Page 23 of Right Next Door (Stone Family #3)

Ian

N icole arrives to the picnic in a blue gingham dress and a red bow around her ponytail that is so fucking hot, I want to tie it around her wrists and flip up her skirt to take her from behind.

But since that’s out of the question, I play it cool as she saunters over to Griffin and Andi to say hello and offer a small fruit salad before falling into conversation with Sloane about something that has her talking with her hands and leaning in to listen when Sloane speaks.

I pretend not to be annoyed that she hasn’t acknowledged me or sought me out yet when I’m desperate for her attention. There are three dozen or so people scattered among chairs and under umbrellas, but she is the only person I care about right now.

My brother, who never misses anything, makes his way over to me, eyes squinted with interest. “That’s a surprise.”

“What is?”

He scoffs. “That’s what you’re going with?”

I play it dumb as my attention stays on Nicole when she bends down to listen to Sloane’s son, smiling so brightly at whatever he’s saying—probably something about animals because his touch of the ’tism is an obsession with animals—it pulls the corners of my lips up too.

Nicole glows like the sun, and I’d love nothing more than to bask in her shine for the rest of my life. Warm myself under her rays.

Too bad my sister steps right into my line of sight, blocking my sunshine.

“You invited her, I assume,” she says without pretense.

“Who is she?” I crane my neck around like I have no idea who Taryn’s referring to.

“Don’t be an ass.”

“Me? You’re the one who stomped over here?—”

“I don’t stomp.”

Griffin adjusts the baseball cap on his head with his firehouse emblem. “You stomp occasionally.”

“Fuck off, both of you. We’re here to talk about Ian and Nicole.”

I wrench my head back, my attention finally waylaid by the implication that this is some meeting to discuss my love life. “No.”

Griffin and Taryn close ranks around me, both of them standing shoulder to shoulder as if they’d planned it. It’s Griffin who pipes up first. “I thought she was still married.”

I swipe my hand through my hair, my fingers catching on the elastic band, and I rip it out. “She is.”

Taryn circles her hand. “And she’s suddenly shown up here because…”

“Because I invited her.”

“Where’s her husband?” Taryn asks, glancing Nicole’s way. She’s now kneeling on the grass, talking with Sloane’s daughter. Her smile is infectious with the shy little girl.

“Away.” I hate even hearing the word husband in reference to Nicole. Talking about him leaves a bad taste in my mouth. “For a work trip or something. I didn’t want her to be alone.”

Griffin nods, all smug and shit. “Invited her out of the goodness of your heart. What a saint.”

“You’re right. I am.” I make the sign of the cross over my two annoying-as-fuck siblings as they huff indignant sounds of amusement.

Taryn folds her arms, glaring at me now. As if she thinks that’ll make me talk. “So, Saint Ian, are we supposed to believe Nicole has suddenly shown up to this picnic out of the blue when she’s never shown up to any other party anyone else has thrown?”

“There’s nothing to believe. That’s what’s happened.”

“And you expect us to think it has nothing to do with you?”

I can’t lie, too afraid to speak that into the universe, even if I should. To protect her and what we have. So I shrug instead.

My siblings both stare at me, but I refuse to offer them any more information. I’m walking a tightrope as it is, having to hide our relationship while wanting to shout it from the rooftops that she’s mine.

Except that isn’t true. She’s not mine.

Not really.

Not in all the ways I want her to be.

“Look, it’s just a picnic. Don’t read too much into it.” I clap Griffin on the back and start to walk away, but he stops me with a hand wrapped around my forearm.

“You sure about that? Because it looks like you’re about to fuck up a good woman’s life.”

His voice is harder than I expect. Griffin has always been a stand-up guy, even as a kid.

Never fooled around or did any stupid shit that children get up to.

He always followed the rules, always did the right thing.

I call him Captain America for a reason, but I don’t like his insinuation that I’m doing something wrong.

Because I’m not.

My serious and straitlaced brother wouldn’t be able to fathom the idea of what Nicole and I have or do.

It’s outside of society’s norm, and it would blow his tidy little mind to know his big brother has finger-fucked some other guy’s wife multiple times.

Trained her to text him first thing in the morning and ordered her to face her fear and send him a video of her naked and masturbating.

He couldn’t imagine how I wrestle with it every day.

Being her Dom instead of her man.

Settling for being a secret instead of walking over there right now to wrap her hair around my fist and kiss her.

Wanting her whole heart and accepting half.

Griffin could never be in my position, and I don’t appreciate his judgment.

I knock his hand away, lowering my voice so only he can hear.

“Come down from your ivory tower before you open your mouth to me about that good woman . Because you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about when it comes to me and her. ”

His reaction is faint, but it’s there in the pinch of his mouth, and I step away, inhaling a cooling breath. “I’m gonna go grab a drink. You two want anything?”

They shake their heads, still looking concerned, but I don’t care to stick around to listen to whatever else they have to say.

I help myself to a glass of the sweet tea Andi made and find a seat near Nicole as she chats with Dante, Clara, and Marianne. She offers me a smile and a casual, “Hey. Nice to see you.”

As if we’re passing acquaintances.

“You too, Nicole.”

I hold her gaze, testing to see how long she’ll last before it’s too much. It’s three seconds before pink blooms on her cheeks and another two before she nervously licks her lips. Ten seconds until her nipples pebble under the top of her dress, and I doubt she’s wearing a bra.

Tease.

“Good girl,” I mouth, and she bites into her bottom lip.

I jut my chin in a silent direction for her to go back to her conversation, and she does, so I keep myself busy by chatting with Taryn’s son, Jake. He’s sixteen and has been practicing his driving skills with Dante.

Before he came into Taryn’s life, I picked up some of the slack her piece-of-shit ex-husband left, but since Dante has taken over, I’ve lost out on those day-to-day details from them.

Like how Maddie, Jake’s thirteen-year-old sister, has decided to try cheerleading, though he doesn’t think she’ll make it since she’s not very coordinated.

And it’s true.

With a check over my shoulder, I watch her fumble a catch of a beanbag June tossed to her. Poor kid.

I take in the rest of the picnic. Friends and family alike, all relaxed and happy. People I’ve known for decades, if not my whole life. They are everyone I care about.

All except Roman, and I slip my cell phone out of my pocket to send him a text. A single line.

Wish you’d come home.

Then I push away any melancholy thoughts about my baby brother and help myself to a plate of food and bury any remaining ire with Griffin over a game of basketball that draws a bit of a crowd, including Nicole.

Every so often, I let my focus drift to where she’s talking and laughing with Andi, and for a split second, my mind rockets into space, envisioning that she is mine, for real.

When she and Andi talk and laugh all the time because they’re best friends, which is perfect for Griffin and me.

I picture Nicole with me on every Costco run and at every family event.

Holding her hand as we amble down Aster Street, taking lunch breaks together, and then going home together.

Curling up in bed, listening as she reads her books out loud to me, forcing her to keep reading even as I go down on her.

It’s bliss.

Pure, unadulterated bliss.

“That’s game!” Logan shouts, jumping up to high-five his dad after I apparently spaced out so much, he hit his last shot for the winning point.

I clasp hands with Griffin, accepting his pat on the back of my head as a silent apology when we hug.

Another game starts with Jaybird and Cash playing Logan and Jake, and I take the opportunity to speak with Nicole.

I nod to the drink in her hand. “Is that Marianne’s sangria? You better be careful. It’ll knock you on your ass.”

“I know. I’m sipping slowly, and it’s my only one.”

“Good.” I make sure no one can hear when I say, “Because you’ll need all your senses for later.”

Her face turns as red as the bow in her hair. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I brought your favorite little toy.”

“My favorite…?” Her eyes go wide when she finally understands. “That’s not my favorite. That’s a torture device.”

“Maybe my favorite little toy, then.”

She moves in closer to me, the hem of her dress skimming my legs. “Thanks for making me come today.”

“I’ll make you come, don’t worry.”

She growls all cute. “You know what I mean. I’m having a really good time.”

“As you should.” I reach into my pocket to retrieve the small silicone vibrator, fisting it. “Now, I’m going to give this to you, so you can go to the bathroom and put it in. When you’re done, I want you to play some cornhole with me.”

She wrinkles her nose. “Do I have to?” I arch my brow, and she sighs. “Fine.”

“Listen, brat, maybe knowing every point you score will get you an orgasm will motivate you.”

That changes her tune, and she immediately accepts the little pink egg and hightails it toward the house. Ten minutes later, we’re both positioned at the cornhole boards, her opposite me appearing flushed, maybe from the sun, but I’d like to think it’s from anticipation.

“Remember the rules?” When she nods, I gesture for her to throw. “Ladies first.”