Fall Into Me (Heart of Stone) (6 page)

Closing
the door behind me, I grabbed him by the collar and pasted him against the
wall. The bass from the music in the main room of the club began to vibrate the
lights that hung near his head and only served to irritate me more. "You
have less than five minutes to get me the finest scotch you have in this place
and a chocolate martini. And I'm not talking about that bottom shelf shit you
try to pass off on the customers."

Chase
opened his mouth to protest his innocence, and I pushed him into the wall
again. "And one more fucking word out of you and I'll make sure this place
is shut down by tomorrow morning. You'll have nothing and I'll be short one
pissant fucking club I care nothing about. Do you understand me?"

Chase
looked at me with fear and confusion. "What? She seems nice. I was just
teasing. Trying to give her a compliment. Is that the one I saw you with at
some party a few weeks back? The one who was in the car accident? She's got a
nice, girl-next-door look you haven't gone for in years."

"Now
you have four minutes."

"How
did that couple work out? The ones you took out of here a while back? I never
got a chance to hear how that went."

Pushing
Chase away from me in disgust, I turned to join Nina, adding, "And have
someone else bring the drinks."

I
found Nina sitting at a table watching some sex show on a big screen television
on the other side of the room. Chase had obviously gotten the wrong idea when I
said secluded. I sat down across from her and waited for the inevitable
questions.

"What
kind of place is this, Tristan?" she asked in a hurt tone. "Do you
bring women here all the time?"

I
could barely make out the sadness in her face, but it was there. "Don't
listen to him, Nina. I barely know him, and he knows nothing of what I feel for
you."

"What
did he mean schoolgirl fantasy? What is this place?"

"Don't
let him bother you. He's an ass. I just helped him get this place off the
ground."

"With
money?"

"Yes."

"Is
this a nightclub? What did he mean when he said it's a private club?"

This
hadn't been my best idea. I'd hoped that we could find a secluded spot to talk,
but maybe Top wasn't the right place, even if I was the owner.

"The
club is sort of a nightclub meets sex fantasy camp," I said, hoping I
wouldn't have to go into it more than that.

"Sex
fantasy camp?" she asked with surprise in her eyes.

"Yeah.
I guess this isn't a place you'd want to be. We can go."

Nina
shook her head and smiled. "No. We can stay a little while. I'm curious
about this side of you, Tristan Stone. A fantasy sex club seems distinctly
un-Tristan."

"It
is. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just a silent partner here."

A
waitress dressed in a tight, white T-shirt that left nothing to the imagination
and skin-tight black shorts interrupted our conversation to deliver our drinks,
and I saw Nina's eyes grow wide in the dim light as the woman ran her
fingertips over my shoulders as she left. Looking up, I saw it was a girl named
Brandi who'd worked at the club for the last year.

"Haven't
seen you in ages, Tristan. Nice to see you back," she purred in a silky
voice.

"Do
you know her?" Nina asked as she watched her walk away.

"No."

"Well,
she knows you. She called you by name."

I
didn't exactly know Brandi. She'd been Chase's girlfriend when he hired her,
and more than once I'd had to listen to her as she cried on my shoulder about
his inability to remain faithful.

"She's
just someone who works here," I said casually as I took a sip of my drink.

"Oh.
What's her name?"

"Brandi."

"Of
course it is," Nina bit out.

I
could tell she was jealous, which in some twisted way made me feel good. Her
feelings had been relatively tepid since coming home from the hospital, even
though I'd hoped she was beginning to feel something for me. Maybe if she was
jealous, that wish was already coming true.

Her
eyes kept darting to the screen behind me, and I couldn't tell if she was
curious or embarrassed by what was playing out on the television. I didn't want
her distracted by one of Chase's kinky flicks, though.

There
was a lounge area on the other side of the room with couches and chairs, so I
suggested we move there instead, hoping to turn her focus back to us. The
couches were the best money could buy. Chase was nothing if not eager to spend
his investor's money. As we sat down next to one another, her jealousy and my
hope crashed into each other.

"These
are very nice," she said as she rubbed her palm over the back of the black
leather couch. Then abruptly, she said, "I think you know that
woman."

"I
told you I didn't."

"Then
why would she touch you like that?"

"Maybe
she thought she knew me or maybe she got the sense that I was available and we
weren't together?" I said half-jokingly.

"Why
would she think that? I'm just as dressed up as you are and we're sitting here
together."

"I
think she might be used to something different here. Maybe the women are more
obvious with how they feel about the men they're with."

To
be honest, I was more than thankful Chase's girl had made that little gesture
that I knew she did with every male in the club. At least it had gotten Nina to
show something of how she felt. Her jealousy was flattering, but I didn't want
just that.

Nina
turned her body to face me. "Are you saying that I should be more
obvious?"

"When
in Rome..." I teased.

I
saw a tiny pout form on her lips and then she looked away and sighed. She was
silent for a long moment and then stood from the couch and smiled down at me.
"Well, then I guess I better act more like the locals."

Nina
hiked up her dress and straddled me as I sat looking up at her stunned. My
hands instantly found their way to cup her pretty ass, pulling her closer.

"Is
this better? I've never been to a club like this, so I'm not sure. Maybe I need
to be wearing what she had on. Would you prefer that?" she said in a
teasing voice.

My
cock was rock hard in five seconds, and I had to rein in my urge to fuck her
right there. Struggling to keep my voice calm, I smiled and said, "You
look beautiful just as you are, Nina."

"Am
I being obvious enough for you, Tristan?"

Her
tone was almost biting, as if she was angry. My guess was that she was nervous,
but I liked a challenge.

"Just
enough."

Nina's
mouth covered mine, and she snaked her tongue past my lips to tease the tip of
my tongue. Running my hands over her hips, I slid my thumbs along the crease of
her legs, dying to know if she was as ready as I was.

She
relaxed just a little and lowered herself until she was fully seated on my lap.
In her tender way, she looked down at me shyly and whispered, "I didn't
think this out completely. Now that I'm sitting here like this, I'm not sure I
want to do this here."

I
couldn't help but smile. God, she was the same honest Nina I'd fallen head over
heels for months before.

Shaking
my head, I leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose. "I don't want to do
this here either, so don't worry. It's okay. What do you say we go somewhere
nicer and get back in this exact same position there?"

Nina
bit her lip in that cute way she always did when she was nervous and nodded. Finally,
tonight we'd begin making those memories.

Chapter Six

Tristan

Jensen
followed my orders and got us to the penthouse in record time. Even though Nina
and I had begun to get comfortable at Top, we kept it together in the car. I
don't know what she was feeling, but it took every ounce of self control I
possessed not to try for a repeat of that night in the back seat of the Rolls.
By the time we got to the hotel, I wanted her so bad I wasn't sure I'd be able
to control myself once we hit the elevator.

We
rode up to the penthouse with both of us staring at our reflections in the
mirrored walls of the elevator as I slid my arm around her waist to pull her
close to me. She melted into my body, and I watched as she closed her eyes and
her face relaxed. She was happy, and I planned to make her much happier in just
minutes.

The
elevator door opened and she stepped out into the penthouse, her head swiveling
back and forth as she admired the designer's work that I never cared much for.
She turned in my hold and looked up at me with a surprised expression.
"This is stunning, Tristan!"

As
she ran to look at the view of the city in the living room, I followed, happy
that she was impressed. I wanted her to like everything in my world, even the
parts of it I didn't give a damn about.

"I've
never seen anything like this! How do you live here and not just stare out the
window all day?" she asked as she pointed toward the twinkling lights of
the city below.

"I
don't really pay much attention to it," I said, remembering how she'd
asked me that the first time. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Any
chance you know how to make that chocolate drink?"

"No,
but I could have the concierge bring one up for you," I offered as I made
my way to the bar to find my bottle of scotch.

She
walked over and stood next to me, smiling. "Looks like I'm going to have
to drink the hard stuff. Well, I'm a tough chick. Hit me with that
scotch."

I
poured her a glass neat and handed it to her. "You sure?"

Raising
her glass to clank against mine, she shrugged. "I guess we'll see,
right?"

I
tapped mine to hers. "To new memories."

"To
new memories." She lifted the scotch to her lips and took a sip.
Instantly, her face screwed into a grimace. "Oh, I don't know how you
drink this. It's so strong. I can feel it racing through my body already, and I
only had one taste. A few more and I'll be no good to anyone."

I
took the glass out of her hand and placed it on the bar. "Then no more for
you. I want you sober."

"Sober
for what, Mr. Stone?" she said with a giggle, the scotch already taking
effect.

Snaking
my arm around her waist, I pulled her close and buried my face in her neck and
whispered, "For when I make love to you, Ms. Edwards."

I
didn't want to hold back anymore. I wanted her to be mine again, body and soul.
Cradling the back of her head, I drew her mouth toward mine and kissed her with
all the desire I'd kept bottled up for all those weeks. Her lips were soft but
as eager and passionate as I slid my tongue into her mouth to find hers. When
she sighed into my mouth, I couldn't wait anymore.

My
hands clawed at the zipper down the back of her dress, but it got stuck an inch
from the top. Aching to be inside her, I tore the two halves of the dress
apart, ruining the zipper and the dress.

"Tristan,
my dress!" she cried as I pulled it from her body.

"I
don't care. I'll buy you ten dresses just like it," I panted as I unhooked
her bra and slid the first strap over her shoulder. "Same thing with the
bra. And if these panties don't come off easy, I'm going to rip through them
too."

Nina's
fingers tore through my shirt buttons until it hung open, and I quickly
shrugged out of it. She was as desperate as I was to be out of those damn
clothes. In seconds, she had my belt off and my pants and boxer briefs off my
legs, and I had her pushed up against the wall.

As
I lifted her off the ground to wrap her legs around my waist, I pressed my
forehead to hers and rasped, "I hope you weren't expecting something slow
and gentle. I can give you that, but tonight I don't want to wait. I need to be
inside you, Nina."

Moaning,
she pulled me close, but just then I remembered her sore ribs. Pulling back, I
said, "I forgot about what the doctor said. Maybe we should go easy this
time."

She
dug her heels into my lower back and pulled my mouth to hers in a deep kiss. Her
voice husky, she groaned, "Please, Tristan. I'm not a china doll. I'll
tell you if something hurts."

I
gently slid just the head of my cock into her, still worried I might hurt her
if I didn't take it slow. My body was in agony wanting to bury myself inside
her, but I didn't want to risk bruising those already sore ribs. I could give
her gentle, even if every part of me wanted much more.

Nina
pushed her palms against my chest and held me away from her. Worried I'd
already screwed this up, I opened my mouth to apologize but she touched her
finger to my lips to stop me. "Don't make me wait. I don't want gentle
now. I want you...all of you."

Her
fingers pressed into the back of my neck as I plunged balls deep into her wet
and willing cunt. Nothing in the entire world ever felt better than that moment
when our bodies joined together as one again. Her body was hot and enveloped
me, taking my body to places I thought only existed in my imagination.

She
consumed me, but I would have given my last breath for another moment with her.
My mouth plundered hers as my cock pounded into her, each searching for that
bliss that only she could provide.

I
planted my palms against the wall for more leverage and heard her cry out as I
began to thrust my hips faster. She clung to me, hanging off my neck and waist,
but I felt nothing except the pure ecstasy that came from being inside her.

Time
seemed to stand still, but our bodies were drenched with sweat as we edged one
another toward that sweetest moment two people could share. Nina's mouth
delivered sensations to every part of me it touched, and I was on fire from her
need. I wanted to be the only one to fulfill that need—the only soul who could
quench the desire that raged inside her.

"Tristan,
faster. Don't stop! Give me what I need. I'm almost there."

Her
moans spurred my own excitement on, and I slid my hands down to her waist to
hold her fast to me as I inched closer to my own release. "Let yourself
go, baby. I want to feel you come all over my cock."

"Oh,
God! Don't stop...don't..."

Nina's
voice trailed off as I felt the first tender squeeze of her cunt around my
cock. She buried her head in the crook of my neck and whimpered as her orgasm
roared through her, raking her nails across my back and shoulders while she
bucked against me.

Her
body milking my cock sent my body into overdrive, and I came with a rush inside
her. My legs shook under me, nearly buckling from my release. I clung to her as
she did me, panting in her ear as I struggled to form coherent thoughts.

I
was sure of only one thing. Nina was mine—truly mine—once again, and I was
never going let her go.

"Tell
me it wasn't always like that, Tristan," Nina whispered as she rested her
head on my chest. "Tell me we weren't always so incredible together."

I
trailed my fingers over her hair, twirling a strand around my forefinger as we
lay in each other's arms on the floor. "Why?"

She
wrapped her arm around me and squeezed gently. "Because if that's the
case, I'm even sadder that I can't remember our time together."

"I
could lie, if it would make you happy."

Nina
looked up at me and twisted her face into a scowl. "No, that wouldn't make
me happy."

"Then
tell me what would and I'll do it," I whispered as I pulled her on top of
me.

"Tell
me about who I was. Tell me more than just that I was beautiful when you met
me."

When
she looked at me with those big blue eyes, I wanted to tell her everything. The
truth of what my father had done. The truth of how long I'd known and how long
it had been eating away at me. The whole horrible story and how something so
beautiful had grown out of something so ugly.

I
cradled her face in my hands and kissed her tenderly on the lips. "You
were just as you are now. Gentle and kind and more honest than anyone I've ever
met. You took my breath away the first time I touched you, and it's no
different now."

"I
bet it was love at first sight for me, Tristan. Tell me the truth. Was
it?"

"I
doubt it. I was with the actresses that night, so you probably thought I was
some Hugh Hefner wannabe."

She
giggled and sat up straight on me. Her light brown hair fell in gentle waves
around her face and shoulders, making her look like a mermaid or some kind of
angel. "I bet you looked incredible dressed in a suit and looking the way
you always do."

I
ran my hands over her stomach and caressed the tops of her thighs. She let out
a tiny moan as my thumbs slid over the insides of her legs.

"I'm
sure I was wearing a suit. I do all the time."

Nina
wriggled her ass against my thighs and smiled. "Except now. I like the way
you look now too. I don't think I've ever met a man more perfect than you.
Successful, wealthy, gorgeous, and a body that looks like a Greek god's."

"I
guess all those hours at the gym have paid off. The other stuff really isn't in
my control, though."

Her
fingers slid over my abdomen and up over my chest to my shoulders. "It
isn't a good idea that I adore you so much already, Tristan Stone. No one
should be this crazy about another person."

"Maybe
it's okay since I'm even crazier about you."

She
leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips. "I better find something
about you I don't like before I become totally lost in you. Hurry up and tell
me one of your bad traits."

There
were too many to even get into. I knew that. My past. My family. The club I'd
taken her to just that night. But I couldn't tell her about those, and even if
I could, I didn't want to. I had my Nina back and I wasn't going to let her go.

"Well,
I don't talk much. Some women may think that's a bad trait."

"Yeah,
but then you do that strong, silent type sexy guy thing and make even the lack
of talking a good thing."

I
crossed my hands behind my head and smiled. "I guess I could work on being
a bad man. Any suggestions?"

The
smile she gave me was so sweet I almost pulled her to me and kissed away
anything she could have said.

"I
think maybe an eye patch could work."

"An
eye patch? That would look great with a suit."

"Mmmm...
now that's a man I wouldn't be able to say no to. Sort of a pirate meets a
tycoon."

"I'm
not sure I can pull off pirate. Something about having to say arrrgh all the
time might not work in meetings."

Nina
ran her fingertips across my hipbones and grazed the head of my cock. Gliding
her tongue over her lips, she looked down at me and smiled. "It's too bad.
I could definitely be into a pirate."

"Arrrgh."

"I
do love a man who can be persuaded."

Both
of us stopped our joking, and her eyes grew wide at what she'd just said, as if
she'd let something bad slip. I didn't want her saying she loved me if she
didn't mean it. I'd wait as long as it took to have her say those words if it
meant they came from her heart.

She
rolled off me onto the floor and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't know
if I'm in love with you, but I've never felt like this in my life. Well, I don't
know. Since I was in love with you, maybe I did feel like this." Turning
her head, she smiled at me. "I guess I'm not making much sense, am
I?"

I
propped myself up on my elbow and nodded. I understood what she was trying to
say. "I get it. As long as you're happy, that's enough for me. It's only
been a few days since you came home from the hospital, so maybe this is
good."

"I
hear that thing in your voice, though. I know you wish for more."

I
knew the thing she was talking about. I wouldn't have been able to hide it even
if I wanted to. A mixture of loss, sadness, and regret, it was in everything I
said to her.

Twisting
a long wave of her hair around my finger, I forced a smile. "I'm happy,
Nina. You do that for me. No one else has ever made me happy like you do. So
it's not the same as it was. Maybe this time will be even better."

"It
breaks my heart to hear you say things like that. You have everything a person
could want. I can't imagine not being happy with money, success, power—all the
things everyone thinks ensure happiness."

"All
they ensure is that you'll have people wanting you for everything but
you."

"Like
Chase tonight?"

I
gave a snort at the sound of my Top partner's name. "Chase is one of the
best examples of the people money brings to you. If I didn't have the money to
help him get that business going, I'd be invisible to him. Not that being
invisible to the likes of Chase Mitchell is a bad thing."

Nina
rolled over and propped her head up on her hand. "How did you get involved
with him and that club? You two don't seem a thing alike."

"Chase
is a remnant of my time before I took over Stone Worldwide. Remember I told you
that I wasn't always the man you see?" For a second, I couldn't remember
if I told her in the last few days or before the accident.

She
gently touched my shoulder with her fingertips. "No, no. I remember. You
said when you were twenty that you would have been just like any other guy I've
ever met. And I can tell you that I think you're full of it. There's no way you
would ever be like anyone else I've ever met."