And We've Come Full Circle (A Graham Family Story Book 2)

by Aliyah Burke

  “Mr. Graham, I love your granddaughter. Am in love with her. I want the chance to be in her life.”

  The admission somewhat shocked him as it slid from his mouth. Jamal raised his grayed eyebrows and Justice stared at him like he’d grown another head. But Stone didn’t care. I mean it. I love her.

  Jamal pursed his lips. “When did you know?”

  “The moment I looked in her eyes, I knew she was something special.” The moment I heard her sexy voice.

  The old man nodded. “Like me and my Martha Rose.” A sentimental smile crossed the man’s face.

  “Martha Rose?”

  The amount of love which overflowed Jamal’s face hit him like a sucker punch to the solar plexus. Must be his one true love.

  “Yes, my Rose. I met her one day in California at her uncles’ restaurant, Wilkes’ Café. The moment I saw her, I knew.”

  Stone looked up when the women reentered the dining room, each with a tray carrying plates and silverware, coffee and mugs, and cake. Jasira carried the dishes and he rose to take them from her and set them before each person.

  “Thank you,” she whispered when he sat back down.

  The talk was lighthearted and fun, yet Stone could see the strain and toll it took on Jasira to maintain the level of joviality the others portrayed. He longed to spirit her away and press her close. Be with her in ways he’d dreamed about since she left South Dakota and his side.

  It was blatant the Graham family was a very close-knit unit. Still he felt welcomed. They included him easily and it was as if he and Jasira were a couple coming to family dinner.

  With a slight pause, he reached out and squeezed Jasira’s hand. Her fingers clenched his, keeping them connected. A bit later he carried the dirty dishes to the kitchen and stood with Justice while he loaded the dishwasher.

  “Thank you, Stone.”

  Crossing his arms, he met the twin gaze to the woman he loved. “For what?”

  Justice’s eyes didn’t contain the exhaustion which lingered in Jasira’s despite her attempts to keep it hidden. There was another difference in the gazes. Justice’s was secure. The man was secure with his life. Jasira’s was tumultuous and uncertain.

  “Coming out here.” Justice closed the door and stood up, bracing his hip against the cool bronze Formica counter.

  “No thanks needed. I meant what I said.”

  “I know. I can see that. Just take care you don’t hurt my sister.”

  The friendliness dropped away and was replaced with an edge so sharp he half expected it to cut him. No response was given. In all honesty, he doubted Justice would want to hear anything from him. He had a sister of his own and would be the same way if the situations were reversed.

  “What are you two talking about?”

  Jasira’s voice split the room and he looked at her. Dark bags highlighted the exhaustion which owned her. He pushed from his spot and moved to stand before her.

  “Nothing,” he murmured, stroking a hand down the side of her face.

  Disbelief filled her eyes but she remained quiet.

  Behind her he saw the others talking and laughing. Stepping around Jasira, Stone moved closer. “Thank you, Mrs. Graham, for a wonderful meal and for inviting me to dinner.”

  Dinah placed her sharp gaze upon him and stood. “It was great to meet you. Do come by tomorrow.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She kissed him on the cheek and gave him a short hug. After saying farewells to Jamal, Justice, and Kassidy as well, he found himself on the porch with Jasira illuminated by the porch light.

  “Come here,” he ordered in a slightly gruff tone. She walked into his embrace and he nuzzled her hair. “Spend the day with me tomorrow.”

  “You want me to come with you now?” He could hear the hope in her words.

  “No.” She stiffened. “Let me clarify, waštelakapi. I would love to take you with me, spend the night in the same bed as you.” The hardness of his erection agreed with him. “But you’re staying at your mom’s.” He kissed her. “I don’t want to give them a wrong impression.”

  “Come by for breakfast?”

  “I’ll be here when you tell me to.”

  Cradling her cheeks in his hands, he lowered his face to hers. He kept the kiss gentle, explored the outline of her mouth with his tongue before he slipped it between her full lips. With slow and deliberate strokes, he made love to her mouth as her exotic and unforgettable flavor seeped into his taste buds. His lids drifted closed, and he entered a world where they were the only inhabitants.

  The pressure in his pants brought him back, he ended the kiss, staring down at her. Lips moist and slightly swollen from their exchange, they were parted as she met his gaze from beneath lowered lids.

  “Goodnight, waštelakapi.” Her gaze shuttered and he shook his head. “No. No doubting. Sleep tonight. Tomorrow we talk.” His thumbs slid along her lips. “Dream of me.”

  Without another word he spun around and jogged to his vehicle. Every cell in his body cried out for her touch but he ignored it. At his hotel, he took a long shower in hopes of eradicating the need for her which throbbed through his veins as if pumped from his heart instead of blood. The shower, while feeling good, didn’t relieve him of the craving to go grab Jasira and bring her to his room.

  God, how he missed her. How she felt pressed against him. The way she smelled—a culmination of fresh raindrops and crisp wind. A scent which soothed his soul and tamed the wildness deep within him. He flopped on the bed, the steam and warm air from the bathroom drifting across his still damp skin. With a groan, he headed off to the dream world where waiting for him was Jasira and he was allowed to touch and cradle her.

  A knock on the door woke him. Dead to the world one second, the pounding in the next had him wide awake. Pushing up from the bed, he glanced to the clock and read the time. Four in the morning. He grabbed his pants and shoved into them before turning on a light and heading to the door.

  With a jerk, he pulled it open and framed by the yellow light from the parking lot stood Jasira. Tank top, baggy shorts, and need in her eyes. Silent he stepped back to allow her entrance. She walked by and sat at the foot of his bed, head dropped toward the floor. With the heel of his foot, Stone shut the door and positioned himself before her, kneeling on the carpet.

  “Look at me,” he ordered.

  She didn’t.

  “Waštelakapi, look at me.”

  Molasses poured during the height of a Canadian winter moved faster than she did. It seemed as if forever passed before her large brown eyes rose to meet his gaze. Tears shimmered in them, causing him to think of the sun hitting droplets of water. It broke his heart. Pressing between her legs, he ran his hands down her hair.

  “Talk to me, waštelakapi.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Jasira sat in silence and searched for the courage to speak. A myriad of emotions raged within her. She’d woke about 0300 and had spent thirty minutes pacing back and forth on the verandah before something directed her to head for Stone’s hotel room. Once there, she’d waited about fifteen more before scraping up the nerve to knock on the door.

  He’d answered it dressed solely in a pair of pants. The sight of his bared chest sidetracked her for a brief moment. Now she sat on his bed, Stone on his knees before her, and she lost all words. His amazing eyes upon her, she slowly licked her lips.

  She wanted to rant and rave. The desire to inflict pain on someone else rose fast and furious within her. Shoving those feelings back down, she shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

  “There’s no hiding. You came to me. Let me help you.”

  “How can you do that?” she snapped.

  Pain flashed in his gaze before being masked. “I know you’re angry, waštelakapi, but”—he captured her hand and placed it against his chest so she could feel the warm skin and the steady beat of his heart—“I’m not your enemy. Let me help you.”

  The sincerity of his words brought more tear
s to her eyes. Stone was always calm and in control. She liked that about him. She needed that. Opening her mouth, she nearly winced at the desperate pleading quality to her voice when out slipped two words.

  “Hold me.”

  Two very simple words.

  A request.

  A need.

  Stone pushed up and she found herself wrapped securely in his strong embrace. A click preceded the room being shrouded in darkness. His heat surrounded her like warm velvet.

  Safety.

  Security.

  Completion.

  Her eyes drifted shut and she relaxed into him, taking the strength he offered. The tears slid unchecked down her face. For the second time since she’d been injured, Jasira allowed the emotions to escape. In the back recess of her mind, she acknowledged that both times were with this man.

  Light filtered through the curtains when she stirred and woke. Stone’s arms still anchored her to him and she liked that.

  “Do you want to talk now, Jasira?” Stone’s deep soothing timbre rumbled in her ear.

  She wasn’t even going to question how he knew she was awake. “No.” Part of her expected him to argue with her but he didn’t. “Are you disappointed?”

  “What would I be disappointed about, waštelakapi?”

  “That I don’t want to talk.”

  “No. You’ll talk when you’re ready. Not before.”

  “I have to go back to DC,” she said.

  “Today?”

  “End of next week. My thirty days recovery time to be reevaluated is up.”

  “Would you like me to go with you?”

  Yes! “I’m sure you have to get back to work.”

  “Why don’t you let me worry about my schedule? Are you going to push me away at every opportunity?”

  There was slight reproach in his tone. Is that what she was doing? It was and she knew it. Frowning, she looked at him when he released her and got off the bed. Despite the calm tone to his words, she could easily tell he didn’t like her treatment of him. There was a tic in his jaw and his eyes were harder than flint.

  Stone bent over to pull something out of his bag and tossed it to land on the bed before her. Then he slid into the bathroom. She stared at the direction he left until the door clicked. With a shake of her head, she turned her attention to the object in front of her. A small box with a rawhide bow holding an envelope on top. Releasing the opaque square, she opened the envelope and withdrew the folded paper. Small neat print stared back at her.

  Jasira:

  I am sorry for your injury. Perhaps now is the time to seek the answers to those questions you’ve tried to avoid. Remember circles aren’t complete without all the pieces to them.

  Like the rose that blooms with the right combination of things, so will love.

  ~Red Eagle

  She read the note three times and was still confused by the meaning. With a deep breath, she lifted the box’s lid and peered inside. A flat circular piece of wood with a rose etched in the middle lay there. The detail was incredible. Bottom lip captured between her teeth, she reached out with one finger and traced the design. On the outer petals was a letter embedded in each. It read, “Love is Infinite.”

  The soft sound of a door latching grabbed her attention. Glancing up, she found Stone striding across the room toward her. She gripped the wood tighter while her eyes travelled over his hard physique. Shirtless, he came closer. She couldn’t look away. Muscular torso covered by bronzed smooth skin. Every motion masculine and predatory. She licked her lips and raised her eyes to his when he stopped before her.

  Fire lingered in his gaze and she became distinctly aware of how little her clothing covered. He dropped his stare to her lap then stepped away and grabbed a shirt from his bag. Silent, she watched him tug the black cotton over his head, effectively hiding his chiseled upper body.

  “He sent you a rose?”

  There remained an edge to his tone and she knew he still smarted from her callous attitude.

  “Yes.” She lifted it toward him, but he refused to take it.

  “It’s not mine. Red Eagle said for you only.”

  Lowering her arm, she turned it over and stared at the back. There were words she didn’t recognize and all in black. A furrow between brows, Jasira licked her lips again and glanced back up to where Stone continued to watch her.

  “Do you know what this says?”

  She showed him the back. It was his turn to obtain a furrow. In his eyes she could read his understanding. His mouth moved and her hair rose when he spoke Lakota in his deep timbre. She caught herself holding her breath and forced herself to take one. Stone closed his eyes and ran a hand through his thick black hair.

  “Stone?”

  The shrill ringing of his cell phone broke the air. He never looked at her, just moved to answer the offending object. She rolled her shoulders and followed him with her eyes. He spoke low and in Lakota. Pushing to her feet, she rewrapped the rose and padded silently to the door. Stone seemed very reserved.

  “Where are you going?” he questioned when she began opening the door.

  “I was going back to my mom’s.”

  “Running away?”

  She frowned and turned back to him. “Excuse me? Why do I need to run? You don’t seem to want me here, so I was helping you out.”

  His eyes narrowed and he prowled toward her. “What exactly is it, waštelakapi, which makes you think I don’t want you…here?” He boxed her in with powerful arms. “The fact I came out here? Or is it that I let you be mean and nasty without retaliation?”

  She bit her lower lip. Stone leaned closer and the raw masculine scent he owned permeated her senses and she swallowed hard.

  “I’m a man. Understanding but I do have feelings. So just because I am silent does not mean I want you to leave.”

  Unable to hold his searching gaze any longer, she dropped her head. His hand brushed the underside of her chin and brought her face back up to where his waited.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Instead of speaking, Stone lowered his head and placed his firm lips across hers. Flames licked along her skin and she struggled not to lean into him. It seemed the kiss was over before it began and her heavy lids opened to find his dark gaze watching her.

  “Apologies aren’t necessary.” He backed up, giving her space she wasn’t sure she wanted. “Let me take you to breakfast.”

  “My mom…” she trailed off and nodded.

  They ate their meal along a pier, unhurried, and she couldn’t help but watch him. The morning sun loved him, caressed his skin and made it glow. Many feminine stares were drawn, and she was smug given how he ignored them all. Or how his gaze warmed when it lighted upon her.

  “Do you have therapy today?”

  His voice slid along her skin, heightening her awareness of his raw sensuality. With a small groan she focused on formulating an answer and not how his timbre made her feel.

  “Not today. Tomorrow.”

  His dark gaze moved leisurely over her face. A slow sensual grin lifted one corner of his mouth. “Show me Quiet Harbor.”

  She took the hand he offered. After he paid the bill together they headed out and up the sidewalk. Without much thought she headed one of the parks. Stone walked with silence when she led him to a bench swing. He sat beside her and they looked over the Atlantic Ocean.

  “I don’t know what to do if I can’t…can’t…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.

  “I know you don’t want to hear this, but there is life outside the military.”

  Rage swarmed her. She tried to swallow it back, but it poured over her like a log going over Angel Falls. A red tint slipped over her eyes.

  “Really?” she bit off. “Like what? Get married? Have kids? Join the motherfucking PTA?”

  “Would that be so bad?” The question was hushed.

  She faced him, and while it was a massive struggle, she kept her voice low so passerby’s couldn’t overhear. “Yes, damn i
t! I’m not cut out to be a housewife. What do you know about losing everything you worked so hard to get? What do you know about being on the cusp of losing everything,” the word tore from her throat, “you’ve ever wanted in your entire life?”

  All emotion washed away from his expression. “I know more than you may think. Evil is everywhere and just because I’m not across the world fighting doesn’t mean I don’t face it and fight for the peace those I care about want and deserve. Every time I go out on a call I am faced with the possibility I’m not coming home. I may not see my parents, siblings, or friends ever again. I love my job.” He poked himself in the chest with each punctuated word of the final sentence. “I breathe my job.”

  Stone pushed to his feet before leaning down and trapping her in between his arms. “And yet despite it all, I find myself being extra careful, because no matter how powerful the call to keep my tribe safe, there is something stronger. The desire to not only see you again, but to be there for you, for as long as you’ll have me. You, Jasira. You are my everything now, and I feel like I could lose you at any moment. So, yes, I know what it’s like to be on that cusp. But in my case, I’d give it all up for you. Willingly.”

  He shoved away from her and stalked off, each stride stiff and angry. She didn’t move until he stopped along the railing. She couldn’t.

  Words escaped her. The knowledge she meant so much to him did unspeakable things to her belly. She sat there and stared at him where he stood. Her gaze trailed familiarly along Stone’s strong body.

  Yes, mine!

  Two women in skimpy workout attire adjusted their course to run nearer to Stone. Her lip curled before she calmed herself. They stopped near him and began stretching their long limbs as if to entice. He barely gave them a passing glance, and she got up from the bench and walked toward him.

  By the time she reached him the women were trying to draw him into a conversation. Jasira moved up beside him and slid her good arm up over the firm curvature of his ass and along the base of his back. He stiffened but didn’t pull away. Resting her head against his arm, she sighed. They walked off apparently realizing he wasn’t interested.