I smile at the memory. “That’s true,” I say.
“I know how important friendship is to you,” Stone continues, his voice soft and gentle. “You didn’t want to come here tonight, but you forced yourself because Ruth wanted you here.”
I stare at him. “How could you possibly know that?” I demand. “I haven’t told anyone but—” Keets and Ruth. Shit.
Stone nods knowingly. “Ruth told me,” he admits. “Don’t be mad at her; I half-guessed. The point is,” he continues, taking a couple of steps forward until he is standing directly in front of me. “You’re amazing.” He cups my face in his large hand, his thumb softly stroking my cheek.
“But you’re clearly not attracted to me, you proved that today in the bar.”
Stone releases a short breath as he stares at me. “Is that what you think? That I’m not attracted to you?”
“You pushed me away this afternoon, and—”
“I pushed you away,” he interrupts, his eyes darkening. “Because I wanted you too much, Shannon.”
“You-you did?”
He nods. “I wanted you then, and I want you now. You have no idea how hard my cock is for you; it’s like I have a constant hard on when you’re around. Seeing you, like this.” He gestures to my outfit. “It makes me want to bend you over the back of my car right now, flip up that skirt and push my tongue inside you.”
My breathing increases as the blood pounds in my ears. I clench my thighs together to try to release some of the pressure.
“Is that what you want to hear, Shannon?” he asks, his fingertips lightly caressing my back as he winds his arms around me and draws me close, his breath hot against my ear. “Maybe you’d like to hear about the way I stroked my cock to you in the shower last night, imagining my hand was your mouth,” he kisses my neck as his hand slides down my front and beneath my skirt. “And then your sweet little pussy.”
“Stone,” I moan helplessly, closing my eyes and tilting my head back as his fingers press against me intimately.
“There you guys are,” Keets says behind me. I jerk away from Stone guiltily, my face flaming. I turn to face my friend and notice he’s holding Ruth’s hand in a rather firm grip. I suppress a small smile as my eyes lock with Ruth, and the younger girl ducks her head in embarrassment.
“We’re just getting ready to go,” Stone states, jangling the car keys in his hand as he pulls them out of the pocket of his jeans, seemingly unaffected by what just happened.
My head snaps back to him. “No,” I tell him, shaking my head. “Absolutely not.”
“Huh?” he asks, a dazed look on his face.
“You’re drunk,” I explain. “You’re not driving anywhere. Give me the keys.”
“No fucking way,” Stone says, holding them protectively. “No one drives my car but me.”
“She’s right,” Keets states, draping his arm across Ruth’s shoulders. “I’d rather sleep in my bed tonight, not the morgue.”
“Who said anything about sleeping?” Ruth giggles.
I roll my eyes and turn back to Stone, holding my hand out expectantly.
“No one drives my car,” he repeats, looking a little lost.
I step closer and gently pry the keys from his hand. “I know,” I say gently, giving him a small smile. I unlock the car and slide behind the wheel, adjusting the seat to my height as I wait until everyone else piles in before pulling out of the parking lot. As I drive, I find it increasingly difficult to keep my eyes on the road. They are repeatedly drawn to the rear view mirror, where I can clearly see Keets with his hand inside Ruth’s jeans. I press my thighs together and force my eyes forward. It lasts a few moments until I become aware of Stone’s eyes on me.
“What?” I ask, glancing at him.
“Nothing,” he says in a quiet voice. But he doesn’t stop staring at me.
“Bullshit,” I respond, not looking at him.
“Fine,” Stone huffs. “I was just thinking about how we were so rudely interrupted.”
I frown and glance at him. Is he playing a game with me? “What?” I ask.
He smiles. “You heard me,” he says, his voice low as he leans toward me. “I was imagining how wet you’d be right now if my fingers were still touching you.”
I feel my throat close and I become lightheaded as he speaks. Determined not to let him see how much he affects me, I ignore his comments and focus on driving. Sometime later, I jump as I feel his long fingers caress the outside of my thigh. I glance over again, and he gives me such a heart-stopping grin that I feel my heart turn over in my chest. “Stop it,” I mumble, turning my attention back to the road. But he doesn’t.
I feel his fingers move higher until they brush the edge of my short skirt and slide beneath. I swallow hard and try to ignore him as his warm hand gently spreads my legs open. Then he’s touching me. My mouth opens slightly, my breathing growing short as his fingers caress me through my panties. He has to stop, or in a matter of minutes we’re going to cause an accident. I try to press my thighs together, but all that succeeds in doing is trapping his hand between my legs. My eyes dart over at him again, his white teeth flashing in the dark as he grins. I shift uncomfortably and open my legs enough for him to slip his hand out and settle back on his side.
Leaning forward I turn on the radio, trying to drown out the sounds from Keets and Ruth in the backseat. How much have they had to drink? Settling back against the seat, both hands grip the wheel as the melodic sounds of Norah Jones’ “Come Away With Me” comes through the speakers. My favorite song.
We drive in silence the rest of the way, the only sounds the occasional kiss from the backseat and the music still playing on the radio. I pull up to Keets’ house, not at all surprised when Ruth gets out with him. I hope they know what they’re doing, and won’t regret it later.
“Don’t come into work tomorrow,” I say out the window. “I’ll look after the bar.”
“You sure?” Keets asks, leaning down to look through the window.
“Yeah,” I say. “I haven’t drunk half as much as you guys.”
“I’ll say.” Keets laughs, inclining his head to the passenger seat.
I turn my head, a smile spreading across my face as I see Stone sleeping soundly, his hands curled beneath his head against the window. “Where does he live?” I ask, turning back to Keets with a grin.
“Right near the stables,” he says. “The little blue cottage down the lane.”
I know exactly where it is.
“I’ll see you later.” I laugh, waving out the window to Ruth as Keets steps back and I pull slowly away from the house.
By the time I arrive at Stone’s house, I’m exhausted, starting to feel the effects of the alcohol.
Cutting the ignition, I remove my seatbelt and sit there for a minute, staring at Stone as he sleeps. How the hell am I going to get him to drive me home? Can I risk it? Surely my life is worth more than that.
Sitting up a little straighter, I tentatively stretch one index finger out toward him. “Stone?” I say quietly, poking him on the arm. He groans in his sleep and shifts a little, letting his head fall back against the seat. I open the door and step out. Moving around to the passenger side, I carefully open his door and lean in. I draw in a deep, shaky breath and lick my suddenly dry lips. He’s so close, and he smells so damn good. A combination of musky aftershave and cheap beer. I start to feel a little lightheaded. Christ, I could get drunk just on his smell.
I wonder how I’m going to wake him up. I could always try kissing him. He’s so close; it would take just a small movement from me for our lips to connect . . .
I squeal as I feel strong fingers digging into the backs of my thighs, then I’m falling. I swallow hard as I land heavily on Stone’s lap, his hands on my ass as I straddle him.
He buries his face between my neck and shoulder, inhaling deeply. “You smell so fucking good,” he growls. My breath catches. The feral sound he just let slip past his lips is hotter than anything I’ve ever heard before. His fingers caress the soft skin of my ass and thighs, and I force myself to breathe. To remain calm. “You were asleep,” I whisper.