“TELL US ABOUT your man,” Meeka insisted, curling her feet under her on the couch.
I laughed, shaking my head. The girls and I had gone into the house for drinks while the guys sat by the fire. “What do you want to know?” My cheeks heated, realizing I never hid the fact that Stone was mine. Clearing my throat, I took a swig of beer.
“I heard he’s lined with tattoos,” Brogan said from beside me. “Is it true? Your inner tattoo artist must be in heaven.”
“Um …” My cheeks burned even more. “Yes, he has tattoos.”
“I never thought I’d see the day where you actually blushed over him.” Meeka giggled. “You’ll change in front of me and walk around naked but you get shy over Stone.”
“You walk around naked?” Jay asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Not in front of Asher,” I barked a laugh. “I’m not that kind of girl. And I don’t think Stone would appreciate another man seeing my bits.”
The girls laughed in unison.
“Are you guys getting serious?” Max handed me another beer before dropping onto the chair across from me.
“We’re having fun. Trust me, it’s needed right now with all of the shit going on. I don’t know what to think about what will or won’t come out of this. I just … I want to enjoy him.” I coughed. “That’s all.”
“I have to ask a serious question.” Brogan cleared her throat, downing the rest of her water before glancing my way. “He’s darker than Coby, isn’t he?”
I frowned, not quite sure what she meant.
The air in the room grew thick.
The girls shifted in their seats.
“I won’t compare Stone’s life to Coby’s. Everything affects everyone differently. You girls know that. Both Coby and Stone have their own reasons for being dark as you put it.” And when it came to Stone, I had a feeling I didn’t even know half of his story yet.
“Okay.” Jay clapped her hands together. “Back to happy stuff because Lord knows we need it.”
“So, tell me, is he … you know.” Meeka waggled her eyebrows.
“I am not telling you how big his dick is.” It sure was a monster, though.
“Come on.” She pouted. “I haven’t had sex in almost a month.”
“Whose fault is that? Asher won’t hurt the babies,” I reminded her.
“You never know,” she exclaimed. “That man of mine is huge.”
“Okay, I love you.” I held up my hands, stopping her from going any further. “But I don’t want to know anything about Asher’s dick.”
“Who’s talking about my dick?” Asher asked, coming into the house.
“I was, baby,” Meeka pouted, her cheeks reddening.
“Why were you talking about my dick?” he asked, placing a soft peck on her forehead.
“Because I miss it,” she whined.
Asher raised an eyebrow, looked from her, back to us, to her again and grabbed her hand. “We have to go.”
Meeka grinned and followed her boyfriend out of the house.
“I guess they’re no longer waiting until the babies are born.” Jay laughed, shaking her head.
I giggled, taking another sip of my beer.
Brogan only smiled, looking out the window to where the guys sat by the bonfire.
“How are you two doing?” I asked, the nurse in me wanting to help my friend in any way I could.
“We’re good as a whole.” She looked back at us. “I can’t speak for him but when I’m alone, it’s harder.”
“How so?” Jay moved to the spot beside Brogan, gripping her shoulder.
“It’s hard to explain. We’re much better than before. After you had Angelica …” She shook her head, blowing out a slow breath. “That helped. It distracted us. But that didn’t last long. It’s been rough. But we get by. I love him. I love him with everything in me.”
My chest tightened.
The pain in our friend’s eyes was imminent. She excused herself and headed outside. When she approached Coby, he smiled up at her and pulled her onto his lap.
“They worry me.” Max stood, stretching her arms up and over her head. “I know she’s trying to be strong and it’s been several months since that shit happened but …”
“After everything is done, I’m ordering everyone to take a fucking vacation.” Jay sat on the couch. “We’ll all go together. Somewhere warm. I’ll get my dad to watch Angelica. It’ll be fun. But we need to get away. I’m sick of this shit.”
We all agreed.
The hairs on the back of my neck tingled. I smiled to myself, knowing Stone was watching me. When he sat beside me, he cupped my inner thigh.
“Wanna get out of here?” he asked, his voice low enough for only me to hear.
“Yeah.” I looked up at him, leaning my head against the back of the couch. “But I don’t want to go home. Not yet.”
“I can take you to my place,” he suggested. “But you said you work tomorrow.”
“There’s a motel between here and the hospital I work at. Take me there.” I licked my dry lips. “Please.”
His dark eyes searched my face.
Don’t ask me questions. Please don’t ask.
He stood and held out his hand. “I got something better.”
I placed mine in his, letting him pull me to my feet.
“Don’t forget about our future vacation,” Jay joked.
“What vacation?” Angel kissed her head, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“Just a getaway that I know we will all need when this shit is done,” she told him, patting his broad chest.
He grunted. “I need more than a vacation.” He whispered something in her ear.
Her cheeks reddened. “So, you guys are leaving, right?”
***
(Stone)
Something was wrong. I could feel it down to the marrow of my bones. I didn’t know what it was but I knew Creena needed something. Sex. A drink. To fight. All of the above. I had no idea, but whatever it was, I would be right there beside her because I needed it too.
Leaning against the passenger door, she kicked off her shoes, stretched out, and placed her feet in my lap.
I wrapped my hand around them, brushing my thumb back and forth over the soft skin. “Tell me what you need.”
“Jay was right. We all need a vacation.”
That was a fucking understatement but she never answered my question. “Tell me what you need.”
“That’s just it.” She laughed. “I have no idea what I need. I have to meet up with my brother. He’s flying in over the weekend.”
“You don’t sound happy about that.” I turned down a long gravel road, knowing the faster I drove, the sooner our conversation would be over. I craved everything there was about Creena. I needed to know her story and if I had to drive across the damn country to get her to talk to me, I would.
“I don’t know how I feel. I haven’t seen him in a year. I should be happy. Excited. But … I’m not. Our relationship is … estranged, I guess you could say. I love him but he’s become a dick over the years.” She pulled her feet from my lap and sat forward. “There’s no one out here, Stone,” she said, looking out at the dark vast space in front of us. “Where are you taking me?”
Corn fields were on either side of the road. The sun had set, casting an eerie glow over the tall stalks.
“You’re not taking me to the motel I mentioned.”
“Nope.” I glanced her way. “Can you call in tomorrow?”
She thought a moment. “I have vacation time and a coworker owes me a favor so, yeah, I can.”
“Do it,” I demanded.
“Why?” Her gaze burned into the side of my head.
“I want to make you feel better.” It was partially the truth. But in all reality, I wanted her to myself. I was on edge, and if I didn’t take care of it soon, one of us was bound to get hurt.
Creena slid across the seat closer to me. Placing her hand on my leg, she gripped my inner thigh and rested her head against my shoulder. “I appreciate that but you can’t make me feel better just like I can’t make you feel better. It’s sex. It’s damn good sex but it only masks so much before it strips us bare.”
“How the fuck do you know that? Every time I’m inside you I feel better, Creena.” I cupped her hand, stopping it from going higher.
“What are we doing, Stone? This is supposed to be fun but it’s only getting heavier and heavier.” She pulled from my grasp, crossing her arms under chest.
“I have no idea what we’re doing.” I didn’t say anything else until a small cottage came into view. My heart gave a start at the memories it held. “But I do know we use each other to feel good and I’m totally fine with that.”
She sighed, scrubbing a hand down her face. “I don’t know why you bother. There’s a ton of women out there who aren’t so broken.”
I slammed the truck into park, the tires skidding along the gravel, and had my hands in her hair faster than she could finish that sentence. “I’m going to tell you this only once, little girl.”
Her eyes dilated, a slow breath leaving her full lips.
“I don’t want any other womn. I want you. I will have you. And only when I’m done with you, will I let you go. I may submit to you. I may give you control.” I licked along her bottom lip before sucking it between my teeth. “But this is on my terms. Do you understand me?”
“No, Stone.” She fisted my hoodie, pulling me closer, and brushed her mouth down the length of my jaw to my ear. “This is on my terms.”