STONE (Daring the Kane Brothers)

by Kelly Gendron

  We get to the hotel, enter the elevator, and start a silent hike up the floors. A few people get on and off. I concentrate on her hand in mine, a connection I plan to spread to the rest of her gorgeous body. We hit the top floor, and the doors open.

  I take her with me, not letting go as I swipe my card, drop my stuff on the floor, and close the door. I reach out, ready to claim what I need.

  “Wait,” she whispers.

  “I can’t.” I grip the back of her neck and pull her to me, reclaiming the heat and fire we left a few hours earlier. “I’ve waited long enough already for you.”

  “Stone,” she breathes with a sigh of hesitance and urgency. The sound reaches inside and borrows the last of my patience. “I-I don’t know what you want. I’m not sure I got anything to give you.”

  “Oh-ho but you do.” I smile. “For all I want tonight is you. Now stop talking and come with me to the bedroom, get naked, and let me devour you.” I pause for a moment to devour the sight of her beautiful face. “Okay?”

  “Just for tonight.” Her lips thin into a small smile.

  “And maybe the morning too?”

  “You think ya got the stamina for all that?”

  “Fuck yeah, I do. A guitar isn’t the only thing these hands can play all night.” I grab her hand and take her with me down the long hall to my room.

  We get to our destination, the room with the sleepless bed, and she stops and turns to me. My heart slams against my chest, anxious she’s going to stop me or give me another excuse why we shouldn’t do this. I hold my breath. She takes my other hand into hers.

  “I just want to say…” Her eyes meet mine, and when it’s confirmed that she has my complete attention, she continues, “This past year, I’ve wasted so much time hating you when, if I’d just opened my eyes, I would’ve seen you. You’re kind and gentle, but you’re hurt too, and it’s your pain I’m afraid of. I know it all too well. I’ve pushed people away, passing up opportunities for good relationships with caring foster parents and friends. All I ever wanted was to have my little sister back, and I got her, and we lived as a family again, but then she was stolen from me. So yeah, I’m scared you might use again. I’m also worried that if you do, I won’t be there for you. I can’t not be there for someone I care about again. After tonight, this will end.”

  “Hey.” I gently rub my thumb over her soft, tense hands, glad she finally admitted she feels something for me. “Let me worry about me, okay?”

  “But—”

  I press a finger to her lips. “Shh.” I shake my head. “For tonight, let me take care of you.” I reach for her shirt and slowly remove it from her body. Tracing a finger along her soft, pliable skin. “Let me take your clothes off.” I unhook her black lacy bra and remove it, allowing her perfect tits to gently drop free against her pale flesh. Anticipation filling me, I tear off my shirt and toss it to the floor. “Tonight, let me do what you do to me.” I move her closer to the bed. “Let me take you to another land.” I lower her to the mattress and press my lips, body, and soul into hers.

  Her arms wrap around me, and she deepens the kiss. I take it as a welcome card to her body, and between profound mouth grazes and some playful hair pulling, I wrangle her jeans and mine off.

  “Fuck.” I kneel up on the bed, cock stiff and ready to take her. “I’ve been dreaming about this, having you here, naked and wanting, for two months. You’re sexy as sin, babe.” Even in the dark room, the brilliant indigo color sneaks through her heavy lids and shines on me, heating my already warm body.

  “Come here.” She leans up from the mattress, reaches out, and wraps her hands around my cock.

  “Where?” I squeeze my ass muscles, trying to keep my excitement in check. “Here?” I press my hips forward, my cock screams to full performance.

  “Yes.” Her head moves closer. “Right.” Her long lashes lift as she looks up at me. “Here.” Her mouth slips over the head of my cock.

  “Fuck, babe!” I clench my hands and stare down into her coaxing and daring eyes. “Keep it up and you’ll have a mess in your mouth,” I warn.

  After a few threatening, proficient sucks, she slowly releases my tight hard flesh from her full, wet lips and gives me one of her cheeky grins. “Is that what you want?”

  I look down at her. “Is that what I want? Fuck, I want every and anything you’re willing to give. I want it all, but right now. No.” I push her hand away, flip her over onto her belly, and pull her hips up. “This is where I’m going to fill you tonight.” And in one forceful, hard thrust, I enter her.

  “Stone!” Her hands fist the sheet like it’s the bar on the roller coaster ride. “Oh, my God!”

  I give her a hard slap on the ass. “Yeah!” I withdraw and plunge, my palm slapping her firm ass cheek harder and harder with each pump of my cock. “Fuck, yeah. Your ass is…fuck, you’re perfect.” I grip her hips. “What do you want?”

  “Don’t stop!”

  “That’s it? Don’t stop?” I slow the rhythm down, taunting her tight wet opening or rather, offering. Whenever we’re together like this, everything she’s said to me becomes a lie. She wants me as much as I want her. She can’t want this to end. “This is all you want? This?” I shift in slow circular motion, barely giving her all of me.

  “Stone!” Her hips bump into me to speed the pace.

  “What?” I grip her hips and gradually grind her against me. “You want more?”

  “Yes!”

  “There ain’t no more. You took it all, babe.”

  “Stone,” she says, her aggression coming through from the action of her movements. She shoots me a short snarl over her shoulder, and the aggravated need etched in her face turns my lips up. She’s hot like this, so inflamed and unfinished. She needs me, and I’ll take her need any way I can. She looks back at the headboard. “I know you got more to give!” Her ass shakes with each word.

  “Yeah.” I whack her on the ass. “That’s good. Rub that sweet ass against me some more. Don’t be afraid to ask for it.” I hit her ass even harder. She lets out a low feminine needy moan. My fingers sink into her fleshy hips to gain some control back. “Yes, such a fucking good girl.” I stare down at her wild hair, her long slender back, and narrow waist. “You want me to fuck you harder?”

  “Yes!” Her ass shifts upward as if purring for more.

  “Okay, here you go.” I ram into her and don’t stop until I drive it home.

  A few minutes later, I cradle her in my arms. Her lax body tucked against mine, she’s a perfect fit. I close my eyes prepared for the darkness to take over. I drift in and out of sleep, and my mind courses to another world. A place where it smells like Jaggs, where the sun shines on my face, and where there are picket fences, dogs, and kids. Happy little children not covered in blood or tears. They run to me with smiles and jump into my arms with love, not fear.

  It’s their fear that keeps me away from them.

  After what happened in Iraq, it’s hard to look at kids. Whenever I see my niece or nephew, I have a hard time looking them in the eyes. They’re so innocent, so unaware of the ugliness happening in other countries, and oblivious to the fact that I couldn’t keep them all safe. I failed some of the children back in Iraq. Something I’m not proud of, something that makes me drink, something that keeps me up at night. That’s what happens after you’ve carried a small lifeless child in your arms to their mother. It kills me that I couldn’t save them all.

  My arm jerks and afraid to open my eyes, unsure if I’m still dreaming or awake, I lie in the bed until the feeling of my body comes back. I draw my arms closer to my body. My eyes fly open.

  She’s gone!

  I jump out of bed and notice the letter on the pillow.

  “Shit!” I pick it up.

  Stone,

  I didn’t want to wake you. I took a cab to the airport.

  Thanks for another unforgettable night.

/>   Jaggs

  I toss the letter back on the bed. “Fuck!” I grab my cell and squeeze it in my hand with a groan. She made herself clear last night. She doesn’t want me. I can’t really blame her. It’s not like I’m boyfriend material. I’m a drug addict who answers calls that lead me into the gates of hell.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “You sure you don’t want a beer?” Harley points at the bar with her large blue eyes ogling me. “I’ll get it for you.”

  “No.” I smile, glancing at Maggie, Nix, and Payton sitting at the table with us. None of them realize how much they mean to me. They’re my family! They’re all I have. If Harley hadn’t called and Crash hadn’t insisted, I’d be alone in my apartment tonight.

  Harley ducks her long honey-brown head of hair to get closer to me. “You okay? You haven’t seemed yourself lately.”

  “I’m fine,” I lie and force another smile. It’s not as if I can tell her the truth.

  Her eyes squint. “It’s hard to tell what’s going on in that head what with the new hair color and style.” She waves her hand at me. “You look so different.”

  “It’s still the same me.” I wink.

  “I know, and I’m not saying I don’t like it. It’s just weird.” She bumps her shoulder into mine. Second to Crash, I’d miss her the most.

  “Hey, Jaggs.” Crash holds up the darts from across the room. “You’re up.”

  “I pass.” I wave. “Nix, you go ahead.” I gesture to the cute, freckle-faced nerd sitting in a white golfer shirt with an arm casually resting over Payton, the newest addition to the Kane clan. I like her. They’re a good fit.

  Neck stretched, Nix looks at Token and Crash. “Who won?”

  “Me?” Crash, the lightest haired brother and my best friend, smiles. It looks good on him. He didn’t do much smiling prior to Maggie. I’m glad he’s finally found some peace.

  “Yeah?” Nix settles back in the seat, looking at Payton as if he doesn’t want to leave her.

  “Oh, fine!” Maggie gets up. “I’ll do it.” She grabs her beer, her pale ale eyes grinning at us all. “It’s high time I kicked my husband’s ass in darts anyway.” She smiles and walks over to the corner of the bar.

  Token passes the darts off to her before heading to the table. “Does she even know how to play darts?” Token snickers, covering his beard with a tattooed hand. He’s the biggest and meanest looking Kane brother. He’s also best friends with Cali’s notorious gangster, Bronx Mosely.

  “Maggie Mae? Yeah.” Nix gets comfortable beside Payton, entwining his fingers into hers. “She used to play in bar leagues back in the day. She’s pretty good.”

  “Well, fuck me.” Token’s pecs shake under his tight tee with his laughter. “I gotta get a beer and watch this. Babe?” He looks at Harley.

  “No.” She lifts her half-filled glass of wine. “I’m good. Go ahead.”

  “Alright.” He leans down and kisses her on the forehead before taking off.

  Nix picks up his cell. “What time is it?”

  “It’s not even nine.” Payton grimaces, patting him on the hand. “I told the sitter we’d be home by midnight. We got time.”

  It’s almost nine? My heart’s been on a slow and steady jog all day.

  Shit! Let the race begin!

  I’ve been ignoring it all week. Every minute of every day that’s led up to this moment, I’ve pushed him to the back of my mind. I’ve desperately tried to forget about the way he feels against me, the sound of his voice as he whispers for only my ears, the touch of his fingers on my skin, and how he makes me feel like I’m the only one who exists in his world. But that world and this world can never coexist.

  So I’ve tried to forget him. Still, he’s slipped into my heart and refuses to get out. I’ve burrowed a few holes to give him some wiggle room to get the hell out. He won’t leave. He’s a constant that won’t go away, and I miss him like crazy.

  Yes. It’s November 10th, and it’s closing in on nine p.m. I remember the promise he made. We’re counting down to the bomb he’s set in my heart. It sits right beside him in the empty hollow space in my chest.

  He hasn’t reached out to me. Not a single text or a call. He’s done as I asked. He’s left me alone. He’s not coming. Why would he?

  My heart’s been broken before, so I’m prepared for the explosion.

  “What do you think, Jaggs?”

  “Huh?” I look up from my cell at Harley.

  Harley frowns. “I said next week we should all get together and—”

  I don’t know why, but once again, my friend attempts to tell me something, and I drift off. Feeling him not only pounding on my heart from the inside, I glance to the right, then the left. I go deaf to Harley’s voice. I blink, my body numb from the neck down. I gotta be seeing things. Damn, if the eye-stopping guy who just walked in the bar didn’t have short hair and wasn’t clean shaven, I might think…

  “Holy shit!” I hear Nix say. “Is that Stone?”

  “Where?” I hear Harley.

  “There,” I hear Nix reply. “Dark blue shirt by the door. Yeah, he’s heading this way. Hey! Token! Crash! Stone’s here!”

  Oh my God! Stone is here!

  Race underway, those soul-taking amber eyes lock with mine, and a small smile tugs on his lips. Shit! He was irresistibly gorgeous with the beard and long hair and guitar in hand. This Stone is instant panty-wetting, knee-dropping hot! He’s hiding nothing. His sexiness is front and center and heading straight for me. Everything exposed, the dimple on his cheek, his full lips, and that chin! Shit! He’s brought it all with him, and damn, he looks prepared for anything!

  Trapped in his unshakable gaze, I’m afraid to look at the rest of the gang, and in a poor attempt to fend him off, I shake my head.

  His smile grows with each step. His head nods once, and that’s all it takes for my insides to go crazy!

  “No!” I mouth, scooting back in the seat. Please go away. Please make this stop!

  “Yes,” he mouths back, ten feet away.

  “No,” I whisper. Oh, my God! He’s almost to me. What am I going to do? What’s he going to do? Shit! Shit! Shit!

  “Yes.” His smile gets wider, four feet away.

  “Stone?” I hear Nix and Token say.

  “What’s going on?” I hear Harley ask. She’s closest to me.

  Stone walked into the bar and accomplished the one thing I feared the most. He brought our intimate little world and this huge Kane world together.

  Lungs forbidding air, I can’t breathe as I wait for the explosion from the devastating collision.

  Still, he doesn’t falter, not with his cocky smile or in his resolute steps.

  He continues to move…three, two, one foot away.

  “No!” I sway my head back.

  “Yes.” He winks, grabs me behind the neck, bends down, and delivers the kiss I’ve been dreaming about for the past month. “Fuck.” He presses his forehead against mine. “I’ve missed you, babe.”

  And just like that, everyone disappears.

  “Stone!” Crash jerks Stone from me. “What the fuck?” Crash shoves him, barely relocating Stone’s position. “You can’t just walk in here and kiss whoever the fuck you want. What the fuck is wrong with you?” He shoves him again. Stone’s shoulder moves with the hit, the rest of his body remains unbending. “You using again? What the fuck, dude!”

  “You better back off, bro.” Stone holds up a steady hand, and without the beard and long hair obscuring his face, it’s clear to see he’s not messing around.

  Oh my God! There’s so much more to him than that guitar or his wayward looks.

  He’s so real.

  He’s growing inside me, ripping my heart open, and revealing more of himself to me and to everyone here. For as long as I’ve known him, he’s never stood up for anything. Yet here he is defending me, defending us! He’s
alive and ready to combat his brothers for whatever we are.

  I have to do something.

  I must stop this!

  But I can’t move. This is my family, and this is Stone, the Kane who stole not only my love like his family but he managed to trap himself in my heart as well. I’ve feared the day these two worlds crashed, and here we are, and it’s going to start with a fight! Shit!

  “Crash.” Token grips Crash’s shoulder right as he’s about to give Stone another shove.

  “What?” Crash tries to shrug him off, but Token’s a hunk of unmovable muscle. There’s no getting rid of him unless he lets you.

  “It’s okay.” Token looks at me. “Right, Jaggs? We’re good here?”

  I look from Token to Crash and then to Stone. Fuck! I can’t lie to them any longer. I care about them all.

  “Yes.” I nod at Token and Crash. “It’s okay. Stone and I are, well, we’re, ah—”

  “We’re a thing.” Stone peers over at me with a twinkle of confidence in his gold-flecked eyes. Dammit! All I want to do is leave with him, take him home, and do what I’ve dreamed about for the past month. I know we need to talk about a few things, but first, I plan to take my clothes off and feel his body against mine.

  “What the fuck?” Crash looks at me with transparent betrayal.

  Shit! I hurt him. I should’ve told him. He’s my friend, and I deceived him. I shouldn’t have let it go on for this long, but I couldn’t tell him. Crash let me into his home and his family. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be a part of this awesome family.

  Crash’s face scrunches, every wrinkle indicating his anger and disappointment. “Since when?”

  The crack in his voice shatters my heart. I can’t say anything. Nothing. I look at Harley, and even she’s staring at me with confusion and opposition. Shit! I should’ve told her as well. They’re all going to hate me!

  “August 8th.” Stone’s eyes remain on me as he moves closer to my unresponsive body.

  “Wait.” Crash points at me. “Isn’t that when you went to visit your fucking aunt in Rochester? What the hell is going on here?”