Delirious (4 page)

Feeling devious for eavesdropping, I turned to go back to my office. Maybe he was talking to his father. They’d been known to get in heated conversations on occasion.

When I left work, I stopped by Stone’s office, but he was on the phone. He was speaking in his pleasant, business voice, and I assumed that
, for now at least, things were back to normal.

I waved to him, but he motioned for me to come to him.

He stood as I crossed the room and straightened his blue, silky tie while he continued his phone conversation. I watched him a moment, thinking how the blue tie really made the color of his eyes pop. Stone had the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen, and when he focused them on me and smiled, heat welled in my chest, the kind of heat that warms a girl’s heart and makes her feel lucky that a guy has chosen her above all the other women in the world. He lowered the phone from his ear, pressing it against his abdomen, and kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll call you later, babe,” he whispered. “I’ll probably be here another hour or so. Dylan’s got some numbers he wants to discuss.”

I nodded. “Bye,” I whispered.

He put the phone back to his ear. “Yes, I agree. The market might be a little saturated, but we could start with something smaller. Maybe a store that’s inside of a mall. Of course if we add a few stores during the next few months, we’ll need an increase in our credit line.”

It sounded like he was talking to one of our suppliers, and I was confident that whatever Stone was trying to accomplish, he’d be successful.

On the way home, I called Crimson in Atlanta. She assured me that everything on her end was on target for the ribbon-cutting ceremony the following week.

As I hung up the phone, I was truly in awe at how wonderful things were finally going for me. Even though Stone’s tumultuous mood swings had me worried when we’d first started dating, I’d seen less and less of that as he’d learned to let go of some of his guilt stemming from Luke’s death. On occasion, when his insecurities surfaced, he would lash out in anger and frustration, but for the most part, Stone was the ideal fiancé. As our relationship had stabilized, he’d grown more focused. Stone had done well in college, much to his parents’ delight. With his demons at bay, he’d become more like Dylan.

With Stone and his brother taking care of the everyday operations at Hamilton Enterprises, business was thriving, and the fact that I got to work with people whom I cared deeply about made my job more satisfying than I could have ever hoped for.

I still missed G
ranny. I think I missed her most when I rocked on the front porch, but that was also when I felt closest to her. I missed her laugh. I missed the way her eyes used to crinkle at the corners when she smiled at me. I missed her cathead biscuits, something that I had never mastered. I missed the security that she’d given me, the knowledge that I would never be alone because there was one person who would fight for me until the end. And she had.

Luckily, my mother and Emma helped fill the gaping void that I felt at her loss, but mostly Stone had become my rock.

When I thought about him and everything that we meant to each other, my heart swelled until it threatened to burst. Every time I thought it wasn’t possible for me to love him any more, I realized that I did. It seemed that every smile, every kiss, every touch accumulated until I’d gathered enough heartfelt moments to catapult me into a whole new level of love, and then, it would start again.

Life would never be perfect, but I wanted to relish this moment, the myriad of feelings that swirled in my chest and made me realize that I was happy,
truly happy. Stone Hamilton loved me, and life was good.

Chapter 4

Stone

Uneasiness crowded into my chest and squeezed my lungs, making it difficult to breathe all week. I had attempted to keep my agitation from Dara, but since I could feel the edginess to my demeanor, I was unsure of whether I’d been successful. Luckily, our wedding plans had kept her busy, and I hoped like hell that she was oblivious to my volatile emotions, which were swinging like a heavy ass pendulum. Some moments, I was damn thrilled that I could count the days until Dara and I would be married. It’d been a long time coming, and I envisioned making love to her a hundred different ways during our honeymoon. Other moments, I was so freaking angry that we were finally happy and life threatened to suck it all away and leave us with nothing but devastation and heartache. I knew Dara was a strong woman, but even the strongest people can only take so much before their momentum is stolen from them and they’re knocked to the ground, hoping that there’s enough strength left to pick themselves up and charge head first into life once again.

Maybe what scared me the most was…me. I wanted to protect the life that I’d built with Dara, and I was staring down the barrel of the very gun that could blow it to smithereens. It was very difficult to control my emotions, to ensure that I wouldn’t cause further damage to our relationship. Because when it came right down to it, I would do whatever necessary to make sure no one robbed her of her happiness—not even me.
Maybe that’s what scared me. I wasn’t sure if I had any boundaries when it came to protecting her. I would lie. I would steal. Who knew what else? And I had the sinking feeling that I was going to find out.

When Friday finally arrived, I
felt a modicum of relief. Tom, who was the chief financial officer of Hamilton Enterprises, was back in town, and he and I were going to have a little chat.

Dara

“Long time, no see.”

A grin shot across my face as I looked up from my computer to see Crimson
, Scarlet’s twin sister, entering my office, her vivid, red lipstick giving her a polished look like a magnificent fashion model. She wore a black, pencil skirt with a cream top and black pumps, their heels high enough to make most women teeter. Her dark chestnut hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, which seemed to draw attention to her high cheekbones and wide, chocolate eyes.

I met her on the opposite side of my desk and hugged her. “
It’s so good to see you. It’s been much too long since you’ve been back to Quail Mountain.”

“I know,” she agreed. “I haven’t seen Isabella since she was born. This new salon is making me a very bad aunt.”

“Have you seen her since you got to town? She’s so beautiful.”

“Scarlet’s meeting me for lunch at the little café near here. You want to come with me?”

“Yes, I do. Stone went to lunch with Tom, and I’m ready for a break.” I backtracked to my desk and grabbed my purse.

As we walked down the hall to the exit, Crimson continued talking, “Three more weeks until you tie the knot. Are you nervous?”

“Oh, you have no idea. I’m not nervous about marrying Stone, but the thought of standing in front of all those people nearly paralyzes me with fear.”

“You know what they say. Pretend like everyone’s naked. That should take the edge off.”

“Crimson! I can’t stand in front of a preacher and pretend…oh, never mind. Let’s change the subject.”

Crimson’s laughter echoed in the hallway as we opened the glass door that led out onto the main street.

Shielding our eyes from the brilliant sunlight, we checked for traffic and crossed the decorative brick walkway as we made our way toward the end of the block, our heels clicking with each step.

“I have everything ready for the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday,” Crimson said, obediently talking about something other than unclothed guests at my wedding. “Most of the stylists have already filled their appointments for the first week, so I expect us to have a strong start.”

I squeezed her arm. “It’s so exciting, isn’t it? I mean it doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that we were all sitting at Awesome Sauce discussing the first salon.”

“Yeah, well, it didn’t hurt that Scarlet married into the family of a business tycoon.”

“I know that’s made it easier for y’all to expand early on, but I know that y’all would be doing well even if she hadn’t.”

“Maybe so.
Scarlet’s pretty savvy.”

“You are, too!” I exclaimed, knowing that Crimson had proven that she was every bit as capable of conducting business as her twin.

We walked into the café at the end of the block and met Scarlet, who had already gotten a table and was playing with Isabella.

Crimson held her arms out. “Come here, baby. Aunt Crimson’s missed you.”

Scarlet held Isabella out as Crimson gathered her in her arms and kissed her forehead. “Oh, you’re so precious, Isabella. Yes, you are,” she cooed.

As I watched them together with
Scarlet smiling proudly, I had to admit that I was a little envious.

“You and Stone need to hurry and have one, so that we can set up play dates,” Scarlet said to me.

Even though we had talked about having a baby soon, I didn’t want to mention it. We hadn’t even gotten married yet, and I had no idea whether we might change our minds.

“Geez, Scarlet,” Crimson said. “Let the poor kids get hitched first.”

“Well, they practically are, and I can’t help it if I want Isabella to have a playmate.” She turned her attention to Crimson. “Are you dating anyone yet?”

“I can’t even think about having a social life until we’ve gotten th
e Atlanta store up and running. And in case you’ve forgotten, my help is on maternity leave.” Crimson gently squeezed Isabella’s cheeks, eliciting slobbery grins.

“I know, and it’s gonna be so hard to come back to work,” Scarlet lamented.

“Oh, no,” Crimson warned, pointing her finger at Scarlet. “You’re coming back to work.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t,” Scarlet countered.

“I see it on your face.” Crimson shot her a knowing look, the same look that I’d seen them pass between themselves hundreds of times. The look that said, “I’m your twin. I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

I often wondered if Luke had lived, would he and Stone be passing those same
looks? I was quite sure that they would be.

“Wait till you have a baby of your own, Crimson,” Scarlet said. “Then you’ll know why I’m conflicted.”

“I’m not having any babies,” Crimson declared. “I’ll just be the doting aunt. There’s no way I’m growing anything in this body that’s gonna stretch me out like a hot air balloon. So not happening.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes. “Yeah, tell me that
after
you’ve met the man of your dreams.”

“I’ve officially decided that the man of my dreams doesn’t exist.”

“Yes, he does,” Scarlet insisted. “You just haven’t met him yet.”

The server came and took our order.

“Are you going to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Scarlet?” I asked, my mind turning back to business.

“I’ll let y’all handle it,” Scarlet answered. “I don’t want to sacrifice any of my time
at home with Isabella.”

“Okay.”
I looked at Crimson as she smoothed Isabella’s dark hair with her fingertips. “Stone and I will meet you at the salon on Tuesday, Crimson.”

“Sounds good.”

After lunch, I worked on press releases for both the salon opening and the name change of Quail Mountain Books to Luke’s Place.

When the work day came to an end, I found Stone with his head bent over his desk, his hands threaded through his hair.

I stepped into his office quietly, and he didn’t move.

“Are you okay?” I asked softly.

He lifted his head and smiled at me, but not before I noted how
pensive he appeared. “Now how can a badass like me be anything but okay?” He stood, his tie loosened from around his neck, and walked toward me. “I’ve got the looks. I’ve got the job. And most importantly, I’ve got the girl.” He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me to him, his hands sliding up my back as he bent down and kissed me. I had a sardonic comeback on my lips, but the minute his warm, supple lips touched mine, the words dissipated like steam from a kettle.

He pushed the door closed behind me, and his fingers worked
deftly at unbuttoning the first few buttons of my blouse. His pushed the fabric open as his lips grazed my collarbone, and my heart hammered in my chest. Moving upward, he teased my skin with his tongue, and my head lolled back to give him access to my neck.

His palm paused
on my chest, and he leaned his head back, immobilizing me with a smoldering gaze. “After all this time, you still have the hots for me, and who could blame you?”

His words finally penetrated
my brain, and I pulled away from him, finding my voice as I buttoned up my shirt. “Of course I have the hots for you. I’m in love with you.”

“I know,” he whispered, reaching for me.

I took a step back, just beyond his grasp. “But that doesn’t mean you’re irresistible.”

He chuckled. “I’
ll bring dinner to your place in about an hour. Then, we’ll see whether you can resist me.” He turned toward his desk.

“If you want me to find you irresistible, then you’d better slather yourself with honey and slap a stinger on my butt.”

A deep laugh erupted from his chest as he turned back to look at me. “I’ll bring the honey, and I’ll definitely be slapping your butt.”
I made a face at him and slipped out of his office.

When I stepped into the hall, I leaned against the wall and
took a deep breath. He was right, of course. I’m not sure when the turning point occurred, but I
was
the one who had difficulty resisting him. Stone had changed during the course of our relationship, and he was now the one who insisted that we wait for marriage. Honestly, I knew that he did it for me, which ironically made him that much harder to resist.

I pushed myself away from the wall
, smiling to myself as I imagined him drenched in honey.

When I got home, I
took a hot shower and changed into shorts and a pullover shirt. A short time later, Stone let himself in.

“Hey, babe!” he hollered as he entered the living room.

I finished putting a load of clothes in the dryer and met him in the kitchen. “Hey.” I pointed to the bag in his hand. “What’s that?”

“Since I drove my car instead of my bike, I brought us pizza for dinner.” He motioned to the pizza box on the table. “And this,” he said, lifting up the bag, “is a big bottle of honey, as promised.”

“
Nuh-uh,” I said in disbelief.

He grinned, mischief lighting his eyes like the sun shining through Granny’s vintage blue bottles that had bee
n perched in the kitchen windowsill for as long as I could remember.

“What’s it really?”
I asked, emphasizing the last word.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me to him, crushing me in his embrace. He set the bag on the table. “You got something against honey?” he whispered, his breath warm against my cheek.

I melded into his chest, his nearness exciting me. It was so difficult to think with him this close to me. He kissed my cheek and worked his way along my jawline, his lips whispering soft promises of love. I could feel my heart racing. I could feel the energy building inside of me. I clung to him, his shirt gathered in my fists.

His fingertips skimmed along the edge of my waist, their warmth releasing a trail of longing in their wake. His hand caressed its way up the middle of my back, sending desire shivering along my spine.

I closed my eyes, savoring his touch as his lips teased their way along my neck. My head tilted as I was mesmerized by his masculinity.

He leaned back
, and I immediately missed his presence. He kissed the tip of my nose, and my eyelids fluttered open.

“Do I need to remind you what your name is?”
he teased.

I swallowed, thinking that maybe he did. “I don’t care what my name is,” I whispered. “I just want you to do that again.”

His smile disappeared, and his eyes smoldered as they drank in my expression. He grabbed me by the waist and lifted me, pressing me against his body as his lips claimed mine with an urgency that screamed that he wanted me.

I was desperately in love with him, and part of me wanted to forget the wedding ceremony. Part of me wanted to run away right now and get married. I wanted to be with him as his wife forever. And I wanted forever to start right now.

At some point, we made it to my bed, our pizza forgotten, the unknown item in the bag remaining a secret. I didn’t care about anything else. All I cared about was this moment, being with Stone surrounded by the love that we shared.

With every gentle stroke of his fingers, with every sultry kiss from his lips, I could feel my love for him filling my chest as it overflowed from my heart.