Chapter 36

36

S tone calls Jack, Estlin's brother and Owen's best friend on the way to the emergency department. Jack is an emergency department attending at MGH, and we want this handled quietly for Forest's sake. He also calls his parents and lets them know what's going on and asks them to meet us at the hospital. I'm sitting in the backseat with Forest beside me. He's shaking and sweating as his head sits on my shoulder and my arm is around him.

"Do you hate me?" he asks quietly as the car moves through the city.

I turn away from the window and stare down toward the dark form of his head as he rests on me. "I could never hate you. Do you hate me?"

"I could never hate you," he parrots and then sighs, tilting his head back to meet my gaze. "I've held on too long."

"Yes," I agree.

"Are you going to marry him?"

I gnaw on my lip. "Maybe one day."

He taps the ring on my hand. "I might not come to that. Don't be offended."

"I won't be."

He searches my face. "I want you in my life, Tinsley. That's what I've always wanted. I know it hasn't been good for you, and that's my fault. I'm sorry. I really am."

"We'll get there. I want you in my life too."

"As your friend."

It's a statement and not a question, but I answer him anyway. "As my friend." The thought makes me sigh. "I wish you had told me."

"I didn't want you to know. You already had trouble being around me, and I didn't want to drive you away completely. I didn't want oversight. I didn't want people all over me."

"I'm glad you're going to get help."

He blows out a heavy breath. Like the weight of the world is being lifted from his shoulders with it. "Me too." He pauses for a beat. "I fucked up your boyfriend's face."

I roll my eyes, but snicker. "You did."

"It felt good."

"No more throwing punches or anything else. I already had to deal with one crazy Apollo, I don't need another in my life."

"Sounds like a plan, but I'd like to be Rocky, not Apollo. Rocky comes out on top and beats all the odds."

I take his hand. "You've got this, Rocky. You do."

We pull up in front of the hospital, and he climbs out with the help of Stone. Jack is out here to greet us, along with Stone and Forest's aunt Rina, who is an ICU nurse.

"I have a bed for you upstairs," she tells Forest, giving him a hug. "Once Jack checks you out, we're going to admit you for alcohol withdrawal. After that, we'll figure out the best place for you to go."

Forest nods, turns, and glances over his shoulder at me and then Stone. He extends his hand to Stone, who grabs it and hauls him in for a hug. I can't hear what he's saying to him, but in my heart, I know they'll be okay .

I hug Forest too, and then Forest lets Jack and Rina take him inside, but before we can get away, Katy comes flying out the door, her head swiveling left and right until she snags on us. "Oh, hells bells."

"You should see the other guy."

Katy rolls her eyes at Stone. "Not funny. Come inside. You need an X-ray and stitches."

"You're a trauma surgeon. I'm not letting you stitch my face. How'd you even know we were here?"

"As luck would have it, I just finished with a trauma and saw Forest. Now get your ass inside."

Stone takes my hand and begrudgingly follows Katy. She guides us to a small room at the back of the ER and closes the door behind her. She slams an ice pack on his face and gets him an X-ray without him having to leave the room.

A few minutes later, she's back declaring, "Good news. It's not fractured. If you don't want me to stitch you up, I'll get one of the interns."

"Ha," he drolls. "Fine. You can stitch me up, but make it good. I have a pretty face."

Katy leaves to get what she needs, and I hop up on the gurney beside him and yawn.

He kisses the top of my head. "Tired, baby girl?"

"Mm-hmm." My stomach gurgles loudly. "And hungry."

"Obviously," he deadpans, and I nudge him with my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay." I pull back and meet his eyes. "Honestly, I'm good. No more secrets."

"No more secrets," he parrots. "Are you okay with staying fake engaged to me for a bit longer until we can work all that out?"

I smirk at him. "Yes. I think I can manage that. Lucky for me, my guy bought me a gorgeous ring. "

He kisses me just as Katy walks back in, her face scrunched up.

"Gross. Get a room, but not this room. No more tonsil hockey. I have to get home to my baby, so let's make this snappy."

I pull back with a giggle.

"No rushing, Katy. I mean it." He gives her a warning look.

"Fine, but only because you helped save my baby's life."

"What happened?" I ask because this is news to me.

"Baby Willow had an intestinal blockage about a month or so ago," he explains. "She came into the ER at Children's, and I triaged, stabilized, and got her upstairs where Owen came in and did the surgery."

"Wow. That's intense."

"Tell me about it," Katy asserts. "This will sting."

Katy numbs him up, stitches his face, and sends us on our way. Stone orders a pizza before we leave the hospital, and when we get home it's waiting for us courtesy of the doorman. The mess Forest made is also waiting for us, and Stone and I quickly clean it up and then catch the very end of the game with our pizza when my phone rings.

Stone gives me a questioning look, and I shake my head, not recognizing the number. For a moment, I'm tempted not to pick up but end up swiping my finger to answer.

"Hello?"

"Miss Monroe? My name is John List with the Boston district attorney's office. I'm the one working your case. I'm sorry for calling you so late."

"That's okay. What can I do for you, Mr. List?"

Stone sits up and motions for me to put it on speaker. I hit the button and place my phone between us.

"I wanted to let you know that the FBI ended up turning the case over to the Boston Police Department and my office, but that Apollo Sun has officially been arrested for stalking and harassment and will be arraigned by a judge tomorrow. I will be seeking remand with no bail since he has access to money and a passport and followed you from Los Angeles to Boston. You should know he confessed to everything, and I believe a plea deal will be worked out in lieu of a trial. Whether that will include jail time, I can't say at this point. He has no criminal record and was never physically violent."

"Okay." I'm not sure how I feel about that.

"Regardless of jail time or not, part of his deal will be that he's not allowed within a hundred yards of you and isn't allowed to make any personal contact."

I blow out a breath. "That's a relief."

"If you have any questions or would like one of your attorneys to speak with me, I can be reached at this number, or you can always call my office."

"Thank you," I say. "Have a good rest of your night."

"You too. I'll be in touch as further details arise."

He disconnects the call, and I throw myself at Stone. There's a lightness in my chest for the first time in a long time. No more stalker. No more Apollo Sun. Forest knows everything and is getting the help he needs.

"I think this calls for some anal."

"What?" Stone wheezes, but there is no mistaking the smoldering look in his gemstone eyes.

"Anal. You know, where you lube up my ass and stick your dick in it."

He falls apart with laughter. "Can we make it a bit sexier than that?"

"Most definitely. Come on."

I grab his hand and drag him across the apartment to his room. I'm not sure if he thinks I'm serious, but I am. We've done some exploring and we used that toy, but tonight, right now, I want the real thing.

We reach his bedroom, but he doesn't let me go for the bed. Instead, he swoops me up and brings me into the bathroom, slamming me against the wall hard enough to make me oomph . His lips come down on mine in a hot, fervent kiss, his hands tearing at my blouse.

I get greedy too and rip his shirt up and over his head, my hands roving when he captures them and pins my wrist above my head. His hips swivel forward, pressing the hard ridge of his cock into me.

"In the shower," he growls. "I'm going to take your ass in the shower."

The dirty, delicious promise makes me shiver and moan.

"But first…"

In a flash, he wrenches me away from the wall and spins me, so my hands are on the counter and I'm facing my reflection in the mirror. With a reach around, he undoes my jeans and slips them down my legs, leaving my thong on. His hand grips the triangle just above my crack, and he pulls it up, tightening the fabric against my pussy and running the string along my asshole.

My hands grip the counter, and I bite my lip. I can feel how wet I am with the crotch of my panties cinched tight against me. His other hand starts rubbing my ass as he slides his covered cock up and down against my other cheek.

"You put yourself in danger tonight, little Rose."

"What?" My half-mast eyes blink wide.

"You didn't listen to me when I told you to stay away. I don't care that it was Forest and he promised not to hurt you. You scared me. I didn't know what was going to happen. Now I have to punish you for being a bad girl and disobeying me."

Oh .

I watch in the mirror, his eyes on mine, as his hand comes up. On my next heartbeat, it slices down, and I hear the sound before I feel the sting. Oh . My eyes close, and I try to stifle my moan. It's even more intense with the way my thong is pulling and rubbing against my pussy and asshole.

More , I want to beg, but keep my mouth shut. That's not the point of this, and that will change my punishment. His lips kiss along my spine and up to the back of my neck where he one-handedly removes my bra and tosses my long mane of hair over my shoulder.

"When I slip my cock in your ass," he says in a low, deep voice. "I want to see my handprint on it."

Christ, this man and his mouth. I rub into my underwear, desperate for friction when his hand strikes again. My underwear is torn from me, and he kicks my legs farther apart so he can plunge two fingers straight inside me.

My head falls forward and my body bows. "Are you going to behave?"

I shake my head. "No. Not ever."

I can feel his smile against my skin. "Then I guess I'll just have to keep punishing you."

"Yes, sir. I understand."

With his fingers inside me, he spanks me. Hard. Harder than he has before, and the burn coupled with the pleasure of his fingers rubbing my front wall is unlike anything I've ever experienced. I want to come. I want to come so badly. I want to come all over his fingers and then his cock and his mouth after all that for good measure.

"Please. More." It slips out, and just as I knew he would, he pulls his fingers from me. I whine in protest, only to arch up onto the balls of my feet when one finger goes right into my ass. Immediately, he pulls it out and then pushes his second finger in, still wet from my pussy.

He sucks on my ear. "Open your eyes."

I hadn't realized I closed them, but slowly I open them to find him behind me, the width and musculature of his broad shoulders make me look small and fragile by comparison. His fingers pump in and out of my ass, and his other hand comes around to play with my clit.

"You're not allowed to come."

"I'm sorry?"

He smirks as he fingers my asshole and rubs my clit. Is he kidding me with that?

"I don't want you to come. I'm serious. I want you as wet and turned on as possible so that when I slide in your ass, your body will crave it and take me easily."

"But…"

He uses his fingers on my clit to spank my ass, and I grind down into his fingers.

"I'm so close." I lean back against him, spreading my thighs wider as he returns to my clit.

"Then it's shower time."

With a kiss on my neck, he pulls his fingers from my ass and clit and races out of the bathroom. A moment later, he returns with the bottle of lube and finishes undressing as he goes into the shower to turn it on. My hand covertly trails down my body toward my pussy and?—

"Don't even think about it."

"You can't tell I'm doing anything."

"I know you, my little rose. I know your propensity to play with that pretty pussy of yours. Hands back on the counter."

"Ugh. You're a tyrant. And a sadist. Sir ."

"And you get hangry when you don't come."

I flip him off, and he turns to catch it. He laughs and crooks his middle finger at me.

And because I'm such a slut for him and his sadist ways, I walk into the shower with one hand on my breast and the other rubbing my clit.

He slams me up against the shower wall and once again has my hands pinned above my head. "Do you want me to edge you some more? I will. You know I will. "

He bends to bite my nipple, and I whimper at the zing.

"I'll be good." Maybe.

He reads the maybe loud and clear even though I didn't speak it. He kisses me—a deep, hungry kiss that is more than lust and sex. It's love and devotion and possession. It's a kiss that says we might play, but I'll take care of you, not just tonight, but always.

"For your first time, I think it might be easier with you standing rather than sitting on me. But if you have a preference either way, I'm fine with that."

I shake my head.

"Good. Hands on the glass then, little rose. Press your tits into it too while you're at it."

He releases me, and I walk across the large shower and put my hands and tits against the cold glass. I shiver and shudder, anxious and more than a little excited. He picks up a bottle of lube and pours some into his palm.

"This view of you," he rasps, half-groaning. Heat skitters through my limbs as steam and water surround us, making the air hazy and my body pliant. Desperate.

Stone moves in behind me, his hand stroking his cock with the lube before he uses his wet finger in my ass, spreading it around and pushing it in so I'm as ready as I can be.

His mouth comes to my ear, and his finger slips away only to be replaced by the wide head of his cock.

"Try to relax. Remember to breathe. If you don't like it or it hurts too much, tell me. Okay?"

"Okay."

"I love you."

"I love you."

His cock starts to push in, and I bend my knees ever so slightly and close my eyes. I focus on my breathing. On the sound of the water hitting the marble. On the feel of him behind me. The warmth of his body and the rush of his breaths. He continues to move in and out and with every push in, he goes deeper than the last time.

It burns. There is no denying that.

My fingers rake against the glass, and I wince slightly.

His fingers find my clit, and he begins to whisper a myriad of sweet and filthy things into my ear. Instinctively, I reach back to spread my cheeks for him. To make more room, but something about that sets him off, and he growls out a slew of curses and drives himself all the way in.

"Shit," he hisses. "Fuck." The side of his fist rattles the glass. "Are you okay?"

He's still, not moving an inch.

I whimper, but manage a nod because, yes, I am okay. I'm more than okay. It's foreign and deep and strange, but so fucking good that I can hardly make sense of it.

He mistakes my whimper for pain and starts to pull out. "I'm sorry, baby girl. I got carried away." But I stop him by rising up onto the balls of my feet, pushing back against him, taking him in deeper. "Yeah?" he questions.

"Yeah. Definitely yeah."

And now that growl is a loud groan.

"You have no idea how hot and tight you are." He turns my face and kisses the side of my lips. "Are you ready?"

I nod against him as I kiss him, and he starts to fuck me. One hand on my hip, the other still on my jaw, and I press into the glass for support. He strokes in and out of me with smooth, even, slow fucks. Deep and languid, but with every push, I feel his piercing rub the walls inside me, pressing me in hidden, unknown places. His hand slips from my face to work my clit, stoking the fire of my denied orgasm.

All too soon, once he's sure I can take it, he speeds up, thrusting harder. He smacks my ass and bites into my shoulder, only to kiss me and suck on my skin. I meet his thrusts, marveling at how I'm about to come. It's more than just his fingers on my clit. It's him inside me too, along with the sounds he makes and the way he feels.

My hands crawl along the glass, leaving wet, streaky imprints. I wish I could see it. I wish I could watch his cock in my ass the way I know he's watching it. It's tight and I'm stretched full, but I want more. I want it all. Everything I've never thought to experience, I want to experience with him.

"Next time we do this, I want a toy in my pussy."

"Fuck!" he bellows and picks up his pace, his hips slapping against my ass at a pace that has my breath scrambling from my lungs. I reach back and split my cheeks again, and he goes wild. Fucking me so good and so hard, it tips me over the edge.

"Stone." Fuck. "I'm going to…" I can't even finish saying it because right at that moment, my orgasm plows through me. On a scream, I come to the point where I'm seeing stars. I clench around him, crying out as I hold him tighter in my ass. He presses me into the glass so I don't fall, and when I start to come down, he pulls out of me. With a couple of jerks of his cock, he comes all over my ass and back with a pounding roar.

I run my fingers through it, loving how messy he makes me.

He captures my mouth in a searing kiss, and before I know how I got here, he has me on the bench, sitting sideways on his lap, and cradled against his chest. His hands run down my hair, his body surrounding mine, and more words are being whispered into me.

I lie like this for a few minutes, dazed and shattered in the best of ways.

"Let's get you cleaned off and into bed."

I nod against him, exhausted.

He tilts my chin up and meets my eyes. "Thank you. Thank you for sharing that with me. Thank you for giving me that first. Thank you for being everything perfect and lovely that you are. Thank you for breathing life back into me and seeing the light in my darkest places. Thank you for believing in me. But most of all, thank you for loving me."

My arms wrap around his neck. "Thank you for giving me the courage to soar. For reminding me that I'm strong enough to be the thorns and soft enough to still be the petals. Thank you for being there when I needed someone. Thank you for seeing me, the real me, and for understanding and never judging her. Thank you for loving me."

"Those sound like wedding vows."

I smirk. "But they're not."

"Not yet. But one day they will be, Tinsley Monroe. There's nothing stopping me now."