Chapter 14
STONE
And so it continues.
Stone,
Well, that was fast. It’s only been a few weeks and now I find myself on the way back to Lake Spark.
To write, of course. How horrible of a liar am I?
Hmm, I appreciate that you said I could bring my bikini for an afternoon at the Dizzy Duck Inn spa to go swimming and enjoy the jacuzzi, even though you said I don’t really need one since you can trace the tan lines of my bikini with your tongue.
However, you are ever the gentleman to make the offer.
My hockey term this time is playmaker. The player who is so fast, he can create chances for a win because he reads the room (okay, ice). There is more chance of a win if he sets up another player for success.
Are you proud of me?
I can’t help wondering if you are our playmaker. Are you trying to create a chance for us to get a goal that we both want? Even if I’m shaky on the idea that it’s possible?
Yeah, I’ll leave you with that.
Okay, see you soon!
Harlow
My fingers trail over my phone screen, outlining the email that I’ve already read a few times. I can feel my mouth slant to the side in an uneven smirk, only to be distracted when a hand begins to wave in front of my face.
“Uhm, earth to Stone. You’re supposed to be catching up with your brother while we enjoy the fireplace under a dead moose,” my brother Vaughn reminds me.
My eyes tip up, and I give him a smile. We’re sitting in the lounge area of the Dizzy Duck Inn.
He has exactly two days free before he is on the road again.
He and Isla are using the opportunity for wedding planning since they got engaged at Christmas, and after the cake testing, Isla ditched him for a massage.
We both quickly glance at Nora, my niece, sleeping in her stroller, before Vaughn and I focus on one another again.
“Sorry, I'm a little distracted,” I admit.
“Harlow?” He looks at me, amused. I’ve always kept him up to date. We’re close, even when his schedule is chaotic.
I growl to myself. “You know the answer.”
“Don’t you think at some point you both need to address that you’re basically in a relationship with one another? I mean, you’ve now seen each other more than a few times. You’re turning into a couple that travels distances to see one another.”
I sigh, as he’s saying my thoughts out loud. “Trust me, I think we both realize the obvious, but we’re choosing not to confront it.”
“Have you hit the ice lately? That normally clears your head.”
That and writing. About every two weeks, I skate or help out at the training facility nearby, just to remember the good old times.
“Yeah, and speaking of which, how is that going for you, Mr. General Manager of the Spinners? Heard you had to trade Murphy.”
Vaughn scoffs. “He threw a chair at me. That’s how that went,” he answers mundanely. “Don’t change the topic. I need to meet Harlow.”
My lips roll in, and that idea actually feels good.
“Maybe. You’re doing Sunday brunch before you fly in the evening?
” He nods, and I give him a little fist pump in the air.
“Yay, you know how I love burnt eggs, because apparently you and your fiancée are the couple that manage to do that,” I tease him.
“Exactly. We’ll be simple and not make a big deal about meeting the woman who’s been making you a gentler soul the past few months.
” There’s a pause between us. “I want to be happy for you if this all works out. We both deserve to have a better life than the one we grew up with. Even a shitty upbringing can do a 180 when you’re an adult.
Besides, one day you will have it all like you were meant to. ”
I roll my eyes. “Hell, let’s not make it one of those conversations.” I adjust my body on the sofa.
He chuckles. “Confronting reality is fun, isn’t it?” His brows rise as if he’s a wizard of knowledge.
In the corner of my eye, I see Holden, and he is quick to sit down uninvited, nor do we mind. He heaves a breath. “Don’t mind me.”
My brother and I study him then wince. “You look like hell,” I say bluntly.
Holden stretches his neck, clearly agitated. “Another nanny quit.”
“What the fuck?” I’m quick to respond. “Is it you? Because no kids are that devilish to make you go through as many nannies as you do.”
Holden’s lips purse out. “Oh yeah, this time was totally me, I admit—well, it was her. She tried to come on to me. No interest from my end, and this morning she quit. Leaving me yet again stuck to juggle meetings and school drop-off.”
My brother tries to suppress his laugh. “Just find wife number two and then all of your problems are solved,” he says, sarcastic.
“Then, at least, I would have someone to fuck on a daily basis to release my stress from parenting alone with a pre-teen and a ten-year-old who doesn’t stop talking.” He loves them, really.
My head drops at his half-honest sentence.
Vaughn holds his hand out to stop Holden from speaking. “Try and move on with your day.” He points his thumb at me. “Harlow is visiting him again.”
Holden looks at me, impressed, before throwing an arm over the back of the sofa to get comfortable.
“Oh yeah? No wonder you demanded a dozen chocolate chip cookies and the best table at our restaurant.” He clicks his fingers in the air.
“Which reminds me to tell you to stop being an ass to the intern at reception.”
I flash him a tight smile. “Excuse me for trying to have an enjoyable experience at our establishment.”
“Geez, Stone, look in a mirror and accept that you are in relationship territory,” my brother nearly scolds me. “She writes romance; surely, this must all be obvious to her too.”
“He’s right,” Holden adds.
Defeat is building inside me. “Fine. I’ll address that elephant in the room.” After we have reunion sex and I stare into her eyes that lighten in my presence and it feels like the hours of the day vanish quicker than the clock can tick.
My jaw tightens, and I attempt to stretch it side to side as I gently nod that I’ve heard them.
Harlow circles my desk, her usual olive-colored nails tapping my closed laptop, a habit she has gotten into the few times she’s been here.
After picking her up at the airport, we slid into an ease because we’re comfortable around each other.
It felt like I couldn’t get us back to my house fast enough.
“You’ll check emails first thing in the morning when the sun rises. I’ll write for an hour and a half, then we can feel relief that we’ve actually been productive,” she states firmly.
I step to her and come to sit on the edge of my desk, and I lower my eyes and spin my globe once. “That’s not how sunrise is going to go. Why make us suffer? If we have to leave the bed before morning sex, that’s just cruel.”
A subtle smirk appears on her lips. “Or tonight makes us need a rest tomorrow. Besides, I need my breakfast fix at Jolly Joe’s.
I love watching Main Street in winter. The displays in the windows are overdone in red and pink for Valentine’s Day.
Not many towns get in that spirit for a holiday that was created by greeting card companies. ”
I have to smile at her humor. “Fine, I’ll make your wishes come true.”
My retort causes her to pause and for her smile to fade slightly. “Wishes come true.” It sounds earnest. “I guess you kind of have. A fire has been lit again inside me.” It’s barely a whisper, but I hear her, the woman she used to be.
“That’s good, because I’m riding the train with a destination that I’m not quite sure of, nor am I complaining about.”
She sets her hand on my shoulder before gliding it down my arm. “Interesting. Seems our minds have conspired with one another on the not-quite-sure front. Maybe we can address it, but not today.”
I pull Harlow to me between my knees to hold her head in my hands. “Why do I feel like we’re in trouble?” I don’t mean it in the literal way, more a fun way, with only a hint of reality underlying.
“Focus on tonight.” Her cheeks rise, and I’m positive she’s gearing up to say something that she’s afraid to. “So, do you think… well, I’m ready.”
“For what?”
The tip of her tongue hits her top teeth for a brief moment. “I know you are even more, uhm, adventurous.” Her voice rises slightly. “In the bedroom. You’ve been holding back still. It’s okay, we can stretch the boundaries.”
I stare at her blankly before a closed-mouth smile spreads on my mouth. I’m not sure if I should feel lucky or proud of her, or both. She seems to want that. Harlow is confident in this moment.
“Uh, I’m on board with that.”
Her face turns more elated, and a grin crosses her face. “Good.”
She’s waiting patiently while I bring my thumb to my jaw and debate what I’m going to do with her. Which fantasy I want to unravel with her.
“Upstairs now,” I direct, with my voice firm. I lift her up as I stand, throwing her over my shoulder like a fireman trying to save someone, except she doesn’t need saving. Not anymore. Instead, it’s me who is getting in too deep with this woman who swept into my life unexpectedly.
Her joyous squeal brings me back to the moment, and how can I not be happy about that?
“Are you sure?” I double-check, as I have Harlow down to her lace olive-green panties and matching bra. A for effort and the fact she’s keeping to her brand.
She stands before me with her lips in a pout as she contemplates, before her eyes squint and study me. “This isn’t what I was expecting. Kind of thought you would be a little rough… but this is new for me.”
I laugh rather sinisterly. “Oh, I’ll be a little rough,” I promise as I dangle my phone in the air. “This is just an added element. Ups the foreplay.”
“So, we make a video, and then what?”
I step closer to her, closing in, assured that she’s under my spell. “We can either watch it, delete it, or save it for when I need to watch you but you’re not here.”
She chortles. “Okay. We delete it. You’re right, it’s upping the ante a bit. Wait… is this something you do on a regular basis?”