Page 43 of Stone (Claimed and Protected #3)

His grin was sly and he brushed the back of his knuckles across my cheek.

“That’s easy. You allowed me to be me. Not the football star or the son of a convict living in a trailer.

You saw the real person inside, including every fractured piece.

One by one, you guided me toward putting the right pieces of the puzzle together. You encouraged me to follow my dreams.”

“Because I loved you so much. You deserved every bit of happiness and success.”

I realized as soon as he cupped my face what he was doing and it nearly shattered me.

He was gently saying goodbye; not because of what he wanted, but because of what he believed I needed.

“That’s what I want for you. That’s what I’ll always want for you. You’ve always encouraged everyone else to follow their dreams. Now, it’s time for you to do the same. You’re ready. You’re more than ready and you’re so talented. Please, don’t pass this opportunity by.”

“I’m afraid.”

“Since when have you ever allowed fear to stop you? You moved to Paris all by yourself. That took guts.”

I rubbed my hands on his chest, marveling at his physique, something I’d never thought I’d be able to do again. “You’re the one with guts, Mr. Dangerous.”

His laugh turned into a deep growl as he lowered his head. When our lips touched, I swooned as I’d done so many times. He had a way of igniting my core every time he kissed me. Today was no exception. I leaned against him, moaning into the sweet moment of intimacy as he slipped his tongue inside.

I could do this for hours, enjoying the simple act of love. He was in no hurry, opening and closing our lips while he explored my mouth. Stars flooded my eyesight, the tingling sensations turning into waves of white-hot heat. We were meant to be together, yet we’d grown stronger while apart.

I’d never believed that was possible.

As he held me close, I could feel his rapid heartbeat. Maybe this wasn’t goodbye at all, but the beginning of an entirely different life.

When he broke the kiss, he trailed the tip of his tongue around my lips before leaning back and taking a deep breath.

“You are incorrigible.”

“And you fill out a shirt like nobody’s business,” I breathed.

“While you can work a bathing suit like no other woman I know.”

We both laughed and he popped me on the butt. I yelped in appreciation.

“Do you feel like taking a walk? We might even be able to do so without bodily harm.”

He tweaked my nose. “Maybe, but perhaps you should go barefoot.”

“You are so mean.”

He grabbed my hand, leading me down the stairs toward the beach. With our fingers intertwined, he swung our arms up and down just like he’d done so many times when we were younger. They’d been carefree walks at that point.

We’d talked about our future, both together and apart. Somehow, today felt entirely different, yet very much the same. As soon as we were close to the water, I broke away, laughing as I spun around to face him while trotting backwards.

“What do you think you’re doing, missy?” His deep, gravelly voice filtered above the light breeze, his intoxicating scent exploding my senses.

“Wondering if you can keep up with me.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Are you up for it?”

“Woman, you should know better than to challenge me. I’m up for anything.”

“We shall see.” I blew him a kiss then turned around, racing down the beach while feeling the freedom to laugh.

He chased after me and I dodged his attempts to grab me, managing to get away every time. When I tumbled into the water, I teased him by blowing another kiss.

Stone stopped long enough to pretend he was winded, even bending over and placing his hands on his knees.

I knew better, but I stopped moving, doing nothing more than swaying my hips as I waited to see what he’d do.

He didn’t make me wait very long, bolting forward.

Yelping, I rushed into the water only to be captured by his strong arms seconds later. As he spun me around, an unexpected wave pounded against his legs. Down we both went into the surf, the hard thud as our bodies hit forcing us both to moan.

We rolled back and forth as I struggled to escape, only to be captured once again. When he pushed me down into the sand, he had the good graces to pant as if out of breath.

Ah, but I didn’t fall for that either, giving him a hard shove. He remained where he was, shaking his head as I scrambled away.

“You can’t catch me,” I tossed out.

“Are you certain?”

“Oh, you bet.”

I headed back to the house, laughing the entire time.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Suddenly, he was right behind me, picking me up, spinning me around and tossing me over his shoulder. “I didn’t say you were allowed to go anywhere.”

“And I didn’t ask.” I pummeled my fists against his back, knowing I wasn’t going anywhere.

The hard crack against my backside was jarring. “That’s your problem, Dani girl.” He smacked my butt three more times as he took long strides toward the house. “You forget who’s in charge.”

“Not you.”

I was rewarded for my insolence with the powerful man swatting my bottom several more times, all in rhythm to his footsteps.

Wiggling, I moaned and complained, but it wasn’t doing me any good.

“Think again,” he gritted out before laughing and continuing spanking me.

He didn’t stop as he slowed his gait, now taking his time heading to the house. Even while going up the stairs, he smacked my butt, moving from side to side.

By the time he made it to the landing, my legs were quivering and my pussy was throbbing. He knew how to introduce foreplay.

Once inside, he didn’t hesitate, heading straight for the bedroom.

And to the bed.

Our bed.

The one we’d shared for only a few days, the warmth and comfort of having his body wrapped around mine something I’d never forget.

During those long, cold, and very lonely nights in Paris and beyond.

A sleeping giant.

I rose from the bed, standing over him for a few seconds. The full moon was streaming in through the window, the shimmer of light highlighting his gorgeous body. He’d kicked off the sheets, allowing me an incredible vision of his massive physique.

As I dragged my tongue across my bottom lip in appreciation, I ignored the moment of sadness threatening to take away the incredible day we’d shared together.

And the night including dinner in bed.

Food was secondary to other… goodies.

I bit back a laugh and allowed myself to trail a single finger down his chest. As soon as he shifted, I curled my fingers, pulling my hand away. I didn’t want to wake him at this point. He’d had such few good nights of sleep.

Noticing his tee shirt on the floor, I snaked the material into my hand, pulling it to my mouth and nose. Mmm… His scent was everywhere, lingering on my skin, his taste still on my lips. I quickly slipped into it, cradling my arms against my body as I tiptoed from the bedroom.

After finding my phone, I headed into the living room, turning on a single light. My heart was heavy, but Stone was right in that I’d worked hard for my dream and that the chance I’d been given was truly once in a lifetime. I found the email Colette had sent, which included Francois’ email address.

I took a deep breath, sweeping my gaze toward the doorway before typing a response to the offer.

Only after I hit send did I feel nauseous. Maybe I’d done the wrong thing. I hadn’t painted anything since being in Hawaii. Colette had indicated several of my paintings had been destroyed when my abductors had broken into my apartment. I had few works of art for the tour.

Frustrated, I thought about the pictures on my phone and navigated to the few photos. After studying them for a few seconds, a sudden burst of inspiration hit me harder than any had in a very long time.

A smile slowly formed on my face and I quickly moved to the canvas with the huge pink mark, tossing it aside and pulling a fresh one. Then I prepared the paints. I was more excited than I’d been for weeks, maybe months.

With my phone close, the scent of the oil paints infused in my nostrils, I picked up the brush.

And I began to paint.