Set In Stone

by Rachel Robinson

  I cross my ankles under my desk. “Steven. How was work?”

  His phone fumbles. He must be getting dressed. He’s almost naked. And sweaty. I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. “It was good—lots of meetings. I have a trip next week. I was hoping I could see you before then,” he replies, a little out of breath. “Is your generator working?” It’s like he’s a mind reader.

  “I called Cody and asked if he could swing by and test it.”

  “He’s already left for the trip. I’ll come by,” he responds as quick as lightning. Which is sort of odd timing because a rumble of thunder shakes the house. “See? The bad weather is on its way tonight.”

  I sigh. “No, no. I’ll call Maverick. Maybe he’ll bring the kids by. It’s been too long since I’ve seen them anyways. Worst case scenario, I’ll figure it out myself. It can’t be that hard. Stone figured it out and we both know how much he liked machines that weren’t guns or car engines.” Steven laughs.

  “You’re right. Though I am concerned that you just placed me after worst case scenario. What’s up? Be Morganna honest with me. It’s insulting that you think I don’t know something’s up. When you didn’t call me back yesterday or answer my call last night, I knew that you were stewing in a rage pool, or something else…” he trails off. I hear him call out to someone in the boxing gym.

  I’m aware honesty is always the best policy. Unless you have to lie for the greater good. That’s a perk attorneys get. Right now is not that time. “I need to stay away from you right now, Steven. The other day on the water was too much. You made it quite clear what you want and also that you know I feel the same way. I can’t do that. I can’t ruin our friendship for a couple reasons, and I think you know the main one.” I can hear a pin drop during the silence that follows my somewhat soul-baring truth. I bluster on, “Don’t say anything, Steven. Don’t acknowledge the tension between us again. Be my friend. Can you do that?”

  His truck door slams and a few jagged breaths later he says, “Why did you call me, M? What do you want?”

  What do I want? That’s a loaded question. He’s so coy. My call waiting alerts me to another call. I send it to Phillipe’s line for a message.

  “Can you take me to the gun range? I want to practice. It’s been a while and I could use the time there. Supposing you aren’t too pissed with me, that is.”

  He’s rolling his eyes right now. He has to be. “When?” One word. Oh, I’ve really pissed him off with my brutal honesty. “I mean are you sure that’s exactly what you want?” Burn.

  “I know exactly what I want. Don’t twist my words. Some things aren’t mine for the taking. Remember that. Sometimes no matter how much you want something, it will always be someone else’s, Steven. Always. All you can do is hold on to the things that you do have and pray like hell they always stick around.” I kick off my heels, trying to quell my emotions.

  “If you’ve learned anything about me over the years, it’s that I stick around. So much so that I’m equivalent to the gum stuck on the bottom of your red-soled shoe. Maverick already left for Arizona, too. Which means your worst case scenario is on his way over to make sure you have power through the night. You know…if you want to work?”

  I look to the ceiling and mouth a few crass words to my spinning ceiling fan.

  “No,” I say through my teeth. “The red kind of gum is my favorite, by the way.” He hangs up the phone. I look up and realize Phillipe pushed a new message in front of me while I spoke with Steven. It says I have a Skype meeting tomorrow morning and that he’s leaving to go weather proof his house. What a pile of horse crap. I toss my cell phone from one hand to the other, shaking my head. How demeaning. I could call him back and he’d probably stop by on his way home, or I can go out to the side of the house and see if I can find a switch or a primer button or something and then search the internet to figure it out. One glance out of the window shows a dismal landscape of black skies and pounding rain.

  Pounding on my front door breaks me from my plan-forming. Steven blusters in, t-shirt clinging to his body, jeans leaking water onto my marble foyer. “What side of the house is it on?” he asks, foregoing all pleasantries.

  I sling my hands on my hips and narrow my eyes. “You’re one of those guys who doesn’t understand what no means, then? I never would have pegged you there.”

  He arches one eyebrow and the corner of his wet mouth jerks up. “I’m unfortunately well aware what no means. I also know that you want power tomorrow. So, one more time, darlin’. What side of the house is it on?”

  Sucking in a deep breath, I toss my hands out to the sides in frustration. His eyes dip to my waist and then back up to my chest before his dark gaze flicks to mine. Eyelashes matted with rainwater blink once and then again. His top teeth clamp down on the corner of his bottom lip. “Don’t call me darlin’, darlin’. I’m not sure what side of the house it’s on. Probably left. But that’s because I just want you to run around in the rain hunting it down. And…and…you can’t seriously be upset with me for telling the truth.”

  He takes one large stride toward me. His warm breath hits my face. “Your truth was horseshit…darlin’.” I close my eyes and turn away. I feel one wet finger underneath my chin, turning me back to face him. “Look at me.” I do. “Right now. Tell me I’m your friend. Tell me what you want when I’m standing right here in front of you. When I can see your face. When you can see mine. When I can call your bluff.”

  Eyes I know as well as my own blaze into mine. I don’t scare easily, if at all, but right now I’m terrified of speaking the truth. I’m terrified because this man has asserted so much control over my body and mind without my consent. He’s seeped in—he’s infiltrated the only place that has belonged to Stone. It’s been a gradual descent, sinking, falling, into an unfamiliar helplessness.

  I do the only thing I can think of to take the reins out of Steven’s hands while still obtaining what I need. “I’m going to take exactly what I want from you right now. It doesn’t change anything.” I shake my head to drive the point home. “And tomorrow will be the same as any other day before this.” He smiles with his eyes and reaches up to turn his baseball cap backwards. I’d think he was a trying to be a college-aged crony if I didn’t know what the tattered hat meant to him.

  “Your move, darlin’,” he says, folding his arms behind his back, like a child being told not to touch the glass figurines.

  Running my fingers up his slick arms, I watch my hands glide over corded muscles that are still hot from his boxing workout. When I meet his eyes, there’s an anticipation there I’ve never seen before. He waggles his brows. I laugh, but it does nothing to kill the desire coursing through my veins. I slide my fingers under his shirt and drag my nails across his rippling abs. I feel him blow out a breath and I smile, but only to myself. These muscles, this stomach and chest and arms, aren’t like Alex’s. The similarities give me pause. Laying my forehead into his thick chest, I sigh.

  “You’re him.”

  “I’m not him.”

  “But you could be.”

  “Just pretend I’m not. Play pretend.” As expected, he’s given me exactly what I need to get through this moment. I look up at him and I see…Steven. His humor that blazes through his smile. His life. Wrapping my hands around his neck, I place my lips on his and kiss that man like I’ve dreamed about for years. I feel his hands on my lower back pulling me in and up for a better angle. I open my mouth and breathe his scent in to memorize it. He tastes exactly like I imagined he would. Mint flavored gum and man. Sweat mingles with the leftover cologne on his shirt and I pull his wet body tighter against me, hoping I smell like he does when I pull away.

  He takes off his hat and drops it to the floor by his feet, and cradles my head, my face in between his hands. He kisses me with his eyes slightly open. I like it. It turns me on even more to know that he wants to see me kiss, so I keep mine open to watch him. Steven drags his fingertips down the sides of my neck and I c
an’t help it, a moan escapes. I feel his smile against my mouth. He’s mighty full of himself right now. His mouth slides against mine, slowly and then more frantically. It’s then that I know I need to end our fevered hunger before it goes any further.

  With a lot of effort, I break the kiss, but keep my body pressed against his, my cheek against his rain-soaked shirt, his heart pounding beneath my palm.

  “Fuck! Hot with a capital H, M. Hot. Make that sound again?” Steven exclaims, folding his arms around me. I couldn’t escape his clutches even if I wanted to. The things I want from him have compounded. His erection throbs against me. “Now can I have something I want?” he asks.

  I’m already shaking my head, but he merely shakes his head too, and pecks me on the lips while pushing me back to arms’ length, keeping his hands on my shoulders. I take several shallow breaths before I can think with a clear head. I kissed the devil out of him. He didn’t try to go further. I basically attacked him. But he definitely let me. Right? I refuse to let myself overthink it.

  “While I’d love to do exactly what I want, I did come over here for a reason.” He jerks his thumb over his shoulder to a window. The rain has gone from pouring to potential monsoon level. My moment, maybe my only moment with Steven, is ruined by a hurricane. That has to be a bad sign.

  “Fitting,” I mutter. “It’s on the right side of the house. Near the back. Do you need any help?”

  “Oh, I need help alright. Just not the kind of help you’re offering—right now.” He looks down to the large bulge in his pants and then his gaze flicks up to meet mine. He asks, “We’re back to being just friends as of now, yeah?”

  It will kill me slowly, but with a taste so lethal, there is no other way. “Yes,” I say, nodding. I swallow down the whopper of a lie and retreat to my office.

  I hear the generator making a long, loud noise and I know it’s ready to go. Touching my lips gently, I realize that my electricity is safe.

  The same can’t be said for the remnants of my heart.

  I object.

  Steve

  Self-protection. I’m the king of that shit. She said she wanted me to take her shooting for self-protection. Of course she didn’t explain why, which made me force her into the full gamut of self-protection.

  I will take her shooting. I’ll also take her to the boxing gym and show her some moves, and force Gunner into her palatial estate. If she won’t have us as a combo package, that is. I’m not holding my breath. I think I may have fucked my chances with her by the kiss that won’t be mentioned. I didn’t have an option. When that woman wants something, I can’t tell her no. Especially when I’m the beneficiary of her desires.

  Morganna’s lips aren’t exactly what I thought they’d be. They’re deadly with a side of poison. A combination one such as myself could become addicted to. When I kiss Chloe or Sasha, it makes me hard. Their mouths, lips, and tongues make me want to fuck. I know they’ll go home after, and I know that I’ll have them around for a finite amount of time. Somehow kissing Morganna, after all of this time, lives up to the hype. I want more than a kiss or a finite number of nights with her. For this reason, I’m pissed I let my dick brain think for me. She wanted more, but I knew damn well it would be a mistake to take it further. I guess I should give myself some credit for pumping the breaks on that account.

  Chloe flops down, her perfume jolting my crotch like a hit of Viagra. “What’s the countdown? I know you have that number on the tip of your tongue,” she says. I look at her sideways and smile. I know breakups suck as a general rule, but I’m pretty sure this one is going to blow exponentially. Mainly because she has no idea it’s coming and partly because what we do is not considered dating.

  She scoops my hand in hers while petting Gunner with her other. “I’ll keep myself busy during the deployment, don’t worry about me,” she whispers, lips opening slightly as she pauses. “Because it looks like someone took your lollipop, baby. Are you nervous about leaving?” I take in a deep breath and watch her watch me, silenced words poised on her lips.

  I squeeze her hand once. “I’m going to give it a shot with Morganna if she’ll let me.” Chloe will know exactly what that means without expounding. She’s been with me for years. She’s met my parents, in an effort to convince them I had a regular life outside of my work. She played the part flawlessly, I might add. Almost too well. I needed a breather from her after that trip. Chloe smiles, but it’s forced—fake, like a woman in a pageant. I know she’s going to make this easy for me.

  “I’m happy for you, Steve. That’s great news. Fantastic news, actually. No more pretending then? This is your shot at real.” Her tears belie the smile on her face. Something happens to my stomach. It sinks. A feeling I get when, on rare occasion, I’ve made a mistake. The time I miscalculated by less than five seconds and fucked up a meet-up while on a mission. Or perhaps the time I picked the world’s grossest flavor of ice cream when trying something new.

  Swallowing hard, I pull her into a hug and nod against the top of her head. “It could be, yeah. Or it could be a giant wash. I need to find out before it’s too late.” I care about Chloe. I do. The wretched place that I keep locked, cracks at feeling the loss…of this relationship. Because I know it is a relationship in an odd form. “I’ll miss you. And I think we both know how far out on that proverbial limb I’m going, because you,” I say, tilting her face up to mine, “are probably the only thing that has kept me sane all this time.” Greedily I want to know that she’ll miss me. More, that I’m worth missing.

  She grins, full lips spreading across her gorgeous face. “You mean my tits and ass?” I laugh. Chloe pulled a Steve one-liner.

  “Well those are pretty perfect, but no. We’ve been through a lot. You were the first person that made me realize there are other extracurricular activities besides guns, boats, and beer that are worth my time.” Gunner noses his way underneath one of her hands again. I cringe.

  She pets him for a few more seconds. “It’s better this way anyways. I probably need to find someone to settle down with. It’s about that time. Have the two point five kids, fake orgasms, and wallow in a stagnant career.”

  “You deserve that. I think. You make it sound awful, but you’ll make any man happy, Chloe.” Truly, she will. For a millisecond I reconsider keeping her as mine a little longer. I know I can’t, though. My lies need to end. She kisses me and I kiss her back knowing this is the last time. I wait to feel something akin to remorse, but it doesn’t come. I’m doing the right thing. For once in my personal life I may be headed in the right direction.

  It confirms my decision. It’s a choice my subconscious made long before I did. I’ll miss Chloe and her lips and the way she always says what I need to hear, but I yearn for Morganna.

  For her truths.

  For her lies.

  For all of her.

  “Don’t tell me how to shoot the dang thing. I know exactly what I’m doing,” Morganna scoffs, holding the gun entirely too loosely. I ignore her and proceed to tell her how to fix her grip so the recoil isn’t so strong. She mutters under her breath for a few more seconds until she corrects her form…to the way that I showed her. Stubborn.

  Angling my body behind her, I get as close as I dare to try to scope the target she’s aiming at. We’re at a shooting range outside of my work because it would be too difficult to her get her access to mine on short notice. Morg pitched a fit about that as well. “Steady,” I say, gently placing a few fingers on her elbow. The 40 cal in her right hand, extended in front of her, doesn’t shake. I feel her hold her breath and a half second later she pulls the trigger. She misses the target, but by less this time.

  I sigh. “Well, maybe you would scare off a home intruder with a shot like that. Don’t hold your breath.” Her entire body goes rigid. Placing the gun on the table in front of her, she turns, eyes narrowed, and pulls off her ear protection. “What aren’t you telling me?” I ask, taking out my own foam earplugs.

  Morganna clears
her throat. “The new cameras are working fine. The broken doorknob just scared me a little. That’s all.” I’m not sure, but I think she’s lying. “Alex checks on me. No need to worry yourself with it. Just give me some more tips without bossing me around. Maybe something that will lead to me actually nailing the target?” Of course it’s my fault she isn’t shooting well. I’m more concerned with everything else she’s said. Her hands automatically fall to her lush hips and I have to control my gaze.

  Morganna grew up in a place where guns were everywhere. Back when it was still legal to shoot someone if they were on your property. Now you have to wait until they’re in your house threatening your life. Fucked up laws, that’s for sure. I know her daddy gave her lessons, and I know she’s comfortable with guns. She’s never had a reason to protect herself though. She’s had Stone. That’s better than any weapon. The man was a weapon. Like I am. Perhaps she is just spooked living by herself with the doorknob incident. She’s really given no other reason to suspect otherwise.

  “He’s spending the night now?” I throw her off with a question about Alex.

  “No, merely stopping by on his way home.” I get a nightly phone call and Alex is getting a nightly booty call. She leans away from me, putting her palms on the counter behind her. “Not that it’s any of your business anyways.” Her eyes shift sideways. We’re alone at the range. I called ahead and asked for a favor. I knew she’d shoot better if rednecks weren’t in the booth next to her hollering and shooting from the hip. I shrug. Actually, that may make her feel more at home.

  “What are you shrugging at? Stop having conversations with yourself in your own mind.” Morganna gestures to my head with one hand. Her tight sweater hugs tighter to her waist and I can’t help but stare.

  I take a step toward her. She flinches. I brush by her curvy waist with my hand as I pick up her gun lying on the table behind her. “I figured I might make his presence my business after all. Simple concept, really,” I say, gaze locked on her knowing eyes. The dark eyeliner rimming her eyes is doing nothing to conceal the lusty glint there.