“Next are your parents, Chad, and Garrett.”
“I’m going to call them this afternoon. They’ll take it better from me.”
I nodded. “You think? Since your parents never thought I was good enough for you, they sure won’t be overly excited to think of me as their granddaughter’s mother.”
He rolled his eyes. “The only thing that matters is how I feel about you—remember that.”
“Kiss me, Stone. Make it all go away.” My voice trembled as I made the request.
His eyes darkened to a London Blue, a deeper shade than topaz. He drew me closer, his hands at my waist, and I draped my arms around his neck. His lips felt like heaven, licking the seam of my already parting lips. He kissed me hard in an extraordinary, unforgettable way. Comforting shivers zinged down my body, making my body ooze with pleasure.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. His hands roamed down my back, holding on tight.
We sat together, where everything felt right, calm, and perfect, like there weren’t black clouds looming over us. His one kiss made time stand still, made promised dreams come true.
“I better go check on Savannah,” I murmured.
Stone stood and offered his hand, helping me to my feet. We strode inside and found her sitting at the table with Gammy. My heart constricted, remembering all the times I’d sat at that very table with her as a child.
I blinked back the misty proof of happiness in my eyes and squeezed Stone’s hand. Dovie let out a carefree laugh before noticing our presence, and then her smile faded as she studied me. I wondered if I were truly even welcome anymore.
“I think I’ll leave the three of you to catch up,” I said, longing to hug my sweet Dovie, to feel her loving arms around me. I wanted her reassurance that everything would be okay, like she’d freely offered so many times in the past.
“Where you going?” Dovie’s voice seemed flat.
“Ride around, see if anything’s new in the big town of West Tempie.” I forced a smile. “Do you want me to bring anything back?”
Other than shaking her head, she didn’t answer, and I accepted her response; what else could I do?
“I’ll come with you,” Stone offered, stepping toward me.
I raised my hand. “No, stay here. I need some fresh air and time to myself. Remember her medications and how to use them. If she has a seizure, the first thing to remember is to not panic. Just call me if you need anything.”
Dovie shifted, lifting her head toward me. “Seizures?”
“Savannah has epilepsy, but she’s been doing great. Stone knows how to care for her and he can teach you.” I leaned in, kissing the top of my little girl’s head. “I’ll be back in a bit. Love you, sweet girl.”
Chapter 28
Two days later, early in the morning, Stone slipped inside the corner bedroom where I’d slept since arriving. I squinted and asked, “What time is it?”
“Six thirty.”
“Good grief. Come back later.” I pulled the pillow over my head. “It won’t be long before I’ll be getting up early every morning for school, cursing the alarm clock.”
“Get up. You’re sleeping the day away.”
“It’s barely daylight. Come back in an hour.” I moaned and pulled the cover under my chin.
He pulled the pillow from my head, pressed his knee on the bed beside my hip, and planted his warm lips against my temple. “Get moving, I have a surprise for you. Dress comfortable. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
His mouth lingering on my skin immediately awakened me, bringing every sense to full attention. Greedy for more, an undeniable urge traveling at the speed of light hit me hard. Wearing a cocky grin, he moved from the bed, putting a few feet between us.
I curled onto my side, staring at his perfect body. All his shirts fit as if he were molded into them, but today he wore a cinnamon-colored tank that showed his beautiful tanned arms. And my God, those thick muscled calves.
“What are you doing up so early?”
“I told you, I have something planned.”
“And it has to be at the crack of dawn?” I pulled my lip in between my teeth, smiling. “Stay there. Don’t go anywhere.”
Easing from the bed, I felt his warm blue eyes watching my every move. Wearing a deep lavender silky camisole and matching short-shorts, I walked with an added sway in my hips. Glancing over my shoulder, I found him scanning my backside from head to toe. His jaw tightened, and his lip curled upward.
“I want those legs wrapped around me.”
Cutting my eyes to him, I held up my finger. “I’ll be right back.”
Darting to the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom, I closed the door behind me. It didn’t take me long to brush away my morning breath, take a quick shower, and pull my hair into a messy up-do. I powdered my nose, applied a little color on my cheeks, and dabbed on a few strokes of mascara, all the while wondering what in the world he had up his sleeve so early.
Less than fifteen minutes later, I found him leaning against the corner window, staring outside. Hearing my footsteps, he turned toward me, and his eyes narrowed and darkened. Desire swam deep in the pools of his eyes, making my breath catch.
Without slowing, I strode to him in quick moves. I wanted that morning kiss, and he knew it. When I was within arm’s length, he jerked me hard against him. His lips crushed mine, taking the breath out of my lungs. Fury and passion erupted as I pressed flush against him, and his hands cupped underneath my ass, pulling me upward, holding me in place. I wrapped my legs around him, slipped my arms around his neck, and kissed him like there was no tomorrow.
Stone’s warm lips possessed me, his tongue finding mine. Hot and delicious, he invaded my senses. My fingers found his hair, threading into his light brown locks. His rock-hard body pressed firmly against me, melting my insides like warmed gooey honey.
“You make me crazy.” He ground against my mouth. “Fucking. Crazy.”
I held on to him, unwilling to allow the kiss to end. I hadn’t had enough. My lips sought his, nibbling and savoring every taste he offered. “I love the way you kiss me, Stone. I could wake up to that every morning.”
He eased his hands to my hips, carefully sliding me to my feet. “Get dressed or you’ll be screaming my name so loud, you’ll wake up Gammy and Savannah.”
A small smile teased the corner of my mouth and I let out a giggle. “Thank goodness they sleep downstairs. I promise to bite back the moans, or you can kiss me and drown out the cries.”
“My girl is playing with fire this morning. Have patience.” He slapped my behind playfully before leaving me alone in the room.
My girl.
Oh how I loved the sound of that.
It didn’t take but a few minutes to dress in a pair of denim shorts and a red tank. I slipped into a pair of flip-flops before heading downstairs where Stone was waiting for me.
“Gammy’s in the kitchen. She’s going to watch Savannah for us.”
I nodded and lifted a finger. “Hang on, I need to talk to her a minute.”
He didn’t try to stop me, probably because he knew it wouldn’t do any good. Dovie’s eyes met mine as she gently stirred blueberries into a mixture in a white ceramic batter bowl, but she kept busy without acknowledging me.
“Good morning Dovie.”
“Mornin’ missy.” Her eyes seemed softer than the previous two days, but she was still reserved.
“I need to dose Savannah’s medication this morning. I’ll set it inside the refrigerator for when she wakes up, and you can give it to her if you don’t mind. She likes to chase it down with juice.”
“Stone already measured it out.” Dovie stopped stirring. “How long has she had seizures?”
“Since just before she turned two.”
“I can only imagine how that must have scared you.”
“It was terrible. You never get used to them and they can still be very frightening, but knowing what to do makes all the difference in the world.”
>
“I’ll take good care of her. Chad had what they called febrile seizures when he was a child, and I had him here at the house with me when he had his first. We learned how important it was to treat his fever early to keep him from having them. At least we knew what caused them. I can’t imagine not knowing what causes them.”
“She hasn’t had one in over six months. While I was at the beach house, I let her go to a camp for kids with epilepsy. Her neurologist highly recommended it and since she was providing the physician services, I finally agreed to let her go. I’m doing everything I can to make this easier on her.”
“You’ve done a fine job with her. Savannah is a sweet doll,” Dovie said, offering a genuine compliment. She never said what she didn’t mean.
“Thank you. I’m glad she has you.”
“Run along. You and Stone go have fun. We’ll be fine.”
I couldn’t suppress my happiness and smiled ear to ear. Dovie had taken a huge leap in bringing down the wall between us. “I love you Dovie.”
Not giving her a chance to respond, I scurried out the door. Stone waited in the drive, straddling the seat of a four-wheeler, and he patted the cushion behind him with a mischievous grin. I scrambled down the sidewalk and slid onto the seat, and then he revved up the engine before taking off.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
I snaked my arms around his waist, pressing my breasts against his back. The wind blew into my face, making me feel carefree and wild in the open area. He turned down a familiar red dirt road then pulled into a drive I recognized instantly. Coming to a stop, he raised his leg over while the machine idled between my legs.
Stone removed a chain that was looped around the post in a circle eight and held the gate closed. Like old times when we rode, I slid forward on the seat, pressed the gas, and eased the ATV forward through the entrance. Stone tilted his head to the side, wearing his famous wide grin.
“What? You don’t think I remember how to drive one of these things?” I called over my shoulder.
“I should have known better.” After closing the metal gate, he slid back in front of me. “Cotton Wilson still owns this place, and I found out he’s at some cattle sale in Ft. Worth.”
We’d shared so much time at our lover’s lane beside the beautiful lake at the back of the pasture under a magnificent live oak tree. The last time we’d gone there was the last time we were together before our lives were wrecked.
Approaching the glorious tree, I surveyed its dipping branches and huge girth. Moss hung from the branches and my heart melted; on the other side, facing the water, our initials were carved deep into the bark.
I stared in awe. Underneath, a blanket was spread across the grass with a small red ice chest to the side.
“Did you get up before daylight to do this?”
“Maybe. You hungry?”
I rubbed my breasts along his back, pulling my lip between my teeth. “I’m starving.” For you.
He swallowed, shifting forward to put some space between us. “Before you get all carried away, it’s all packaged food, nothing home-cooked or fancy.”
Stone killed the engine and we scrambled toward the blanket. It was so quiet and peaceful, like nothing in the world existed but us. Watching him saunter like a jaguar made me forget my own name and my toes curl.
I dropped to the thick red and white quilt, running my fingers over the softness. Stone opened the basket, retrieved a small container of chocolate milk, and handed me a small bottle of orange juice. “Your favorite.”
A flock of ducks flew low over the water and a fish jumped near the shore. Not very far out, maybe fifty yards across the lake, an island with thick brush harbored a bird haven. An incredible shade of blue painted the sky above, and the brightest sunshine cast rays onto the water, making it appear as if millions of shimmering diamonds sprinkled the surface.
“It’s always been beautiful here.” I took in the vast lake and all its beauty. Making love to him was exactly what I needed, especially here.
“It has.” He was looking at me, intensely gazing, drinking me in.
“Stone,” I called his name pleadingly, my voice full of need.
“Tell me what you want.” He reached for my cheek, trailing his thumb over my skin like a seductive whisper.
I sucked in a deep breath. He knew what I wanted, and his hooded eyes told me he wanted the same thing. I wanted him naked, wanted to feel his perfection against me. I wanted him to make love to me in wide openness, in the same place where we’d said goodbye without knowing we were doing so.
His blue eyes glinted knowingly. “Say it, Avery. Tell me what you want, and it’s yours.”
“Take your shirt off, Stone.”
He crawled up on his knees, pulled the cotton fabric over his head, and tossed it somewhere to the side. His broad shoulders flexed and jerked while dark embers burned in his eyes. A hungry growl ripped through his lips.
“Your pants, take them off,” I boldly commanded, admiring the hard ridge pushing against his shorts.
“Come take them off me,” he challenged bluntly, wearing a wicked cocky grin.
Unraveled, I rose to my knees and crawled over to him. My trembling fingers unsnapped his shorts and slowly unzipped the barrier to his thickness. I slipped my hand inside the band of his boxers, finding his velvety thick shaft.
He breathed heavy and hard. In the frenzy of me staking my claim, he lifted my shirt over my head and peeled my shorts down around my bent knees. His mouth found the lobe of my ear as he unfastened the clasp of my bra and slid the straps down my arms. He buried his face into my neck, kissing a delicious trail along the column of my throat.
“God, you taste magnificent.” He pulled back. “I need to see, touch, and taste every inch of you.”
“I’m yours to take.”
His lips crashed onto mine as he rolled me to my back and climbed over me. I ran my hands down his defined back, holding on to him while he possessed me with his tongue. Leaving my mouth, his tongue made its way down my neck to my breast. Feasting his tongue over the taut nub, he covered the other with his hand, gently tugging on my nipple with his thumb and forefinger. I whimpered, lost in desire, arching upward, aching for more…desperate for more.
Twining my fingers in his hair, I held on for dear life, knowing it was only the beginning of what he was capable of giving—and oh, the beginning it was. He dipped his fingers along my glistening lips, sliding them up and down. When his thumb found the hardened nub, my hips jerked in response.
“I’m going to make it so much better,” he murmured, shifting his body down mine. His mouth joined his finger, sweeping his tongue through the crevice. As I gripped the blanket at my hips, watching his head between my legs was almost too much.
As he lapped at the bud, his languid sweeps over the most sensitive place in my center were maddening. My body arched upward, my pleasure building at an intense pace. I wasn’t going to last long, but God how I wanted it to last forever.
He pushed by me back down, holding me in place with his hand at my abdomen while bringing me to the brink. His fingers shoved inside me, pumping in a frenzy while his mouth owned my body. I came apart, shuddering into thousands of pieces as he rode me through the most blissful orgasms I’d ever felt.
I felt the tip of his hardness at my entrance before he pushed all the way in with a tender, slow thrust. He buried his face against my neck, breathing against my ear. “This is mine. You’re mine, Avery. All of you. Mine.”
With every withdrawal and thrust deep inside me, he owned me. I had given myself to him a long time ago, and I’d never gotten myself back. I was his.
He ground into me with each thrust, his jaw clenched. Raw, primal need for release was near, and I pulsed around him at the thought.
“Harder, Stone. I’m there.” I dug my nails into his back, urging him to give me what I needed.
One hard thrust and he shattered, meeting my shuddering. We came
apart together, him holding me tight and letting out a guttural groan into my ear. Aftershocks zinged through my body as he trembled in my arms.
“I could watch you come all day long. It’s a beautiful sight.”
Maybe it was the magic of this place beside the lake. Maybe it was being in one of the places where I’d first fallen in love with him. Maybe it was being in ‘our special place’. Whatever the reason, I fell more in love with him that day than I had ever thought possible.
Chapter 29
Later in the afternoon, Stone and I sat around with Dovie in the living room while she knitted a red scarf. I’d caught Stone stealing glances toward me as many times as he’d caught me. Savannah played in her bedroom with the new dollhouse Stone had driven into town to buy her.
“Your mom, dad, Chad, and Garrett are on their way. They’ll be here in time for dinner tonight,” Dovie announced as if she were talking about the weather.
Stone cocked up his eyebrows in disbelief. “You called them?”
“I did.” She never missed a stitch.
“It’s our place to tell them, Gammy,” he replied softly, but I knew she picked up on the irritation in his voice. “I planned to call them a few days ago, and should of, but things came up. It’s not your place, but our place to tell them.”
“And you’re going to get your chance, tonight.” She looped some yarn over her needle without batting an eye.
For as long as I could remember, Stone had never been mad at her, but right then, he looked like he wanted to throttle her. His piercing eyes gazed at her, but Dovie didn’t seem to care.
“Get your things together, Avery. We’re going home.” He rose out of the glider.
She stopped looping her yarn and looked at him over the rim of her glasses. “Sit down, Stoney. This family has never had scandal, and we won’t start it now. The Mitchell name is a good, solid, strong name with an unblemished reputation…until your incident. If John Frank were here, this situation would have already been rectified. Nothing, and I mean nothing is more important than family, and I won’t go to my grave with things unresolved.”
Chasing Wicked (The Mitchell Brothers - Wicked Series Book 1) Page 20
