Devious

by Suzannah Daniels

  I waited briefly for him to greet me, but when he failed to do so, I got straight to the point. “Do you have an employee here named Yvonne Golding?” I showed him the photo.

  “Who’s askin’?” He glared at me with distrust.

  “My name’s Stone. Her phone’s been disconnected, and I’m just trying to locate her.”

  “Never seen ‘er before.” Clearly bored with our conversation, he began flipping through a magazine lying on the counter.

  “Thanks for your help,” I said as I turned to escape.

  He grunted a response.

  Damn, if that was any indication of what this town was like, then I’d be relieved to get the hell out of it.

  Dara

  I glanced at my watch. When Crimson and Scarlet left my house this morning, I promised them that I would meet them at Awesome Sauce for lunch. Not wanting to leave home until I had finished by homework, I had waited as long as I could, which made me run a few minutes late.

  When I finally arrived, Crimson waved to me from a booth in the back, and I hurried along the aisle.

  “Sorry, I’m late,” I breathed out in a rush. “I wanted to finish my homework before Stone came over tonight.”

  “Speaking of Stone,” Crimson said in a low voice. Something about the way she said it got my attention.

  “What?” I asked as I slid into the booth beside her.

  “I got a call from Chloe earlier,” Scarlet said. “She wanted to know if you and Stone had broken up.” She paused. “I told you I didn’t trust him. You should’ve stuck with Chance.”

  I glanced across the bright red tabletop at her. “What’re you talking about?”

  Scarlet exhaled loudly, her long, dark lashes fanning across her cheek as she stared downward, studying her fingernails. “Chloe was having breakfast with her mother and grandmother at that little café down the road that all the old people eat at.” She looked back up at me.

  “And?” I urged, wishing Scarlet would get to the point.

  “And…she saw Stone and Jess together.”

  “Can you be more specific?” I asked, a clump of dread settling in my stomach.

  Crimson touched my arm and spoke softly, “They were sitting at a table together.”

  “I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation,” I said, refusing to believe that Stone would have ditched me for the sole purpose of going out with Jessie.

  “Chloe saw Jess touching his hand,” Scarlet added.

  My mind reeled. Jealousy wanted to run rampant, but I took a deep breath and repelled it. I knew Stone loved me. I needed to give him the chance to explain. Chloe was my friend, and I had no doubt that if she told Scarlet that she had seen those things with her own eyes, then it was true. Crimson and Scarlet were my best friends, so I knew they wouldn’t make this story up, which meant this wasn’t a rumor.

  If Stone denied it, then I would know he was lying.

  But I couldn’t assume the worst.

  “Are you okay?” Crimson asked.

  Tears threatened to sting my eyes, not because I’d already judged Stone to be guilty of anything, but because the thought of him losing interest in me was terrifying. I had allowed myself to be consumed by him, and I had a lot at stake.

  “Yeah.” I took a deep breath. “Just because Chloe saw them together doesn’t mean that he’s cheating on me.”

  “It’s hard for me to believe, too,” Crimson said. “I’ve seen the way Stone looks at you.”

  “He’s devious,” Scarlet hissed.

  “Don’t push your trust issues on Dara,” Crimson warned. “Let’s just try to stay objective. Maybe things weren’t as they seemed.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Scarlet said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

  I was already prone to be jealous of Jessie, and this little tidbit of information wasn’t going to help in that department. I knew Stone had experienced things with Jessie that he hadn’t with me—not because he didn’t want to, but because I wasn’t ready.

  Up to this point, I had only thought of myself. It hadn’t really occurred to me that abstaining from a sexual relationship might affect Stone differently. Not that it mattered. I would stand behind my choice, regardless, but if he was having trouble with that aspect of our relationship, then maybe we didn’t need to be together.

  Realizing that I had allowed my mind to go from zero to sixty in less than ten seconds, I took a deep breath and pushed the thoughts from my mind. I needed to talk to Stone before I jumped to any conclusions.

  “You know what? I’m not really hungry, anymore,” I confessed. “I think I’ll head home.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?” Crimson asked, concern evident in her voice.

  “No.” I forced a smile. “I’ll be fine. I just need to sort through this before things get out of control.”

  “I’m sorry,” Scarlet said quietly. “I’m just looking out for my best friend.”

  “I know,” I replied, standing at the edge of the table. “I’ll call y’all later.”

  Stone

  I had just walked out of the eighth hotel when my phone rang. Pulling it out of my pocket, I quickly answered when I saw that it was Dara.

  “Hey, babe,” I greeted.

  “Stone?”

  “Yeah.”

  Silence.

  “Dara? What’s wrong?”

  “Can you come over?” she asked in a voice devoid of emotion.

  “Right now?” Shit. How was I going to explain my three and a half hour delay?

  “It’s important.”

  “Can’t we talk over the phone?” I asked, wondering what in the hell was going on.

  “I’d rather do it face-to-face.”

  I shifted my feet. Face-to-face? This couldn’t be good. Was she going to break up with me? Hell, if Chance Murray had anything to do with this, I was going to beat his ass. He’d been eyeing Dara ever since she and I had gotten together.

  If that’s what she had in mind, I’d just have to go and talk her out of it.

  “I’m in the middle of my errands. It’s probably going to take me at least three more hours to finish up. I can meet you at your house then.”

  “Please hurry.” The urgency in her voice made me wish I wasn’t so far away. She sounded strange…like she was trying to hide her sadness. But I knew her well enough to know that she wasn’t okay. What I didn’t know was the reason why.

  “Baby, I’ll be there as soon as I can. I promise.”

  “See you in a little while.”

  I hung up the phone. Damn it. As much time as I’d already spent in Oakley, I was no closer to finding her mother, and I knew after Dara’s cryptic message, I wasn’t going to spend one more second here. I slid my phone in my pocket, hopped on my bike, and barreled down the main street toward the Interstate.

  As I rocketed toward Quail Mountain, I wondered what was going on with Dara. Did it have to do with Chance? Had she heard from her mother? Her father, who was still doing time for killing my brother while driving drunk? Maybe something was wrong with Granny. Hell, I hated playing these guessing games, and it was beginning to mess with my mind.

  I twisted the throttle, urging the bike to go even faster.

  By the time I finally pulled into her driveway, I had been through a dozen scenarios. I couldn’t take this shit.

  I tugged off my helmet, placing it on the mirror, and ran my fingers through my hair. Rushing to the porch steps, I was about to ring the doorbell when she pulled it open.

  I grasped her by the shoulders, looking down at her face. “Are you all right?”

  She didn’t answer, just pulled me into the house and closed the front door. I followed her to her bedroom, my mind working furiously to figure out what was going on.

  Closing her bedroom door behind us, she twisted the lock and turned to glare at me with her arms folded over her chest.

  “What the hell’s going on, Dara?”

  “You tell me,” she said, barely above a whisper.<
br />
  “I’d love to, but you’re gonna have to give me something to go on. Did you hear from your mother?” I wondered if someone I’d talked to today really did know her mom and had informed her that someone was asking about her.

  “Not a word. This has nothing to do with her.”

  That marked one scenario off my list.

  “Then what?” I asked, unable to hide my frustration.

  “Chloe saw you at the café with Jessie.” She clenched her jaw stubbornly.

  A strange sense of relief washed over me. “That’s what this is about?” I asked, holding my palms upward in the air. “You nearly scared the living hell out of me, and it was all because Chloe saw me with Jess?”

  She remained quiet, watching me.

  “That’s what you couldn’t tell me over the phone?” I felt slightly irritated. Had I known what was going on, I could have reassured her over the phone and continued my search instead of racing back like hellhounds were nipping at my ankles.

  “Don’t you do that, Stone,” she warned accusingly.

  “Do what?”

  “Try to turn it all on me.”

  I took a deep breath. Clearly, she was upset. I pulled her into my arms, tracing her jawline with my lips as I left a trail of seductive kisses.

  I heard her softly exhale, and her body melded into mine. Then, she abruptly pulled away. “I can’t think when you’re doing that.”

  I reached for her. “But I like doing that.”

  “Why were you with Jessie?” she asked, her eyes watching me intently.

  “I wasn’t with Jess. I had stopped to have breakfast, and I ran into her at the café.”

  “Since when do you eat at the café?”

  “Since this morning.” It was the truth, and it sounded a hell of a lot better than telling her that I ate at the café because I didn’t want to run into her.

  “I thought you were running errands for your parents.”

  “I got a later start than I had expected.”

  “Why are you lying to me?”

  Shit. I was beginning to feel ensnared in my tangled web because I wasn’t exactly sure which lie she was referring to. “What are you talking about?”

  “You told me your parents were out of town, but Scarlet passed them this morning.”

  Well, hell. And this is what happens when you try to pull one over on your highly intelligent girlfriend who obviously has a friendly pair of eyes on every corner.

  “Are you seeing Jessie?”

  “Hell, no. I told you that I ran into her at the café.” I rammed my hands into my hair. So much for trying to protect her while I searched for her mother to determine whether her mom wanted a relationship or was intentionally avoiding her.

  “If you don’t want to be with me, just tell me, Stone.”

  Her arms were crossed over her chest defiantly, but her quivering chin warned me that she was barely holding herself together.

  “Dara,” I said softly, any minor annoyances that I had felt drifting away. “I have never wanted anyone more than I want you.”

  Her eyes filled with unshed tears, and I could tell that she was trying to stave them off. I had the overwhelming urge to hold her in my arms and kiss away her worries.

  “Come here.” I sat on the edge of the bed and motioned for her to sit in my lap.

  “No. I want you to tell me why you were with Jessie and why you’re lying to me.”

  I realized that the only way for me to alleviate her fears was by coming totally clean.

  I closed my eyes and ran my palms over my face. “Okay, here’s the deal. I hated seeing how heartbroken you were when your mother didn’t show up at your party. I didn’t spend today running errands for my parents. I spent it searching for your mother.”

  “You did?” she asked, clearly surprised by my admission.

  “Yes. I ate at the café because I was afraid I might run into you at Awesome Sauce, and I didn’t want you to know what I was up to. I wanted to surprise you.” I didn’t tell her that one of my greatest fears was that her mother had decided that she wanted nothing to do with Dara. If that was the case, I would’ve never told Dara in order to protect her from any further heartbreak in her life.

  “Jess just happened to be at the café. She sat down at my table, uninvited, I might add. I told her I was on my way to Oakley, and she offered to go with me. I turned her down, but she did tell me that her brother was in Oakley right now doing some construction work on a bridge. I told her to text me his number. I thought he might be able to offer some information that could be helpful in finding your mother.”

  “You did all of that for me?” she asked as she approached me.

  I pulled her into my arms, loving the way she felt in my embrace. “Dara, I would do anything for you.”

  “I feel horrible,” she murmured.

  I leaned back, cupping her face. “Why?”

  “Because I didn’t trust you.”

  I laughed softly. “I’m used to not being trusted.”

  “But I want things to be different with us.”

  I kissed her lips softly. “They are, Dara. They are.”

  “I love you, Stone.”

  I pulled her against my chest, my hands groping her ass while my mouth claimed hers. She felt so damn good.

  “Is anyone else home?” I asked between kisses.

  “No. Granny and Mr. Milton are visiting Granny’s sister in Nashville. They won’t be home until tomorrow.”

  “Good,” I whispered, pulling her tank top over her head and releasing the hook on her bra.

  As my hands roamed her body freely, one thought continually resurfaced in my brain: I wanted to make Dara mine.

  Chapter 5

  Dara

  “So, you want to read some of Frankenstein tonight?” I asked Stone as I leaned against the hood of my car in his driveway. The morning sun shone brightly from its perch just above the mountains, and I shielded my eyes as I awaited his answer. Normally, he would’ve picked me up on his motorcycle on a day like this, but school was letting out early. We had plans to go back to Oakley and continue the search for my mom.

  “You know I do,” he said sardonically, “but we won’t get back until late tonight. What little time I’ll have left, I need to spend studying for my finals. In fact, my dad felt the need to remind me of that right before I walked out the door.”

  “He just wants to make sure you graduate.”

  “Well, it feels a helluva lot more like he wants to control my life.”

  “He’ll ease up after graduation.”

  Stone laughed. “Yeah, just in time to start on me for college.”

  “Maybe we should just forget about searching for my mother. We’ve got a lot going on with final exams and graduation. We need to review Frankenstein for the May newsletter and the debut of Luke’s Book Club.”

  “So now you don’t want to find your mom?” he asked, stopping just in front of me, his well-muscled biceps bulging just below his sleeves.

  I glanced up to find his icy blue eyes watching me, his brow furrowed.

  “I do. It’s just….”

  “It’s just what?” Stone asked, raking his hand through his hair, sending his bicep rippling into action with the movement.

  “I do want to find her, and I want her to come to my graduation. I want to have a relationship with her, but I’m nervous. Stone, what if she doesn’t want to see me? What if she’s perfectly happy with her life like it is? No kids to deal with. She can do whatever she pleases, and she doesn’t have to worry about making anyone happy.” I closed my eyes and groaned. Anticipating our drive to Oakley this afternoon had my nerves tied in knots.

  “At least you’ll know,” Stone said, shifting his weight as he rested his palm on the hood. “You’ll know whether your mom has some redeeming qualities, or you’ll know she’s a piece of shit.”

  “Stone!”

  “Well, it’s true,” he grumbled. “Maybe not knowing would be worse than kno
wing. At least then you’d know that you had done everything you could. You wouldn’t be left wondering for the rest of your life what would’ve happened if you’d looked for her.”

  “She could still show up on her own. Maybe it would be better if I waited for her.”

  “Maybe,” Stone agreed. He took my hands in his large, warm palms. “Look, Dara, I wish I knew what to tell you. The truth is that I can understand it whichever way you decide. But if you really want to have a relationship with her, then maybe if you reach out to her, it’ll help her know that you’ve accepted her, you know? Maybe she’s just as scared as you are. But neither of you will ever know, if one of you doesn’t do something about it.

  “I just want you to be happy, and I’ll support you either way.”

  I wrapped my arms around his waist, and he pulled me to his chest, his arms encircling me protectively. “I want my mom in my life.”

  “Then we’ll find her,” he said, squeezing me. He turned me loose and slapped me on the butt. “Now, let’s go before we’re late to school.”

  I handed him the keys and hopped in the passenger side while he slid behind the steering wheel.

  ***

  Even though today was a half day, school seemed to drag on forever. When the final bell rang, I scooped up my books and raced out of the classroom, eager to escape the vibrant blue writing on the whiteboard and the dull drone of my calculus teacher as he lectured about derivatives.

  Ready to begin the search for my mother, I hurried to my locker and sifted through books, pulling out any that I needed for homework or for studying for finals.

  Stone approached me from behind, snaking his arms around my waist and pulling me backwards into his lean, muscular chest. Even though we’d been together for several months, my pulse still raced at his nearness. I smiled, genuinely happy to be in his presence and excited about our road trip to Oakley.

  Pressed against his body, I tilted my head to the side and glanced up at him. “Ready to go?”

  He brushed his lips against my temple in a quick kiss. “I’m always ready.”

  I slammed my locker shut, and he released me. Picking up my overstuffed backpack, he slung it over his shoulder with ease, despite its weight.