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

by Samantha Christy

  “Hi, Thad. Thanks for coming,” she says, sitting on her couch. “I wanted to have a minute with you before all the craziness started.”

  “Okay, what’s up?”

  “Can you sit down for a second, please?”

  Please? I’m beginning to wonder what she did with the real Courtney. I walk over and sit on the far end of her couch. “Will this take long? We’re due in makeup.”

  “No. I just wanted to apologize to you, and I didn’t want to do it in front of everyone.”

  “Apologize for what exactly?” I ask.

  She shoots her eyebrows up like it should be blatantly obvious. “For the way I treated you, Thad.” She shakes her head, briefly closing her eyes. “I’ve seen some of the press footage and the pictures. I was a self-centered bitch.”

  I stare at her for a minute. “You seem different,” I say.

  “Well, I should hope so. I’m clean now. Almost eight weeks.”

  My eyes light up. “Really?”

  She nods.

  “That’s great, Courtney. I’m happy for you. You look well.”

  “Thanks. I feel good. I’m excited to get started filming. I was hoping we could start off on the right foot. Give them a performance to remember.”

  “I always try to,” I say. “But, yeah, thanks for telling me. I think it will make things a lot easier for everyone.”

  “I hope so. Listen, I know you had to do what you did when you found out I was using. I’m not mad at you for breaking up with me. I just wish I would have realized how out of control I was a little sooner. Maybe then . . . well, maybe things could have been different between us. Maybe they still can be.”

  I shake my head. “I can hardly blame you for what you did when you were using, Courtney. That would make me a bit of a hypocrite, don’t you think? But I’m not sure how differently things would have turned out. I’m with Mallory now. In some ways, I’ve always been with her. I’m not saying this to make you feel bad, but things would never have worked out between us in the long run. I could never be with anyone but her.”

  She nods sadly. “Well, you can’t blame a girl for trying. I’m glad you’re happy, Thad.”

  The stern knock on the door tells us we can’t wait any longer. I get up and head across the room. “Thanks. You’ll find someone to be happy with too, Courtney. See you on set?”

  “Yeah. See you on set.” I walk through the door, but she calls me back. “Thad!” She throws something at me and I catch it before it pelts me in the head. “Don’t eat any onions today, okay?”

  I look at the spearmint gum she threw at me and laugh. Then I smile back at her before walking away. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.

  ~ ~ ~

  It’s been a long day. The first day of filming usually is. All the bugs are getting worked out. Mallory has been getting quite an education watching everything. She’s been careful to be nothing more than a fly on the wall, taking great precautions not to be seen nor heard while still getting to hang out with me as much as possible. Which has been maybe ten minutes outside of lunchtime. Noreen and Hayden are on set today but don’t have as busy a schedule as Courtney and I do, so they’ve been keeping Mal company.

  I take a moment to be with her while they are setting up for our kissing scene. Our stand-ins are being used to make sure the lighting is good. I take a stick of gum from my pocket and pop it in my mouth. Mal watches my every move.

  She sighs. “I think I’d prefer if you just have pizza breath.”

  I laugh. I pull her into a corner of the room. I tuck my body over hers and lean into her. “It’s just acting, Mallory. You’re the one who gets the real me.” I kiss her long and hard so she knows every word is true.

  “Places!” I hear called out behind me.

  Mal smiles, popping the gum she just stole from my mouth. “Go do your job,” she says. “I’ll keep this for you until later.”

  Our set has been made to look like an old cabin we’ve found to hole up in. We’ve used all the resources in it and Courtney and I have a fight over whether to stay or find someplace new. Then Hayden’s character comes barging through the door. He’s my enemy and he’s been following us to try and figure out where the safe zone is so he can rob it. We have to hide in a closet and that’s where we kiss. I give the performance of my life. Hell, we might even end up winning best kiss of the year.

  When the scene is over, I find Mal sitting outside the set on a curb. We’ve wrapped for the day so I’ve been cleared to leave. I sit down next to her, both of us silent.

  “You didn’t have to make it look so darn real,” she pouts. “I mean, it was . . . wow, it was—”

  “I know it was. I did it on purpose.” She looks at me with confused eyes. “Do you want to know why?” I ask.

  She nods.

  “I only wanted to have to kiss her one time, Mal. I didn’t want my lips on her any longer than necessary. So when I closed my eyes, I pretended she was you because you are the only person I ever want to be kissing. I knew that if I looked like I do when I kiss you, it would look incredible. Because every kiss with you is just that. So, yeah, I made it a good one. But in doing so, I made sure it was the only one.”

  She slips her hand around my elbow and leans her head into my shoulder. “Thank you,” she says, relieved. “Now can you go wash that woman off of you so I can have my turn?”

  ~ ~ ~

  We finally get a day off with a week of filming under our belt. As it so happens, Julian is in town staying with Ana this week. He was able to come on set for a day and hang out with Mal. I felt bad there wasn’t more interesting filming for him to watch, it was mostly re-shoots of stuff they wanted changed.

  Today I’m making up for a lot of lost time. Mallory and I picked up Megan and her friend, Alyssa, and then headed to my parents’ place on the coast to meet Julian, Ana, Hayden, and Noreen for a beach day. Their house in Santa Monica has several hundred feet of coastline, with a long wooden stairway weaving down from their house through the rocks that line the dunes. It’s a lot of fucking steps. One hundred and five of them. I’ve counted them more times than I can remember. And Megan navigated them all. She’s a freaking rock star.

  When we first moved out here, I was sixteen and Kyle was fifteen. It was pretty much a dream house for kids. My parents gave Kyle and me the guest house above the garage, so it was like we had our own little apartment. Hell, it’s paradise here. And the only reason I moved out when I turned eighteen was that I had started using and didn’t want my family to see everything that went along with it. I was a stupid shit.

  I’m amused by Megan’s friend, Alyssa, as she tries her best not to get all fangirl around me. Usually when I hang out with Megan, it’s just us. Or now, us and Mal. But I didn’t want her to feel left out today with all the couples, so I asked her to bring a friend. I see Alyssa trying to discreetly take a picture of me, so I get up and walk over to her. “Alyssa, how about having Megan take a picture of us?”

  “Oh, my gosh, really?” she says, blushing.

  “Sure. And I don’t think the others would mind being in a few either.”

  Hayden, Ana, Noreen and I spend the next few minutes posing with Alyssa so she gets her pictures.

  “That was very nice of you,” Mallory says when I lie down on the towel next to hers.

  “Sometimes I find it best to just get it all out of the way so we can try and have a normal day.”

  “Well, you just made that girl’s year,” she says.

  I give her an incredulous look. “If that’s true, it would be kind of sad.”

  She shakes her head at me. “You have no idea the effect you have on people, do you? Years from now, Alyssa will tell the story of how she got to hang out on the beach with Thad Stone and his movie-star friends. It will be one of the highlights of her life.”

  Before I grab the football to throw with Hayden, I kneel over her. “I only want to be the highlight of your life,” I say, leaning down to kiss her.

 
; “Get a room!” Megan yells.

  I laugh and throw the football at her. She catches it, throwing a perfect spiral back at me. She comes over to keep Mallory company while I toss the ball with Hayden. I’m standing close to the towel they’re on, so I hear their conversation.

  “So, what’s it like to be Thad Stone’s girlfriend?” Megan asks Mal.

  “I don’t know, what’s it like to be Thad Stone’s best friend?” Mal asks her back.

  They both giggle and I smile.

  “You look great, by the way,” Mal says. “I love your shimmering silver bikini. You amaze me, Megan.”

  She doesn’t have to explain what she means. Not many eighteen-year-old girls with one leg would come to the beach. Her titanium prosthetic is more than obvious without pants to cover it. But Megan doesn’t seem to care. Not anymore.

  “What, this old thing?” Megan jokes. “It’s the only one that matches my leg.”

  Alyssa and the other girls join them and they proceed to talk about girl shit I have no desire to hear, so Hayden, Julian and I throw the ball in the surf.

  I haven’t had much time to talk with Julian this week. “How are things going?” I ask him after we’ve worn ourselves out.

  “Couldn’t be better,” he says.

  “Ana’s a great girl,” Hayden adds.

  Julian smiles, as he and Ana share a private look from a distance. “She is.”

  “Just how serious are we talking here?” I ask.

  He shrugs. “We don’t really talk about it. We’re having a good time. We see each other when we can, but it’s not like we’re making long-term plans or anything.”

  “You don’t think she’s long-term material?” I ask, offended on Ana’s behalf.

  “No. It’s not that,” he says. “I’m just not sure this is the lifestyle I want to live. I know it can be hard. I’m the one who has to deal with Mallory every time she comes back from seeing you, and every time you leave. It’s tough on her. And it’s not like it will get any better, man. Not unless you expect her to quit the job she loves. And hell if I’m going to quit my job and follow Ana around like a fucking puppy dog. She’s great. But I’m not sure it’s worth it.”

  “I don’t expect Mal to quit her job, Julian. That is completely up to her. We’ll make it work either way. And it sure as hell is worth it if you love someone,” I say, glancing over at Mallory who is laughing and having a great time with the girls. “Maybe you’re just not there yet. Give it time. But if you still feel this way in a few months, don’t string her along, okay? Ana is way too nice a girl for that.”

  He nods. “No way would I do that to her, Chad. I’ve hurt one too many girls in my life as it is.”

  My stomach growls and the sun is starting to set. “Come on,” I challenge the guys. “Let’s go pick up our girls and race to the top of the stairs.”

  “How can we race?” Julian asks. “They are too narrow to pass on.”

  I look up at the long stairway leading up to my parents’ house. “Good point.”

  “We can have Megan and Alyssa keep time,” Hayden says.

  “Hell, yeah,” Julian says, running over to scoop up Ana.

  I laugh. We were always super competitive as kids. It’s nice to know some things haven’t changed.

  We spend a few minutes making rules as the girls all roll their eyes at us. Then we send Alyssa to the top to time us on her phone’s stopwatch. Megan will yell from the bottom to start.

  After I watch Hayden struggle with Noreen, I decide to change my tactic. I throw Mallory over my shoulder in a fireman’s hold. She fake screams at me while snapping me with the waistband of my board shorts. Megan is laughing and taking pictures. “What are you laughing at?” I ask her. “I’m coming right back down for you. All my girls get door-to-door service.”

  As I make my way up the steps, Mallory says, “I don’t think I’ve ever loved you more.”

  I smile. And then I kiss her ass. Literally.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Mallory

  Dear Mr. and Mrs. Olive,

  We at Canyon Properties truly hope you enjoy your stay. Cleaning will be done every Monday and Thursday. If there is anything you need, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.

  Next to the note, there is a huge basket of non-perishables along with several bottles of wine. And as I look around, I see Kendra has done her job fabulously, making sure Chad and I have everything we need in our home away from home. Or should I say castle?

  I stand in the middle of the expansive home, circling around to take it all in. The impressive great room, the chef’s kitchen, the breathtaking view of the red rock desert. The alluring pool with a waterfall that matches the picturesque landscape behind it. I turn to Chad and raise my eyebrows. “Is the whole cast staying here?”

  He laughs. “No, but Cole is. Don’t worry though, he won’t bother us.”

  “Bother us?” I say. “He won’t even be able to find us. How many bedrooms are here, six?”

  He looks embarrassed. “Eight, actually.”

  Before I can pick my jaw up off the floor and scold him, he adds, “Well, you said you wanted a private pool, Mal. And don’t get your panties in a twist, it wasn’t any more expensive than the Presidential Suite in New York City.” He comes up behind me and wraps his big arms around me, burying his mouth in my neck, sucking on a spot below my ear that makes me moan. “Just think of all the places we can—”

  Cole clears his throat behind us and I quickly pull away from Chad as he chuckles that we got busted. “The place looks secure enough,” Cole says, handing Chad a piece of paper. “Here are the instructions for the security pads, there’s one by the front door, back door, garage door and in the master bedroom. The entire property is fenced in, but as the neighborhood is not gated, you’ll have to be cautious when you’re outside, just in case.” He points to an electronic keypad on the wall. “There’s an intercom throughout with a small panel like this in every room by the main light switch. If you need me, you can push the white button and it will broadcast in every room. There is also a safe room in the center of the house, through the kitchen pantry. Instructions for that are written down for you as well.”

  “Safe room?” I ask Chad. “What are you, James Bond?”

  He shrugs. “Comes with the house. It’s not like I requested it or anything.” He asks Cole, “Did you find a bedroom for yourself?”

  “Yeah, I took the one back by the mudroom, it’s pretty out of the way. You won’t even know I’m here.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Cole,” I say. “I’m sure there are plenty of nice rooms for you to choose from.”

  “That’s okay,” he says, shaking his head and smirking. “I’d prefer to be back there. You know, so I’m not near any of the places you will—”

  “Okay,” Chad interrupts, lifting his hand to cut Cole off. “Well then, we’ll just go get settled.” He grabs my hand, dragging me and my beet-red face behind him. “I’ll meet you back here in ten, Cole.”

  We take a quick tour of the house before Chad has to go on location to do some last-minute fittings due to costuming changes. They are also going to try and get some shots of him and Courtney at sunset in the desert. “Are you sure you don’t want to go with me?” he asks.

  “No, that’s okay. I’d like to get us unpacked. I’d like to call my dad, too. I haven’t talked to him in a few days. And I thought you might like a home-cooked meal when you get back. The kitchen looked pretty stocked.”

  “That sounds great. I’ll only be a few hours.” He hands me the piece of paper Cole gave him. “Go over this. And Mal, don’t go outside when Cole and I aren’t around. I’m just not sure how secure it is. Can you do that for me?”

  I look at the concern etched into his forehead. I was going to go for a dip in the pool, but I can see that would make him uncomfortable and I don’t want him worrying the whole time he’s gone. “Of course. There are plenty of other things I could do. Take up billiards
. Or watch a movie in the theater room. The possibilities are endless.”

  “Good girl,” he says, drawing me in for a kiss before he leaves. “See you in a few hours.” He walks to the door and turns around. “I love you, Mrs. Olive.”

  No matter how many times he’s said it in the past, it still makes my heart thunder. “I love you too, Mr. Olive.”

  I stare at the door he and Cole left through. Then I turn around and shake my head at the absurdity of it all. This home is massive. I’ll bet it’s ten thousand square feet. I hope he knows he doesn’t have to do this to impress me. His heart is the only thing I’ll ever want from him.

  I realize I’m still holding the piece of paper he gave me. I glance over it, amused that the security code happens to be my birthday. I wonder if I share that day with one of the owners.

  I head to the master bedroom to unpack our suitcases. We’ll be here for a month so we may as well get settled. After I call my dad and text Melissa pictures of my new digs, I walk the house again, deciding what to do to keep myself busy. When I find myself in the kitchen again, I check out the pantry and cabinets, which are loaded with just about everything one could need to cook a gourmet meal.

  I come across some pecans and chocolate chips. Once I confirm the rest of the ingredients are here, I commence to making Chad’s favorite cookies. He’s loved them since we were kids. He travels so much that I want him to feel the comforts of home. I smile thinking this should do the trick.

  While they are baking, I recall the talk I had with my dad earlier. I wonder if Denise was there when we were on the phone. I could hear the TV in the background and he never watches TV.

  Shortly after Julian told me my dad was dating someone, Dad brought Denise home to meet me. It wasn’t nearly as weird as I thought it would be. She’s nothing like my mother. Denise is petite with red hair. She’s also ten years younger than my dad. And she’s as quiet as a mouse. She lost her husband to cancer three years ago, so I guess she and my dad have a lot in common.