Everything I Want (The Everything Series Book 3)

by A. K. Evans

  “I love you, Stone.”

  Stone’s arm tightened around me as he replied, “I love you, my angel.”

  *****

  Saturday morning came quickly. It felt like I had just snuggled in with Stone to go to sleep and the alarm was already going off. He shifted in the bed and turned off the alarm. I turned toward him, put my head on his chest, and draped my arm across his abdomen.

  “Good morning, my love.”

  “Morning, baby. You sleep okay?”

  “Yeah. Wish I had more time in bed with you, but I’m so excited for today. I cannot wait to see you ride in a contest.”

  “Love that you’re going to be there. It’s the last contest of the season that any of the Blackman Boards’ riders compete in, so you’ll have more time in bed with me moving forward.”

  I lifted my head to look at him.

  “I can’t wait for that,” I admitted. “Unfortunately, that won’t be happening next weekend.”

  “Why not?” Stone asked.

  “I’ve got my exhibition at a local dance competition next Sunday. I didn’t register for the competition because I wasn’t sure if I’d have enough dancers signed up for classes by then. The hosts of the competition have agreed to allow me to fill all three of the exhibition spots. I’m taking one of my groups of students to do one and Jenna is going to do the other.”

  “Are you going to be the third one?”

  I nodded.

  Stone gave me a look that I couldn’t read.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Nothing. Just waiting for you to ask me to come and watch you.”

  “Do you want to?”

  “Angel, you’re coming this weekend to support me. Of course, I want to come and watch. Just don’t do anything X-rated.”

  I laughed. “I promise. I had something planned a few weeks ago and completely changed my mind earlier this week. I’ve been working on choreographing a piece that’s really beautiful. I would love it for you to be there; I just hope you’ll enjoy what I do.”

  “Not a doubt in my mind that I’ll love it.”

  I gave him a grin before he gave me a squeeze and said, “We need to get up and get moving. Want to feed you breakfast before we leave.”

  “Can I do it?” I asked.

  “Do what?”

  “Breakfast. My man has a big day ahead of him today. I want to do my part to contribute to making that a success. So, can I make you breakfast today?”

  “Just being there with me today is you doing your part for me. If you want to make breakfast, though, I’m not going to say no. Just give me a kiss first.”

  With that, I gave him a kiss before we got up to get ready and have breakfast. Not long after, we were on our way to Parks Ridge for Stone’s contest.

  “There’s our girl,” Charley shouted as she saw me approach with Stone fifteen minutes later.

  The rest of our group had already arrived and the girls were already huddled together with Wes standing nearby.

  When Stone and I were standing next to the girls, he tugged my arm to get my attention. I looked to him and he explained, “I’m going to go get a few practice runs in before it starts. Stay with the girls and Wes. Emme, Charley, or Wes will let you know what’s happening as it does.”

  “Of course. Good luck and kick some ass today, my love.”

  Stone chuckled and bent his head to mine.

  “Kiss me, Monroe,” he whispered.

  I figured it was best to give him everything he wanted on a day like today, so I kissed him. It wasn’t just a peck, either. Finally, Nikki yelled out, “Now I know why she hasn’t spent a night at home in nearly a week. Damn, girl. You’ve been holding out on us.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. Stone smiled against my lips.

  “I’m sorry,” I apologized. “She has no filter.”

  “It’s okay. Got to go, baby. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Stone gave me a peck on the nose and took off. I turned toward the girls and Wes. Charley and Emme had dreamy looks on their faces while Nikki had a devilish grin. I glanced at Wes to see him giving me a warm smile. I think he knew that I was finally getting what I had searched for back in California for nearly twenty-five years. He had promised me that I’d find what I was looking for if I just gave it a little bit of time in Wyoming. He hadn’t been lying. I gave him a small smile and a nod of my head before I turned my attention back to the girls.

  “Nikki’s right,” Charley piped up. “You’ve definitely been holding out on us. We’re going to need details now, mama.”

  I coy smile spread across my face.

  “He’s so fucking hot, isn’t he?” I asked.

  “If the kissing is always that heated, I can only imagine what the sex has been like,” Nikki declared.

  “We’ve been working on my list.”

  “Your list?” Emme questioned.

  “My list of favorite slash best sex positions with Stone. I get a lot of my number one and two.”

  “Which are?” Charley inquired.

  “Number one is me on top followed very closely by number two, which is Stone giving it to me from behind.”

  “Jesus Christ,” Wes bit out. “I knew that one day I was going to find the downside to running my own business and getting out of competitions. I think that day has come.”

  Oops.

  I sort of forgot that Wes was within earshot and could hear everything we were discussing.

  “Honey,” Charley called as she looked to Wes. “You can’t interrupt sex talks. We don’t have much time before the contest starts and we need to catch up.”

  “Funny how that works, gorgeous. When I catch up with the guys, it never turns into us comparing our sex lives.”

  “Really?” Emme asked.

  I found this interesting.

  “Wait,” I interrupted. “You mean to tell me that you guys don’t talk about your relationships ever?”

  “Relationships, occasionally. Sex lives with women like the four of you, never.”

  “Why not?” I pressed further.

  “For me, I’m not real keen on them knowing what Charley is like in bed. I’m certain Zane, Stone, and Luke feel the same about each of you. The problem is, all too often, you four can’t seem to keep a lid on the shit you do behind closed doors and then we all end up hearing about it anyway.”

  “I find this fascinating,” I announced.

  “You shouldn’t,” Nikki offered. “Haven’t you noticed the possessive nature of these guys? Stone exudes macho-man mentality.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Tell me about it. He stood up to Deacon last night on the phone.”

  “What?” Emme practically shrieked. “What happened?”

  I went on to fill them in on last night’s feud between Deacon and Stone. This ultimately led to me filling them in on how Stone managed to mend my broken heart. I did this as we walked to where we could watch the guys ride.

  Emme brought her camera and was capturing shots for Blackman Boards. I asked her if she wouldn’t mind getting a shot of me and Stone later that day. I didn’t have any pictures of just the two of us together and I really wanted one. Since Emme was the best photographer in the world, I knew she’d be able to make that happen for me.

  Not long after we arrived at the spot we’d be watching from, I realized how nervous I was. I watched as the first couple of riders dropped in and did their runs. We were watching the qualifying rounds. The riders would need to do well here so that they could be one of the top sixteen to advance to finals.

  “My stomach is full of knots,” I blurted.

  “There’s nothing to worry about, mama. It’s only qualifying. He’ll be fine. Besides, Wes told me the guys couldn’t believe the difference in Stone’s riding from last week to this week. Being with you has changed something in him.”

  Stone finally made his run. I watched in awe as he dropped in to the pipe and made his way up each side performing an incredible trick each time
. It was amazing to watch.

  Stone and Zane both did well in qualifying and were sitting in the number one and two spots going into the finals. Finals were like qualifying in that the riders would each have three chances to make their best runs. After the first two runs, Stone was sitting just behind Zane on the scoreboard. The third round of finals was underway and my stomach was no closer to being settled. The wait wasn’t helping either. Part of me wished that Stone had been first because I couldn’t handle the mounting bundle of nerves in my belly.

  “Oh, I think I’m going to be sick,” I announced.

  “Are you okay?” Nikki asked.

  I shook my head. “I’m so nervous for him. Why is it taking so long for him to get his turn?”

  “Zane’s up,” Wes interjected. “Stone’s immediately after. He’s the last to go. He’ll be fine, Monroe. Just relax.”

  I turned my attention to the top of the pipe and watched as Zane made his run.

  Holy smokes, he made incredible run. There was no doubt in my mind he would hold on to the top spot.

  Moments after he finished his run, Zane’s score was posted. Just as I predicted, he was sitting at the top of the leaderboard.

  I began shifting back and forth on my feet, anxiously awaiting Stone to drop in.

  Charley must have noticed because she leaned into me, grabbed my hand in hers, and shared, “This is normal. Zane and Stone are always neck and neck. They usually score within tenths of each other. He’s going to do really great, honey.”

  Hearing this news made my heart swell. I didn’t have much time to process the feelings hearing it gave me because I saw Stone turn on his board and start riding down to where he’d drop into the pipe. I stopped breathing and squeezed Charley’s hand.

  Stone dropped into the pipe on one side and rode up the wall on the opposite side. He flew so high out of the pipe and did the most incredible trick. I had no idea what it was, but I knew it was amazing. He landed that trick and moved to the other side where he did another trick. Stone did this several times all the way down the pipe and it was the most magnificent thing I had ever witnessed. It was even better than all of the previous runs I had witnessed him make.

  Other than today, I only ever saw him ride one time a few months back when Nikki and I came out to visit Charley and Emme. We all came to Parks Ridge to have a day of fun riding, but eventually the girls and I took a break while the guys showed us their moves on the pipe.

  This was completely different. Stone landed his final trick and the crowd erupted with cheers. I screamed right along with them. I was so happy for him. I didn’t care what the result was; I couldn’t have been prouder of him than I was in that moment. It seemed like hours had passed while we waited for Stone’s score to be posted. Logically, I knew that it hadn’t been that much time that we stood anticipating the result, but it was undoubtedly taking longer to get his score than anybody else’s. Finally, there was an outburst of screams. Stone’s score had been posted and his name was sitting in the number one spot.

  I looked down to the end of the pipe where I saw him standing. Zane had just walked over and pulled him into a hug to congratulate him. My eyes filled with tears.

  Suddenly, I heard Wes’ voice in my ear, “He’s going to want you, babe. Come on...I’ll take you to him.”

  The girls and I followed Wes. Apparently, we were going to be watching Luke compete in big air next, so we needed to move anyway. After what felt like a torturously long hike down to the bottom of the pipe, I spotted my man. He was being interviewed. His gaze slid to the side where he spotted me and instantly his eyes heated. Stone quickly finished his interview and stalked over to me. Once I was within arm’s reach, he stretched his arm out, wrapped it around the back of my neck, and crushed me to his body. He held me tight.

  Stone’s mouth was at my ear, “I could have won the gold medal in the Olympics before today and it wouldn’t hold a candle to this. Winning this small event with you, my angel, here to love me and watch me…nothing, baby, nothing compares to this moment.”

  I pulled back slightly from him and brought my hands to either side of his neck. “I’m so proud of you,” I started. “There isn’t anywhere else I would rather have been today than here to support you. You were amazing.”

  Stone pressed a kiss to my lips and said, “Let’s go. Big air is starting soon and we need to support Luke.”

  “Okay, but…” I trailed off.

  “But what?” he asked.

  I pressed up on my toes and whispered in his ear, “Can we celebrate later?”

  Stone’s eyes heated and he questioned, “How did you want to do that?”

  I gave him a sexy smile and murmured, “I was hoping we could see if there was a new position to add to my list.”

  “I was already planning on that,” he shared through his laughter.

  I bit my lip.

  Stone continued, “If memory serves me correctly, I owe you some time against the wall.”

  My eyes rounded.

  Stone winked at me.

  At that, he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and walked me over to where the big air event was taking place. We stayed long enough to watch Luke take the win and congratulate him. Then, Stone took me back to his place where he paid his debt. I was left trying to reorganize my list.

  Chapter 25

  Monroe

  “Who the heck could that be?”

  Another week had passed. It was Saturday morning and Stone and I had spent the night at my place last night. After his win last Saturday, we spent the next two nights at my place. Then, we were back at his place. Since my exhibition was this weekend, I used that to my advantage and asked Stone if he’d mind spending the next couple nights at the condo. It had nothing to do with the exhibition. Secretly, I just liked having him in my bed. I am convinced that the only reason I managed the nights without him mid-week was because I could smell him on my sheets. It was almost as good as being wrapped up in his arms all night.

  Stone and I had dinner that we cooked together last night and settled in for a quiet, relaxing night with a movie. We followed this up with lots of bedtime activities.

  We woke up not long ago, had morning-time activities, and had just made our way out into the kitchen to make breakfast. This morning’s breakfast, like last night’s dinner, was a joint cooking effort. I worked on the eggs and bacon while Stone tended to the toast, fruit, and beverages. He wasn’t a coffee drinker, which I thought was further indication that we belonged together. I hated coffee. Stone liked orange juice with his breakfast; I preferred hot green tea.

  While we were making breakfast, there was a knock at the door. Nikki spent the night out with Luke and had her own key, so I knew it wasn’t her. I moved from in front of the stove and started walking to the door.

  “Can you keep your eye on the bacon?” I called to Stone as I walked out of the kitchen.

  “Got it.”

  When I opened the door, my internal organs simultaneously shifted their position in my body. My heart was in my throat; my stomach at my feet. On one hand, I was thrilled to see Vaughn standing in front of me; however, I had a feeling there would be repercussions from him finding Stone here first thing in the morning.

  It should be noted that I was expecting my entire family to come out and visit me this weekend. They knew I had my exhibition on Sunday and wanted to come out to support me. In addition, my parents hadn’t seen me since I moved weeks ago. Stone and I had planned to go out to dinner with them so he could meet everyone. I suggested dinner out because I figured there was less chance of anyone losing their shit in public. The problem now was that they weren’t set to arrive until sometime later this evening; yet, Vaughn was standing at my front door.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, shocked.

  Vaughn laughed, took two steps inside, and replied, “Good morning to you, too.”

  I gave him a hug and responded, “I’m sorry; I just wasn’t expecting you guys to arrive until ton
ight. What’s going on?”

  “I knew everyone was planning to come out tonight, but after the week we’ve had at home I thought it would be good to come here early and prepare you.”

  My eyes rounded and my body tensed.

  “It’ll be alright,” Vaughn started as he put his arm around my shoulders. “I didn’t want you getting blindsided, though. Figured we could come up with a plan.”

  Something not good was going on. A bit of relief flooded through me at the knowledge that Vaughn had come out early to prepare me for whatever it was. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his waist and said, “Thank you, Vaughn.”

  The minute the words were out of my mouth, Vaughn’s body went rigid.

  I pulled back to look at him when I saw that he was looking past me toward the direction of the kitchen. His expression was impassive. I turned and saw Stone standing there looking at us. When I looked back to Vaughn, his eyes came to me, held mine a moment, and went back to Stone.

  Shit.

  “Um, Vaughn,” I barely croaked out.

  Vaughn completely ignored me when he narrowed his eyes and asked Stone, “Did you spend the night here with her last night?”

  “Yep,” Stone answered.

  Double shit.

  “What is your endgame?” Vaughn pressed.

  “Not a game to me, but I’ll tell you the same thing I told Deacon. We can discuss my intentions with your sister if you’d like, but that discussion is one that does not result in her ending up in tears. If you can manage that, the three of us can have the conversation over breakfast. If not, you can join us for breakfast after which you and I can have a talk while Monroe goes to take a shower.”

  Vaughn’s eyes lingered on Stone’s a minute before he brought them to mine.

  “You’re lucky I came out here early and on my own, Monroe. Deacon was set to come with me, but I talked him out of it, thankfully. I’ve got to admit I’m relieved I had the forethought to come out and give you a heads up. You guys are going to need me on your side, so we better go have breakfast and figure out if we can make that happen.”