by Tess Oliver
Amy walked over to the table and grabbed a bottle of rum. “It’ll cut down on that gross fruit punch taste.” She poured some in her drink and then offered me the bottle. “You’re not imagining it. Those boys are sort of notorious in this town. People are afraid of them, and at the same time they respect them. Everyone knows they grew up with a monstrous father, a man that everyone hated, but I think at the same time, everyone feels a little guilty about ignoring it. They were so damn afraid of Hank Stone, the dad, that no one dared speak up to him about the way he was raising his kids. Although, raising them was hardly the phrase for it. It’s a fucking miracle they all lived to adulthood.”
“So the fear of the dad rubbed off on the sons?”
“A little, but mostly people just know you don’t cross them. That childhood made them tough. You don’t get into a fight with any one of the Stone brothers unless you want to end up hurting real bad.” Amy talked about them with a glint of pride in her eyes. I knew she loved them, and it was obvious they would do anything for her. Her relationship with Hunter was confusing and a little strange, but something told me, if he caved just a little, they’d be together. Like their surname, the brothers had rock hard exteriors, and it seemed nothing short of a stick of dynamite could blow through their solid outer shells.
Just like Amy and Hunter had a complicated relationship, I’d formed a complex and somewhat disconcerting connection with Colt. As much as I tried to tamp down any emotional involvement with him, I could feel the threads of my heart beginning to fray. It wouldn’t take much tugging from Colt to unravel me completely. I’d walked into his room with the unusual proposition, confident that I could handle a casual, no strings relationship. But the more I was with him, the more I doubted my own strength.
“They’ve got the bonfire going.” Amy picked up her drink and stirred it with her finger. She licked it and added another shot of rum to her cup. “Let’s go see what all the annoying people are up to, and by annoying, I mean the Stone brothers. As irritating as they are, I’d rather be talking to them than anyone else in this whole damn town.”
We stepped out onto a brick patio that had a strand of chili pepper shaped lights strung from one post to the next. A small retaining wall of cinderblocks had been crudely built into a sitting wall. A blazing copper fire pit sat in the center.
I glanced around. Even with the poor lighting and thin veil of smoke hovering over the entire yard, it was easy to spot Colt and Hunter. Their shoulder spans were twice that of any of the other guys standing around with plastic cups of beer. They were also a good head taller than most. Hunter, in particular, made everyone else look miniature. Several of the girls who had joined them at Lazy Daze were talking to the brothers. The girl who had quickly climbed into Colt’s lap that night was now clinging to his side stealing sips of his beer. But even as she drank from his cup, his intense green gaze followed me across the yard.
“Damn,” Amy said with a chuckle, “that boy doesn’t take his eyes off of you.”
I held back a smile. Even though I’d warned him I didn’t want to be owned by another man, I reveled in the idea that Colt was always watching me.
“I’ve never seen him act like this, Jade. What the heck did you do to him?”
“Nothing. We just reached a fun little agreement.”
“Fun? Right. Slade said you two have been going at it like fucking rabbits.”
I blushed and took a sip of my drink to avoid having to respond. She pointed to a spot on the wall near the fire. I sat down next to a nice looking guy, the kind of guy you’d want to bring home to impress your parents, if you had some to impress.
The guy smiled at me, and I thought he could be in a toothpaste ad with his perfect smile. He leaned forward. “Hey, Amy, are you going to introduce me to your new friend?”
Amy shrugged. “Jade, this is Zach.” It seemed that Zach wasn’t high on Amy’s list of likable people.
“Nice to meet you, Jade. Are you visiting?”
“Actually, I’m staying for awhile. I’m working over at Lazy Daze.”
His mouth tightened with disapproval. “That dive? You’re too good for a place like that.”
Amy leaned forward. “God, Zach, still the pompous douchebag you’ve always been.”
“Coming from you, I consider that a compliment.” Zach turned back to me. “When did you arrive in town? And why haven’t I seen you?”
Before I could answer, he reached up and took a strand of my hair between his fingers. “You’re hair is like spun gold.”
Amy snickered at his comment. Then she elbowed me. “This should be good.”
I followed the direction of her gaze. Colt was already across the yard, coming through the wall of chalky smoke before I’d barely turned my head. He stood like a menacing giant glowering down at Zach, who shrank back instantly.
“Hey, Colt,” he said with a hoarse voice. “What’s going on? Oh shit, are you with her? Didn’t know,” he said quickly as if he was begging for his life. “My mistake.” Zach got up and walked quickly away.
Colt glanced at his retreating back. “Damn, was it something I said?”
“You don’t need to say anything with that intimidating scowl, you big bully,” Amy said. She hopped up as Colt sat down. “Speaking of big bullies, I think I’ll go bug Hunter. Haven’t seen him much today, and frankly, I’m behind on being irritating.”
Colt pointed down to my drink. “Is it any good?”
“If you like rum-laced fruit punch, it’s delicious.” I lifted it for him to try, but he declined. “Never mind. I’ll let you drink it.” He reached behind me and shoved his hand up the back of my shirt. “That way you’ll be good and loose and drunk by the time we leave here.”
“Yes, as opposed to the usual frigid, legs tightly crossed attitude I’ve been throwing your way. If I was any looser, you’d be scooping me off the floor with a damn spoon.”
He smiled. “You’re such a character. How can you be this gorgeous, this completely fuckable and still be such a character? Guess that’s why you have me doing shit like lumbering across the yard to scare guys away from you.”
“Yeah, about that.”
“About what?”
“You huffing and puffing every time someone talks to me.”
“You better get used to it, darlin’. I don’t see me easing up on the huffing and puffing anytime soon.”
“So, I’m not supposed to even talk to other guys?”
He gazed at me. I would have been more aggravated by his possessiveness if he wasn’t so damn beautiful. Everything about him made me want to submit to every unreasonable demand. Even though it was against everything I wanted and needed.
The rum was getting to my head, and I was in a teasing mood. Or maybe I just wanted to see how serious he was. “If I go over right now to that rather nice looking guy who is filling beer cups and flirt with him, what would you do? In front of all your friends and girls, most of whom you’ve no doubt slept with, what would you do?”
He stared down at me. His long dark lashes shaded the green in his eyes. “You testing me, darlin’? Don’t bother. Look around. Do you see any guys talking to Street other than Hunter and Slade?”
I looked across the yard. The red chili lights were spinning in the breeze swirling through the yard. The same breeze had lifted away some of the bitter smoke spiraling up from the fire pit. Amy was standing next to Hunter. He was basically ignoring her as he bullshitted with everyone around him. No one was approaching Amy. With her copper hair and easy smile, she was easily the prettiest girl in the yard.
“Watch this. Hey, Mick,” Colt called to a guy who was sitting on the opposite side of the fire. Colt reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.
Mick walked over. “Did you call me, Colt?” The guy looked completely surprised and slightly terrified.
“Yeah, I did.” Colt plucked a twenty dollar bill from his wallet. He offered it to Mick. The guy stared down at the bill with plenty of confusion
and a bit of trepidation. “Thanks?” he said, and it was definitely a question.
Colt nodded. “That’s yours. Now walk over and put your arm around Amy. It only has to be for a few seconds.”
Mick looked across the yard toward Amy. Even in the glow of the fire, I could see his face blanch white. He smiled tentatively and handed the money back to Colt. “That’s a good one, Stone.” A nervous laugh followed. “You almost had me for a second.” He walked away.
I looked at Colt. “Your brother basically ignores her and uses her for sex, but she can’t talk to any other guy?”
“She could if there were any guys out there with balls big enough to talk to her.”
Amy waved to me from across the yard. The ridiculous thing about it was she seemed perfectly happy just standing near Hunter.
I turned to Colt. “Your brother is an asshole, and I’m not your personal toy.” I walked over toward the beer keg. I tossed the disgusting rum drink into the trash can and stepped up to the guy filling cups. He had a great head of hair and a sexy cleft in his chin.
I stuck my hands in my back pockets to accentuate my breasts and smiled. “Hey, can I get a cup?”
He glanced around anxiously. “Uh yeah, of course.” He shoved the cup my direction, managing to slosh out half the contents in his haste.
I took the cup and stuck out my free hand. “I’m Jade.”
“Hey, I’m Tucker.”
“Tucker. That’s a nice name.” I was putting on my most charming expression and presenting my cleavage in the best possible light, but the guy was unmoved.
His eyes widened and a tall shadow splashed across the brick pavers beneath my feet. “Hey, Colt,” he said nervously. “I was just giving her a beer.”
I spun around. Colt stared down at me.
“Seriously?” I asked. “What? Were you sending death rays out of your eyes all the way from across the yard?”
Without warning, Colt lifted me and tossed me over his shoulder. “We need to have a little discussion out in the truck.”
I smacked his back. “Hey, put me down, you big meanie.” My head was spinning from the rum and from hanging upside down. “I might throw up all over your shirt.”
Everyone turned and watched as Colt carried me out the front door and across the front lawn. I pounded his back. “I don’t want to have a discussion.”
I heard the truck door open. He plopped me into the front seat. I shot back at him with my fists. “How dare you, you big jerk.” I pounded him on the shoulders. He quickly had my wrists pinned together in one hand. “You’re an asshole. You and your brother are just a couple of big fucking buttheads.” My words were stretched by the alcohol. I struggled to free my hands, but his grasp was too strong. “I hate this. I hate that men are so much stronger and they can hurt you.”
He released my wrists immediately. I peered up at him. His serious, hard expression had softened some. “That’s not me, Jade. I’m not that guy. What he did to you—” the words stuck in his throat. “That’s not me. I might be a jealous, overprotective jerk, but I would never hurt you.”
I blinked back tears thinking about those words. “Hurt can come in a lot of different ways.” I held his hand up to my beating heart. “Feel that. I can already feel it falling apart. Maybe this whole thing was a really bad idea.”
He stared at me for a long moment, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. “Yeah, a fucking bad idea,” he muttered as he took hold of my face and covered my mouth with his. His kiss started out gentle and controlled, but as his tongue stroked my lips, coaxing them apart, the kiss grew more urgent. He took hold of me and lifted me over his lap. Sitting on my knees, I straddled him and wrapped my arms around his head to bring him closer. His hands slid down into my shorts, and once again, I melted into the trance, that space in time where the only thing that existed in the whole damn world was the man between my legs and my own body thrumming with need. I was still wearing shorts, but I ground my pussy against the fly of his jeans and the erection behind it straining to break free.
He pulled his mouth from mine. “What the fuck are we doing?”
I blinked down at him, feeling almost in despair at the notion that he didn’t want to continue.
“The house is empty, and we’re sitting in the front seat of the truck.”
I smiled and slid off. I reached for my seatbelt. “Something tells me I should buckle in.”
“Good thinking.” He started the truck, and we tore off down the street as if someone had equipped the thing with jet thrusters.
The tires chirped as Colt turned into the little driveway. We both nearly stumbled from the truck. Colt pushed open the front door, and before my feet could even take two steps inside, he had me in his arms.
His hungry kiss paused only to lift the shirt from my head. He threw it on the floor. He fumbled with the clasp on my bra and grunted in frustration. “Take that fucking thing off now.” We were moving like two people who’d been denied sex for years rather than two people who’d already fucked four times that day. But the extreme want was there again. It never seemed to lessen. In fact, it seemed after every round of hot passion, I only wanted him more.
I reached back and unhooked the bra. He slid it off my shoulders and flung it across the room. He reached behind his neck and pulled his shirt up and over his head.
I took a deep breath. I’d seen him naked plenty of times, but every time he took off his shirt, I was awestruck. The power pulsing behind the black ink made me shiver with something I couldn’t even explain. It was a fear but a good fear. His extreme strength only served to excite me more.
“Strip naked, baby,” he ordered. “I don’t have the fucking patience to deal with buttons or zippers.”
I took off my shorts. Then, teasingly, I turned around and pushed my panties to the ground. He groaned as I wiggled my naked ass at him. “See anything you like?” I asked.
“As a matter of fucking fact—”
I laughed wildly as his arms went around me, and he lifted me off my feet. “I’m going to fuck you in every corner of this house.” He took me to the couch and dropped me onto my knees. I pressed my hands on the arm of the couch. He climbed on behind me. I expected him to fuck me with his cock but instead his mouth pressed against my pussy. He wasted no time coaxing juices from me. He lapped me up with a thirst that made me groan with need. His tongue pushed inside of me while his hand reached around and stroked my clit. His face was buried against me as I rocked back and forth on my knees to absorb all of it.
“I’m close, Colt, but I want your cock. I need all of it.” Reluctantly, he pulled his mouth away. I felt the couch cushions move as he readjusted himself. A small cry of excitement squeaked from my lips as I waited anxiously for him to fuck me. Instead, he pressed just the hot wet tip of his cock against my pussy. Another sound, this one more desperate, left my mouth.
“Darlin’ this is where you’re supposed to beg. Tell me what you want.”
“Fuck me, please, Colt. I want it. I want you. Fuck me now before I go mad from wanting you.”
I cried out in relief and nearly lost my grip on the couch arm as he jammed his cock deep inside of me. It took no more than three deep thrusts, and my pussy clamped shut around him. “God yes, Colt!” My cries bounced off the walls.
My arms weakened beneath me. Suddenly, Colt’s strong hands went around me. He pulled out, lifted me into his arms and carried me to the bathroom. “Told you, baby. I want to do it everywhere. Then I can think of you in every damn room. Not that I ever stop thinking about you anyway.”
I stretched up and pressed my lips against his neck. “Damn good thing.” He swung my legs around, and I used my foot to push open the bathroom door. As with every part of the house, the tile sink was cluttered with stuff. Still holding me in one arm, Colt swept his hand across the counter sending combs and deodorant and toothpaste into the sink.
He set me down on the counter. I sucked in a breath as my naked bottom touched the cold tile. He look
ed especially massive in the small bathroom. I watched with excitement as he pressed himself between my legs. His hands went around my ass as he lifted me and scooted me to the edge of the counter. He wrapped his hands under my knees and lifted them up to give him better access. I leaned back on my hands. He stared down at his cock as it plunged inside of me. He withdrew and impaled me again, watching hungrily each time as my pussy swallowed his long erection.
“Fuck, this is it, baby. I’m staying here just like this all night, watching you take me into that sweet, hot pussy.” His eyes were dark green as he peered up at me through a dark curtain of lashes. “Goddamnit, Jade, what have you done to me? I’m gritting my fucking teeth, tense with the idea that I’ll never have enough of you. I’m standing here buried deep inside of you, and I’m still worried it won’t be enough.”
His desperate words made my chest ache. I wrapped my legs around his waist and scooted closer to him. His powerful hands wrapped behind my ass, and he held me tightly against him as he ground into me as deep and far as he could get.
He leaned forward and kissed my mouth, groaning against my lips as he continued to slam against me. “If you ever deny me, darlin’, I will break in fucking two.”
“Never,” I whispered. “I can never say no to you.”
Again he pulled out of me. I nearly fell forward from disappointment. He carried me out of the bathroom.
I laughed. “Where to now?”
“Fuck the corners of the house, I want you in my bed.”
I rested my head on his shoulder. “Thank goodness, that tile was really cold.”
He laughed as he dropped me onto the center of his bed. He grabbed some of the lotion we’d been using. We’d been going at it so long and so hard, I was getting tender.
Colt’s gaze coasted over my naked body as he filled his palm with the liquid. He rose up on his knees, and I caressed his stiff, swollen erection as he pressed the creamy liquid between my legs. It immediately felt cool and soothing. The ache he’d created had been worth every minute.
