Chapter 31 Coco
Coco
I melt, dissolving, becoming a puddle under Stone’s touch.
His kiss is soft, questioning—no, exploring, telling me everything he said in words, but with his tongue, his hands as they slide to cradle my head, his hips as he shifts forward, and oh, wow—there is his erection, pushing into me.
This is a dream, a strange, upside-down dream where I’m kissing Stone Maddox.
Stone. Maddox.
A man who wants to define himself not by his past but by his future. A man who has chosen me. Me. And with him I can breathe, I can feel, I can shine, because tonight I did shine even when Brittany tried to dim my light.
I flared into a supernova every time he touched my back, my hand, or slipped me a sly smile.
And I’m still flaring now.
I sigh as heat winds into my core. Stone’s lips leave mine and he brushes kisses down my neck to my collarbone. His hands slide down my arms.
I never want him to stop. My fingers entwine in his silky hair and I tug his head up. He looks at me with surprise before rising and claiming my mouth with his own.
The kiss deepens and he moans as I whimper. My nipples are as hard as diamonds, and moisture pools in my panties.
What am I doing? Should we slow this down? Should we stop? But what if in a few hours everything’s different? I just want this one night to be perfect, to feel real, to be as real as it can be with him.
Because let’s face it, tomorrow I break his amnesia, and then Stone will be different.
He’ll hate me, and I’ll return to living my little life.
No.
I don’t want to live like that anymore. I want to be big. Be seen. Feel wanted.
I don’t just want him to forgive me when it all blows up. I want him to see me. The real me. And still want me. But I don’t think that’s how my story will go.
Stone’s kisses become hotter, heated, frantic, and I feel the same energy.
I reach for his shirt and begin undoing the buttons, but his hands take mine and his kisses slow.
Stone presses his forehead to mine. We’re both panting. Our chests rise and fall in time. I rest a hand over his heart and feel it thump beneath my palm.
My eyes close and I exhale.
“Since we’re relearning each other, we should go slow,” he tells me, forehead still against mine. “This doesn’t mean I don’t want you. I want you. But with everything going on, we should pause.”
I rock back so we’re looking one another in the eye. “Just for the record . . . I would’ve gone all the way.”
He barks out a laugh and kisses me softly again. “For the record, I would have, too.”
I want to scream at his honesty, and I want to run because he is so honest. So dreadfully, beautifully honest. My lungs squeeze, equal parts longing and ache, and I know he sees all the hidden pieces of me.
But Stone only kisses my palm and murmurs, “I’ll take the couch.”
The ache inside me deepens. I want this. I want him so badly. Every part of me screams with desire. This whole thing—us—it’s a lit fuse, just waiting to reach the bundle of TNT and explode.
But right now I want to explore the fire, the desire I feel, and I know he does, too.
Yet I can’t. All I can do is sit in this ache and want him from afar.
I watch him move away, and just when he grabs the blanket and lays it down, he turns and looks at me.
The same want and longing inside me is reflected in his eyes, and I think for a moment his resolve will crack. But he just stands, watching me.
My throat tightens, and all I can muster is, “Good night.”
“Good night,” he returns, in a voice that drips with want that I shove aside.
Wanting him and being with him are two different things—dangerous things that will lead to my undoing.
But what if I’m already undone?
Stone is magnetic—everything about him is. Watching him work a room, how he gets people to see his vision and be excited about, even how he takes care of Hercules. I’m more than attracted to him. I’ve fallen for him.
Which means I’m in deep shit.
I don’t want any of this to end. I want to wrap myself in the cocoon of this relationship and pretend—even if it’s only for a day—that it’s real.
Because it feels real to me.
I sigh and make my way to the bedroom, sitting in this feeling I wish would never end.