He was worried that he’d have to represent his baby sister in court one day.
Was it possible to be in love with one man but lust after another?
Should she tell him about what she’d seen on the beach?
Another glance toward the young couple and she cleared her head of the image of Liz throwing herself at Kevin. They weren’t her problem. She had enough problems of her own.
Like ending up with that engagement ring back on her finger.
The last thing she wanted was a forced marriage.
Marriage was hard enough when two people started out with love in their hearts, but when they didn’t? Getting married because she was pregnant just seemed wrong.
Her attention got caught by a movement on the balcony and she spotted the stranger.
Kevin.
If he wasn’t here for Liz, then why was he here?
He was watching Liz kiss Roger, his body tense, his face expressionless. But then his focus changed and zeroed in on Mariam, and everything clicked into place.
He had a haunted look in his gaze, and for some reason, even though she didn’t know him, it broke her heart.
This man—this stranger—was looking at Mariam as though he wanted her more than his next breath. And she knew just by looking at him that if Mariam were pregnant with his child, he would never let her go. Never, in a million, zillion years. He’d claim her and their child like an old fashioned caveman.
Is that why Stone had tried to put a ring on her finger? To lay his claim?
Stephanie dragged her attention back to Stone and ignored the fact that all she had to do was connect gazes with him and her own territorial instincts came on full force. Not a good thing when faced with a confirmed bachelor and a pregnant woman.
But she had to do what was best for her and her baby. And the best she could do right now was to stay sensible and single. So what if she melted every time he came within the sphere of her vision. So what if she couldn’t control her own body.
Heck, she’d rather raise her child alone than be forced to endure the kind of marriage that Grace and Jim had.
Her stomach did a belly flop.
The kind of marriage Liz and Roger would have if Stephanie didn’t step up and say something.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Stone circled the crowded ballroom, shaking a hand here, tossing a greeting there, and inched his way toward the mother of his child.
Her refusal to marry him still stung, although he didn’t have a clue why. All he really knew was that he should be relieved…and yet, he was anything but.
Instead, he was fascinated beyond reason with her, and the desire to close the distance between them, sweep her into his arms and carry her off to bed, totally consumed him.
Someone jostled him from behind and he dragged his attention away from the woman who consumed his every thought, and came back to reality to shake another hand, smile at another familiar face.
Then he spotted Liz dance past with her fiancee.
Despite the groom’s youthful looks and lack of formal attire, Roger appeared relaxed and happy, and not at all apprehensive that in two days, he would spend the rest of his life tied to one woman.
The kid was a whole lot braver than he was.
And even if they didn’t make it—even if Liz one day called him to represent her in front of a judge—they’d still be tied together. By shared memories, a child, or the possession that one spouse won in the battle with hopes of destroying the other.
It would always be there, the love they once shared, the betrayal that tore them apart.
And knowing his sister and her flighty ways, he couldn’t help but wonder how much time—days, weeks, months—before she came knocking on his door, crying because she’d realized her mistake.
Liz and Roger came to a stop in front of Stephanie, and while Liz spoke to her wedding planner, Roger wandered off, his cell phone in his hands, his thumbs tapping at the screen without a single pause.
He headed their way, his progress slowed down by the exceptionally large crowd in the ballroom. Every few feet, someone else stopped him and he was forced to make small talk. When he neared them, he caught the scent of Stephanie’s perfume on a drift of air and his body stirred.
No matter how much he was determined to keep his distance, his body had a totally different agenda.
While she spoke with Liz, she was busy checking the table centerpieces. He could picture her with her dress pushed off her shoulders, her full breasts in the open for his feast, her head thrown back in ecstasy, her eyes smoldering with passion.
God, she was sexy. Responsive, too. He’d never met a woman he couldn’t push from his thoughts like he couldn’t push her. And her laughter and smile did something strange to his insides.
But she wasn’t laughing or smiling now. She’d stopped, a furrow between her brows, her hand on her stomach, appearing a little green.
His sister didn’t seem to notice.
Concern for her grew, and when he reached her, he stopped beside her and quietly asked. “You okay?”
Her eyes were clouded with distress, but with a quick nod in his direction, she turned her attention back to the bride, and Liz rattled on.
The groom returned, his cell still in one hand, gave the bride-to-be a kiss on the cheek, then thrust his hand toward Stone. “Hello, brother-in-law. Sorry for the distraction.” His attention returned to his phone and he began to type. “My band is about to release our fifth album and I’m determined to release it at the same time as the wedding so I can dedicate it to your sister.”
He was nothing like his stage presence, Stone noted, and without the garish makeup and outlandish clothes, he was quite normal looking. “No problem.”
“Ah, something interesting to tweet.” And he began typing on the screen keyboard. “Wedding update. The bride’s big brother hasn’t killed me yet, so does that mean I’ve been accepted into this warm family fold?”
Stone couldn’t help it, he laughed. The kid seemed genuine.
Liz turned to her fiancee. “I’ve been meaning to tell you that my mother invited another seventy-five of her friends. The guest list is going to be awfully one sided now. I’m so sorry.”
Roger glanced up from the screen, and with an understanding smile, leaned forward and gave Liz a peck on the cheek. “No worries, babe. Whatever keeps her happy.”
Liz leaned forward to kiss him on the lips and she appeared genuinely in love with this man. “That’s one of the things I love about you most. You spoil me rotten. You’re so understanding and flexible.”
Maybe all of Stone’s doubts and concerns had been for nothing. Maybe, as Liz had said, she’d just had a moment of cold feet.
A maid walked in with a tray holding an assortment of baked goods and set it on the table, and as the scent of yeast and sugar reached Stone, he heard Stephanie choke. But before he could do anything, Roger looked up from his cell phone.
“You look like you’re going to be sick again. What’s wrong with you anyway?”
“Food poisoning,” she squeaked.
“You should see a doctor.”
“Already done. Just waiting for confirmation.”
Roger grabbed the tray, pity on his face. “Let me take this to the other end of the table.”
And with another kiss on Liz’s cheek, and a nod toward Stone and Stephanie, he wandered away, holding the tray with one hand, tapping on the cell with the other, humming a turn, and singing, “Whatever keeps my baby happy.”
And then he walked past the end of the table and headed out of the ballroom, the tray forgotten in his hand.
Liz swiveled her gaze past Stone and gave Stephanie a bright smile. “Well, it’s settled then. The guest list is done, providing Mother doesn’t keep adding to it. I better go mingle till Roger comes back.”
And then she was gone in a swirl of perfume and skirt.
Stone turned his attention to the mother of his child and put his hand on the small of her back, f
eeling the heat of her bare skin against his palm as he bent closer to her ear so she could hear him. “Want to get out of here?”
She glanced up at him, distress in her eyes, one hand over her nose and mouth. “I can’t. I need to—it’s the sweet breads and the olives—”
And then she was gone, dashing out the closest doorway with him hot on her heels.
She’d obviously scoped out the nearest bathrooms before the party.
Stone waited in the hallway, one shoulder against the wall, his cell in his hand as he texted Wanda that he needed her assistance. Hopefully she was back from whatever had occupied her for the afternoon because he wanted her to take over from Stephanie for the evening.
As he received confirmation that his assistant was back on the property, something in him twigged, the thought that he might be willing to wait for Stephanie for the rest of his life.
Not good. Not good at all. He might have originally asked her to marry him out of responsibility to their child, but now—
She came out of the bathroom, paler than chalk.
He took her arm. “Come on. I’m taking you back to your cottage so you can rest.”
She pushed a stray lock of hair away from her forehead. “I have to check on the cooks—”
“I’ve already arranged for Wanda to take over and keep an eye on things. Besides, the cooks are professionals. They don’t need you.” Not like I do, he wanted to add, but the sheer revelation of the strength of his emotions made him swallow back the words.
He thrust his hands in his pockets, fearful that he might touch her and never be able to stop. While a part of him acknowledged the need to push her away—and do it hard and fast—another part of him wanted to hang onto her forever.
She glanced up at him, and as the frown cleared from her face, her mouth morphed into a smirk. “I’m still not marrying you.”
He quirked one brow. “Just because I asked once—”
“Twice.”
“—doesn’t mean I plan to ask again.”
“Good, because marriage sucks.”
He followed her gaze down the hallway to where Liz was talking to Kevin. “For a wedding planner, you sure have some strange ideas.”
She turned her gaze up to his face, and for just a moment, Stone felt sucker-punched by the tenderness and concern in her eyes. “What would you do if you saw something that didn’t bode well for the married couple?”
As Kevin disappeared one way and Liz disappeared the other, Stone set his hand on the small of Stephanie’s back and guided her down the hallway before she could find another excuse to go back to the party.
“I’d tell her brother.” When she didn’t say anything, he smiled down at her. “Marriage is hard. Liz is young. I’ve seen enough divorces to want to protect her from going through that.”
Silent, they headed outside and Stone noticed Stephanie shiver. He tugged off his suit jacket and wrapped it around her bare shoulders.
She gave an appreciative smile, grabbed the lapels, and hugged it to her chest. “And yet you asked me to marry you.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“We’re older and you’re carrying my baby.”
She shook her head. “That’s not enough, Stone.”
He quirked one eyebrow and leered down at her. “How about the sex? You can’t deny that it’s outstanding.”
She laughed and waggled her eyebrows at him “Since apparently I’ve abandoned my duties, maybe we could—you know.”
Oh yeah, he knew. His heart did a strange sizzle that threatened to take his breath away while desire unfurled and his lower extremities jump to attention. He stopped her in the middle of the path and gently turned her to face him. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“We’ll have to go to your cottage, though. Mom likes to pop in and out of mine.” Her eyes drifted closed. He saw her touch her stomach and inhale deeply. And then she opened her eyes and he saw heat, desire, need. “This doesn’t mean anything, Stone. It’s just sex.”
At the moment, he didn’t care. He lowered his head and he took her mouth with his own, kissing her until his head was spinning and she was standing so close against him, he felt as though he could absorb her into his body. When she moaned into his mouth, he swung her into his arms and practically ran the rest of the way. He loped up the stairs, waited impatiently for the few seconds it took her to reach down and open the door.
Once inside, he kicked the door shut and released her legs, enjoying the feel of her sliding down his body as their mouths meshed and he backed her toward the bedroom.
For the last month, he’d alternated between the insane longing to call her just to hear her voice and her laughter, and the desire to bury himself deep within her body and never come out again.
He knew he should be concentrating on other things—the divorce case for that idiot, Bill Tremaine, Liz’s upcoming nuptials and her fascination for Kevin, the tension between his parents—but with Stephanie in his arms, he didn’t care about those things.
As he slanted his mouth across hers and tried to inhale her, he felt every inch of her body as she pressed up against him. And her breathy little moans. It made him feel like King Kong, like god to her goddess, like her man—
He jerked back, his hands on her shoulders, holding her within his grasp but no longer pressed against her. She blinked back up at him, her eyes unfocused and glazed with desire, her mouth swollen from his kiss.
With the pad of his thumb, he touched her cheek and felt the softness of her skin against his thumb.
She gave him a saucy grin. “What are you waiting for? Was I too subtle?”
Stone ran one hand up under her top, ran his hand up the ridge of her spine, then shifted till he’d cupped her breast in the palm of his hand. No bra and definitely fuller than he remembered. He growled deep in his throat as she tilted back her head to give him better access to everything.
“We should get naked and get this over with before one of us has a premature moment,” she breathed and the already elevated temperature of Stone's body heated and engulfed him.
He felt himself drown in the slick heat of her mouth, in the soft moans of pleasure, in the way she responded so willingly to his every touch. He gave himself license to explore the soft curves and valleys of her body, felt her respond in kind as the cool air rode off his back as she tugged the shirttails out of his slacks and ran her hands up his back, around to his chest, sending more heat spiraling through his body.
He knew that he was in deep, way over his head, because being with her this time felt strangely like he’d come home. He tried to clear his head, but then his tongue got tangled up with hers, and everything blanked out but the woman in his arms.
Yet somewhere in the distance recesses of his mind, the squeak of the front door registered in his thoughts. He’d locked the door, hadn’t he? Or had he been in such a rush to get his mouth on hers, his hands on her body, that he’d forgotten to be careful? Stephanie’s presence always seemed to cloud his judgment and ruin his cool objectivity.
And then he heard the sound of his dad’s voice calling through the darkened cabin. “Stone, are you in here?”
Stone jerked his hand out from under Stephanie’s top, saw surprise on her face right before the flush of desire on her cheeks bleached from her face. She clasped her hand over her mouth, turned and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
“Sorry, son, I didn’t know you had someone in here with you.” The older man flipped on a light switch and crossed the room to stand beside him, hands in his trouser pockets, a speculative light in his eyes as he gazed at the closed door. The sound of Stephanie puking her guts out was unmistakable. “So now that you’re over thirty, you get to ignore the dragon lady’s rule?”
Stone raked his fingers through his hair and willed his body under control, thankful that Steph had pulled his shirt out from his pants. Otherwise, he’d be facing the older man with a full blown erectio
n standing at attention between them. It was embarrassing enough to see the knowing gleam in the old man’s gaze.
Next time, he vowed, he wouldn’t lose his head until after he locked the door. “You won’t tell Mom, will you? You know how she gets. All weird and determined to protect me from my latest mistake.”
“Are you kidding? Knock yourself out, son. Sew your wild oats. I only wish I’d done more of that when I was your age.” His dad winked and glanced back at the door. “Is that the wedding planner? And can I safely assume you’re responsible for her current condition?”
He kept his expression carefully neutral. “She’s got the flu.”
“Right.”
He threw one arm over his dad’s shoulder and turned the older man toward the door. “I’ll be around for the entire week. We have plenty of time to catch up.”
“Looks like you’re not too busy now.” Jim ducked under his arm and headed back toward the kitchen, where he poked his head inside the fridge and came out with a bottled water in his hand. “So, keeping busy?”
Stone leaned his hip against the counter top, folded his arms across his chest, eyed the closed bathroom door, and thought, Not now, Dad. “What’s up?”
“Nothing. Just wondering how you’re doing. How’s work? With divorces on the rise, I expect you’ve got business coming out of your yin yang.”
“I’m not hurting for clients,” he responded easily. But something wasn’t right. It was in the nervous movements of his dad. Casually, Stone reached into the fridge for a bottle of water. “What’s up with you? Enjoying retirement?”
“Sure. What’s not to love? I have the freedom to spend all day doing exactly as I please. Golf.” Jim pushed away from the counter and paced to the fireplace in the corner of the room. “Morning, noon, and night. This wedding of Lizzie’s is really interfering with the golf time.”
Something wasn’t right. Stone sensed it, but knew the older man wouldn’t talk about it until he was ready. Which might be never. “You know, Dad, anything you say to me will be held in the strictest confidence.”
Caught Between an Oops and a Hard Body (Caught Between series Book 2) Page 18