Serenity
E mbarrassment flooded over me. How could Brandon just show up like that? What was wrong with him? How could he possibly believe that I’d ever want to get back with him after everything he’d done?
I’d seen his true colors, so nothing would ever change my mind, but now I was back to playing this little game of his, and it made me so angry.
Stone stood at the window, watching Brandon leave. I hurried into the kitchen, hoping to salvage our meal. I’d enjoyed working on it, and now it was probably ruined.
I slipped the omelet back into the pan and turned on the cook-top, hoping I could heat it up again without too much trouble. It was a simple meal, so it should still taste good.
Stone came into the kitchen, and I finished warming everything up before setting it on the table. With the omelet, bacon, hash browns, tomatoes and cheese, it looked pretty good. The toast popped up, and I quickly brought it over to butter.
“This looks amazing,” Stone said. “Thank you.”
“Of course. Help yourself.”
We began to eat, and I savored each bite, grateful it had turned out so well. Nearly finished, Stone cocked a brow. “So. What do you think Brandon really wanted?”
I shook my head, sorry we had to talk about him. “I don’t know. To be honest, I think he takes delight in messing with me. But he should know by now that I’d never consider getting back together. It blows my mind that he’d even suggest it. After what happened, I could never trust him again.”
Stone nodded. “I agree. There’s got to be something else he’s after.”
I shook my head. “You don’t think making my life miserable is enough?”
He shrugged. “Could be, but I think there’s more to it. It’s too bad you didn’t try to touch him. Now that would have been telling.”
My eyes widened. “Dang. I didn’t even think about it.”
His lips twisted. “It’s okay. You’ll have to remember it for next time though, since it’s obvious he’s planning on seeing you again.” His brows drew together. “So tell me. It sounded like you already had a divorce agreement drawn up, but he wouldn’t sign it, right?”
“Yeah… pretty much.”
“Why wouldn’t he sign it?”
I set my fork down. “He wants half of the settlement money from the accident. I guess he forgot that I used most of it to pay all the hospital bills along with my lawyer’s fees. Technically, he should only get what’s left over after all the bills were paid, but now he’s suing me to try and get more. He must think suing me for mental cruelty would entitle him to that.”
I shook my head. “I also paid off this house and bought a new car… that I had to sell. I lost my job after the accident, so I decided to start my own business. That took every last penny I had, but I thought it was a good investment, you know?”
Stone raised a brow. “So basically, if he signed it now, what would he get?”
“We’d split the market value of this house… that’s it. I don’t mind doing that. He took everything he wanted and left the furniture… that sort of thing. He also cleared out our shared checking account, but there wasn’t much in it, so I didn’t bring it up.”
I picked up my fork, but I’d lost my appetite, and I pushed my remaining food around on my plate for something to do. “But what I really want is to have him out of my life. I’m sure once I get my business up and running I could qualify for a loan to pay him off, especially with the money I’m getting from Vanetti. But if it goes to trial, most of that will be gone, too.”
“You need to withdraw your proposal and write up something new.”
I set my fork down. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. Half the equity in the house would be better than the market value. Then you should threaten to counter-sue him for mental cruelty. See how he likes that.”
“Yeah. Maybe. But that just takes more money away to pay my lawyer.” I rubbed my forehead, feeling another headache building. “I just want this to be over. I’m so tired of it dragging on and on.”
He huffed out a breath. “I’m sure you are, but he’s dragging this out no matter what you want. ”
“Okay. I’ll call my lawyer tomorrow and see what he says.”
“Just out of curiosity, did you get the locks changed on your doors?”
I sucked in a breath. “Uh… no. He gave me back his keys, so I didn’t think I needed to.”
Stone raised a brow. “I didn’t think you trusted him.”
“I don’t… but…” I glanced away, worry tightening my chest. What if Brandon had a spare key I didn’t know about? He could come into the house anytime he wanted. Take whatever he wanted. “You’re right. I should have changed them.”
Stone checked his watch. “The hardware store should still be open. Want to make a run and get new locks? And a security camera for the porch would be nice. It wouldn’t hurt to set you up with a security system, either.”
“I can spring for the locks. But I don’t have the money for a security system. Don’t you have to pay a monthly fee for that?”
His brows dipped and he looked me in the eyes. “Don’t worry about it. I know a guy.”
My eyes widened. “Are you joking with me right now?”
He grinned, his sexy smile doing funny things to my stomach. “Babe, I’m talking about myself. Besides, you should have done this right after he left. Now I can do it for you, and it’ll help make us even.”
My brows rose. “You mean for saving your life today… and yesterday?” I twisted my lips. “I’m not sure that’s enough to make us even.”
“Maybe not, but if you think of something else, we can add it to the tab.”
His smoldering gaze sent a different kind of message, and heat filled my veins. Was he propositioning me? Just the thought made it hard to think straight. I swallowed and shrugged, hoping he didn’t notice. “I guess I’ll have to see how good of a job you do on the locks before I decide.”
He raised a brow. “Well… I am good with my hands, so you’re on.” He grabbed his jacket and headed to the back door. I snatched mine, and quickly followed.
The hardware store wasn’t far, and I ended up following Stone around the aisles, since he knew where to go and I didn’t. He helped me pick out everything I needed. Then he paid for it before I could stop him, and we ended up back at the house in no time.
While he got to work on the locks, I cleaned up the kitchen from our dinner. I had to admit that it was nice having him here to take care of this for me. I probably could have done it myself, but why not take advantage of him while I could, right?
Too bad I couldn’t take advantage of him in other ways. Just knowing he was spending the night sent shivers down my spine, and I shook my head. I couldn’t go there. Nope. I definitely wasn’t ready for that, no matter how much my body ached for his touch.
Feeling drained, I stepped into the living room, leaning against the doorway to watch him set up the security camera on my front porch. Wanting to sit down, I started toward the couch, and the vision of us kissing and naked hit my chest.
That was where it happened. On my couch. Shit. I swallowed and tried to put it from my mind. Seeing a vision didn’t mean it was going to happen. Besides, I wasn’t ready for that. At least, I didn’t think so.
“Serenity?”
I jerked. “Huh?”
“Your phone. I need it to connect everything.”
“Oh, right. Here.” I unlocked it and handed it over. Instead of sitting on the couch, I stepped to the chair beside my bookcase. Sinking down into it, I let out a breath and relaxed. So much had happened today that it boggled my mind.
The vision of Stone getting shot popped into my head. If I’d reached him just a second later, he’d be dead. It still unnerved me that the bullet had hit me instead. I could be dead right now too. Just thinking about it made my head hurt.
And what about getting sucked into the darkness of that vision and not being able to pull myself out? But it was a lot more than just that. Stone and I had barely escaped the blast from the trailer. On top of that, Brandon had shown up and ruined a perfectly good meal.
The last few days were catching up to me, and a sudden pain arched behind my eyes. It stretched across the front of my skull to the back of my neck. Oh no. Not now. The pain intensified, and I winced.
Stone handed me my phone and his brows rose. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”
“My head’s hurting. It usually means a migraine is coming on. I think I can stave it off if I get some sleep. Are you okay if I go to bed?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks. I never got migraines before the accident. But with all the trauma I’ve experienced lately… along with a head wound, I should have expected it.”
“I’m sorry. I’m pretty good at neck massages. Would that help?”
My eyes widened. “I don’t know. I’ve never tried it before.”
“It might make a difference.”
I shrugged. “Okay. Should I lie down?”
He grabbed a pillow from the couch, and had me sit cross-legged on it while he took my place in the chair. I closed my eyes and tried to relax. His touch was gentle but firm. As he expertly rubbed his thumbs over my shoulders and neck, the tension drained out of me, and my headache lessened. I may have groaned a few times, and, after several of minutes of this, I was a spineless blob.
“Let’s get you to bed.” Stone got to his feet and helped me up, his arm coming around my waist. He walked me into my room and sat me on the bed, where I laid back on my pillow. “I’d offer to help you undress, but I don’t think I’d be able to leave.” His intense gaze left me breathless. “Goodnight, Serenity.”
He walked out of my room and closed the door. Part of me didn’t want him to leave, but another part breathed a sigh of relief. Totally confused, I quickly undressed and climbed under my covers. After a few cleansing breaths, I dropped into sleep.
I woke to the gray light of dawn filtering through my window. The events of the last few days came flooding back, but none of it brought the anxiety I expected. Even my headache was gone.
I stretched, realizing that I probably felt so good because of the great massage Stone had given me. Not only that, but he was here in my house and I wasn’t alone. For the first time in a long time, I felt safe and protected, which seemed a little strange since I’d nearly died yesterday.
I took a quick shower, careful with my stitches, and put on a little makeup before blow-drying my hair. It had a natural wave to it, so instead of straightening it, I put some hair product in and scrunched it using my diffuser. With a side part, it turned out great, giving me a sassy look .
To show off my blue eyes, I wore my favorite deep blue crew-neck tee that had a black dragonfly pattern on the front. Next, I found my form-fitting black jeans and slipped on my ankle boots.
By the time I finished getting ready, sunshine splashed through my windows, mirroring my good mood, and I could hardly wait to see Stone. I opened my door to the smell of coffee and found him in my kitchen using my coffee brewer.
He wore a t-shirt and gym shorts, and I wondered if he’d slept in them or just thrown them on to make his coffee. Thinking of him naked in my guest bedroom quickened my heart.
After taking a cleansing breath, I stepped toward him, noticing his hair curling over his forehead. This morning, it seemed darker than normal, making it look like deep, silk chocolate, and my fingers itched to see if it was as soft as it looked.
His dark eyes, strong jaw, and unshaven face seemed to lure me to him, and I wondered what it would be like to wake up with him in my kitchen every morning. Preferably after a night of amazing sex. Yikes! Just the thought turned my insides to mush.
He glanced my way and smiled. My heart did little flip-flops in my chest and I swallowed. I was in so much trouble. “Hey. How’s it going?”
As I stepped to his side, he studied my face. “I’m good. You look better today. Did you have a good sleep?”
“Yes. It’s probably due to that great massage. It really helped.”
He raised a brow and gave me a sexy, lop-sided grin. “Yeah… like I said last night, I’m good with my hands.”
I snorted and shook my head, not quite ready to go there. “Uh… yeah. Th at’s…” I heaved out a breath. “Uh… besides the massage… I think it helped to sleep in my own bed.”
His lips twisted, but he let me off the hook. “Makes sense. I don’t have that problem. I can sleep just about anywhere. I’m sure it’s from my days in the service.”
“That’s right. What made you join up, anyway?”
He snorted. “Well, it was either that or be homeless.”
“Why? What happened?”
His lips twisted. “I guess I can tell you since we’re… friends?” He met my gaze with a raised brow.
“Uh… yeah… of course.”
With a nod, he poured steaming coffee into our mugs. “Right after high school, I got into some trouble, and my old man told me that I could join up or he’d kick me out of the house. I was ready for an adventure, so I joined up the next day.”
He took a few swallows and glanced out the window, his eyes unfocused. “I thrived on the challenges and did all I could to be the best in my unit. I moved up through the ranks, got my education, and then was sent overseas. It wasn’t until I arrived in the Middle East that the whole experience began to sour. They don’t tell you how it feels to watch people die.”
He shook his head. “But when the killing started to be easy… that’s when I was done. I lost some good friends… and made a few bad ones. So, when my time was up, I resigned with an honorable discharge and ended up here. Vanetti needed a security specialist, and I met all of his qualifications.” His lips twisted. “Plus… the pay is excellent.”
I grinned. “Yes… I believe that.”
His phone began to ring. He pulled it out, and his brows dipped. “Excuse me.” He strolled down the hall to his room to answer, closing the door so I couldn’t hear his side of the conversation. I knew it wasn’t any of my business, but I couldn’t help wondering who it was.
Still, I was happy that Stone had confided in me. After my vision of him in a war zone, I knew it wasn’t easy for him to talk about his time in the army; but he’d answered my questions without batting an eye.
But now it was back to reality. As good as it felt to have him here, it wasn’t going to last. Being with him the last couple of days had given me a glimpse into his life. Sure, it was more than a little messy, but also a lot more interesting than anything I’d ever known.
Still, once the job was done, he’d be back to working for a mob-boss full time. That alone should be enough to warn me away from him. Of course, didn’t I work for a mob-boss too? Part of me had come alive the last couple of days. If Vanetti asked me to do more work for him in the future, would I?
Yes. Even with all the danger involved, if it meant being with Stone, I’d do it in a heartbeat.