“Like what?”
“I have a couple of surprises for you.” She frowned and almost stopped walking, but his motion kept her going. “Just relax and enjoy the ride.” She nodded her head, realizing she was feeling a little floaty—an effect of the tequila, she had no doubt. She was glad they’d stopped at two, because she wanted to enjoy and remember the evening.
She was a little amused when she realized Stone was driving home, because he’d made it sound like he’d had huge plans. But he had a giant grin on his face as they got out of his truck and walked toward the back door that led to the kitchen. Kory noticed the cleaning lady’s car still parked in the back in her usual spot. She’d only ever met the woman twice because she cleaned three times a week midday, times when Kory wasn’t around often. It was early evening, so what was she doing there now?
She knew Stone understood the unspoken question, because he continued smiling as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, guiding her toward the house. When they walked in, the first thing Kory noticed was the candles on the table. It wasn’t dark outside yet, but with the lights in the kitchen turned off, the candles seemed bright and cheery—and almost romantic…if she’d been into that sort of thing.
Annette, the thin fifty-something woman who kept Stone’s house spotless, stood beside the stove patiently while Lady hopped around Stone, licking his arms as he bent over to pet her. Kory waved at Annette and the woman nodded and smiled but she wasn’t giving up any information.
The kitchen was filled with amazing aromas that made Kory’s mouth water. That was no secret.
Stone walked over to her, causing Lady to turn her attention to Kory. Kory squatted and tousled Lady’s fur while trying to listen in on the hushed conversation between Stone and Annette. All she could get was that the food was in the oven. They exchanged other words, but Kory wasn’t privy to any of it.
As Annette walked past, she said, “Happy birthday, Kory,” and left.
Stone slapped his hands together, rubbing them. “Come have a seat,” he said, pulling out a chair from the table. She grinned and walked over, letting him hold the chair for her. That was weird. No guy had ever done that for her and, frankly, she didn’t see the point. What she did appreciate, though, was the effort Stone was going to, trying to make her day special. “What would you like to drink? We have champagne chilling for later, but for dinner, would you like wine?”
Kory waved a hand. “If we’re having champagne later, I’ll stick with water for now.”
“Iced tea if you want.”
“Oh. Okay.”
It was less than two minutes that Stone had two glasses of iced tea, complete with lemon slices, on the table. “You hungry?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I think so.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” She watched as Stone pulled a mitt onto his hand and opened the oven. He pulled out a large plate and brought it to the table, placing it in front of Kory. “In case you wondered, yes, it’s hot.” She smirked but continued watching as he pulled out a second plate and placed it beside his tea. She let the smells from the plate waft up and into her nose and her mouth began salivating.
Stone sat down after turning off the light over the stove. Kory asked, “So what is it?”
He lifted his fork and pointed to the large encrusted item on her plate. “That there is Chicken Kiev. Next to it are the best mashed potatoes you’ve ever had in your life.” Kory had to admit that they looked smooth, like they would melt in her mouth. She could see the red skins blended into the potatoes, but they appeared to be flawless. “Next to it is a vegetable blend that might look strange, but I promise it’s a taste explosion.” Kory almost laughed at his description of the thinly sliced medley of red cabbage, carrots, and some white vegetable she couldn’t place. Stone already had a knife in his hand and began cutting the chicken. “I hired the French chef in town. Yeah, this isn’t stuff he serves in his restaurant, but he’s the best chef I’ve ever known, and we discussed extensively what kind of menu I wanted for your birthday. It’s a little bit of the familiar mixed with a touch of the exotic and I think you’ll like it.”
Kory wasn’t sure about the food, but the sentiment was perfect.
* * *
Dinner was amazing. Kory was shocked that she’d been able to eat it all, but the portion was perfect. “I hope you have room for dessert,” Stone teased. She wondered if he meant literal or figurative dessert, but she wasn’t going to ask. He had a twinkle in his eye that she didn’t want to extinguish. He was having fun surprising her. She just nodded and smiled.
He took a fairly small box out of the refrigerator and set it on the island. “Come check this out, Kory.”
She got up and walked over, peeking inside the white box. In it was a small cake adorned with white frosting, accented and piped in a light blue, decorated with flowers of the same delicate azure hue. Tiny letters said Happy birthday, Kory. Her smile was small at first, but then it spread over her entire face when she appreciated the lengths Stone had gone to. She looked at him. “I love it.”
“I thought about getting a sheet cake, but then we’d feel like we had to eat it all. So I had this one made just for you.”
Her jaw slackened before she found her tongue. “I can’t eat all that.”
Stone laughed. “That’s not what I meant. I’ll eat half.”
“Oh.”
“Ready for some bubbly?”
“Sure.”
He pulled a knife out of the large wooden rack on the island and set it down. “You can cut it if you want.” Kory noticed the two dessert plates behind the box and nodded. While Stone walked over to the fridge, she examined the box and saw that there were areas on the sides where the box fit together and that she could pull them apart, giving her easy access to the cake. She decided to split it as evenly as she could—right down the middle—and once she’d cut it in half, she slid the knife underneath each slice to transport it to its plate.
Small cake or no, Kory couldn’t finish her half. She didn’t want to be uncomfortably full.
She waited to drink the champagne until after she finished the cake. With her first swallow, she could feel the bubbles teasing the back of her nose, and she appreciated the light, fruity flavor of it, but she could still taste what made it alcohol. She didn’t know that she’d ever acquire a taste for it, but she could see why people liked it.
“Thank you, Stone. This has been amazing.”
“Oh, the night’s not over yet.” Tease. “I’ll be right back.” He walked out of the kitchen, maybe to the living room or maybe to the room he used as a drawing studio, but she couldn’t tell for certain. He came back with a small silver box barely bigger than a wallet and sat next to her. “That’s for you,” he said, sliding it toward her.
She shook her head. “Stone, you didn’t have to get me anything. You’ve already done so much.”
“I wanted to.” He tilted his chin toward her. “Open it.” She drew in a slight breath and picked up the box. It was light. As she pulled the ribbon off it, Stone said, “I’ll have you know I had a hell of a time deciding what to get you. You’re not a typical woman, Kory. I didn’t want to get you a piece of jewelry you’d never wear…so I thought about buying you a bunch of iTunes cards, but that’s impersonal. I kept thinking and thinking…and finally figured out what to get you.” As he finished talking, she placed the ribbon on the table and pulled up the lid of the small, flat box, curious as hell.
There were several twenty-dollar bills folded on top and she furrowed her brow. What the hell? Money’s not impersonal? She got ready to say so when he told her to open them. She unfolded the bills to find a hot pink sticky note that said, This is for a passport. She was still confused. “How did you know I don’t have a passport?”
“Really? You’re asking me that?” She shrugged. He was right—she didn’t have one. “Keep going,” he urged, and so she lifted out the folded paper that had been underneath. It took her several seconds to decipher what
it was: an email confirmation for a flight for two to Paris, France, in late November. “You’re like I am, Kory—you’re not materialistic. So what could I get for you that you would love and cherish? It didn’t take me long to figure it out: A visit to a place you’ve never been, something we can share together.”
Her heart felt like it had hit the floor, because no one had ever done anything this special for her. Part of her wondered if she deserved it. “But…I have school, Stone. I can’t miss a whole week of classes.”
“That’s Thanksgiving week. You have that whole week off from class. I already checked.”
“But—when will I study? That’s right before finals week.”
“We’re only gone Monday through Friday. You’ll still have two weekends to worry about school.”
She let it wash over her then. Oh. She’d never been outside the U.S., hadn’t really traveled much at all anywhere…had never been on a plane. As the reality settled in, she felt a tear threaten to fall. Stone was sensitive, loving, and oh, so perceptive. How had he known? “Oh, God. Thank you.” She moved her chair close to his and kissed him. Then he pulled her into an embrace, holding her to his chest. He had become her safe place, her happy place, and he’d just solidified that spot in her heart for eternity.
“But that’s not all,” he said, the teasing lilt returning to his voice.
By that point, she was completely his. Her smile was as wide as her face and she said, “You know you’re spoiling me, right?”
“You say that like you don’t deserve it.” He took her hands in his and kissed her on the nose. “Come with me.” He led her through the doorway and they went straight for the stairs. She was excited. She hoped they would make love, something that she no longer associated with anything negative, but she knew that maybe instead he would draw a bath in that huge tub in the master bathroom. Or maybe he’d give her a backrub. She had no idea, but she was ready for anything now.
As they got close to the top, she felt even more joyous. Stone knew how much she loved the strings of colored lights in the hot tub room, and so she knew that was why he’d put up dozens of them in his room since the last time she’d been there, and they were on, sparkling and twinkling. She turned around. “You’re crazy!”
“Crazy about you.” He took her hand and led her to the middle of the room, kissing her passionately. Then he said, “Okay. Here’s the deal. I want you to try closing your eyes, but no matter what, you can’t touch me. Okay?”
She felt her brows push down in a frown. “Why?”
“Just…trust me.” Well, there was no getting around it. She did—and she would continue to, without question. He’d proven himself worthy of her trust…and her love, and she wanted him to know that. She nodded and then closed her eyes. “Good girl.”
She heard him walk around behind her, but she sensed more than heard his presence there. Then she felt a shiver shimmy through her spine as his fingers brushed both sides of her neck, drawing her hair to the back of her head and lifting it off her neck. She felt his warm, soft, damp lips touch the nape of her neck, and he made a trail of kisses to just under her right ear. Her breath caught in her throat at the sense of anticipation it created in the pit of her belly. She waited, tense, until she felt his lips on her nape again, and he kissed along the other side of her neck this time, only he kept going, and she lifted her chin as his lips continued to move along the line of her jaw.
She was inhaling quickly when he stopped at the base of her chin, and her body stirred with the sense of breathlessness. With an unexpected gentleness, he let go of her hair and she continued to stand, her eyes closed, and she felt her heartbeat speed up, waiting to experience his next move.
Several seconds passed with him standing behind her, doing nothing at first. Her breathing grew shallow as she waited for him to do something, and she finally felt his fingers close around the bottom of her shirt. He raised it in an achingly slow motion, but she lifted her arms when it came time and, while Stone pulled the shirt the rest of the way up, she felt his lips on the back of her neck again, but he pulled the shirt off her and his hands were no longer touching her again. After a few seconds, she felt the tips of his fingers brush up her back, giving her shivers. He paused when he reached her bra, and his fingers wrapped around it, unlatching the hooks. That was when she noticed that his fingers felt like fire against her skin in the coolness of his bedroom.
When he got her bra undone, she felt his lips on the base of her spine, just above her jeans, and he feathered kisses up the length of her back, stopping between her shoulder blades. The sense of anticipation, more than anything else, was killing her. Without being able to touch him or see him, she had no way of knowing what he was going to do next, and what that did to her brain was unbelievable. She didn’t know if it was his light touch, his attention to detail, or the sense of expectation and her heightened senses that made her aroused more than usual, but every nerve on her body felt alive and aware and every inch of skin was awake, ready for his touch.
Finally, she felt him in front of her and his fingers brushed the tops of her shoulders as he pulled the bra down her arms, causing her to shiver again. Then she felt the backs of the fingers of both his hands lightly brushing up her abdomen, stopping just below her breasts. Next, with one warm finger, he traced a soft, slow line between her breasts up to her collarbone. His other index finger joined the one and he moved them centimeters at a time in opposite directions under her collarbone, curving back down when they got close to her underarms. As they continued to trace along her skin, they touched the very sides of her breasts and her nipples grew taut. Over and over, he traced those big, wide, lazy circles around her breasts, and it hadn’t been until then that Kory noticed how sensitive the valley between her breasts was.
Her breath was shallow and erratic and she couldn’t stand it anymore. She opened her eyes and said, “Would you stop teasing me already?” Without a word, Stone’s mouth latched onto her nipple, drawing it in and flicking it with his tongue, and the shock to her system was undeniable. She moaned loudly, shoving her fingers into his hair. She noticed then that her panties were wet, her pussy clenching against itself. How much more could she take?
He released her nipple and said, “You cheated.” She couldn’t help the small smile that spread across her face, but she could take the hint. She let go of his hair and closed her eyes again. He began tracing the outer edge of her other breast with his finger, but the circle narrowed with every pass until his finger was touching the areola, so rigid and sensitive. He continued touching it with the pad of his finger, circling in until he got to the nipple…and then he stopped again.
Several seconds later, his tongue touched the very tip and then withdrew, leaving her once more in that heightened state.
It was then that she felt his fingers on the button of her shorts. As desirous as she felt by this point, she wouldn’t have been surprised at all if she’d come if he deciding to just breathe on her bare skin. He moved as though he was in no hurry, though, until he had her shorts over her hips and he let them drop to the floor. He lifted her foot and she peeked one eye open a slit to see him sitting on the floor. While he had her foot raised, he slipped her flip-flop off and then he did the same with the other foot. When she closed her eye again, she was in nothing but her panties and he was, once more, not touching her, making her suffer while she waited. Then she felt his index fingers at the top of her panties and they traced lines to her sides where he then hooked the fabric and pulled the underwear down her legs. He again lifted her foot out of the panties, but he continued raising the leg, forcing her to balance on her other foot, until he rested it on his shoulder so that her lower leg draped over his back.
He wasn’t done with the torment, though. She felt a finger touch the inside of her knee of the leg that touched the ground, and he traced a line up, stopping just inches away from where she really wanted to feel him. Then she felt him breathe against the side of her other knee until his lips touch
ed the flesh there, and he kissed his way toward her pussy.
She felt it clench once more against nothing. She knew she’d never been this wet before—it was impossible to ignore, and she wondered if he would be able to tell. The closer his lips got to the target, the slower he seemed to move until she began to wonder if he was going to torment her to death. Just when she was ready to snap, he felt his tongue against her. She couldn’t quite tell where, because everything was overly sensitive at this point. He shifted under her leg, causing her to spread wider, and he braced her to keep her steady, his arm underneath the thigh of the leg that was draped over his shoulder, his hand resting on her back. The fingers of his other hand he brought to her underside, and he gently spread her folds further apart.
He began a maddening circular motion, almost as though he were intentionally avoiding her clit. His tongue was hitting everything except that target but, God, it felt amazing. A low groan made its way up her throat and she didn’t give a fuck about his rules anymore. She wound her fingers through his hair as though to hold on for dear life. He moved his tongue slowly and didn’t pause or change his rhythm when she grabbed his mane. Instead, it felt like he was on a mission, and maybe that mission was to drive her to insanity by overstimulation without release.
Oh, but something was happening.
God, yes, she was getting closer, but it was a slow, delicious climb. It was prolonged and the build was intense. If she’d been in her right mind at that point, she might have compared it to walking. A regular build to climax was much like a walk up a hill—sometimes that hill was deceiving, with the apex a little farther off than expected, but once she hit it, it was amazing. This, though…holy hell. This was like scaling a fourteener, and the rewards were going to be unlike anything she’d ever experienced. She knew it. The climb alone was unlike anything she’d experienced before.
And just as she started relishing each circle he made below, feeling her body tighten and prep itself for what was sure to come, Stone switched it up, and she could at last feel his tongue lashing against her clit. She would have thought that would have been all she could take, but instead her body was now conditioned to take the ongoing torment, and she knew then that she had a little longer to go to reach the summit. What little was left in the rational part of her brain decided to enjoy it and she tried to relax, focusing on the incredible sensations Stone was creating. She was almost panting by that point, her heart beating rapidly in her chest, but all her focus was on the feelings below.
Tangled Web Series Box Set Page 53
