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Stone Shattered (The Stone Book 1)

Page 20

by Renee Harless


  I nod my head knowing that I am not far behind him.

  As we both come simultaneously, my body topples ungracefully onto Alex’s chest. Exhausted from our fiery lovemaking, we lay in a heap of sweaty limbs on the bed for a few moments.

  Alex turns us over so we are facing each other and he lets his fingers brush through my hair as I lie on my pillow with my eyes closed.

  “Would you like to take bath, love?”

  With my eyes still shut, I respond to him in a whisper, “A bath sounds fantastic.”

  He removes himself from the bed and goes to turn on the water in the adjoining bathroom. Seconds later, I open my eyes to him lifting me from the bed in his arms. He carries me to the bathtub and sits us both in the water. I snuggle into his chest as he takes handfuls of warm water and pours them over my shoulders.

  “That feels good,” I moan and he turns his head to the top of my hair.

  “Mallory, would you like to go to the winery this weekend; the one that made the plum wine?” Alex inquires.

  Excited at the thought of another trip, I wake from my relaxed state and exclaim, “That sounds amazing. I’ve never been to a winery. How far away is it?”

  “Well it is a few thousand miles away in California. I need to call and make sure they will be home, but we can take my plane Friday night.”

  “As long as they are okay with us coming on such short notice, I would love to go. I’ve never been to California either.”

  “The wine country is breath taking.”

  Agreeing on the trip, we relax back in comfortable silence and I soon find myself on the verge of slumber.

  “Mallory?” he says glancing down at me with a shy smile crossing his face. “Come love, let’s go to bed, I’ve worked you hard today.”

  As we both make to stand in the tub, I stumble bit seeming to need his help. He wraps me in a warm fluffy towel and carries me back to the bed. As soon as Alex tucks me against his side, I fall asleep.

  I can barely make out Alex’s faint voice whisper, “Goodnight, beautiful girl.”

  * * *

  During the week, Alex and I are busy rushing from early trips to the gym and late night client meetings that we don’t get to spend much time together. I cherish the nights when I'm able to fall asleep against him; using the steady beat of his heart to help me drift off to sleep. On Friday morning, Alex takes me into work so that Gregory can usher us directly to the plane at 5:00pm. As I sit in his car, he tells me about the winery we are going to visit this weekend.

  “Alex, how did you all meet?” I ask interested.

  “Oh, well, they are friends of the family. I believe they hoped Samantha and I would end up together, but we are more the sibling type. Her husband Will is perfect for her.”

  “Oh, so they are close in age to us?”

  “Yes, they are only thirty-one. She met Will when she was twenty-four traveling like Abi is doing now. They eloped quickly and have been together in California since. Her parents disowned her when she married him, so I’m the closest thing to family she has now.”

  “That's terrible. Why would her parent’s disown her?”

  “Her family and mine have some strict rules for their first born, especially concerning marriage.”

  “Well, that’s ridiculous. No one should be rejected from their family because of who they decide to love and marry.”

  This conversation is starting to get me worked up. I can feel the bits of anger welling up inside of me.

  “I agree with you, Mallory. Calm down. She is happy with how things are, but sometimes cultures have different views on marriage and love. Sometimes, we don’t get a choice on who we marry or we can’t marry the person we are in love with.”

  I sit and ponder what Alex has said during the remainder of our journey to my office. Is this why he is nixing the option of a long distance relationship? I know he only mentioned first-born children, but has Alex’s family already chosen his wife? His mother has been hounding on him to get married, or so Abi says. Perhaps she made the choice for him. That notion leaves me crestfallen. We only have two more weeks together before he leaves me for someone else, possibly a wife. I notice we are at the entrance to my office building and I hurriedly exit the car before Alex has a chance to get out and open the car door for me.

  Lowering his window he calls out to me, “Mallory, are you ok?”

  “Yes, I’m fine, sir,” I reply in a sharp curt tone.

  In actuality, I feel devastated by our conversation in the car. His words break my heart. To him, I am only a temporary escape until August arrives. Racing away from the car, I am barely able to keep steady in my heels and I step into the elevator to catch my breath. I can vaguely make out my expression through the reflection on the stainless steel walls and I detect a small tear that has escaped from my eye. I swipe at it furiously wanting to erase the emotional conversation from the morning.

  Deciding not to make small talk this morning with the other staff, I walk straight to my office and shut the door. I take off my suit jacket and lay it across the couch and then I get started on some of my new campaigns.

  Steven and Annie join me for lunch and I listen to their conversation, participating only when I am prompted with a question. Steven pulls me aside once we arrive on our floor after lunch.

  “Are you ok, Mallory?”

  I sigh at his question, “Yea, I’m fine. I just had a rough morning.”

  “I understand. Try to get some rest this weekend. You have any plans?”

  “Alex is taking me to a winery his friend owns.”

  “Well, that sounds like a boat load of fun. I love wine tastings. Where is it at?”

  I hesitate and then crack a small smile, “California.”

  “California? Damn, that boy sure knows how to show a lady a good time.”

  “Yes, sir. He is quite the charmer.”

  “Well, next time he decides to take you to some Caribbean island, make it a work trip and bring me.”

  “I’ll be sure to mention that. Have a good weekend, Steven.”

  “Thanks, Mallory. Enjoy yours.”

  At my desk, I rummage through my files in a distracted manner and decide to take a gander at my phone. I had expected a few missed calls, but I only find one message from Alex. He sent the message three hours ago.

  Alex: I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean for my words to upset you.

  Mallory: I’m sorry too, Alex. I shouldn’t have taken what you said to heart.

  Alex: It’s ok, love. Everyone deserves their happily ever after right?

  Mallory: Yes, even you, Alex.

  Alex: If only. Unfortunately, it may be too late for mine.

  I’m not sure how to respond to his last message. Is he referring to me, Vanessa, or someone else all together? I find myself considering any and all possibilities of Alex’s potential love life for the remainder of the afternoon. By the time I realize that it is 5:00pm, I am exhausted. Alex had asked me to be ready to go at 5:00pm when Gregory picks me up, so I rush down the stairwell of the building, opting not to wait on the elevator, and find that Gregory hasn’t arrived yet.

  I sit on the bench outside of the building and ten minutes later Gregory pulls the car up to the entrance.

  Apologizing he says, “I’m sorry that I am late, Ms. Winston. I had some business to settle before I could escort you to the airport.”

  “Is everything ok? Where is Alex?”

  “Everything is fine now, Ms. Winston. I dropped Alex off at the airport earlier this afternoon so that he could do the check off on his plane.”

  “His plane?”

  “Yes, miss. Mr. Stone arrived in his personal jet. I believe he has someone piloting it for you this weekend, if I am not mistaken. Are you ready to leave, miss?”

  “Oh, yes, sorry. I’ve had a rough day.”

  “I’m sorry. I am sure you will have a marvelous weekend. Mr. and Mrs. James are delightful.”

  Gregory assists me into the back seat
of the limousine and walks around to climb into the driver seat. Once the car begins, my eyelids start to droop. Before we have made it to the interstate, I have fallen asleep, lying across the bench seat.

  CHAPTER 18

  Startled awake by a hand on my shoulder, I look up to find Gregory and Alex standing beside the open car door.

  “Good evening, love,” Alex says behind a small grin.

  “Oh my goodness, I must have been worn out.”

  “Indeed. Are you ready to go, Mallory?”

  “I am. Thank you.”

  Alex extends his hand and I place mine in its grasp. The moment I step out of the car, I can see a flash of light off in the distance. Immediately, Gregory drops our bags and runs towards the area where the flash occurred. Alex tightens his grasp on my hand and tows me behind him speedily towards the jets stairs.

  “Alex, what was that?” I ask as he continues to tighten his hand and pull me behind him.

  “It’s nothing,” he answers. “Gregory will take care of it.”

  With his tone, I know that this topic isn’t up for discussion. Once we reach the top of the plane’s stairwell, Alex guides me to a soft, cream, leather couch.

  “Hey, Alex? In case I forget,” I express shyly, "I wanted to thank you for this weekend. I am really excited.”

  His expression softens and a shy smile spreads across his mouth before replying, “I am delighted to be taking you, angel. I think you’ll enjoy their property.”

  “I’m sure it is beautiful. I’ve always heard stories about the rolling hills in Napa Valley.”

  Gregory joins us on the plane, but only to drop off our bags and out of the corner of my eye I notice him shake his head.

  Alex responds by saying, “You know who it was; take care of it while I’m gone.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Swiftly exiting, Alex’s head of security departs from the plane and a steward comes out of the cabin to greet us. He walks to the stairwell and presses a button to secure the door hatch.

  “Mr. Stone, Ms. Winston, my name is Chris. We will be taking off shortly. If you wouldn’t mind, please move to the passenger seats and secure your seat belts. Once we hit proper altitude, I will serve you your meal. Is there anything I can get you before we take off?”

  “No, thank you, Chris. Please, ask the pilot to proceed.”

  Moving to the passenger seats, Alex reaches over to hook my seat belt, intertwining our hands once he is finished. The plane begins to taxi and before I know it, we are up in the air headed for California.

  “Alex, your plane is beautiful,” I declare glancing around the cabin.

  “Thank you. There are actually two bedrooms on this plane. One room has two queen sized beds in it, but the other is the master with a large king sized bed and an attached bathroom. I like to use this jet when my drivers need to travel. It is sort of a benefit for being on my formula one team.”

  “Wow, you’re an amazing boss. This airplane is incredible.”

  “I’ll show you around once we finish dinner. I have plans for dessert,” he says with a wink.

  Before I have a chance to speak up, the steward exits from the front of the plane carrying two trays. He presses a button on the wall and a table maneuvers down from the wall in front of our seats. Glaring at Alex in awe, he closes my mouth with the tap of his finger on my chin.

  Collecting our attention the steward speaks up, “Mr. Stone, tonight we have filet mignon cooked medium along with twice baked potatoes and sautéed vegetables. Can I bring you anything to drink?”

  I stare down at my tray; the meal looks better than any I have had in restaurants.

  “Holy cow, this is our dinner? It looks fantastic,” I say to no one in particular.

  Answering through a chuckle Alex says, "Yes, it is. Chris, we will both have a glass of Malbac.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Chris returns moments later with our glasses of wine and we dig into our meal. The steak melts in my mouth and the potato is divine. Sooner than I expected, I have cleared my plate and Chris clears our trays.

  “May I offer you any dessert?”Chris asks.

  I know Alex wanted the bedroom for dessert, but my sweet tooth is beckoning. Looking in his direction, I pout hoping he will indulge me.

  Alex peeks at me and chuckles speaking to Chris, “Ms. Winston will have a crème brulé with a side of chocolate mousse and I will have a slice of key lime pie, please.”

  Reaching over I place both hands on Alex’s face pull him into a hard peck.

  “Thank you,” I say with a childlike smile.

  Chris brings us our requested desserts and heads back towards his personal cabin. After I take a bite of combined custard and mousse I disintegrate into the chair.

  “Holy crap, this is delicious. Would you like some?” I ask offering him a forkful of custard and mousse.

  Wrapping his luscious lips around the fork he releases a low moan before uttering, “Divine.”

  We both finish our desserts and lounge back in our seats.

  Breaking our silence Alex asks, “So, Ms. Winston, are we better now?”

  Knowing he is referring to our conversation this morning I respond, “Yes, Alex. I know you’re right. I just can’t imagine having to choose between doing something for your parents because it’s the right thing to do for your family or following your heart for the one you love.”

  Alex stands from his seat and helps me out of mine. Draping his arm over my shoulders, he places a kiss on my head and leads me towards the back of the cabin.

  As we walk, I hear Alex mumble, “Not all of us get a happy ever after, princess.”

  Pointing out the common bathroom and the guest suite on the plane, he guides me to the master suite.

  “We should be arriving around 11:00pm so we don’t need to use it this time,” he proclaims, "but we can stay and relax if you’d like.”

  “That would be lovely.”

  Turning towards me, he gently brushes the hair off my face and then removes my blouse and tosses it onto the chair in the corner. His fingers trail back and forth along the skin of my neck and collarbone.

  “Your skin is so soft, so delicate,” he whispers as he bends to place faint kisses along the path his fingers made.

  He moves to the other side of my neck to place little bites along the identical path. My arms reach out to rest my hands along his hips and I whimper as I feel his tongue begin to lick after each nip of my neck.

  “Alex, I need you,” I moan noticing my voice has a husky undertone.

  He reaches down and unzips my pants, pushing them down off my hips so that they pool on the floor. He quickly follows this by removing my shirt next. As I stand in the bra and panties, Alex steps back to remove his shirt and jeans. My breath quickens as he stands in all his glory and my skin prickles as I feel his glaring eyes taking in my naked body.

  I reach my fingertips out and trace the definitions of his body, my fingers brushing against every crevice and muscle. As my hand makes contact with the waistband of Alex’s boxer briefs, he grabs a hold of my wrist, stopping my movement, and pulls my hand up to his mouth to kiss my palm. Gently, he places my hand over his heart and pulls my head in for a kiss. The kiss starts slow, with little nips along my bottom lip, and then he massages his tongue against my own. Our bodies begin to heat and the kiss starts to intensify.

  Before I have time to comprehend that I am moving, Alex has walked me towards the foot of the bed. He lifts me onto the soft duvet and then crawls on top of me, kissing randomly over my body. Reaching my mouth, he continues the kiss with the same intensity where we left off. As he grinds his large erection into my pelvis, I groan into his mouth. Alex quickly removes his boxer briefs and makes work on the front clasp of my bra as I swiftly work my panties down my legs. He grunts between kisses and then inserts his erection into my core, pounding into my body. As I rock back against his movements, I can feel my climax coming close. When Alex rolls his hips, coming in contact with my swol
len nub, I scream out and I can feel my body begin to shake.

  Knowing I am close Alex groans, “Come baby,” and I release my energy.

  Alex continues to thrust hard before he meets his own release, working to drain the entire climax from our systems. Wrapped up in each other, Alex and I lay together across the bed as he mindlessly trails his fingers over my hipbone. While I tangle my fingers in his hair, I consider that I want to tell him that I love him, but instead I bite my tongue and hold back.

  Around 11:00pm that evening, I can feel the plane begin to slowly drop altitude. Alex and I pull on our clothes and make our way back out to the main cabin. Chris, the steward, comes to meet us in the main cabin stating.

  “Mr. Stone, we will begin our descent shortly. Please secure yourselves in the passenger seats.”

  “Thank you, Chris.”

  Once the plane has stopped, Alex helps me to exit the aircraft. Waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs is an older man with a town car.

  “Sir, I am here to escort you and Ms. Winston to the James’ property. If you would like to get settled into the vehicle, I will gather your belongings from the plane.”

  Alex nods at the driver and then helps me get into the car.

  Unfortunately it is dark so I am unable to see many of my surroundings, but as we make our way up a few steep hills I can see row after row of grape vines; miles of them. Our driver stops and types in a code on a box, opening the gates; we are escorted into the property. We stop at the entrance of the main building and a young man and woman greet us. I assume they are Will and Samantha James.

  As soon as Alex exits the car, Samantha engulfs him in a hug. I make my way out of the vehicle on my own and in enough time to see Samantha place a very passionate kiss on Alex’s mouth. He said they weren’t involved, but I am finding that a bit difficult to believe as I witness her fervor. Glancing over to where Will stands, I can see his hands are in tight fists. Apparently, he was unaware of their relationship as well. While Alex and Samantha are busy catching up, mainly her continuing to pull Alex into hugs and kisses, I walk over to Will to introduce myself.

 

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