Savannah burst into the room wearing a soft, silly grin. “Let’s find Kaylee some pretty seashells.”
“Ooooh, she’ll like that.” I picked up my black fedora from the dresser and slid my feet into my sandals.
There was no sign of Stone, so we made our way to the beach, each of us carrying pink pails with green handles to pick up our treasures. “Baby, we have to leave tomorrow for your doctor’s appointment.”
“When are we coming back?”
“I don’t know for sure. Hopefully you can come again before school starts up.”
Water rushed over my coral painted toenails at the edge as I dipped down, picking up a partial piece of a sand dollar. I ran my fingers around the half circle, trailing the rough edge of where it had come apart. Stone had the power to leave me as ruined as the once beautiful shell.
I circled my hand around it, holding the small trinket that reminded me of myself, and an unexpected stab of pain pierced my heart. He’d made me feel alive, whole, extraordinary, and one heartbeat later left me empty, confused, and broken. The worst part was that I’d allowed it, stepping into a fool’s paradise by hoping for something that could never be.
A warm presence prickled my skin and I didn’t have to turn around; I knew Stone was there. I squared my shoulders, bracing myself for battle if necessary. Glancing up from the sandy shore, I saw him walking—no, stalking toward us with a tight jaw before he tossed an orange and white fan-shaped shell into the bucket Savannah carried.
“I didn’t realize you and your mom left or I would have already been here.” He ruffled her ponytail.
She shrugged. “It’s okay. Mama said not to pick up the ones that have creatures inside or they’ll die.”
A grin spread across his face. “She’s right. Those shells are their houses, where they live.”
We walked along the surf a good ways before heading back.
“I thought a little later, we would go over to the island. There’s an amusement park with rides and games like a carnival.”
“Can we, Mama?” She beamed.
“How ’bout if you and your dad go? I need to get all our things together. Would that be okay with you?”
She nodded and scurried along the water’s edge.
“What if it’s not okay with me?”
Warily, I withheld the words on the tip of my tongue. I wanted nothing more to lash out, but I kept my anger at bay. “I don’t want to go. Plus, you’ll get your first outing alone with your daughter that doesn’t interfere with your business meetings or busy agenda.”
“Dammit, Ave. There’s something personal I have to deal with. I don’t have a choice in the matter.”
“Really? What’s so important that you’re going to back out of your very first commitment?”
He ran his hands through his hair and held them at the back of his head. “It’s not open for discussion. I said it’s my personal life.”
Savannah rushed toward us with several more scalloped shells for her collection, so I put on a smile and said, “Wow! When we get home, we can make lots of crafts with these!”
“Can you stay and make stuff too?” she asked Stone.
“I can’t come with you this time, but as soon as I get there, you’ll have to teach me.”
“We’ll use paint and glitter.” She darted off a few feet in front of us.
The next hardest thing in my life had to be addressed. “Dovie.”
“What about Gammy?”
“I told you I want to be there when she’s told about Savannah and I meant that, so you need to let me know when you’re ready.”“I’ll let you know tomorrow afternoon, just as soon as I get out of my meeting.”
The meeting that isn’t business related at all…
“What about your parents? When are you going to tell them?” I asked.
“You want to be there with them as well?”
I shook my head. “No. I know they never wanted you to be with me, but you know how I feel about your Gammy. She’s like the grandmother I never had.”
“My parents didn’t hate you, Avery.” He frowned.
“I know that, but your dad never thought I was good enough for you. I don’t want to hear his opinion about me being the mother of your child.”
“Dad always thought I would take over LL Mitchell Oil, but I chose hotels. They got over it; they always do. My parents would have accepted you if things had turned out differently.” His voice softened. “And Gammy? She’ll be livid at first, but she’ll also get over it. She loves you and there’s not an unkind bone in her body. She’ll forgive you, Avery.”
My heart lurched. I prayed she would.
We made our way back to the house in silence, watching Savannah skipping around and finding plentiful sea treasures.
After helping Savannah dress in a cute pink and white short set, I secured her ponytail with a matching polka-dot ribbon.
“Come with us,” Stone said.
I hadn’t heard him approach. He stood with so much power, so tall and beautiful. I’d regained some control of my emotions after the tension between us; if only time could be rewound to where we left off the night before. He held the magic to steal my breath.
“Come on, Mama. Come with us,” she pleaded.
A glint of humor sparkled in his eyes, as if he’d played his cards right to team up against me.
“I need to get our things packed up.”
“If that’s all that’s stopping you, we’ll all pack together in the morning. Problem solved.” Stone winked and scooped Savannah up. “Get ready. We’ll be on the deck waiting.”
We walked under the large archway laced with colorful lights at the entrance of The Pirate’s Cove. Laughter, jazz music, and an aroma of food filled the air. An array of rides and rows of game booths lined the pathway with jovial attendants calling out, “Everyone’s a winner here!”Savannah tossed rings onto two-liter bottles, squealing each time she looped her target. Stone’s strong hands gripped my hips, drawing my back against his chest. I let out a whimper, lost in the loud excitement of the families around us. His hands felt like the most dangerous kind of warmth, making it hard to resist the impulse.
Determined to stay out of the temptation danger zone, I squirmed out of his clutch, stepping a little closer to Savannah. “One more, baby. You’ve got this.”
She nailed the next toss and clapped her hands, full of excitement. A burly man wearing a lime green straw hat reached over the booth and handed her a stuffed purple seahorse wearing a jeweled necklace.
“Look Savannah, you can drive your own car.” He pointed toward classic mini cars on a small track. Wearing the brightest grin, she grabbed his hand and tugged him over to them.
We rode all the rides appropriate for her height and played a variety of games. Throughout the afternoon, I felt the burn of his eyes on me. I didn’t want to feel the stinging fire; I wanted to hate it, not welcome it. Even knowing he wasn’t at a point in his life to give love in return, I’d allowed myself to dream the dream of love again. I’d had hope…until that morning.
He’d made it clear: we were sex, we were not love.
By the afternoon, all three of us carried stuffed animals and trinkets from the game center. My heart swelled as I watched their relationship bud into full bloom.
“Hungry?” Stone asked.
“Starving,” I answered honestly. The funnel cake we’d shared was long gone.
“Does Savannah eat seafood?”
“She loves popcorn shrimp.”
After Stone carried all her winnings from the park to the car, we sat in a seaside grill. Our round table offered amazing gulf views and close quarters, and Savannah kept busy by coloring an under-the-sea page. I watched her stay in between the lines as she filled in the fish with purple. Heat from his gaze permeated my skin, and no matter how hard I tried to focus on her art, I couldn’t stop the burn penetrating through the barrier I’d tried to put up to keep him out.
His hand grasped my knee, an
d my body zinged on high alert. He moved his thumb in tiny caressing circles as if trying to call some sort of truce, and I wanted his touch, but at what cost? The more I gave, the more he would take, eventually leaving me shattered once again.
As if he sensed my reluctance, his hands coasted lightly along my skin like a seductive dance. Surrendering, I met his dark eyes and melted. Reaching for my soda, I took a sip to soothe my parched throat. His fingers swept a trail above my knee to the center of my thigh, making me close my eyes tight. I let out a soft sigh, falling into his touch, almost begging for more.
Savannah tossed a color on the table, reaching for another like an artist working on a masterpiece. The trance he’d drawn me into dissolved and I slowly stepped out of the daydream.
I slapped his hand away, shaking my head and cutting my eyes to Savannah. He shifted his eyes to her for a second before turning back to me, and a wicked grin turned his lips upward. I flinched when he leaned in toward my ear, his mouth capable of driving me into desired-filled territory.
“Good to know you slapped my hand away because of inappropriate timing. Tonight, I’m going to make you forget everything except what I’m doing to you, and you’ll be begging for it, Ave.”
And just like that, I knew I’d let him.
Chapter 17
I tossed and turned between the sheets, obsessing over my lack of common sense when it came to Stone. If I were smart, I’d turn tail and run like hell. I’d keep miles of distance between us. But, I wasn’t smart, and I didn’t pretend to be. Being with him made me feel alive again, and I wanted him again, so bad I could taste it.
Accepting we were nothing more than hot chemistry with crazy good sex sent a twinge of sadness through me. Somehow, I had to convince my heart Stone was someone from my past, and was only in my future because of Savannah.
The thing was, he made it so damned hard. Earlier in the night while we had packed our bags, I’d caught him looking at me as if he wanted to take me against the wall. Delicious tingles had warmed my blood, making me forget everything but him. The most beautiful man in the world had stood a few feet across the room with twelve shades of desire swirling in eyes, and every nerve in my body had stood at attention. Trembling, I’d quickly turned away before he saw my pebbled nipples giving away how badly I wanted to throw myself at him.
My phone pinged with an incoming text and Stone’s name lit up the screen, causing my pulse to race. Preventing him from receiving a read message, I only stared at the words on the screen.
Stone: Meet me upstairs.
If I replied, I’d only compound the situation, make it harder on myself. I slid the phone under the pillow next to me and silently begged for him to think I’d fallen asleep. There were millions of reasons to stay away from him, but only one to cause me to sink into the addiction of Stone himself.
In the silence, my cell vibrated, and like an addict reaching for another hit, I picked it up. My heart thumped hard against my chest.
Stone: Patiently waiting…
My fingers trembled as I tapped each key. I had to end this now. He had me so confused, and I had to end the escalating situation. Everything about us was more complex than it should have been. Sleeping with him had been a huge mistake, one I may never recover from.
Me: Sleeping with you was a bad decision. I’m glad we’re friends. I want to stay that way, but the casual sex thing stops now.
Stone: I want to run my tongue over every inch of you, taste your sweetness, and fuck you unmercifully. My cock is hard baby, and I know you’re wet. Reach between your legs and try to tell me different.
I blinked several times, gaping at the screen. Part of me wanted to roll my eyes at his blunt dirty text, but another part knew he was right. I did want him…but I wanted so much more than he wanted to give.
Arrogant bastard.
Arrogant, confusing, sexy bastard.
Me: Nite
I clicked the side button, silencing all sounds from the device, and slid it under the pillow next to me. Rolling to my side, I stared at the endless starry night sky. The next day, I’d be home. I planned to live life to the fullest and start a new chapter in my life, one that included a new me.
Lindsey had been right. I needed to go out…at least occasionally, and for God’s sake, I needed to date. Maybe the reason I hadn’t in the past was that deep down, I subconsciously held on to the dream that Stone would return, still hoped it had all been a bad dream and he’d sweep me off my feet and vow to never let me go again.
My heart twisted into tight knots, facing the fact that Stone had never been good for me. We were never written in the stars. A lump formed in my throat, and I felt like cursing out the entire galaxy twinkling high in the sky. It wasn’t fair. We could have had the perfect relationship.
“Want to tell me what the hell this is about?” Stone whispered from the foot of my bed.
Startled, I jumped and flipped onto my back. “Maybe you should knock next time, or better yet, be mindful of the last text I sent.”
He stalked like a jaguar, stopping at my side with arms folded across his chest. In the darkness, his penetrating eyes burned into me. “Tell me you don’t want me. Say the one word I told you would stop everything. Tell me to stop, Avery.”
Swallowing hard, I sat straight up in the bed, diverting my gaze to the window. One look—he owned me with just one look. I pulled the cotton sheet against me as if it provided a barrier between us. “You said you didn’t want this. You said it, Stone, not me.”He cupped my chin, dragging my face toward his dazzling stare in the moonlight. “I never said I didn’t want you. I’ve never wanted anything more.”
He meant sex. I knew what he meant, but the bolt of lightning zipping through my body only allowed me to hear that he’d never wanted anything more than me. I wanted to say the four-letter word stop, but didn’t. I couldn’t even remember the first letter of the alphabet, let alone formulate a single syllable.
In the morning, I’d probably hate myself, would curse myself to the moon and back again, but tonight, this made sense. Tomorrow I would let him go, but tonight I wanted one last taste.
His thumb stroked the line of my jaw, trailing the pad over the seam of my lips. My body responded like a fire doused with gasoline as I squeezed my eyes closed and parted my lips, gently sucking on his thumb.
He scooped me up from the bed, effortlessly carrying me as if I were nothing more than a feather. His lips pressed against mine as he climbed the stairs. I slid from his arms at the edge of his king-sized bed and in a blink, he knelt at my feet. His breath brushed against my inner thigh and his large powerful hands peeled the lacy lavender panties down my body.
“Take your top off.”
His hands slid underneath the fabric, gripping my creamy smooth skin with his strong masculine hands. When his breath teased the juncture of my thighs, I quivered like jelly while drawing my top over my head. He kissed the inside of my leg, nipping and licking his way closer and closer to where my center begged.
“Spread your legs wider,” he commanded, pure sin filling his husky voice.
My fingers wound tight in his hair, holding on for dear life. I groaned, arching toward his eager mouth. He let out a soft laugh, dragging his tongue to where I ached to feel him. Waves of pleasure assaulted every fiber in my body.
“Is this what you want?”
“Oh, God, yes.” I barely recognized my own breathy voice.
His tongue ran the length between my folds and swirled over the swollen nub before running back through my crevice. Ready to burst into fireworks, I cried out his name. My entire body trembled as his arm circled my thighs, holding me in place.He slid two fingers in and out while devouring every inch of me with his tongue, lips, and hot breath against my most sensitive spots. Bursts of bliss spread through my body like thousands of shooting stars blazing across the sky as I came apart, swift and hard.
“You could fucking own me, the way you taste. The way you feel. And that smile when you come…lik
e I fucking own you too.”
Stone backed me against the bed, kissing my neck. Not giving me a chance to catch my breath, we tumbled onto the duvet. With me underneath his rock-hard body, his erection teased the side of my hip while he licked a hot trail to my left breast.
Desperate for skin-to-skin contact, I tugged his shirt over his head. Running my hands down his corded arms, skimming my hand over a long masculine vein, I shuddered. If this was to be our last night together, he’d remember me—I’d make damn sure of it.
Eagerly, I unfastened the snap of his shorts, yanking them down, and a thrill ran through me as I pushed him over onto his back. His hardness, engorged with blood, stood proud and ready. His easy smile made him more incredibly sexy than any man had the right to.
Straddling him, I inched downward, seizing him deep inside me. Sliding up and down, my body squeezed and possessed him. I rode him relentlessly, the palms of my hands digging into his chest for support. His hands clutched either side of my hips, thrusting upward, hitting my magical spot and causing me to release a pleasured moan.
“You like that?” He ground into me.
“Stone!” I cried, frantic for more.
“We’re finishing together.” He slipped his hand between us, circling his fingers where I throbbed with need.
“Yes,” I cried through the waves that crashed over me.
He let out a guttural roar, his hands fisted into my hair, pulling my lips down to his to muffle my cries. We came apart together, his body shuddering while mine clenched his, milking him dry.
A smile spread across my face, savoring every moment of what we had just shared. It had been raw and beautiful and…final. I collapsed on top of him, resting my head on his beating heart. His arm locked around my back, holding me firm against him while his other hand caressed small circles on my skin. In the morning, I had to let him go.
Chasing Wicked (The Mitchell Brothers - Wicked Series Book 1) Page 12