yes?” Mine was a snap.

  “What if…well, what if…someone comes by? I’d be mortified.”

  Her eyes were thick with a plea. She was truly concerned about being discovered. I flashed a glance to Fletch. Her disconcertment was no more a surprise to him than it was to me. I dipped a fast nod, nonverbally asking for his unique touch with the situation.