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Twenty

Friday, February 2, 2024

Stone woke up to a warm bodycurled up against his side, a soft arm draped over his stomach.

His first instinct was to shove out of bed, but he remained still, waiting until the events of the night flooded his brain. Something told him this wasn't going to be one of those instances when he snuck out to put distance between himself and whoever was next to him.

A familiar hint of strawberries and cream stirred his body.

No, there would be no running away from this.

He pressed a kiss to Stevie's forehead and let his fingers roam the warm skin of her back.

"We've never done this before."

Her soft words floated into his sleepy brain.

"No, we haven't." Fifteen years ago, they'd had sex numerous times, but never had they woken up together. He had lived with his parents, and she'd lived with hers, so the opportunity hadn't presented itself. The few times they'd gone to the barn, Stone hadn't wanted her to wake up like that. It was one thing to fool around, but he'd loved her enough to want more for her. Like a bed and a real room. And hell, air conditioning.

No, this was a dream come true. Waking up with her soft and warm against him, the day underway.

Stevie's hand wandered the way his did; only hers moved across his ribs, his stomach, inching lower.

Shifting his arm, Stone reached for Nico, but he wasn't there.

"He's makin' breakfast," Stevie said, her voice still whisper-soft.

"Does he need help?"

She pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "I offered. He said no."

"So, should we go back to sleep until it's ready?"

Stevie chuckled as she draped her leg over his. "Probably not."

"Did you have somethin' else in mind?"

"Mmm-hmm." Her lips trailed toward his nipple.

Helping her along, Stone shifted her so she was lying on top of him, straddling his hips. He brushed her hair back from her face and looked at her in the dim light filtering in through the partly open curtain.

Her dark eyes glittered as she met his gaze. Stone swore he saw a wealth of emotion in those mocha-colored irises.

"Good mornin'," he said with a smile.

"It's definitely about to be."

A second later, Stone grunted when Stevie rubbed her pussy along the length of his cock. He grabbed her thighs and guided her, letting her rub herself against him. She was hot and wet, and he longed to be inside her, but he was awake enough to realize they didn't have protection. Considering who she was, Stone didn't really care. He would've gladly slid home regardless of that, but he'd trained himself to pay attention. With the exception of Stevie, he'd never screwed a woman he intended to have a future with, so protection was crucial. For both of them.

With Stevie, he would leave the choice to her.

"Stone…"

"Want me to get a condom, baby?" he asked, keeping his voice low. "Or do you want to slide that slick pussy down my cock."

She lifted her head.

He could see the questions in her eyes, so he answered them. "I'm clean. You're the only person I've ever been bareback with."

Her eyes widened.

"I get tested regularly," he assured her.

She whimpered, continuing to rub herself along his dick, which was now a steel rod between them.

"How do you know I'm on birth control?"

Stone held her gaze. "I don't."

Evidently, it was the wrong thing to say because Stevie jerked. Before she could scramble off of him, Stone banded his arms around her and held on tight.

"You can't be serious," she hissed. "You don't know me anymore, Stone."

She was right. He didn't. But he knew enough to be certain that what he felt for her all those years ago was still just as potent as ever.

"Don't run," he said firmly. "Stay with me, Stevie."

He held her stare and rocked his hips, grinding his cock along the seam of her pussy. She gasped, her eyes closing, but she fought to open them again. Her ire was etched in the lines on her face, but even that looked good on her.

"If you want a condom, get one," he told her, keeping the hint of command in his tone because he knew she loved that.

Her jaw muscle bunched. "How do you know I don't have a disease?"

"Do you?"

"No," she huffed. "But you don't know that."

"You're right. I don't." Stone lifted his head so he could kiss her lips. "But I trust you, Stevie."

And he did. He trusted her with his whole heart. He probably shouldn't, considering how callous he'd been with hers all those years ago. There was a good chance she wanted to hurt him the same way he'd hurt her. However, he knew Stevie well enough to know she would launch an emotional attack, not a physical one if she wanted to get back at him.

"What if I wasn't on the pill and I got pregnant? You'd be screwed."

No, he would be right where he wanted to be. Stone didn't tell her that because he knew the question had been rhetorical. She was working through her emotional pain. He had hurt her, and she wanted him to know it. He knew. He did. And he would spend the rest of his life making it up to her. Even if the most he ever got from her was a few fleeting moments of intense pleasure.

Stevie whimpered as she continued to grind against him. "You should … oh, God…" She inhaled deeply and started over. "You should know I don't love you anymore."

He ignored the vise that gripped his chest at her admission. "I know."

She gasped and groaned, her pussy growing wetter by the second. Stone held himself together by sheer will.

"And I don't plan to," she whimpered.

"I know."

Her eyes opened. "I'm serious."

Stone ensured she saw his sincerity when he whispered, "It's the least I deserve, Stevie. But that doesn't change the fact that I still love you." He brushed a strand of hair back from her face. "Let me love you, Stevie."

Tears filled her eyes, but she didn't let them drop. He gripped her hips even as she sat up. Her gaze snagged his as she wrapped her fingers around his cock and guided him where they both wanted him.

Stone's eyes rolled back as the heat of her body enveloped him. She was slick and hot, and … God, she felt so damn good. Nothing had ever felt like this. Not in fifteen years.

He threaded his fingers with hers and let her use him as leverage as she rode him. She never looked away. Neither did he. The pleasure consumed every inch of his being. Heart, body, and mind.

Some would call him crazy, but Stone was still head over heels for this woman, and nothing would ever change that. He'd suspected it would all come flooding back if and when he ever saw her again. That was part of the reason he'd steered clear on his brief visits over the years. Now that he was here, now that she was with him, he knew it would be impossible for him not to spend the rest of his life loving her.

Even if she didn't want him to.

***

Stevie couldn't believe she was doing this.

She couldn't believe she was throwing caution to the wind, yet here she was, letting Stone weave his way around her heart once again. He was good at that. Sneaking in when she least expected it.

As much as she wanted to harden her heart against him, it was impossible. As though she'd been designed to love this man even if she didn't want to. And she didn't. She didn't want to love him because she knew he was capable of hurting her. He'd already wrecked her once. There was nothing to say he wouldn't do it again.

"You're so fuckin' beautiful."

If he was feigning the awe in his voice, he was a master manipulator.

She was panting heavily—with both exertion and the overwhelming heat that consumed her. This man made her feel things no one else ever had. The only person who'd come close was Nico, but they'd purposely kept this sort of intimacy at bay.

"Stevie … baby…" His eyes closed, head tipped back. "Oh, yeah. Fuck me, baby."

God, she hated that he was so damn sexy, especially when he was encouraging her to take what she wanted from him. And this was what she wanted. Nothing more. She would be content to have his body and only that for the rest of her life.

Liar.

And if she kept telling herself that, one day, it would be true.

Maybe.

"Stone…"

"Tell me, baby. Tell me what you need."

"You," she insisted. "Fuck me."

"You're doin' a mighty fine job of fuckin' me right now."

Stevie stopped moving.

Stone laughed.

She hated that he did because it made her feel lighter. Freer. She'd always felt that way with him. As though the world couldn't hurt her if he were around.

"How do you want me?" he asked, his voice gruffer than before.

She considered that for a moment.

"You want me to bend you over and fuck you from behind?"

Stevie nodded.

He chuckled again. "Or you want me to bend you in half and plow my dick into this sweet cunt?"

He prefaced those words by rubbing his thumb on her clit.

She nodded again.

Stone rolled his hips, lifting her, his cock buried so deep inside her, she wasn't sure where he ended and she began.

"Which is it gonna be, Stevie? Tell me."

"You decide," she told him, hissing through clenched teeth as his cock rubbed so perfectly inside her.

"You sure?"

She nodded.

Stone moved faster than a man his size should move. Stevie found herself on her side with Stone straddling one of her legs, the other he was holding up, her foot pointed at the ceiling. He rammed his cock deep inside her, the angle causing her to cry out as exquisite pleasure ripped through her entire being.

He didn't stop. His hips pistoned so fast it was impossible to keep up with the delicious sensations battering her body.

"Yes … oh … fuck … yes! Stone!" She screamed his name again and again as she came in a violent rush that was so powerful it knocked the air from her lungs.

"You want me to come inside you?" he growled, continuing to fuck her like a man possessed.

She met his stare. "Yes."

"Fuck." He clamped his teeth together, his eyes lowering to the point where their bodies were connected.

Stevie watched him as he watched himself fuck her. It sent her spiraling again, another orgasm pummeling her as intensely as the first.

"That's it, baby," he grunted and groaned. "God, yes, Stevie. Oh, fuck…" Stone slammed into her one final time, holding himself there.

Stevie watched his face as he came deep inside her. It triggered another mini eruption that had her pussy locking down on him. His expression contorted into something that resembled pain.

When they were both wrung dry, he fell forward, catching himself before he crushed her. Giving herself over to the moment, Stevie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

As she did, she prayed that this man wouldn't stomp on her heart again. It was bad enough that the damn thing was already belly up, begging him to love her the way she'd always wanted him to.

***

Nico was pouring coffee into a mugwhen Stevie appeared.

"Mornin'," he greeted.

"Mornin'," she rumbled, her response not quite as cheerful. In fact, he'd go so far as to say it was hesitant.

"You should be hungry after that," he said, keeping his tone nonchalant.

"Oh, God." She covered her face with her hands.

Nico figured he could approach this a few different ways. One, he could act like he had no idea Stevie and Stone just fucked in his bed. Of course, he would have to be deaf to think that since Stevie's cries had echoed through the entire house. Or two, he could acknowledge that he was aware of her early morning extracurricular activities and pretend it was an everyday occurrence. Or three, he could greet her the way he'd wanted to greet her for the past couple of months and hope that it didn't make things weird between them.

Nico set the coffee mug on the counter and walked over to Stevie.

Option three was the only one that made sense to him.

Tilting her chin up with one finger, he pulled her hands away from her face. Her eyes were wide, glittering with what looked like concern or maybe embarrassment. It was difficult to tell.

Leaning down, Nico tilted his head and pressed his lips to hers. He waited until her mouth softened before he kissed her, licking his way inside and taking what he'd wanted for so long.

She kissed him back. Hesitantly at first, then with the same vigor he'd grown accustomed to.

Yeah, he was in love with this woman and had been for a long time. It hadn't happened that night, but a strong affection had, and it'd been building ever since. At this point, Nico wasn't sure he would make it through a day without her in it.

Her cool fingers caressed his cheek as she kissed him back, a soft hum coming from deep inside her. Her touch soothed him. It effectively erased all his worries because she kissed him with both passion and affection.

"Are you mad?" she whispered when he pulled back.

Staring down at her, Nico grinned. "How could I possibly be mad?"

As though trying to speak with her eyes, Stevie's head jerked, and her eyes popped open wide. "Because I had sex with Stone in your bed." She practically ground the words out through clenched teeth.

"What a coincidence. So did I."

Her smile was slow and rife with disbelief. It grew wider until she was shaking her head and laughing.

"Tell me there's coffee."

"There's coffee."

To his surprise, Stevie went up on her toes and kissed him on the lips. Softly this time. "Last night was incredible."

He processed the words as she hurried over to the coffee pot. She was correct; last night had been incredible. All of it. What threw him was the fact she mentioned it. Their encounters in the past were never discussed. Afterward, Stevie always walked away as though it had never happened. Even after he told her he loved her, he hadn't garnered so much as an acknowledgment. This time was different.

And fine, it was different any way you sliced it. For one, Stone was there.

Speaking of…

Stone walked into the room wearing the clothes he'd been wearing yesterday. His hair was wet, so Nico assumed he'd taken a shower. His expression was wary as he glanced at Nico, then Stevie, and back again.

Leave it to J?ger to liven things up. As soon as he saw Stone, he came running toward him, tripping over his own little paws but rebounding quickly.

"Hey, little guy," Stone greeted, going down on one knee to greet the puppy. "Have a good night?"

J?ger yipped and rolled onto his back, a silent request for a belly rub.

"Mornin'," Stone said when he looked up at Nico again.

"Mornin'. There's coffee."

"I should probably head out," he said hesitantly as he stood tall.

"That might not be possible," Nico informed him. "The roads are worse now than they were last night. Good news is, the temperature's supposed to get in the forties today, so it'll melt."

"Are you really tryin' to run out?" Stevie asked.

Nico heard the disappointment in her voice.

"I'd prefer to stay," Stone said, his gaze locked on her. "I just don't wanna overstay my welcome."

"You won't," Nico assured him.

Stone's expression was one of doubt, but he didn't say anything more.

"Grab some coffee. I haven't started cookin', but there's bacon and eggs in the fridge," Nico urged. "I'm gonna take a quick shower."

Not only did he need one, he also needed a few minutes to process what was transpiring. There was a weirdness in the air. One that he didn't recall after that night. He wasn't sure what it meant— if anything—and since he was known to overthink things on occasion, he figured there was no better time than the present to do just that.

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