Three Dates (Paths To Love Book 2)

by Grahame Claire

  “You don’t have to sleep in the chair.”

  He clamped his mouth together, though it was obvious he wanted to protest. I appreciated how respectful he was of my wishes, even when he believed they contradicted his own.

  “I’d like you to stay with me, please.” My face flamed.

  He took a second to digest the words. “Gladly. I’m going to change, and I’ll come right back.”

  Nerves buzzed as I put on my pajamas and brushed my teeth. Having Stone in the bed next to me was an enormous leap of courage for me, but it was the fear of what awaited me when I closed my eyes that had me anxious.

  I turned down both sides of the bed and crawled onto the mattress. The overhead lights were dimmed low, and I’d left the one in the bathroom on as well. No stars glittered on the ceiling, and a stab of disappointment slashed at my chest.

  I couldn’t even have my stars.

  “You’re still good with this?” Stone stood by the light switch.

  “I don’t want to be alone,” I whispered.

  Sympathetic eyes met mine. “Want to leave these on?”

  “I’d like the stars, but I’m scared.”

  “I won’t leave you in the dark. Not ever.”

  He turned off the lights, and I tensed. It wasn’t long before a faint green glow began to shine, and I sank into the pillows.

  Stone slid in beside me. Even in the darkness I could see he was flat on his back, looking up.

  I inched closer to him but stopped shy of curling against him.

  “Sweet dreams, darlin’.”

  I prayed he was right.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Stone

  “No me toques!”

  Her scream of terror tore me from sleep. Muriella thrashed beside me, and I sat up straight, her tormented moans causing bile to rise up my throat. The motion lights flicked on overhead.

  “Muriella.” I was hesitant to lay a hand on her, uncertain if that would make things worse for her.

  She didn’t wake at the sound of my voice.

  Gently, I shook her until a strangled sound escaped her and dark watery eyes found mine.

  “You’re okay.” Except I felt I’d let her down somehow. I’d promised to keep the darkness away, naively hoping if I was near, she’d have a peaceful rest.

  She blinked at me, lost for a moment as she returned to reality. Tears pooled and overflowed down her cheeks. She slapped her hand over her mouth to cover a sob.

  I needed to hold her, but worried about her reaction. Her shoulders shook as she blindly reached for the nightstand. With a trembling hand, she offered me her phone.

  “You want Vivian?” I guessed as she struggled for words.

  “Clair de Lune,” she managed to say between sobs.

  I furrowed my brow, and then it hit me. The song. I fumbled through her music library until the soft piano began to play. Placing the phone on the pillows between us, I opened my arm, welcoming her against me if she chose.

  Eventually, she scooted toward me, burying her face against my chest. Her tears soaked through my shirt. A helplessness threatened to drag me under with her, but determination to ease her pain won out.

  “I remember the first time I heard this song,” I said, the memory coming back to me. “We were in Egypt at that house with a view of the pyramids. It was hotter than hell, remember that?” She didn’t answer, but I didn’t expect her to. “You laughed at me when I got claustrophobic while we explored those things.”

  Her shoulders stopped shaking for a second. That sound of her laughter had echoed through the chamber straight to my soul. It made those walls closing in around me completely worth it. She seemed to be calming down, so I kept talking.

  “I don’t know who was so stubborn they didn’t want to take a bottle of water with them. Seems like somebody said something about living in the Texas heat all their lives. Don’t know who that could have been.”

  Muriella sniffled, which was better than the sobs.

  “But you wouldn’t let that hard-headed cowboy go thirsty.” She’d shared her water with me. Stayed behind and encouraged me to push forward as Daniel and Vivian moved ahead. “If it weren’t for you, I’d have never seen the king’s chamber. Unbelievable that narrow pathway leads to such a big room.”

  “I didn’t want you to miss it,” she mumbled, and I felt a wave of relief she seemed to be coming out of hell.

  “I couldn’t sleep that night, I was sweating so bad. When I opened the doors to my balcony, I heard this song. There you were next door staring up at the sky.” Even though we had been in the city, it seemed the place was quiet out of respect for her. The stillness had kept me almost frozen so I didn’t disturb her.

  “I always listen to it after a nightmare.”

  “Had you had one that night?”

  She nodded against me, and I tightened my hold. “Were you outside so you could see the stars?”

  “I wanted to be close to Mama,” she confessed. This had happened nearly two years before. All this time, she’d been suffering in silence, clinging to the stars and music to help her through.

  I had my suspicions she didn’t even let Vivian or Daniel know just how bad it was.

  “The song is in one of your movies.” She sniffled again, and I reached for a tissue on the bedside table, offering it to her.

  “I asked them to add it.”

  She blew her nose, a few creases forming between her brows. “You did?”

  “For you.” She hadn’t even known I was there that night, but I wanted a part of her in one of my films, even if I was the only one who knew.

  “I’m not sure what to say.” Muriella crumpled the tissue in her fist. “You asked me if I’d heard the music the next morning, but not in front of Vivian and Daniel.” She leaned up on her elbow.

  “I didn’t want you to think I’d been spying,” I said sheepishly. “How else could I figure out what that song was?”

  “Why wait until they were looking at the view?”

  I released a long breath. “Just seemed like a private moment. I’d intruded, and I figured it was up to you to share it.”

  She laid her head back on my chest. “They worry when I have the nightmares. Especially Daniel.”

  “I know.” She popped back up. “That’s what I called him about earlier. Thought he might be able to help.”

  Her mouth pinched on one side. “You told him?”

  I slid my fingers up and down the length of her spine, praying like hell I hadn’t just stepped in it. “I was worried. It’s my fault you had the damn nightmare to—”

  “It is not your fault,” she growled.

  “If I hadn’t put up the stars—”

  “I love them.” She narrowed her gaze on me. “Don’t you dare blame yourself.”

  “Can’t help it.” I tried to keep my rhythm steady, but my fingers moved faster.

  She splayed her hand on my stomach and pushed. “I didn’t want them to know.”

  “You keeping stuff from your friends?”

  She scooted away, putting an inch between us. “It hurts them. There’s no reason to tell them about every single bad dream.”

  “Do you have them more often than you’re letting on?”

  “No.” She slumped like she was too tired to hold herself up any longer. “I’ve been ok for a while now as long as there’s a light on,” she whispered.

  I stilled my fingers, my gut twisting at the thought that I was the reason she’d slept in the dark the last two nights.

  “It doesn’t matter.” She edged back closer to me. “They’ll never go away. There’s nothing I can do about them.”

  What was I supposed to say to that? No way was I making promises to her I couldn’t keep. “When they come, we’ll fight them together.”

  “You should’ve stayed in your own room so you could sleep.”

  “I’d just have lain there worrying about you.” I drew small circles on her back with my knuckles. “What does ‘no-may-tokas
’ mean?”

  Her voice was scratchy when she spoke. “Don’t touch me.”

  I swallowed down the acid that rose and willed her to come closer.

  The warmth of her body returned as she pressed against my side, her head back on my chest.

  “I feel better.” I nuzzled her hair, and she wrapped an arm around me. “Usually the effects linger for a long time.”

  “I’m glad they haven’t this time.” She’d never know just how much. I was determined to slay all her demons, one at time until they were gone.

  “I like this.”

  “What’s that, darlin’?”

  “Being close. I needed it, even though I was scared.” Her fingers caressed my side. “And it’s getting easier.”

  The wonder in her voice matched my own. When she got comfortable touching me, we’d be over a huge hurdle. Not just because I wanted her. But for times like this. There was so much to be said through an embrace without having to say a word.

  “One step at a time.”

  This time when she went to sleep, the nightmares didn’t return.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Muriella

  “I found the perfect apartment in Paris.”

  Stone leaned over my shoulder and peered at the laptop perched on my desk. I shivered. He’d been in my apartment over a week and a half, and his effect on me hadn’t weakened.

  “Swanky.” And then he winked. “I like it.”

  “I thought you were into the simple things?”

  “I am, but who wouldn’t like that place?”

  Light filtered into my heart. It had been a few days, and I hadn’t had another nightmare. I attributed a big part of that to him.

  “It’s modern, yet keeps with the original architecture.” I scrolled to another photo. “Look at that view of the Eiffel Tower.”

  “Book it.” He reached behind him and pulled out his wallet.

  “Um, it’s not for rent.”

  His brow furrowed. “Then how is it perfect if they can’t stay there?”

  I spun my leather desk chair toward him a fraction. “We could buy it?”

  He glanced at the screen and whistled again. “They sure think a lot of that view.”

  “Did I mention I recently acquired a substantial amount of funds?” I fidgeted in my seat.

  I’d gotten off on a tangent while searching a website with both rentals and homes for sale. As soon as I’d seen the view out the window, I’d known it was right.

  “You want to buy an apartment so my brother and his family can spend a couple of weeks there?” He planted a hand on the back of the chair and turned me until our legs almost touched. “What will we do with it the rest of the time?”

  My eyes drifted toward the photos of Vivian and Daniel. “We could borrow it,” I finally suggested.

  “Borrow?”

  I picked up a fountain pen and rolled it between my fingers. “Wouldn’t it be lovely if Mitch and Juliana could get away with the girls any time they wanted?”

  “Yeah, but you can’t just up and leave a ranch whenever the mood strikes.”

  “You’re planning on being there more often. That will help.”

  He released a long breath. “The way things are going, it might not matter anyway.”

  “Don’t think that way.”

  Stone rested his rear on the glass edge of my desk. “You ever bought any property?” I shook my head. “Neither have I.”

  “I don’t think my name should be associated with it.” I looked down at my lap.

  “Why not?”

  I lifted my eyes to his. “A paper trail could lead to a photo of me. It’s something I can’t risk.”

  He looked past me out the window. “Doesn’t Daniel have all of that taken care of?”

  “Yes, but I’ve always kept a low profile. Just in case.” I stopped twirling the pen.

  “What would happen if you’re found?” His gaze was hard as he focused on the outside world.

  “I prefer not to think about it. Hopefully, we’ve planned well. If not…” I shuddered, returning to the photos of the apartment to ward off the chill. “Can Mr. Zegas help us with this endeavor?” With a shaky motion, I gestured toward the computer, desperate to change the subject.

  Stone pulled his phone from his shirt pocket. “I’m paying for the apartment, but I’d like us to do it together.”

  “Do you view that as a way to keep us attached?” I asked wryly.

  His stare penetrated right through me. “I don’t need gimmicks. We already are.”

  I swallowed hard, well aware just how correct he was. “What if we put it in everyone’s name?”

  He paused with his thumb just over the touchscreen. A broad grin lit his features. “Mama would love having a place in Paris.”

  “Vivian would too.” She’d drag Daniel all over the city in her typical fashion. And he’d like a home to stay in versus a hotel.

  The more I thought about it, the more I warmed to the idea.

  “Of all the things I pictured myself doing, buying an apartment in Paris wasn’t one of them.” Stone pressed the call button on his phone. “What about you, partner?”

  I liked the way that sounded. I needed a partner. Someone there for me when the kids at school made my day. To talk to about Father Jude’s message at mass. To hold me when the nightmares came. Although I had my friends for that, with Stone it was different. He satisfied the restless part of my soul.

  My fears and doubts had continually separated us. I didn’t know how to obliterate them, only that I wanted to keep trying.

  I launched myself at him before I could think. He ended the call without a word and tossed the phone on my desk before he caught me.

  I kissed him, inhaled lungfuls of his scent, and locked my arms around him. Fervently, he kissed me back. There was no hesitation on either of our parts. We acted on instinct and desire.

  A part of me unlocked as he slipped his tongue into my mouth. Unfiltered need like I’d never known consumed me.

  I wanted.

  I burned.

  The world as I knew it exploded into a million tiny pieces. No longer did I hold back. I tore at the snap buttons of his shirt until it gaped, exposing the taut muscle of his chest.

  “Muriella...we should—”

  “Don’t talk.” Feel. That’s what I needed. More of this feeling.

  A spiraling euphoria wound through me. I was in control. My body wasn’t broken. Stone was the cure.

  I slid my hands up his chest to his shoulders, pushing the flannel off. A vein in his neck throbbed. Even though I recognized the hesitation on his face, he pulled me to him as if he had to.

  I pressed a kiss to his shoulder blade, the crook of his neck. He fisted my sweater as he fought for control.

  “Darlin’, let’s take—”

  “Shut up.” My lips found his, effectively doing it for him.

  He groaned and wove his fingers into my hair. Hard heat pressed against me. Instead of fear, excitement consumed me. This was elemental. The way it was supposed to be between two people.

  We communicated with our bodies. Each touch spoke of love and desire. He allowed me to lead, yet moved with familiarity as if we’d done this before. Because he knew me.

  I dragged my hands down his back, reveled in the strength of his body. My throat went dry as I reached the waistband of his jeans.

  More.

  More.

  More.

  I slipped my fingers underneath and traced around his waist to his belt buckle. A hand splayed across my back, pressing us together so I couldn’t undo it.

  “I want to,” I said when concern shadowed his features. “Please.” I wanted him. Was sure he could erase the nightmares and replace them with beautiful dreams.

  He stared at me, and in that instant, I saw exactly what I’d been afraid of. Whatever was between us was so powerful, it was blinding. I feared I’d hurt him. I feared getting lost. I feared I’d need him too much.

&n
bsp; Every bit of that was reflected back at me along with so much love, it nearly buckled my knees.

  He loosened his hold on me a fraction. His hand found its way from my hair to my cheek. He cradled my face and lowered his head to mine. Gentle lips coaxed mine to part. I lost my breath as he consumed me.

  My fingers worked furiously to loosen his belt as fire raced through me. I was too hot, but wanted closer to the flames.

  A low rumble escaped him when he eased his hand under my sweater. Where I was a storm, he was the calm, his touch measured, reverent.

  He jerked in surprise when I pushed his jeans off his hips. Slowly, I lowered to my knees, my hands trailing down his body. A thick ridge formed beneath his boxer briefs. He twitched when I traced him over the soft cotton.

  Stone brushed his thumb across my lips. I found it ironic I appeared more ready for this than he did.

  My eyes rounded when I peeled down his underwear, revealing his thick length. A finger at a time, I wrapped my hand around his shaft. He sucked in a sharp breath.

  Slowly, I pumped, his heat scorching my palm. My lips burned to taste him as his tip leaked a pearl of liquid. I darted my tongue out, catching it before it dropped.

  He hissed through his teeth, pressing his fingers into my scalp. Raw desire radiated from him as he fought for the remaining fragments of control.

  I closed my lips around the head and gently squeezed his erection. He leaned on the desk as I drew more of him into my mouth.

  “Shit.” The curse encouraged me to go deeper. “That feels incredible.”

  As I looked up at his tight jaw and blazing chocolate-colored eyes, fiery pleasure streaked through me. I drew my joy from others’ happiness, and doing this for him—for me—shattered some of the barriers between us. I realized I was stronger than I’d given myself credit for. We were.

  I stroked as my tongue memorized every ridge of him and his taste. He gripped the edge of the desk with one hand and caressed my head with the other, never taking his eyes off of me.

  “I’m close,” he said on a deep plunge. “I can’t hold on.”

  His length curved before he released in my mouth. I swallowed thick ribbons of saltiness until there were no more. I sat back on my heels. He was mostly naked in front of me, and I was anything but afraid.