Set In Stone (The Stone Series Book 3)

by Dakota Willink

  She didn’t respond, but I could imagine the smirk on her face after reading my reply. She would probably say that sex was always on my brain. It was, but I couldn’t help it with her. It was just so goddamned good. However, sex was far from my mind at that moment. Mental exhaustion was hitting me hard. The chill I felt at Justine’s had slowly crawled back into my bones after I ended the call with Matteo. Now, I just wanted to get home to Krystina. I needed her warm body wrapped around mine more than ever before.

  Once I reached my building, the elevator’s ascent to the penthouse seemed to take impossibly long. When the doors finally opened, I hurried inside, eager to wrap my arms around the woman I loved. To feel her. I called out to her but she didn’t answer. I kicked off my shoes and loosened my tie as I made my way to the kitchen. That’s where I found her.

  She was in front of the long marble counter, her back facing me, as she prepared a light dinner for us. I could see the outline of her iPod in the back pocket of her snug jeans. Earbuds were in her ears and her hips slowly swayed to music I couldn’t hear. Sandwich and salad fixings were spread over the counter, but I wasn’t even hungry for it.

  Damn, I could watch her for hours.

  She had such a tiny waist, but it was followed by curves that made me hard enough to drive nails. The gentle side to side movement of her hips made me want to fuck her and the independent questioning mind of hers that challenged every dominant instinct I possessed.

  My earlier thoughts about not wanting sex quickly dissipated as I came up behind her and encircled her into my arms.

  “Oh!” she gasped. She plucked the buds from her ears and draped the cord around her neck. “You scared me. I didn’t even hear you come in.”

  She turned in my arms to look up at me. I leaned in, buried my face in her neck, and breathed deep.

  “I could have watched your sexy hips move for hours. What were you listening to?” I asked.

  “Rise Against,” she told me.

  I pulled away, took one of the earbuds, and placed it in my ear. “Roadside” was playing, a male and female duet about separating lies from truths. How much the song seemed to mirror my own life was ironic.

  I silently watched Krystina as I listened to the song for another few moments. I thought about how she always related everything to music. In a way, she had passed her love for music on to me, as I found myself choosing music to fit my mood more than I ever had before.

  “Interesting song choice,” I quietly observed. I returned the ear pierce to her and she shrugged.

  “It’s a good tune,” she dismissed. “I made sandwiches.”

  She was changing the subject, but I didn’t mind. Instead, I leaned into her once more.

  “I don’t want sandwiches. I want you,” I groaned into her ear.

  “So why don’t you have me?” she suggested. My cock instantly went rigid.

  She reached up and laced her fingers through my hair, sliding through and tugging slightly. Her fingers on my scalp never felt so good. I pulled her closer, until my erection was pressed against her firm stomach.

  I expected her to ask about Justine, but she didn’t. Instead, she just melted into me and held me tight. I closed my eyes at her touch, moved and aroused by her display of understanding and affection. It made me want her all the more. And now. The food could wait. I needed her long legs wrapped around my waist. My dick was now throbbing, aching. I wanted to take her to bed and press her roughly to the mattress. So that’s what I did.

  I lifted her and carried her to the bedroom. We shed our clothing without saying a word. We didn’t have to. She knew what I needed. I crawled over her body and widened her legs, dominating her and taking what I wanted. She gave willingly as I shoved into her hard. I fucked all the pain, betrayal, and anger out of my body. I used her to feel good, and she let me.

  The pain I felt while at Justine’s apartment was replaced by pleasure. The betrayal was replaced by affection. My anger dissipated into passion as I rocked into her. Like the song, I was separating the lies from the truth. And Krystina was my truth. My only truth.

  I pushed my mind into a freefall of orgasmic oblivion so that I could no longer think. When Krystina’s nails bit into my biceps, I felt the only thing I could feel when I was with her. I felt alive.

  24

  krystina

  The hot stream from the shower felt good against my neck and back. I hated the idea of getting out, but I had an important day ahead of me. The week had been incredibly busy, one day seeming to blend in with the next. However, it had been an extremely productive four days as a whole. Before I knew it, Friday was here.

  As I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and towel dried my hair, I felt optimistic about the day ahead. My head cold was completely gone and I had a full schedule planned. Not only did I have a pitch appointment with Sheldon Tremaine, but there was a night on the town planned. I may have been looking forward to that more than anything else. Alexander and I needed a night out. It would be good to have some good old-fashion unadulterated fun for once. No networking, no business, and no stress. Just drinks with friends.

  Alexander came into the bathroom just as I was putting the finishing touches on my makeup.

  “Beautiful as always, angel,” he told me and leaned in to nuzzle my neck. I breathed in his scent, freshly showered with a hint of woodsy aftershave. It wreaked havoc on my system. You’d never know I had awakened that morning to the feel of Alexander’s manhood slipping inside of me. Our love-making had been warm and tender, a sweet morning wakeup call. I couldn’t think of a better way to start the day. However, if he didn’t stop trailing kisses over my neck, I’d soon be looking for something much rougher.

  “God, you smell good,” I murmured.

  His lips moved over the line of my jaw until he met my lips. Not caring that he would ruin the lipstick I just applied, I gave into the moment and returned his kiss. He had been different over the past couple of days. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly, but he seemed more relaxed. I could still sense tension in him, but it wasn’t consuming him the way it had been.

  The article was still a threat, but it had yet to be released. I wasn’t sure why Mac Owens hadn’t published and I didn’t particularly care. He called me three times this past week, but I dodged every one of his calls. I wondered if Charlie decided to recant his story after a visit from the DA. I hadn’t spoken to Thomas Green since our meeting, but I knew I would have to call him soon to let him know I dropped my plan. It was a risky idea anyway and I had failed to come up with anything better. Yet, as Alexander deepened our kiss, I was reminded of Hale and Vivian’s words.

  You are the place he calls home. Just be there for him.

  Perhaps it wasn’t the grand plot I was originally going for, but it was exactly what I was doing. I wasn’t sure if I’d go so far as to say I had a special magical power, but simply being there for Alexander did hold some merit. Maybe that was why he seemed different. Whatever it was, I only knew that I didn’t want to see him in misery anymore. If my show of support was all he needed, so be it.

  Eventually, he pulled away. I was left feeling empty, already missing the feel of his lips. I was about to pull him back to me, but stopped short when I spotted his face. His lips and the area around his mouth was heavily smudged with pink lipstick.

  “Ah, pink is not your color, Alex. Let me help you with that,” I laughed.

  He chuckled when he realized what I was referring to.

  “You don’t think so?” he joked.

  “No, I don’t. And I think your employees would agree.” Grabbing a makeup wipe from my cosmetic bag, I wiped away the evidence of our kiss. He studied me while I cleaned the lipstick from his face. His gaze was so intense, I found myself blushing. “What are you looking at?”

  “You. I love looking at you.”

  My cheeks heated and flushed a deep shade of red. Unable to withstand the fire in his gaze, I turned to throw away the wipe and began to fidget with the little j
ars of makeup on the counter.

  “Well, you’re not so bad yourself,” I murmured.

  “Krystina, look at me,” he demanded. He grabbed hold of my arm and spun me back to face him. Cupping my face between his hands, his gaze met mine. His eyes were stormy with emotion. “I love you. I hope you know just how much.”

  I wasn’t sure what brought on this sudden display of affection. I wasn’t going to complain, but I was curious.

  “Of course, I know. I love you too, baby. What brought this on?”

  He dropped his hands and took a deep breath.

  “I had a dream. Another nightmare last night.”

  I froze. Although I awoke to his thrashing regularly, I didn’t last night. Even if I had, Alexander wouldn’t have told me about the dream. I never asked for details and he never volunteered them. I figured, when he was ready, he’d tell me.

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. I was looking for you. Well, at first it was my mother, and then you. When I finally found you, there was something wrong.” He paused, seeming far away in thought. “The details aren’t clear anymore, but I do remember that you were bleeding from somewhere. Normally, that’s when I wake up. But I didn’t this time for some reason. The dream kept going. When I tried to help you, to hold you…you walked away from me. You left.”

  I placed my hand gently over his heart.

  “Alex, I’m right here. It was only a dream.”

  “I know that, angel,” he agreed and offered a faint smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “But you’ve been different this past week. You haven’t argued or fought with me. Hell, you haven’t even questioned my demands.”

  “That sounds like a complaint. Isn’t that what you’ve wanted since we first met?” I teased, trying to keep the mood light. When he reached up to tuck a loose curl behind my ear, I leaned into his palm.

  “I wanted your submission, yes. You’ve given it where it matters most, but it’s more than that. You can be so goddamn unpredictable that you drive me crazy, yet you haven’t been pushing me like you normally do. You simply seemed to know what I needed and you gave it to me. Because of that, I was able to think.”

  “Think about what?”

  “I feel like I’ve been out of my fucking mind lately. Except, then I see you. And then I touch you. When that happens, I can somehow forget everything. I’ve come to realize that nothing else in the world matters as long as I have you, angel. I might lose it all – my business, my cars, my penthouse. But I don’t care. I am nothing unless you’re with me.”

  My heart began to pound. I didn’t like his tone. Not one bit. There was a certain amount of finality to his words and it was scaring the living hell out of me. My eyes began to burn and I had to blink back the tears that threatened.

  “Alex…” I trailed off, unable to complete the sentence that would bring my fears to life.

  “I’m going to talk to Thomas Green.”

  I knew what he was planning without him even saying it. He wasn’t going to talk to the DA about Charlie’s trial, but about the interview. And the past.

  I immediately shook my head back and forth in denial.

  “No. You can’t!”

  “I need to get this out in the open. I can’t keep living like this. And now, with Justine missing, staying silent won’t help matters if there is a case.”

  “Wait, just don’t. Not yet. There has to be another solution.”

  “Not one that would satisfy me. I need to get this story out on my terms. The only reason Mac Owens hasn’t gone public is because Hale reminded him that he needs another source to corroborate Charlie’s story. As of right now, he doesn’t have one. It’s only a matter of time before he does.”

  I thought about the many times the reporter called me over the past few days. It was my fault, but I wondered if he would have called regardless. I began to wonder if there were others he tried to contact, when I remembered Suzanne Jacobs.

  “Justine’s friend, Suzanne. Do you think she’ll talk to him?”

  “I don’t know if he’s made that connection yet. In any case, Hale has put a tail on Suzanne just in case.”

  “So there’s still hope. Maybe if you or Justine, wherever she is, can talk to Suzanne first then –.”

  “My mind is made up,” Alexander cut me off firmly. “I’m going to call him on Monday and set up a time when Stephen and I can meet with him. Stephen doesn’t seem to think there’s a case, but I’m tired of being on edge, not knowing when Owens will publish. He eventually will, and I’m prepared for a PR nightmare. I’m just hoping that, if it happens, it occurs after the ribbon cutting ceremony for Stone Arena. However, no matter when it’s released, if cops are sniffing around it will look worse for me. It’s better if I come forward first.”

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “I’ve been hiding my past for too long. I’ve told you countless number of times to stop living in the past. Well, now it’s time for me to take my own advice. You know me – all of me. You know what I am inside. No one’s ever seen me the way you do, Krystina. So please, no matter what happens, I need your assurance that you’ll stick by me.”

  “Of course, I would! I don’t know how you could think otherwise, but –.”

  “Shhh,” he said and held his finger up to my lips. “I don’t know what Monday is going to bring, so I just want to enjoy the weekend with you. No more talking about any of this. Don’t worry, angel. For all we know, nothing will even happen. But, if it does, I’d like to have a few days of normalcy. Can you do that for me?”

  My throat tightened painfully as I stared into the depths of his sapphire eyes. So many emotions swirled within them. Love. Fear. Pain. He had been through so much.

  How could I not give him this?

  I didn’t speak, but simply nodded my agreement and slipped my arms around his waist. Before Alexander went to the DA, I would have to tell him about my meeting with Thomas Green. However, as I clung tightly to Alexander, that was the least of my concerns. I was too busy worrying about how I was going to get through the next couple of days of pretending like everything was alright.

  The work day was drawing to a close. My office door was open and I could hear my staff buzzing about meeting for happy hour after they punched out for the day. They deserved it. Together, we managed to nail the pitch to Sheldon Tremaine and land a three-year contract with Beaumont Jewelers. It was the largest commission Turning Stone Advertising has had to date. It was almost hard to believe.

  Even now, as I stared at the half million-dollar wire transfer on my computer screen, I couldn’t wrap my head around what this meant for me or for Turning Stone. The commission put us on the map, making us a major player in the New York marketing scene. It was a dream come true and I almost wanted someone to pinch me just to make sure it was real. Nonetheless, as exciting as this moment should be, I was having a hard time feeling it. Alexander’s words from the morning loomed over me, making it hard to be excited about much of anything.

  I pushed back from my desk, stood, and walked over to the large floor to ceiling windows in my office. Normally I loved taking in the view that Alexander had gone through great measures to give to me. However, today the picturesque view of the city’s skyline was blurred with low lying clouds. The sky was gray and bleak, a reminder of my current mood. I would be heading up to Alexander’s office soon and knew I had to shake it off. He didn’t want me to worry and, while I promised him that I wouldn’t, it was going to be difficult to keep up the façade. My only hope was that the evenings plans of music and dancing would distract me enough to keep up the act.

  I tore my gaze from the sky when I felt my cell phone buzz through the pocket of my navy striped blazer. I fished it out and looked at the screen. It was my mother. We had been playing phone tag all week. A part of me wanted to just ignore the call, as I wasn’t feeling up to the wedding conversation I wanted to have with her. Yet, at the same time, it had the potential to be exactly what I needed to perk up my spirit
s. Talking about wedding plans with my mother could go one of two ways. Either she would piss me off by trying to talk me out of it – again. Or she could be excited to start planning. I hoped for the latter as I swiped the screen to answer the call.

  “Tag, you’re it,” I said upon answering. She laughed.

  “Hi, love. I saw that you called yesterday, but I was tied up with Frank all day. He’s shooting a new television commercial for the dealership and he wanted me to be in this one. I don’t know why. He knows I despise being on camera. They lie when they say the camera adds ten pounds you know. It’s more like thirty.”

  Her tone was light and I took it as a sign that she was in a good mood.

  “You’re skinny as a rail and beautiful. Cut it out,” I told her.

  She rambled on and on about the troubles with the camera crew and the shoot. I let her talk, grateful that she was choosing mindless chatter over her normal doom and gloom. After about fifteen minutes, her story concluded and she switched topics.

  “How are things with you? How is Allyson?” she asked.

  “Ally is the same old. She’s been really busy with work, but I managed to nail her down for a bit last weekend.”

  “Oh? What did you do?”

  Here it goes.

  I superstitiously crossed my fingers.

  “Actually, we went wedding dress shopping. I asked her to be my maid of honor too.”

  “I see,” was her only response. I inwardly sighed.

  “Yes, Mom. I’m still getting married, and I’d really love for you to be on board with it. I mean, come on. You’re my mother. I want you there to help me plan things. You know, to do the whole mother daughter thing.”

  She was silent on the other end of the line for a moment. When she finally spoke, her tone was softer, yet still somewhat hesitant.

  “Have you set a date?”

  “Not yet, but I did find a dress designer yesterday,” I told her, hoping to appeal to her love of fashion to persuade her. “After shopping with Ally, I decided to skip a store-bought dress and have one made. I have a consultation scheduled in a few weeks. I don’t know what your schedule looks like, but I was wondering if you’d like to come down and go with me. I planned it for a Friday, thinking you might want to spend the weekend in the city.”