Page 42 of Right Next Door (Stone Family #3)

Ian

W ith the newly picked-up cake in my hands, I march closer to Chapter and Verse, catching sight of Nicole through the window as she moves about the bookshop, confident and at ease. And my chest swells with pride.

After everything she’s been through, here she is kicking ass. And looking so good doing it.

After another minute of watching my woman, I push open the door, announcing my arrival by saying, “There’s the birthday girl.”

She turns, her face lighting up with a smile that hits me like a punch to the gut. Every damn time.

“Hey, you,” she says, voice soft and warm before I steal a kiss.

“How’s business?”

She sighs, running a hand through her hair. “It’s been a slow day. I’m a bit nervous about meeting the sales goal this month.”

I can see the stress in the lines of her face, the slight furrow of her brow. I want to smooth it away, to take her worries and make them mine. But I know better. Nicole needs to stand on her own two feet, and I respect the hell out of her for it.

“You’ll get there,” I tell her. “You always do.”

She juts her chin out to the box I set down. “What’s that? Is it a cake?”

“Listen.” I wrap my hand around her biceps to keep her from sneaking a peek at it. “You need to learn to have a little patience.”

She locks her hands behind her back, hopping on her toes like she’s Little Miss Innocent. “I’m really patient.”

I cross my arms, frowning down at her. “Are you now? Last time we played the Nicole needs to be patient game, you lost.”

“That’s because you cheated.”

I cluck my tongue. “I make the rules, baby. That’s not cheating.”

“Well,” she starts, dragging the word out, rubbing her tits against me like that’ll make me give in. And she’s goddamn right. It will. “Maybe next time, I’ll tie you up and turn the vibrator on, see how patient you are before you come.”

The vision of Nicole, needy and naked, rubbing her sweet little pussy all over me while I’m tied up assaults my brain. And… “Okay.”

Her eyes widen. “Really?”

I shrug. “I can be a good submissive.”

She snorts. “We’ll see how long that lasts.”

When she spins around, I smack her ass. “Hurry up. We don’t want to be late to your own party.”

Nicole finishes and locks the door behind us as we step out onto the sidewalk, the early February air making our breaths puff up in miniature clouds in front of us. Though we only have to walk a few steps, I pull her into my side, my arm over her shoulders to keep her warm.

We closed Stone Ink early to put a little party together for Nicole’s 40th birthday.

Everyone is here—my siblings, all the kids, Clara, Marianne, and others from the neighborhood—the music on and their laughter filling the place up.

I’ve been Nicole’s since that day I walked into Sweet Cheeks to find her crying, but over the last few months, my family has brought her into the fold.

Nicole would never and has never attempted to “mother” anyone—no matter how many times Jay teases her about it—but I know all the kids respect her as my partner, and also as someone they can talk to.

June and Riley ask her for advice, and she’s become close friends with Sloane and Eloise.

She is part of the Stone family. And eventually, I will make it official.

Juniper spots us first. “Happy birthday, Nicole!”

“Thank you.”

The rest of the crew greets her with similar sentiments and hugs, both of us immediately enveloped in chatter, plenty of jokes and laughter to go around.

I set out the small, special-ordered cake after we all eat pizza, and Nicole gasps at the open book with wild flowers sprouting from in between the pages.

“It’s so gorgeous, I don’t want to eat it. ”

Jay raises his fork in the air. “But I will.”

I knock him upside the head.

June lights the candles, and we all sing to Nicole before she blows them out, offering me a mischievous smile.

And I will, without a doubt, make each of her wishes come true.

No matter if it’s for that cat she’s been eyeing on the adoption website or a trip somewhere.

I told her one of these days I’ll take her to an all-inclusive vacation resort where we can float in a lazy river all day, drinking margaritas.

While we eat the cake, she opens gifts, including packs of her favorite pens—because my girl does indeed have favorite pens—a gift certificate to a spa, and matching T-shirts for her and me to wear from Jaybird.

They say Homie Lover Friend. I actually like them, because I like anything that claims her as mine.

When it’s my turn, I hand her the flat rectangular box. “Ian,” she chides, guessing correctly that it’s jewelry. “You didn’t need to get me anything.”

I ignore that and point to the gift, which she opens to reveal a delicate gold necklace with a diamond. One that is suitable enough until she’s ready for me to put one on her finger.

“It’s beautiful.” She removes it from the box to hold it out to me, then lifts her hair up so I can fasten it around her neck, placing a kiss there.

“Remember what I said? Might look pretty and delicate, but it’s really strong.”

She loops her arms around my neck, kissing me with too much enthusiasm for the kids because they all start gagging and booing and throwing things at us.

“Get a room!”

“You heard what they said.” I guide Nicole to stand up, slipping my hand to her lower back. “Let’s get a room.”

“I’m going to Riley’s tonight,” June calls. “I don’t want to hear whatever it is you’re gonna do.”

Nicole covers her furiously blushing cheeks, and I toss a wave over my shoulder. “All you clean up, huh? I have things to take care of.”

Another round of gagging and booing and throwing things ensues, and I usher Nicole upstairs, making sure to lock the apartment door behind us.

She officially moved in with me on the first of the new year, after spending a few months on her own.

While she did worry a little bit about what others might think of her moving in with me so quickly, I was more nervous about making sure she was confident in her decision.

I hated every night she wasn’t with me, but thankfully, I didn’t have to wait too long.

Now, I turn on the table lamp in the living room, casting everything in a warm light as I shoo Mr. Darcy away, whispering to him that his mother and I have important things to discuss, which makes Nicole giggle.

I tell her to have a seat while I open a bottle of champagne and carry it back out to her, along with two glasses.

She sips, lips tipped up flirtatiously. “Is this when I get my real present?”

I lounge on the couch next to her, pulling her into my lap, grabbing a handful of her ass. “You mean when I finally tattoo my name here?”

She laughs, so sweet. “Yeah.”

“Tomorrow,” I say, capturing her lips in a slow, deep kiss. She melts into me, her body fitting perfectly against mine, her tongue tasting like sugar and champagne.

The day she signed the divorce papers, I inked a matching piece to the one I have on my ribs.

Write your troubles in the sand and carve your blessings in stone.

Because tattoos are addictive, she said she wanted another one for her birthday, joking that it would be my name.

But I am nothing if not a man who will give her anything she wants. Including my name on her skin.

Truly, nothing would make me happier.

Until then, I’ll mark her in another way, and I bend to suck on her throat. She whines, pushing at me, but I don’t let up until there’s a red bruise on her skin. I down the rest of my champagne as I drift my fingers over the mark and along her throat, toying with her new necklace.

“One day, I’ll give you a diamond for your finger. The one from my mother,” I inform her, the first time I’ve spoken my desire to marry her out loud. Knowing how I can overwhelm her, I’m always careful to make sure she is in charge of her own decisions, but I need her to know what I want.

And it terrifies me that she might not want the same thing.

She finishes her champagne then takes my glass to set both of them on the coffee table before placing her hands on either side of my face. “One day, when you give me a diamond for my finger, I’ll say yes.”

I let loose a breath and press my forehead to hers. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She smiles into a kiss, and I’m the luckiest bastard in the world.

Her hands grip my shirt, fingers fisting in the fabric as she kisses me back with a desperation that matches my own.

I leave an openmouthed kiss on her neck, over her racing pulse, as she grinds herself down on me, her breath coming in quick pants as we lose ourselves in each other, breaking away in short bursts to remove clothes.

But each time, we come back together, hands in hair and lips on necks, rocking against each other, pushing each other’s need higher and higher.

Nic and I play a lot, but sometimes it’s nice to do this. Be with each other without any games or goals or toys. Only her and me and the love between us.

With us both naked, I keep her on top of me so I can enjoy the way she moves, adore every inch of her perfect body, all smooth and soft and arching against me, begging to be touched.

I cup her breasts, leaning down to take turns, sucking on each of her nipples until she’s yanking at my hair and rubbing her soaking wet pussy against me.

“Come here.” I help her raise up on her knees, and I hold my cock up, dragging it through her wetness once, twice before notching it at her opening. “Come take it.”

She hisses as she presses down, accepting me to the hilt.

“That’s my girl.” I lean back and grip her hips, savoring every moment of this. Every gasping pant and shudder. Every moan and imprint her fingernails leave in my skin. “That’s it. So fucking good.”

With her eyes closed, she angles herself so each circle of her hips rubs her clit against me. Sure, I love being in charge, but I love seeing my girl taking .

“You’re so beautiful,” I tell her. “So brave. So perfect.”

My words spur her on, and she flutters her eyes open to meet my unblinking gaze. I don’t want to miss a second of this, especially when she’s so close to coming, speeding up and breathing hard.

She’s hot and tight like a vise around my shaft, and it’s always like this when we have vanilla sex. I’m always so close to popping off like some teenager. When there is nothing else to focus on besides how good she feels and how good it is between us, I have a hard time holding back.

But I have my good girl trained well.

She sets her forehead against mine, shivers racking her body. “Can I come?”

“Yeah. Come, baby. Come for me.”

She does, convulsing around me, soaking me even more. I press my thumb against her clit, riding her into another immediate orgasm as I thrust up into her a few times until I release with my own orgasm.

She drops her head to my shoulder, and I hold her close to me, kissing her neck, her head, her hair, any part of her I can reach, until she raises up once more, blinking sleepily. “I love you.”

“Carved on my heart,” I respond, pressing her palm over where her name is tattooed on my chest. I always hated the idea of inking a spouse’s name, knowing how often relationships can and do fall apart, but there was never a second thought where Nicole was concerned.

I’d been hers from that day in Sweet Cheeks.

Hell, probably even before that—I simply never realized it.

There was no hesitation to make it permanent on my part.

“I do want your name,” she says, tapping on the upper part of her left breast. “Right here.”

No hesitation on her part either. “Yeah?”

She nods. “Yes, sir.”

“That’s what we’ll put on your ass.”

She rolls her head back to her shoulders, laughing, and I take advantage of her position to lick a line up to the exact place she’d just pointed to as the spot I’ll tattoo her. “Tomorrow.”

She meets my gaze, agreeing. “Tomorrow.”

“Tonight, we celebrate.”

We both love keeping my cock in her after we finish, and tonight is no different, so she stays as still as possible and reaches back for the glasses, holding them out so I can refill them.

I raise my glass to hers. “To you.”

She clinks her glass to mine. “To us.”

We drink down the bubbly, and then we pick up right where we left off.

With laughter and love, passion and desire.

And as we lie there, finally spent and sated, I know this is only the beginning of the book we’re writing. We have so many chapters left in our happy ending.