The Stone Brothers: A Complete Romance Series (3-Book Box Set)

by Samantha Christy

  “When did you first know?” she asks, tracing the outline of my ribs with her finger.

  “Did you ever wonder why I didn’t kiss you when we were in that play?”

  She shakes her head. “I assumed because you were nervous. We both were.”

  “I had psyched myself up for it. Even Mr. Spencer told me it would seem more real if we kissed for the first time on opening night. That’s why he didn’t have us rehearse it. But right before I was supposed to kiss you, I realized I didn’t want it to happen on that stage. I wanted our first kiss to belong only to us, not a few hundred other people. And that’s when I knew. I was only fifteen years old, but I knew right then that I was in love with you.”

  Her eyes glisten once again. “Thank you,” she says. “Thank you for not kissing me back then. Now it belongs only to us. Well, and maybe Cole. And my dad, if he was peeking out of the curtains.”

  I laugh along with her. “What about you? When did you know?”

  “The night of your premiere, when I saw you at the club,” she says. “When you made eye contact with me, I just knew. I knew instantly what I had denied for the past nine years. And that’s why I had to get away. I was in love with a memory. A man I could never have. And I feared the rest of my life would be lived under the shadow of what could have been.”

  “Wait,” I say, rising up on my elbow. “You knew then that you loved me but you made me work my ass off to get you to see me again?”

  “Can you blame me?” she asks. “You do come with a little baggage, Chad.”

  I blow out a long sigh. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m glad you could get past all that. The only thing that matters from here on out is you and me.”

  She frowns. “I’m not sure I am past it yet. There’s still so much we don’t know about each other.”

  “We have forever to figure it all out, Mal. All you need to know is that I’m with you and only you. And if you tell me the same, that’s all I need to hear.”

  She nods. “Of course, Chad. It’s only you.”

  “Good.” I kiss her on the tip of her nose and jump out of bed. “I’m going to clean up. Do you need anything?”

  “Nope.” She lays her head lazily on the pillow. “Everything I need is right here.”

  There’s that look again—better than drugs.

  I get rid of the condom in the bathroom. Then I go grab a few bottles of water from the minibar in the living room. My phone vibrates across the coffee table so I pick it up on along the way. I plant myself back in bed and Mallory rests her head on my chest as I peruse my missed messages. There are a few from Paul, wanting me to look at some new scripts when I get back. Another from him begging for me to lay low and not make a big deal over anything. That’s code for: don’t let the press photograph you with Mallory because it’ll be bad for ticket sales. Ron, my lawyer, wants to sit down and tie up a few loose ends over my Defcon sequel contract before pre-production meetings. But it’s when I read Kendra’s text that my entire body stiffens.

  “What is it?” Mal asks, raising her head off my chest to look at me. “Your heart rate just went through the roof, Chad. Is everything okay?”

  I shake my head in disgust and put my phone on the bedside table. I put my arms around her. “Just some of that baggage we talked about.”

  “Can you tell me about it?”

  I nod. “You’re not going to like it.”

  “Will you tell me anyway?” she asks.

  I close my eyes and steel myself for her reaction. “Some girl is claiming I’m her baby daddy.”

  Mallory shoots up in bed, drawing the covers around her. “What? I thought you said you hadn’t been with anyone in a while.”

  “I haven’t.” I sit up too, taking her hands into mine. “She’s not pregnant now. Claims the two-year-old kid she has is mine. Listen, it’s not all that unusual for people to come out of the woodwork and make accusations like this, especially considering my reputation. It’s not true, Mal. But you better believe the media will drool over the story.”

  She takes in a shaky breath. “But, how do you know it’s not true?”

  “For one, I always wear condoms. Always.”

  She narrows her accusing eyes at me. “How can you be so sure, Chad? I mean, you didn’t even remember losing a testicle at the Santa Monica Pier. How can you be absolutely sure you used a condom every single time you slept with someone?”

  Shit. She does have a valid point. “Because I know, Mallory. I’ve taken a lot of risks in my life, but that’s one thing I didn’t mess around with. Plus, the timeline doesn’t hold water. It’s been over three years since I got clean. I’ve only been with a handful of girls since then. She doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Who knows, maybe I did hook up with her once, long ago, and now she’s looking to cash in on that because of Defcon One. Kendra’s doing damage control, but one way or another, it’ll get out there. And people will believe anything once it’s in print.”

  I can tell Mallory is very upset by this. I squeeze her hands in assurance. “Baby, it’s not true. You have to trust me. Do you know how many other girls have made the same claim? Five. She’s the sixth one. And every one of the six is a lie.”

  She closes her eyes. “The thought that you could have a kid out there somewhere . . .”

  “I don’t, Mal. If I did, I assure you I’d take responsibility. But that isn’t going to happen. These girls are liars. Con artists. Sluts who made their damn beds and now they have to lie in them.”

  Mallory pulls away from me and leans her back against the headboard, drawing her legs up to her chest. “I’m one of them.”

  “One of who?”

  A tear rolls down her cheek. “One of the sluts who made their bed and had to lie in it.”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Mal?”

  She pulls the sheets up to her chin, almost as if using them for protection against what she’s going to tell me. “Do you remember when I told you about Penny Garrison?”

  “Yeah, that she got pregnant and had to go live at Hope For Life because her parents kicked her out?”

  She nods. “I’m the one who told her about the place,” she says.

  My heart rate shoots through the fucking roof. “How did you know about it, Mal?”

  She inhales deeply through her nose, closing her eyes as she releases a painful sigh. “Because I thought I might have to live there, too.”

  She got pregnant? I lose my breath as much as if the wind got knocked out of me. I don’t know what to say. There is nothing to say. My heart is in my throat and I feel helpless. “What? . . . How? . . . When?”

  “I kind of went wild after you left,” she says. “I know I still had Julian and all, but it wasn’t the same. I guess I went looking for the attention I was no longer getting from you.” She covers her eyes with her hands, her head shaking as she reveals her secret. “I slept with several guys in a short period of time, and . . . and I ended up pregnant. I was sixteen.”

  “Oh, Mal.” I scoot up the bed and situate myself next to her, leaning back on the headboard like she is. I don’t touch her. I’m not sure she wants to be touched right now, when she’s telling me the ugly truths of her past. “Will you tell me about it? Please?”

  “There isn’t much to tell really. I was reckless and stupid and then one day at school I threw up for no reason so I peed on a stick and it turned blue. I was sure my parents would disown me. They went to church every Sunday. The dragged me to youth group and instilled their values into me. I was terrified of what they would do if they found out. But I also couldn’t dream of having an abortion, so I didn’t know what to do.”

  She had a fucking baby? Oh, my God.

  “So I did my research and found a place where I could go to have the baby if my parents made me leave.”

  “But you didn’t have to go there, right? I knew your parents, Mal. There is no way they would kick their only daughter to the curb. I don’t care if they were the right hand of God, there
is no way they would abandon you.” I think of Mallory, sixteen, helpless and alone living at a shelter because she’d already been abandoned by one person in her life. “Please tell me they didn’t.”

  She shakes her head. “No, they didn’t kick me out. Quite the opposite, in fact. They were very supportive. They even said they would help me raise the baby.”

  I’m confused. Surely she would have told me by now if she were a mom. There was no evidence of a child at her house. No mention by her friends or Richard. “What happened?” I ask. “Do you have a child, Mal?”

  “No,” she says. “I had a miscarriage at seventeen weeks.” She looks down at her stomach, bereft. “I know it was for the best.”

  “I’m so sorry.” I put my arm around her and pull her close as she sinks into my side. “It’s all my fault. I should never have left you.”

  Her eyes snap to mine. “It was not your fault, Chad. And I won’t have you thinking it was. Your parents moved you away and there was nothing you could do about it. It was on me. I missed my best friend and I handled it poorly. I guess we both did stupid things in our past. You turned to drugs to fill whatever void you felt and I turned to boys.”

  There’s so much truth in her words. More than I ever realized. She’s right. There was a void. She was missing from my life as much as if I’d lost a piece of myself. “I wish I could have been there for you,” I say. “But I’m glad Julian was at least.”

  She shakes her head. “Julian didn’t know.”

  “About the guys or about the baby?” I ask.

  “The baby,” she says. “I suspected he knew about the guys, but we never talked about it. I think he was in denial. I’m actually kind of surprised he didn’t tell you about them since the two of you talked long after you and I stopped.”

  “He never said a word,” I tell her. “So nobody knew about the pregnancy except you and your parents? What about the father?”

  She shakes her head. “I wasn’t even sure who it was. And before you ask, you didn’t know him . . . or them. It wasn’t anyone from our school. Nobody else knew about any of it. It wasn’t until Julian and I broke up that I decided to tell him.”

  “Why tell him then?”

  “Because he called me a tease; said it was why he had to sleep with someone else. He never understood why I went and hooked up with those guys after you left but wouldn’t sleep with him. Then when he cheated on me, I finally told him why I hadn’t been able to be with him. I didn’t want to risk another pregnancy. I wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility yet.”

  “God, Mal, I’ll bet he felt about as low as a guy can feel after that.”

  She nods. “He did. But feeling that way didn’t exonerate him. He should have ended things with me first.”

  “Guys are dicks,” I say. “We can be stupid bastards, can’t we?”

  She turns to me, begging me with her eyes. “Don’t be a stupid bastard with me, Chad. I’m not sure I could take it after tonight.”

  “Never,” I promise her. “Never again.” We sink down into the bed and I spoon her from behind as she falls into sleep. I rub my hand across her flat stomach. I don’t tell her that no way in hell would I ever get a girl pregnant. Not ever. Not unless that girl was her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Mallory

  Forty-eight hours we’ve been holed up in Chad’s hotel suite. Forty-eight incredible, romantic, blissfully happy hours. We’ve christened every room and every surface. My body is so deliciously sore, I may never recover. I didn’t know it could be like this. I never even had an orgasm at the hands of a man until this weekend. And now I’ve had ten. He’s so proud of them that he’s keeping count.

  Tonight, however, we’re having company. Julian is going out to dinner with us. It was Chad’s idea. He’s determined to get his support for our relationship. Quite frankly, I’m not sure why Julian is being so negative about it. I get that he doesn’t want to see me hurt, but it’s kind of hypocritical coming from him seeing as he hurt me. But deep down, even if Julian had never cheated on me, I know it wouldn’t have worked out. It never felt right. Being with any guy never felt right until now.

  Julian arrives right on schedule, his head shaking in disapproval as he enters the Presidential Suite. “Seriously?” he asks Chad. “Show off much?”

  “Let’s get something straight right fucking now,” Chad says, closing the door behind Julian. “I’ve got money, Julian. Lots of it. I inherited ten million from my dead grandparents; and as of late, I’m making half of that for every film I do.” He motions his hand around at our surroundings. “This is nothing to me, a drop in the bucket. I’m sorry if you think I should be staying at a goddamn Motel Six, but that’s not going to happen. This isn’t to show off. I’m not playing any games here. So get over yourself and deal with it.”

  I try to pick my chin up off the floor. Oh, my God. I knew he was rich, but hearing him spell it out like that, it’s more than I can even fathom. I make fifty-eight thousand dollars a year. He probably makes that in interest alone every month. My head is spinning.

  “So if you are going to belittle me for something,” Chad says to Julian, “there are a whole lot of other things you can choose besides my portfolio.” He walks over to the minibar. “Now do you want some ridiculously overpriced champagne or don’t you?”

  “Sure.” Julian shakes his head, laughing as he walks over to greet me. “Hey,” he says, pulling me in for a hug.

  I peek at Chad to see his jaw twitching at our embrace. Boys. That man has nothing to worry about. He branded me as his from our first kiss a few weeks ago. He’s ruined me for anyone else.

  Cole knocks on the connecting door and sticks his head through as Julian and I get handed glasses of champagne. “A word, Thad?”

  “Make yourself comfortable,” Chad says, motioning to the couch. “I’ll only be a minute.” He walks through the door to Cole’s room, closing it behind him.

  “Are you staying here with him?” Julian asks, cutting right to the chase.

  “I am, yes.”

  “So you’re sleeping with him.” He sucks in air between his teeth, producing a hissing noise. “Boy, that didn’t take long. Not even close to a year, huh?”

  “That’s not fair, Julian. Things were different then and you know it. I’m twenty-four now and perfectly capable of making responsible decisions.”

  “Have you told him why we broke up?” he asks.

  “I’ve told him everything. I don’t have any secrets from him.”

  He snorts. “Has he told you everything?”

  “We’re getting there,” I say. “He has a lot more to tell than I do.”

  “So that’s a no,” he says, punctuating his words with a swig of his drink. “What are you going to do when everyone finds out about this? There’s already buzz about some mystery woman in his life, but the press still keeps printing stories about him and Courtney Benson. Is he with you or not?”

  “Yes. Of course, he’s with me. I . . . I love him, Julian.”

  He runs a hand through his dark hair. “You love him? It’s only been a few weeks, Mallory. You’re setting yourself up to get hurt.”

  “A few weeks and ten years,” I remind him. “It’s not like I met him yesterday, Julian. And he loves me, too. This thing is for real.”

  “Then why doesn’t he have the balls to admit it in public?” he asks. “Why is he keeping you a secret? If it were me, I’d be shouting it from the damn rooftops. What does that even tell you?”

  “He’s trying to protect me,” I say. “Once we go public, our relationship will be scrutinized. People will want my picture or an interview. He doesn’t want me to have to deal with that.”

  “Hmmm,” he gruffs.

  “You need to give him a chance, Julian. He hurt me back then. He hurt you, too. But his parents moved him across the country. He had no control over that. Can we really blame him for losing touch? Is that really worth holding a grudge? Haven’t worse indiscretions been forgi
ven?” I raise my brows at him, giving him an accusing stare.

  He looks guiltily at the ground. “You’re right. I know you’re right. It’s just hard for me, Mallory. You have to know that. It’s hard for me to see you with any man, let alone Chad.”

  What? “What are you saying, Julian?”

  “I’m saying that I was a royal douche and I should have never cheated on you. I didn’t know a good thing when I had it.”

  I cock my head to the side, absorbing his words. “Oh, Julian.” I had no idea he still felt that way about me. He’s dated a lot of women these past few years, but none have stuck. Is that why? Now I’m the one who feels guilty, parading Chad around under his nose. Talking about him endlessly whenever he and Mel and I have dinner.

  “It’s fine,” he says, downing another long drink. “Well, it’s not fine, but I’ll get over it. Eventually. I know you don’t see me that way anymore. It’s my issue, not yours. But he’s still got to prove himself before I can trust him with you.”

  I nod my head. “He will. He is.” I put my hand on his arm. “Please give him a chance. Get to know him again.”

  The connecting door opens and Chad walks through, his disapproving stare honing in on my hand that is touching Julian. He looks at me and I try to reassure him with my eyes that he has nothing to worry about.

  “Change of plans,” he says, walking over to join us. “Someone at the restaurant blabbed and word got out that we were coming. There’s a mob of people there now.” He turns his attention to me. “I know you’re probably feeling claustrophobic by now, but I didn’t know what else to do. I arranged for the hotel to cater our dinner up here in the suite. That’s what took me so long.”

  “That’s fine, Chad. Of course, we should stay in. Shouldn’t we, Julian?” I shoot him a pleading look. “We don’t need a crowd watching us eat dinner and spreading rumors. Didn’t we have enough of those when we were teenagers?”