Shuttered Affections (Cornerstone #1)

by Folsom, Rene

  Chapter 39

  “I got caught red-handed lusting for the twins that would surely haunt my daydreams from here on out.”

  Aiden swiftly navigated through the back roads as the words of Blue October filled the car. I enjoyed how his taste in music was a little contemporary and old school like mine.

  Just as I was getting into the song, he pressed a series of buttons on his steering wheel, effectively stopping the music and answering his phone through the in-car Bluetooth.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  “Aiden, love. Your brother has been gossiping about you and I had to get the juicy details from the source. Is it true you’ve met someone?” a voice sounding sweeter than honey purred through the car speakers.

  “Hell, you guys. You both are like a pair of loose-lipped old ladies!” he exclaimed with a hearty laugh.

  “That wasn’t an answer, Aiden!” she scolded. “Now, tell me about her. I want to know everything,” she added a little more excitedly.

  “Would you rather meet her, Mother?” he asked with a wink in my direction.

  My heart leapt into my throat. Was he serious? We had known each other for less than a week and he already wanted me to meet his family?

  Suddenly, a loud squeal came through the speakers, causing me to cringe at the sound.

  “Oh. My. God. Aiden! Your dad would be rolling over in his grave. Aiden Stone bringing a girl home? I think I’m speechless.”

  “I don’t think that’s possible. You always have something to say,” he chided and rolled his eyes.

  “Oh, hush, boy! Now, please, tell me more. I want to know everything,” she begged.

  I smiled at him. The banter between mother and son was so lighthearted and playful. I tried to push away the pang of jealousy at the healthy relationships he obviously had with his family.

  “She’s perfect. You’d love her,” he said with a dazzling grin in my direction. “Her name is Juliana.”

  “What a gorgeous name. What is it about her that has you all tied in knots, son?” she asked with a little more concern lacing her voice.

  “I’d love to talk about her all day long, but since she is here with me right now, I think it would be a bit rude to stay on the phone.”

  “Shit, Aiden. Don’t tell me you’ve had me on the speakers all this time,” she exclaimed. I didn’t blame her. I would probably be pissed if I had just unknowingly spilled over the speakers.

  I giggled just a little too loudly as Aiden let out a strangled laugh, filling the entire car with amusement. My God, he was so beautiful when he smiled.

  “Christ, Aiden. You’re worse than Coda!”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to be so vibrant with your words. I also didn’t expect Coda to rat me out so soon,” he admitted. Then he turned to me and said, “Remind me to kick his ass later.”

  “You will do no such thing, Aiden James. If it weren’t for Coda, I’d be left out in the cold about your life,” she admonished.

  “Where the hell does he find the time to blather with you so much? He always tells me how busy he is, yet he seems to have plenty of time to tattle on me.”

  “Go easy on your brother, Aiden. He misses me more than he likes to admit. While it makes me feel good to be missed, I hate to see him so lonely all the time. Why do you think I’m so pleased to hear you’ve met someone?” she asked unreservedly.

  Coda? Lonely? He was so drop-dead gorgeous when I met him, he could probably land a nice girl without even trying.

  “I know. I love him and I’m thankful for him dragging me down here—although, I miss you terribly, too, Mom. You know that, right?” he said with just a little bit of regret and sadness.

  “I know, sweetheart. Things have been rather lonely without my double-trouble around here. But, nothing has turned up broken in the shoppe since you left. So, I guess some good comes from you boys being out of my hair,” she said with a laugh.

  I chuckled loudly again at the woman’s humor and this time she must have heard me.

  “Oh, dear. Since Aiden is neglecting to introduce us and clearly still has me on speakerphone, then I will take it upon myself. Juliana, my name is Ann and I can’t wait to meet you,” she said in a warm and honest nature.

  I smiled as I responded, “Thank you, Ann. And, please, call me Julia. It’s so nice to see the smile you put on Aiden’s face. I can’t wait to meet you too.”

  “Oh, my. You’re such a sweetheart. I like you already! You must promise me you’ll bring my boy up to see me soon,” she pleaded.

  She seemed so nice and it was refreshing to see they didn’t withhold their feelings from each other like most families did—like my family did.

  “Of course, I promise,” I said with a grin.

  “Okay, Mom. We have to get going now. But, I will call later. I promise,” Aiden interjected. I noticed then we were pulling into the driveway of his house and noted Tanya’s car was still not in the driveway.

  “Of course, Aiden. Give Tanya my love. I’ll talk to you later,” she said and hung up before waiting for a response.

  A puzzled look crossed my face as I thought about his mom and her knowledge about Tanya.

  “What’s the matter, Angel?” he asked with concern in his voice.

  “Um, nothing. Well, first, I love your mother. She seems so genuine and fun. But, I’m curious how your mom handled your agreement with Tanya,” I explained.

  “You’re right, she is a genuinely fun person, and I can’t wait for you to meet her. Initially, I didn’t tell my mom about my marriage arrangement with Tanya. I was a little worried about her judgment with the whole situation. Plus, Tanya and I grew up together and she knows my mom. At first, she didn’t feel comfortable letting my mom know of her troubles. So, we kept cool about it. However, the cat was out of the bag when Tanya moved down here with Coda and me…” he trailed off, looked up at the house, and then back to me before he continued.

  “Let’s go inside and I’ll tell you all about it.”

  I just nodded and watched as he smiled and climbed out of the car.

  Upstairs, Aiden quickly started running a bath in his huge Jacuzzi tub. I stood in the doorway watching as he ran his fingers under the water to check the temperature.

  Leisurely and seductively, he made his way toward me and, grabbing my hands, he led me further into the bathroom. He peeled each article of clothing from my skin, one by one, until I stood before him completely naked again.

  “I feel so fortunate to view beauty such as yours, Angel mine,” he praised as he assessed my bare skin.

  Gently gripping my hand, he helped me into the tub. After settling my sore muscles into the warm water, I watched as Aiden quickly disrobed and climbed in behind me.

  As he settled me between his legs and began running a cloth over my skin, he continued his story as promised.

  “Tanya’s dad was good friends with my dad. They died together in a plane crash a little over a year ago. It was a small plane her dad owned. They were headed to their hunting lodge in Georgia when, for all we know, they had some issues with the instrumentation. So, my mom knows Tanya well. Her mom took off when she was young and she was an only child, so her dad was all she had. Both of our families were wealthy, hers more so than mine by a long shot, but we never wanted for anything. Several months after our fathers’ deaths, all three of us decided we needed new scenery. Coda had just finished law school and I had finished school in Savannah almost a year prior. So, we all moved here, mostly following Coda since he managed to land a job at a decent law firm here in town. Tanya doesn’t need to work and chooses to volunteer her time mostly. In all honesty, I don’t need to work either, but I choose to because I love it,” he said, pausing as if he ran out of things to say.

  “Where did you move from?” I asked, attempting to lift the subject slightly.

  “Hendersonville, North Carolina. It’s a cute little town near Asheville. I own a tiny cabin up on a mountain with a lake in the valley below. You’d love it. I
t’s so beautiful and peaceful up there.”

  I turned slightly so I could look into his eyes and said, “I’d love to go visit sometime, Aiden. It sounds so nice.”

  He leaned in to kiss me before he spoke and said, “Of course, Angel. Anything you want. Maybe we’ll go for spring break next week. I know spending spring break up in the mountains may not be the ideal spring vacation, but…”

  I cut him off with a finger to his mouth and assured him, “I would love that, Aiden. I’m not sure I can ask for a full week off work, but I would love nothing more than to spend a week in the mountains with you.”

  We kissed. God, could he kiss. I can’t be certain how long we sat in the tub and just cuddled. The next thing I knew, the water began to get cold and I was all pruny.

  “Would you like me to turn the Jacuzzi heater on or are you ready to get out?” he asked.

  “What time is it?”

  “Ahh, shit. I don’t know. But, you’re right. You have to get to work. I guess we better get ourselves out of here. I would like to take you to dinner before dropping you off,” he explained as he pulled the plug and began draining the water.

  After a quick rinse in the shower, I padded across Aiden’s room to look at the clock next to the bed. It was now four in the afternoon, perfect timing to grab some dinner and get me to work on time.

  “Is it okay if Coda and I hang at the club again tonight?” Aiden asked from his closet doorway across the room. “I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable while you’re at work, but he enjoyed himself last time and he is looking for something to do.”

  “Of course. I’d love for you guys to hang out with me while I work. Just don’t try to pull some switch on me. You two look nearly identical. If it weren’t for your tattoo and the possessive look you give me, I may not be able to tell the difference,” I said with a chuckle and a roll of my eyes.

  “Ahh, I guess you didn’t notice he has the same tattoo as me, huh?”

  I just stared at him with a deer-in-the-headlights look on my face. He began to laugh as I stuttered for some sort of response to his admission.

  “Don’t worry, love. His is on the left, mine is on the right,” he said with humor still in his eyes.

  I playfully swatted him on the chest and scolded, “That only helps me if you are naked.”

  Then the thought of two naked Stone brothers got me all kinds of hot and bothered again. He just laughed at me and shook his head, clearly knowing where my thoughts took me.

  “Damn it,” was all I muttered, knowing full well I got caught red-handed lusting for the twins that would surely haunt my daydreams from here on out.

  Aiden looked down at his phone as I laid out my clothes on the bed.

  “He says he wants to grab dinner first. Do you want it to be just you and me for dinner?” he asked. “It won’t hurt his feelings if we tell him no. But, then we’d have to take separate vehicles.”

  “What do you mean, separate vehicles? Were we planning on picking him up?” I asked in confusion.

  “Oh, crap. I can’t believe I didn’t tell you. He lives here, in the house. The Jeep is actually his, although, honestly, we share our vehicles. We pretty much share everything. It’s just always been that way,” he said with a shrug. “I can’t believe I forgot to tell you that…”

  I interrupted him and attempted to sound nonchalant as I said, “Aiden. It’s okay. I would be surprised if you two didn’t share so much.”

  “I’m sorry. We just don’t usually date very many people who understand or are cool with the bond we have. It’s been hard, especially for me, to find someone who accepts us as a package,” Aiden explained with a distant look in his eyes.

  “Aiden, look at me,” I commanded as I stepped closer to him. I was still wrapped in my towel, but my desire to hold him overpowered me. Clearly not being bashful in his presence, I let go of the towel, causing it to pool to the floor. Grabbing his face with both of my hands, I stared into his eyes.

  “I think the relationship you have with your family is so wonderful. I can’t even put into words how jealous I am of you and the bond you share with your brother, your mother…” I trailed off as tears began to prick my eyelids. “I would give anything to have my brother back. Anything. And I would like to have a relationship with my parents. The fact you already have that is so special to me. I would never dream of belittling what you are so fortunate to possess.”

  He just looked at me with bewilderment in his eyes. Like he wasn’t sure the words I just spoke were actually true. Did he really have women who didn’t realize how special he was? I was still confident he was too good to be true.

  After a few tense moments, he finally reached up and held my face in return, mimicking the way I held him. Our lips met in a tender, spicy mix of feverish kisses before we ultimately grabbed ahold of each other into a passionate embrace.

  He pulled away and looked at me with amusement in his eyes as he cocked an eyebrow and said, “You’re naked, Julia. If you don’t get dressed, we may never get out of here.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said firmly as I turned and sauntered back toward the bed where my clothes awaited me.

  Before I made it, Aiden bolted toward me and pushed me onto the bed, trapping me beneath his strong body. He held my hands above my head, but this time I felt no fear, no hesitation, as he held me down.

  “Fuck, Julia. Now we’re never getting out of here,” he growled as he fumbled for the fly of the pants he just put on moments before.

  “Why? Because I said, Yes, sir?” I asked with a pseudo innocent look in my eye.

  “God, yes. You submitting to me is probably the hottest thing…”

  Just as he was getting my insides all wrapped up in a tizzy, a knock sounded at the door, cutting off his lustful confession.

  Chapter 40

  “I was either in heaven or hell. I couldn’t figure out which.”

  “Hey, you two lovebirds, let’s get a move-on. I’m fucking starving!” It was Coda and he was seriously going to get it from Aiden. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was clearly not happy with his brother’s interruption.

  Before Aiden could respond to Coda’s intrusion, I brought his attention to me and said, “He’s right. I really gotta get ready and I’m a little hungry too. You drove me hard today and I need to eat before a long night of work.”

  “Fine. For you, I will concede. But I’m still going to kick his ass… later,” he said with a little bit of jest.

  I smiled and turned underneath him to crawl across the bed. Aiden grabbed my ankle and quickly pulled me back under him, making me squeal and giggle like a schoolgirl again. I loved playful Aiden.

  “Just one more kiss, Angel mine.”

  I didn’t need to respond, I just kissed him—wrapping my legs around his waist and pressing my body into his.

  Once I thought he was good and teased, I pushed him away and said, “Okay, now we must get ready.”

  Aiden quickly dressed and decided to go wait downstairs with Coda so he wasn’t tempted to haul me under the covers again. I was thankful for the reprieve because this meant I could surprise him with my choice of attire tonight.

  I chose to wear something that would clearly drive Aiden wild. Of course, I knew he loved my red garters and matching red heels, so I decided to wear red satin panties and a matching bra along with my sheer, black stockings and black skirt.

  Since my only dress code was white shirt, black bottoms, I easily picked out a white shirt that would look decent with the red bra, which is hard to find, but this one was perfect. Not only did the red bra look sexy with this top, but the blouse cut low in the front and even lower in the back, clearly showing off my tattoo.

  I’ve never shown my back at work before, so I was likely to get several comments from my fellow workers. Only Sid knew about my tat, and tonight, that was going to change.

  I quickly pinned my curls into a purposeful messy twist on top of my head. Several large spirals dangled down aroun
d my face, touching my shoulders and back. I applied my makeup hurriedly and grabbed my phone as I headed out the bedroom door.

  I could hear the boys’ voices from downstairs and swiftly bounded down to meet them.

  As soon as I hit the bottom step, both their heads whipped in my direction and two Stone jaws dropped to the floor. Their reaction made me feel powerful, sexy, and uninhibited.

  Standing there on the bottom step, my hand still on the railing, I waited for them to speak. Both men just stood there dumbfounded and completely tongue-tied.

  In an attempt to feign indifference, I cheerfully asked, “So, are we ready to go?”

  My optimism plummeted as I saw what they were wearing. Both men sported sexy, dark blue jeans with a purposefully disheveled look. Their black, button-up shirts were plain with faint pinstripes decorating the fabric. Their sleeves were tight against their strong biceps and the shirts effortlessly showed their flawlessly chiseled chest muscles.

  I couldn’t believe they were both wearing the same thing. Luckily, I was able to see a hint of their tattoos peeking out from underneath the sleeves. Regardless of whether I could tell them apart or not, they clearly did this to mess with me.

  I narrowed my eyes and scowled as I pointed to the two of them and accused, “You two did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

  Coda started laughing. At least I think it was Coda because, if I was getting my left and right correct, the tattoo was on his left arm. Aiden still stared at me in shock until he finally found his voice and said, “And what about you? You clearly dressed like that to drive us fucking insane all night.”

  “I dressed like this to drive you insane, but if I just so happen to make Coda crazy, too? Well, that’s just a bonus,” I said in my best seductress voice possible.

  At this point, Coda was clearly having a ball, as he was about to fall over with laughter. He slapped his knee and howled, “Well, your attempt is a success, darlin’. You sure as hell know how to drive me wild, that’s for sure.”