Stone Unhinged (The Stone Book 2)

by Renee Harless

  “I know what you mean. I’ve…um…dreamt about you too,” I say, half embarrassed and half amused with myself as I recall the erotic visions that have danced in my mind so many evenings.

  Caressing my bottom lip with his thumb, Alex stares into my eyes. No words need to be said - I know exactly what he’s feeling. As I raise a hand to stroke his face, his eyes let me know that he’ll wait for me to be ready. He won’t push me for more than I’m ready for.

  “Did you decide which room you want?”

  Giggling, I reply, “Well, disregarding the fact that I am in love with this room, I’ll just take the room at the end of the hall. Keep the temptation to a minimum.”

  “I understand,” he says, smiling in return. “I’ll take your bag to the room. Do you need anything?”

  “A vibrator?” I ask, bursting into a fit of laughter.

  “No need for that,” Alex scolds playfully. “You know where to come if you need a release. Come on, let’s get you settled in.”

  It takes me a few hours to fall asleep that night. The excitement of being alone with Alex inside his home lingers at the forefront of my mind. My heart beats wildly, happily in my chest, until at last, the joy fades to contentment and I drift slowly off to sleep.

  It seems I have barely closed my eyes when visions of Seth’s attack infiltrate my dreams. Body shaking, drenched in sweat, I awake to my own screams echoing from the walls. Flinging my eyelids open, I see Alex standing over me with tears streaming down his cheeks, the expression on his face one of complete terror.

  “Mallory, are you ok?” he asks, kneeling to the side of the bed. “I couldn’t get you to stop screaming.”

  “I’m ok,” I say, struggling for breath. “I was dreaming about the attack. Happens every night. I’m so sorry I woke you.”

  “Are you serious? You’ve been sleeping like that for weeks? Just listening to you yelling in your sleep was enough to scare me.”

  His eyes glisten in misery. Joining in his tears, my breath has barely returned when I begin to sob uncontrollably.

  “It won’t stop!” I blurt out. “I can’t make it stop. I just want it to be over.”

  Lifting me into his arms, Alex walks purposely towards his bedroom and deposits me on the bed. Stepping into his bathroom for a moment, I hear the rattle of a bottle and then the gentle rush of water from the faucet. He quickly returns with a cup of water and some aspirin.

  “These are to keep you from having a headache in the morning,” he says gently, holding his hand out to me.

  His thoughtfulness pricks at my heavy heart and causes another series of tears to escape. With some effort, I manage to swallow the aspirin between gasps for breath and wracking sobs. Gliding into the bed, Alex pulls me close to his body, aligning his chest with my own. One of his arms snakes around my head while the other wraps around my waist, allowing me to cry in the comfort of his arms.

  Chapter 9

  I slowly become aware of warmth enveloping my body as I drift into consciousness. A heavy arm draped across my stomach alerts me to the presence of another person in my bed. Opening my eyes in alarm, it takes me a few minutes to realize that I’m not in the bed at my apartment, but at Alex’s house, in his bed.

  “Are you awake, beautiful?”

  Turning over in his arms to face him, he smiles warmly at me.

  “I am. Thank you for last night, for letting me stay here and…. well…,” my words seem to trail off, “for everything.”

  “I was happy to do it. Were you able to go back to sleep?”

  “I was, surprisingly enough. Usually, when I wake up from one of those dreams, every time I try to go back to sleep they start again.”

  Smirking at me, Alex says, “Maybe that’s a sign that you need to spend your nights here in my bed.”

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Mr. Stone,” I reply, playfully shoving him in the shoulder.

  Resting back against the headboard, Alex pulls me up beside him and I snuggle closely into his side. His bare chest is so close that I can’t help but explore his body with my fingers, trailing them back and forth across his chest and his abdomen.

  “Can we stay here all day?” he practically purrs. “Your hands feel so good on me.”

  “I’m supposed to be working from home,” I sigh. “So I need to boot up my laptop and log into the system, but most of my work can wait until later.” Nuzzling his neck, I look up at him and add, “Unfortunately, as much as I like my hands on you too, we promised Gregory and his wife that we would join them for brunch at 10:00am.”

  “You’re right, we did. That gives us,” he pauses to glance at his clock, “an hour.”

  The implication of his words sparks a subtle change in the atmosphere, and I feel the familiar warmth spreading through my body.

  Halting the movement of my hand on his chest, he takes my fingers and plants a soft kiss on the tip of each one, pausing in-between kisses to say “I.love.you.Mallory.”

  “I…I…,” I stammer, searching for words, but lost in the sensation of his lips against my skin.

  “I know, beautiful. I need to earn back your love. I will do everything I can to do that.”

  Taking my index finger, he places it in his mouth and begins to suck, swirling his tongue around.

  “Oh god,” I whisper as my skin begins to prickle.

  Alex releases my finger and begins placing kisses along my arm and shoulder, moving to his favorite spot: the crevice between my neck and shoulder, right along the collarbone. As he licks the shallow dip, I release a deep moan and begin to rub my legs together, hoping to add some friction to the heat building in my center. Tugging me down farther onto the bed, Alex rests on his knees in front of me as I lie on my back. He begins to massage one foot, then the other, before sucking on a toe and gently licking my arch. My body begins to tense as his hands massage my calves and upper thighs.

  “Relax, Mallory. I won’t hurt you,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to the top of my foot.

  As he continues to move his hands up and down my legs, I find myself calming down, allowing myself to ease into his touch. Closing my eyes, I let my body feel the movements that have quickly become all too familiar. Instinctively, my body and my heart trust Alex, they always have – it’s my stupid mind that is taking a bit longer to catch up. When his caresses pause for a moment, I open my eyes to find him hovering above me, desire flashing in his golden eyes.

  “You’re so beautiful, Mallory.”

  Caught in the intensity of his gaze, I drown in desire as Alex leans down and places a heated kiss on my lips.

  “Let me touch you,” he whispers, his mouth against mine. “I can stop anytime, but I need to touch you.”

  My desire mirroring his own, I hear myself whisper, “Yes.”

  Trapping me beneath another passionate kiss, one of Alex’s hands slips under my shirt, bringing it up towards my neck. Releasing my lips only enough to pull the shirt over my head, he fervently dives back in. Without a bra to worry himself with removing, Alex’s fingers trail the underside of my breasts, leaving a path of fire in their wake. Alex’s touch always left my skin sizzling. How desperately I had been yearning for that feeling…

  Glimpsing down at the soft skin that lies beneath his fingers, he seems mesmerized when suddenly my body stills as he reaches up for my nipples.

  “Did he touch you here, darling?” he asks, concerned, halting his movements.

  “Yes.” I admit, refusing to give into the memories, “Don’t stop please. Help me forget.”

  Reaching forward again, Alex takes my breasts in his large hands, gently kneading them. I wait for the images of Seth grabbing my breasts while I sit helplessly tied to a chair to flood my mind, but I’m met with no such visions. Instead, I feel the heat that has been slowly burning in my center ignite into a wild fire.

  “Is this ok?” he asks, nuzzling his face to my neck.

  “More. Please more,” I plead.

  Following my cue, Alex leans forward and
places my nipple in his mouth for a moment before moving to the other breast. He alternates between my breasts for a few moments before moving downwards, kissing along my ribcage and navel. My hips move of their own accord, desperate to find anything that will release the tension.

  “May I?” Alex asks, gesturing to my shorts.

  “Yes. Oh god, yes,” I reply, clenching the sheets in my fingers.

  Removing both my shorts and panties in one swift movement, Alex quickly moves his finger towards my slick folds and slides them back and forth. A whimper releases from my throat as his fingers slide into my core, rubbing the spot he has come to know so well.

  “Right there, don’t stop.”

  Adding his other hand, Alex massages my small bundle of nerves. The combined sensation is too much and I explode quickly into his hands.

  Sliding an arm behind my back, he brings me forward so that I am sitting in front of him. Weaving both hands into my hair, Alex rests his forehead against my own.

  “Thank you,” he whispers before planting a chaste kiss against my lips.

  My heavy breathing is the only sound I can hear. Once I come down from my climax, I look up into Alex’s eyes and smile.

  “Come on, we only have a few minutes to get ready before going next door.”

  Glancing out his window, Alex shakes his head, smiling to himself.

  “I hope you brought snow boots,” he says finally, and kisses me again.

  I get dressed quickly, hoping to make a good impression on the family of Alex’s close friend. I wait for him downstairs in his kitchen, and I am a bit alarmed to find that my heart is racing. As he turns the corner of the room, my breath catches in my throat as I gaze at his pure masculine beauty.

  “Mallory?”

  “How do you do that? How do you strike me speechless every time I see you?”

  “I’m flattered. But, darling, can’t you see that the reaction is quite mutual? You stun me every time I glance in your direction.”

  Taking my face in his hands, he kisses me sweetly, stroking his tongue alongside mine, before taking my hand and opening the back door.

  Maria and Gregory serve us a spectacular breakfast of eggs benedict, fruit, sausage, and biscuits. The food is so good that I can’t resist a helping of seconds, savoring every bite. Anna, their four-year-old daughter, on the other hand, is so impatient to go play in the snow, that she shovels the entire meal into her mouth as quickly as possible.

  “Uncle Alex, outside now?”

  Looking at her clean plate and then at Gregory, Alex nods his head and gathers her up in his arms, heading outside, with Gregory trailing behind. The vision of Alex with a small child held close warms my heart. A tiny smile curves around my lips when I consider what a great father he will be.

  “He’s so good with her,” Maria pipes up, as though reading my thoughts.

  “I see that. She’s a wonderful little girl.”

  “Thank you,” she says, curling her fingers around her steaming cup of coffee. “You know, since we have a few moments alone I wanted to talk to you.”

  Nervous, I grip my hands in front of me.

  “Oh nothing onerous,” she laughs, noticing my tension. “It’s just that I like Alex with you. Even though I’ve only seen you both over breakfast, I can feel this strong connection between the two of you.”

  “Mmhmm,” I mumble in agreement, not really sure how to respond.

  “Then why aren’t you together?” she asks, as though he and I are acting like a couple of impossible three-year-olds.

  I furrow my brow for a minute, choosing my words, before finally replying,

  “Um, well a lot of reasons actually, most of which are my own issues.”

  She reaches across the table and grabs my hand, like a mother comforting her daughter.

  “I understand, really I do, but he loves you and you love him. I can see it when you look at each other. Don’t let love slip away from you.”

  She stops her train of thought when Gregory walks back into the room covered in snow, giving my hand a gentle squeeze before letting go.

  “I don’t think she’ll be out there long,” He announces, stomping his feet on the doormat to shake off the excess snow, “It’s almost as tall as she is and it’s still coming. Weather report this morning said it’s not supposed to be done until Saturday.”

  Moving towards their bay window, I rest against the frame and watch Alex playing outside with Anna. They must have dug out a large path, because Alex is chasing after Anna in a circle before catching her and tossing her into the soft, deep snow. After helping her up, he begins to chase her again. I chuckle to myself as I watch their antics.

  Thinking about Alex as father, I close my eyes for a moment, envisioning him holding a small, dark-haired baby in one arm while holding me against him in the other. I smile to myself as he tells me how beautiful our child is, how happy he is, and how much he loves me. My dream transitions quickly into a vision of Alex and I, standing at an altar making lifelong vows to each other, tears pooling in both of our eyes. Strong arms wrap around me all of a sudden, and I am brought back from my trance. Leaning back against him, I enjoy the comfort of his embrace.

  “You ok?” Alex whispers against my ear.

  “I am now.”

  “We can head back if you’d like. Or we can stay and play princess tea party with Anna.”

  Turning in his arms, I wrap mine around his waist.

  “Oh, I definitely vote for princess tea party. I bet you look great in a tiara.”

  “Baby, you have no idea.”

  With a peck on my nose, Alex grabs my hand and leads me Anna’s playroom.

  For four hours, we are engrossed in a princess tea party before Maria comes in to relieve us for Anna’s naptime.

  Gliding through their kitchen on our way to the door, Gregory pulls us aside and mentions, “Alex, I’ve been thinking… Unfortunately, we need to talk about Samantha.”

  “What about her?” he asks, confusing forming a crease between his eyes.

  “If you’re planning on dating Ms. Winston, you need to publically break things off with Samantha and explain that the baby is not yours. Otherwise, this could hurt Mallory’s image and her potential jobs with clients.”

  “Shit, I hadn’t thought about that,” Alex replies before lacing his fingers through mine.

  “What should he do?” I ask Gregory.

  “First, he needs to talk to Samantha and find out if Will is the father. Then they need to release a joint public statement. You don’t deserve to be dragged into this. I’m sure you’ve been through enough.”

  “You’re right Gregory. I will call Samantha when we go home,” Alex replies, then adds almost as an afterthought, “I just hope she doesn’t do something stupid.” He sighs, shaking his head briefly, “Thank you again for breakfast. It was great.”

  “Our pleasure. It was great seeing you again, Ms. Winston.”

  “You too. And let Maria and Anna know I enjoyed meeting them.”

  Chapter 10

  We don’t have to wait long before hearing from Samantha; she calls Alex the moment we step into his house. Looking at me before taking the call, he kisses me chastely before mouthing the words, “I love you.”

  Placing the phone on speaker, Alex answers, “Hello, Samantha.”

  “Hello, Alex.” She says, her voice dousing me like cold water running down my spine, “We need to talk. I know Mallory is back. Are you two dating again?”

  “Watch what you say, Samantha.” He says sharply, “You’re on speakerphone and I’m here with Mallory. So, yes. Mallory is here, for a job. We aren’t quite officially dating again, but I’m hoping to change that soon,” he says, casting a smirk in my direction that causes a blush to creep across my cheeks.

  “I didn’t mean anything by it, Alex. You know I like Mallory, I still feel bad about what happened in California. But that’s part of the reason why I’m calling. This whole pregnancy is going to hurt her.”


  I am surprised to hear true sympathy in her voice.

  “She knows it isn’t mine, Samantha. You may be my friend, but Mallory means more to me than anything.”

  “You told her?” Her collected demeanor shatters into shock. “She’s going to tell Will,” she says, voice barely above a hoarse whisper.

  I can’t resist the urge to speak up, saying, “Samantha, that’s your secret, not mine. I do not intend to tell Will. But you need to, especially if he is the father. He deserves to know.” I think of how kind he was to me when I was recovering, the friendship he showed me in my time of pain. “And if it’s not his, well as much as that is going to hurt him, he deserves to know that too,” I finally say.

  “You’re right,” she replies, her voice heavy with a sigh. “I’m just scared.” She says at last, and the pain in her voice is almost tangible, “It’s his baby, Mallory. I’ve never been with anyone but Will. But our divorce is almost finalized, and I’m afraid he will want full custody of our child.”

  “You need to talk to him about it. Samantha, it’s not my place to say anything, but Will helped take care of me after my kidnapping, and he told me about everything that happened with you. And though I can’t imagine having to hear you say Alex’s name during sex, Will still loves you and wants to make things work with you.”

  “He still loves me?” Samantha is quiet for a full thirty seconds, shock causing the words to spill out, like a wall of water released from a dam.“I love him too. I only filed for divorce because he was so angry for so long, and I know that I deserved all that anger. I just wanted to do what was best for him. I hated disappointing him,” she says through a whimper and it sounds like she might be crying now.

  “I don’t think it was anger so much as it was an enormous amount of hurt that he didn’t know what to do with,” I reply gently. “Talk to him. You both have things you need to say.”

  “Mallory’s right, Samantha. Talk to him. Do it when we get off the phone, because come tomorrow I want a full joint press release explaining our situation. Mallory doesn’t need to be judged wrongly for this.”