Casting Stones (Stones Duet #1) (38 page)

There’s an awkward, quiet lull between us.

“That’s awfully judgmental, don’t you think?”

“No.” I could give her a list of reasons why I’m right. “People do what they do because they like what they do. A doctor becomes a doctor to save lives. A carpenter becomes a carpenter to build. A police officer protects the public.”

“And a sanitation worker collects garbage because he loves it? An exterminator crawls around in dirty basements to kill insects and rodents because he loves it? The guy who empties Port-O-Lets loves that job, too?”

I mutter quietly. “I doubt it.”

“Well, isn’t that what you’re saying by judging that girl who takes off her clothes and dances for people? You don’t think she’s just trying to make money. You don’t know her situation. What about guys who strip? Isn’t that the same thing?”

I exhale loudly, realizing that she might have a point.

“It’s just a job, Shane.” Her face softens and she sighs heavily.

“Maybe.”

“And it shouldn’t matter if that girl is a stripper, a teacher or a nurse, she shouldn’t have to deal with Brandon because when push comes to shove, like you said, he’s an asshole.”

“You sound like a lawyer. You argue a good case.” I reach over and pull her close by the nape of her neck. “Are you sure you’re going into the right field? You’d make a great attorney.”

“I want to help people. Kids especially.”

“But you don’t want your own?”

“No, thanks. I’m screwed up enough. I’d be afraid to give the kid some really bad genes. The poor thing would never have a chance.”

“You’d make beautiful babies.” I kiss her softly. The sense of calm is completely restored by a single touch of her lips.

She hums in disagreement.

“
We
would make beautiful babies.” I deepen the kiss until she pulls away and shakes her head.

“I’m not kidding. I don’t ever want kids. Ever. I have never missed getting my shot every three months since I was sixteen-years-old.” Her green eyes, revealing so much truth and conviction, are like a sword piercing my heart.

I can’t wait to have kids. I want as many as I can have.

“Fine. No kids for now. Can we at least go to bed and practice making a baby?”

She rolls her eyes at my joke and then sighs dramatically with sarcasm. “Fine. If you insist…”

I kiss her slowly; my tongue slips in to her mouth ready and willing to play. She hums softly when I pull away.

“Drive fast. I want to get home.”

I turn on the engine and the truck roars to life.

The streets pass by in a blur as we drive home to practice the art of baby making.

Remy

FEELING RESTLESS, I
fidget in the long seat in Shane’s truck. We didn’t get to sleep until almost two o’clock in the morning after spending hours and hours tangled up in bed. I was left to work the morning shift short-handed, scrambling to take care of everyone on my own because Jenna missed her flight home. I could’ve called any of the girls listed in Lenny’s Roladex, but I really need the money and didn’t want to have to split the tips. At this point, I need every penny I can make.

“Why don’t you take a nap?” Shane suggests when he notices my eyes struggle to stay open. “We have a couple of hours without traffic. If we hit traffic on 495, it’s a long ride home.”

“Maybe.” I pull my legs underneath myself and lean against the door frame, wishing I had a pillow to rest on and a blanket to shield my face from the bright afternoon sunshine. I stare at the bypassing cars traveling along the same southbound highway that will bring us to his childhood home in Connecticut. If I weren’t so tired, I might be nervous about seeing his sister again and meeting his mom for the first time. I blink lazily until my eyes finally remain closed and I drift off to sleep.

I feel Shane’s hand run through my hair as my eyes slowly open. Everything in my line of sight is tilted on its axis.

“Where are we?” I ask with a croak in my voice, sighing heavily.I tug at the light blanket draped across my face and tuck it beneath my chin.

“Home.” His hand continues a trail down my back over the soft, olive green material.

I pull my hand from beneath my cheek and wipe across my mouth to make sure I’ve not drooled in my sleep. I place my hand back only to realize that I’m resting on Shane’s thigh. “What the —”

“You looked so uncomfortable. I asked if you wanted to stretch out and you took it upon yourself to lie across my lap.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“No need for an apology. Made for a very interesting ride. A very hard one, but an interesting one nonetheless.”

A quick rap at the window draws my eyes upward. My face reddens immediately when I realize Leslie is standing there holding one of her daughters. The older one. The one who might wonder why I’ve got my face extremely close to her uncle’s crotch. Judging by the raised eyebrows and wide eyes, Leslie is wondering the same thing. I sit up quickly and run my fingers through my wayward hair. I’m completely mortified.

“We’ll wait for you two inside.” Leslie smiles knowingly. The only problem is what she thinks she knows is wrong. This is just perfect. The first time we met, I called her a bitch and now she thinks I’ve just given her brother a blow job in his truck. This is not going to go well.

“Oh, God!” I scoff, yanking the blanket over my head to hide my shame.

He peels back the thin barrier, exposing my flushed cheeks. “Remy, I know what you’re thinking and you need to stop.”

“What am I thinking?”

“You’re thinking that my sister just caught you giving me a blow job.” He smirks at me. “My sister wouldn’t care. She’d be happy either way.”

“What? Your sister would be happy knowing that you just got a blow job?”

“No! I mean she’s happy that you’re here…with me.”

“I was going to say… you don’t have that freaky thing going on with your sister, do you?” I laugh as I sit up and pull the visor down to wipe the sleep from my eyes.

“I should spank you for that.” His lips grin deviously, his eyes full of promise.

“You wish! Weirdo!” I chuckle as I open the door and hop out, landing on the broken concrete of the driveway. My eyes sweep across the tiny yard until they land on the small, two-story white house with black shutters.

Shane shuts the door and joins me. He carries two overnight bags in one hand and reaches down to grab my hand to lead me into this place filled with happy childhood memories. He kisses the top of my head.

“This is it. This is where I grew up.”

No sooner do our feet step into the kitchen, Shane drops our bags and scoops the baby from some colorful bouncing contraption. He turns into a pile of mush as he kisses her and begins a conversation with her in an animated, high pitched voice. My smile gives way to laughter as I become acquainted with this new version of him. The cute baby, with a head full of blond curls, is practically thrust in my face as he bounces her around and introduces me. I wince and pull away. I’m sure the look on my face is one of fear and dread.

“She’s not going to bite you,” Shane smiles, “but she might gnaw you to death.” He brings his face to hers and rubs noses.

“Hey, there you are!” Leslie bounds into the room with a child on her back. It’s the same little girl I’d seen a few minutes earlier. “Sorry for interrupting… you two all set?” Her eyes dart between the two of us.

I look down at my sneakers as I feel the heat of mortification flow through my blood and course through my body. I want to tell her that she didn’t interrupt anything, but humiliation has stolen my voice.

“Hey, sis!” Shane kisses Leslie’s cheek quickly and then gives one to his niece.

“Hi, Remy. How are you?” Shane’s sister asks me. I look up into the blue eyes that match her brothers and tell her that I’m good but tired. Nervously, as if justifying my exhaustion, I provide a detailed account of how I’ve been working a lot and how demanding my course work has been at school.

“Oh, I was just asking how you are.” She sets her daughter down and picks up our bags. “You are staying the night, right?”

I glance at Shane who answers with a quick affirmative.

“Cool! I’ve missed you little brother.” She reaches upward and stands on her tiptoes to muss his dirty blond hair.

“Les, you blow my phone up every day!” he laughs.

“Shut it! Someone’s got to keep tabs on you.” She sticks her tongue out and crosses her eyes.

“Where’s mom?”

A moment of strain, of uneasiness, passes between them. “She’ll be back soon.”

“Is she—”

“Yes.”

“But—”

“Shane,” Leslie chides with authority, “mind your business. You live your life the way you want; he lives his the way he wants. Leave it alone.”

The warm, welcoming climate drops to a sub freezing temperature. I stand there awkwardly having no idea what to do or say.

“Have you eaten? I could make you a sandwich or we could grab a bite to eat once mom gets home.”

Shane looks at me, silently asking what I’d like to do.

“I’m not really hungry right now. I can wait until later.”

Shane sets the baby back in her contraption after he asks if I want to hold her to which I reply quickly with a panicked shake of my head and answer with a resounding “No.”

The other little girl, with long wavy hair, is scooped up and lathered in goofy sounds and lots and lots of kisses on her belly. Her squeals of delight are a clear indication that she loves her uncle very much.

“Who wants to help me rake some leaves?” Leslie asks with feigned enthusiasm.

“Give me ten minutes, I’ll do it.” Shane replies as he guides me up the stairs to his old bedroom where the walls, painted a pretty hue of green, are covered by tall wooden bookcases which are littered with shiny medals, sports trophies and faded achievement certificates.

For a moment, I’m transported back in time. A time when I didn’t know Shane Davis existed. A time when he was just a normal, awkward, pre-pubescent boy who listened to rock and roll and probably spent hours with his friends.

“Wow.” I step into the room further and really take a closer look. Pinned on one wall is a poster from the Army, encouraging young men and women to “Be All You Can Be.” On another wall is a poster, a huge picture of the World Trade Center towers that fell on September 11
th
, reminding us to “Never Forget.”

“You were quite the athlete,” I say, choosing for the moment to ignore all the military mementos that crowd a shelf. “One might even call you a ‘dumb jock’.”

“Except I wasn’t dumb.” He points to a small trophy. An expression of sadness transforms on his face. “Graduated second in my class.” His fingertips graze the brass colored metal before he looks away.

For some unknown reason, I feel the need to wrap my arms around him. I’m not sure if I’m the one who needs comforting or judging by the look on his face, he does. “I love you.”

Immediately and without warning, I’m shoved back onto his bed and my arms are raised high above my head. Each of my wrists is kissed and then secured in place by one of Shane’s strong hands as the other moves to my stomach.

“Don’t move your hands,” he growls, slowly releasing his hold.

With a smile, I confirm that I will listen to his command.

A second free hand meets the other and lifts my cotton shirt, roaming around my bare skin, trailing lines across my ribcage. Slow, deliberate kisses follow the lines left by his fingers until he reaches the underwire of my bra. He lifts my bra and frees both breasts. I release a breathy moan when his tongue touches my pebbled nipple, licking and sucking slowly. He directs his attention to the other side as he palms my entire breast in one quick motion. The stimulation of my nipples sends a surge of want and need between my legs, creating a deep throb. While drawing tiny lines, his fingers move down to my stomach as he reaches for the button of my jeans.

My eyes close and I lose all sense of awareness until a little voice smacks me back into reality. I snap my eyes open.

“Uncle Shane…what are you doing?”

Shane’s head flies up as his mouth releases its hold of my breast with a small popping sound. My shirt is yanked down, covering my bare skin, in less than a nanosecond.

“Abby, what are you doing here? Go downstairs right now.” He barks as he jumps to his feet and practically slams the door in her face.

For the second time in less than half an hour, I’ve been the victim of shame. “I’m so embarrassed.” I cover my face and laugh sardonically. “That poor child is going to be scarred for life!”

“She’ll be fine. I’m sure she’s seen my sister feed the baby before.”

I stand and straighten myself out. “We should probably get downstairs.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Shane takes me in his arms and embraces me hard. Against my cheek, I can feel his heart beating wildly. “Your body is just for me. I don’t even want my
niece
to see any part of it.”

I smirk. “I’m sure your niece wasn’t looking at me the way you are.”

“And how’s that?”

“With lust in your eyes.” I tip my head back and offer my lips.

“You know it’s more than lust, baby.” He bites my lip and replaces it with a deeper kiss, allowing his tongue to have free reign of my mouth.