Stone Mended (The Stone Book 3)

by Renee Harless

  “Too true,” I reply as the car comes to a stop in front of a local hotel that I’ve heard boasts an exquisite five-star restaurant.

  Removing the hand that is still resting on Alex’s now softening member, he places a gentle kiss on my palm before returning it to my lap.

  We are immediately led to a table in a secluded corner away from the prying eyes of the other diners. Throughout the meal we feast quietly, enjoying the succulent lamb and vegetables. During dessert Alex mentions that Abigail, his sister, and Kyle Johnson, a former client of mine, would be joining us over the weekend for a lunch with Gregory and Maria. Kyle and Abigail have spent quite a bit of time together since Alex and I first got together last summer. I hope that they have some good news on the horizon.

  As we make our way to leave the restaurant I protectively place my hand in the crook of Alex’s arm when I notice the eyes of several young women trailing him as we walk by. He pays no mind to their scrutiny, either not noticing or ignoring them completely. I can’t say that I’m bothered by either option. Alex smiles down at me lovingly when he feels my fingers grip his elbow and then continues to guide me to our awaiting vehicle.

  Back at our house Alex guides me up the stairs to our bedroom. He dims the lights in the room before joining me beside the bed. His strong hands delicately brush along my collar bone before working to unfasten the buttons on my blouse. He pushes the silken material from my shoulders and it falls to the floor behind me. He steps closer and slides his hands around my waist, resting them on the edge of my skirt. My fingers itch to reach up and begin removing his clothing, but I refrain; we’re in our bedroom but I know to wait for his permission.

  He traces an invisible path along my chilled skin, his heated touch causing goose bumps to rise on the surface. Alex trains his eyes to mine and I see the desire floating in his irises.

  “You can touch me, darling,” he says as he slips the zipper down the back of my skirt.

  The crinkle of the zippers teeth meshing with our heavy breaths in the large room.

  I don’t waste any time to take what I want. My fingers move fast before he has a chance to react I have unfastened Alex’s shirt and have pushed it down his arms. Clad in only his dark gray dress pants, I lick my lips in anticipation of feeling his taut muscles beneath my fingertips.

  My skirt glides easily down my back side, leaving me in my black lace bra and panties. Alex steps closer, bringing his body flush against mine, and seals our lips together. Before I have a chance to make the realization, my back meets the cool silkiness of our bedspread. Lost in our heated exchange I hadn’t comprehended our waltz to the bed.

  Alex places his arm under my back and guides me towards the upper center of the bed. As he removes his arm he unlatches my bra and tosses it away from my body. My hips rock against him as he places a gentle kiss on each breast before taking a nipple into his mouth and sucking. One of his hands wanders down the thigh of my bent leg and slides towards the juncture of my thighs. He pushes the soaked material aside and skims his fingers against my folds. Alex switches his attention to my other nipple and sucks that one into his mouth at the same time that he rubs circles against my clit.

  An explosion rocks through my body catching me off guard at its abruptness. As I come back to my surroundings, I find that Alex has removed his pants and is busy removing my panties. His hardened shaft slides into me easily and I gasp at the electric sensation flickering over my body. It’s like this with him every time. No one could ever satisfy me the way Alex can. Our bodies were made to fit together.

  Alex picks up his pace and I reach my hands forward, gripping his shoulders and digging my nails into his muscled back. A scream rips from behind my lips and I arch upward as my body detonates around Alex. He groans as my muscles contract around him and he finds his release shortly after.

  Alex rests beside me and folds me into his arms as I resist the pull to close my eyes, quickly losing the battle.

  He places a gentle kiss on my forehead as he whispers, “I love you, beautiful. Go to sleep.”

  I follow his command and Alex quickly follows as we meld into a deep slumber, wrapped in each other’s arms.

  Chapter 3

  The next morning we are startled awake by a pounding on the door. I glance at the clock and I can’t hold back my startled expression when I see it’s only four in the morning – two hours before the alarm is set to go off.

  The pounding continues and I look over at Alex as he tugs on a pair of lounging pants.

  Noticing my scared expression he places a hand on my cheek and says, “Don’t worry, Mallory. No one is stupid enough to try anything when they knock on the door.”

  I simply nod my head and ask him to be careful as he heads downstairs. I can hear the door open, but I’m too far away from the front of the house to hear any voices. Curiosity wins the battle so I yank on Alex’s dinner shirt and make my way to the front door.

  Complete elation expels through me at the sight standing in the living room. It hasn’t been long since I’ve seen her, but I rush towards Alex’s sister, Abigail, and wrap her in my arms. Only once I release her is it that I see my friend and past client standing beside Abi. Kyle reaches for me and gives me a quick hug before grasping Abi’s hand, interlacing their fingers, a move that did not go unnoticed by Alex.

  Ignoring Alex’s confused expression I can’t help but clap my hands and ask what they were doing here. The last I heard they had decided to take a break; at least that is what Abi said at my wedding. They look at each other before answering and then tell me that they couldn’t be without each other. That they knew they had something special and didn’t want to spend any more time apart.

  “Kyle and I are going to move in together. Maybe get a flat downtown. He can work remotely most of the time. So we thought London was the best place.”

  “But what brings you here at four in the morning?” Alex asks as he comes to stand behind me and wraps his arms around my shoulders, bringing me closer to his body.

  Kyle speaks up first, “That would be my fault. It was sort of a spur of the moment idea to come here and then once we arrived we realized we didn’t have any place to stay.”

  “I would have called, Alex, but it would have ruined the surprise. And you all were closer than mom and dad’s,” Abigail piggybacks.

  “It’s fine. Since we’re all awake I’ll get some coffee started.”

  We all follow him to the kitchen, Kyle trailing behind us as he takes in his surroundings. Alex’s home is remarkable and so completely opposite from what you would imagine from his personality. His home is a fully restored Victorian, but with the modern open-concept feel.

  Gathering around the table we talk about Kyle’s recent fashion show with his sister, Abigail’s loss at finding a job, and their thoughts on their future home. Before long Abigail asks the question I know has been waiting to spring forth.

  “What are you going to do about the pictures? Do you have any idea who it may be? How did they get them in the first place?”

  Alex throws up a hand, silencing his sister before she can inundate us with more inquiries.

  “We know just as much as you,” Alex replies. “It’s killing me not to know who or why someone is doing this. And I really hate that Mallory has to deal with it all. She’s been through too much already.”

  “It’s okay, Alex,” I lie.

  My world seems to continuously spin out of my control and there doesn’t seem to be anything I can do if I want to keep Alex in my life. He is the raft in the turbulent waters of my life; the only thing to keep me from sinking and drowning.

  We spend the next couple of hours catching up before I leave the group to get ready for work. As I head into my office Abigail and Kyle trail behind me. Abi wanted to get a feel for what my job entails and Kyle wanted to be with Abi. I introduce them to Bea, our receptionist, and I show them the final product of the major campaign I was working on that was the catalyst to my move here. They both seemed to be i
mpressed and Abi asked me countless questions regarding the background and how I came up with the concept.

  “Have you given any thought to working for yourself?” she asks and continues when she sees the confused look on my face. “I mean, you don’t need the money, and working for yourself would allow you more time to do other things and I think you’d have more creative control over your projects.”

  She’s right about the latter fact. Your creativity is definitely constricted when you have so many leaders editing your product.

  “I don’t know Abi. I won’t lie, I’ve weighed the idea in my head, but if it wasn’t for this company I would have never found myself here, in England. This company has been great to me.”

  “But I want nieces and nephews,” she pouts.

  And now I understand her motivation. If I worked for myself I would have the opportunity to work from home.

  “Abi, I have a lot riding on my job here. It’s been successful, but I don’t want to press my luck, especially with all the bad press surrounding me. When Alex and I decide we want kids we’ll talk about it, but I’m not ruffling any feathers today.”

  “Fine, but remember when you go out on your own that I majored in brand marketing,” she giggles.

  I join in on her laughter and Kyle rolls his eyes at us. My cell phone buzzes from the corner of my desk and I reach across to grab it. Alex sent me a text asking to meet for lunch, which after asking Abi, Kyle, and Bea, I return with an agreeable reply.

  We head out an hour later to meet Alex at a small pub down the street from my office. Gregory and Scott are waiting at the table when we arrive, but I’m unable to find Alex. I startle when I feel strong arms wrap around me from behind, but quickly calm when I realize that it’s my sexy husband.

  “I’ve missed you, baby. This morning has felt like it has taken forever. Maybe you should think about working from home.”

  I turn in his arms, stand on my toes, and reach up to plant a soft kiss on his lips.

  “It’s funny; Abi said the same thing to me this morning. And I’ve missed you too.”

  Alex presses one more kiss on my lips and then pulls the chair out for me to sit before sliding it under the table and taking the seat next to me. We talk about the areas Abi and Kyle are looking to find an apartment and I listen to the group of them all talk about the things they love about London and what they look forward to now they are going to live here.

  I lose myself in their conversation until my buzzing phone alerts me that my lunch break is over.

  “I’m sorry guys, but I need to head back to work. Good luck on finding a place, maybe look for a home close to me and Alex?” I ask suggestively before turning to Alex. “I love you, babe. I’ll see you at home.” I press a kiss to his lips and then head out of the pub with Scott escorting me to my building.

  The remainder of my day passes quickly and before I know it Scott is helping me in the car to head back to my home. When I walk in through the side door I’m assaulted by the heavenly aroma coming from the kitchen. I continue through the doorway and I find Maria stirring a pot of pasta and I recognize the smell of alfredo wafting through the air.

  “Maria, that smells amazing.”

  “Thank you, dear. I’m making shrimp alfredo for you and Alex. He should be home soon. He had a last minute meeting with his racing team.”

  “Thanks, I’m starved. I’ll be back down in a minute; I’m going to go change out of my work clothes.”

  She nods in response and I head up the stairs to change.

  When I return to the kitchen, now clad in leggings and an oversized shirt that hangs off my shoulder, I find Alex perched on one of the bar stools eating what looks like garlic bread. I walk over to him and snatch the bread from his fingers and take a bit amidst a smile on my lips.

  “Sorry, I’m starving. My stomach hasn’t stopped growling since I walked in and smelt this delicious meal Maria is cooking.”

  Alex smirks at me and reaches forward, wrapping his hands around my waist, and glides me forward to stand between his legs. He presses his urgent lips against mine and trails his hands over my ass, squeezing, before letting his fingers trail closer to my center. Embarrassed I pull away from his kiss and glance around the kitchen, noticing Maria’s absence.

  “She left when you came downstairs. She said dinner is ready and just needs to be served. I’ve missed you all day. I feel like I never have enough time with you.”

  I reach up with my hands and place them on his stubble covered cheeks, rubbing my thumbs across his cheeks. “We have a lifetime, baby,” I whisper before pressing my lips against his quickly and stepping away to make our plates.

  Dinner is delicious, not that I ever expected less from Maria. Alex talks about his meeting this afternoon. He’s been asked to join a few charity races this year and will need to practice a bit with his team. Even though the thought of him racing launches my heart into my throat, I can’t help but feel his excitement. He also mentions that he needs to go back Baltimore, Maryland to visit the research institute in a couple months to finish running some data his team was compiling. The thrill of returning home rushes over me and I jump from my chair and wrap my arms around Alex.

  He pulls my arms from around his neck, but twists me to sit on his lap.

  “Are you done eating?”

  “Yes, it was so good. I don’t think I could eat another bite.”

  Alex nods his head, lifts me in his arms and plants me onto the kitchen counter. He reaches into our small medicine cabinet and pulls out a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and then removes a lighter from the back pocket of his pressed suit pants. Seeing the lighter causes my pulse to increase and I nervously rock onto the counter.

  “What are you doing, Alex?”

  “I want to try something. It won’t hurt. I think you may like it. May I?” he asks as he pushes my sleeve up and turns over my arm.

  I nod and Alex removes a soaked cotton ball from the tip of the alcohol bottle. He swipes it over my skin, flicks the lighter, and ignites the flame onto my skin. I gasp at first, but as the alcohol evaporates and the flames pull at my skin I can feel the sensation of prickling beneath the surface.

  As the flame dies out Alex steps closer to me.

  “I want to do this on you”

  “Am I in trouble? Did I do something?”

  “Oh, no, beautiful, I think you’ll like it. It’s sort of like the wax play. You’ll feel your skin prickle, but it doesn’t hurt if done correctly.”

  I think about the temperature play we’ve done in the past and I know I like it. My body enjoyed it and my mind loved the moment of turning everything off and handing the control to Alex. But fire is something new and it scares me, but I trust Alex. I know he won’t let anything happen to me again.”

  “Ok, Alex. I’ll do it.”

  He claps his hands and tugs me off the counter, rushing me down the hall to the lower level stairway.

  “I’m so glad, Mallory. I haven’t done this with anyone before. But don’t worry; I’ve seen it done enough times to know how to do it properly.”

  He hasn’t done this before? I’m the first? That thought excites me far more than it should. Alex was my first for all of the lifestyle, but he was already acclimated. To know I’ll be the first to do something like this with him makes me even gladder that I agreed.

  He sets me on the floor as he unlocks the door to what was once the dungeon. It’s so pretty now, much less dark and dreary, that I’m going to need to call it something else. Alex tugs me by my hand and guides me towards the whipping bench at the end of the bed. He turns me in his arms and swiftly removes my clothing then urges me to lie on my back.

  He comes to stand where my head rests and places a blindfold over my eyes. The utter darkness causes my heart rate to increase and my breaths to quicken. Alex reaches over me and kneads my breasts, pinching the nipples between his fingers, causing them to rise to hardened peaks.

  “Open your legs baby. Rest your feet on the fl
oor.”

  I follow his command and gasp when he lightly trails a finger down my chest to my lower stomach, stopping just below my pubic bone. I can feel heat rush through my body, flushing my skin in a rose-colored hue. I want so badly to reach up and run my hands up and down Alex’s toned thighs, the thighs that currently cradle my head between them.

  “I love when your skin turns pink. I’m going to start in a minute so try not to move too much. The alcohol will probably feel very cold. You don’t need to safe word, just tell me if it hurts and I’ll stop, okay?”

  “Yes, sir,” I reply.

  “Damn, I love when you say that,” he responds before he crushes his mouth against mine.

  All too soon he moves away and focuses on creating an intricate pattern on my skin. He’s right; the liquid feels cool on my heated skin. I have to resist the urge to squirm on the table so instead I clench my hands together where the rest under the bench.

  I hear the flick of the lighter and I hold my breath in both worry and excitement. When the flame catches within the alcohol vapor I feel it travel across my skin, igniting the pattern Alex has created. The fire nips at my skin; tiny pinches work their way up my stomach, swirling around the squiggles, weaving in a circle around my breasts, and stopping at my collar bone.

  It happens quickly, but the sensation is completely overwhelming. I have to fight against the urge to move and put out the flame, placing all my trust in Alex to keep me safe. A few more rounds of design and fire play and my body is warmed with not only the flame but with desire. Alex drapes a blanket over my upper body to douse the flame and then removes it when all of the fire has been put out.

  “Fuck, that was hot,” Alex murmurs and I have to suppress my laughter.

  Without removing the blindfold, Alex lifts me from the bench and places me in the soft chair, setting my feet in the stirrups. He must move behind me, because my hands are placed over my head and fastened into the leather wrapped cuffs attached to the head of the chair. After reclining the chair back, I can hear Alex rustle around in the chest. I can hear the soft sound of something being placed on the top of the small table.