Page 7

Serenity

I left Stone in the dust and hurried to his motorcycle, grateful I’d stopped myself from saying something I’d regret. If Ethan hadn’t called me right then, Stone’s teasing wouldn’t have gotten to me.

Stone stepped from the building, his face almost apologetic. “Hey, I wasn’t trying to be a jerk. I was just—messing with you.”

My heart twisted. “It’s fine.” I didn’t need another man messing with me. I had enough problems with Brandon, I didn’t need it from Stone.

He raised an eyebrow, daring me to say more, but I was done. I picked up the helmet and pulled it over my head, snapping the strap into place with satisfaction. At least I was getting better at that. The sooner this case was over, the better.

“Ready to ride? ”

At my nod, he slipped on his helmet and mounted the bike. I got on behind him, and the tension melted away. As I wrapped my arms around him, I couldn’t believe how comforting it felt to mold my body against his. It was almost like we were made for each other. Or did it feel so good because I was starved for physical contact?

At least I knew it wouldn’t last, so nothing that happened would disappoint me. Since that was the case, I might as well hold him close, even if my heart screamed that it was a bad idea.

But what the freak? How could Brandon do this to me? The divorce should have been final six months ago. Now he was suing me for mental cruelty? I held onto Stone a little tighter as he accelerated.

None of this was my fault. Sure, I’d changed after the accident, but I’d been damn lucky to survive. That accident had nearly killed me. In fact, the doctors told me I’d died during surgery. The surgeon said they’d tried four times to get my heart started. Another doctor had even called it, but a nurse told them to give it one more try. That last try had saved my life and brought me back from the dead.

I didn’t remember dying, but I remembered floating above my body and watching them work on me. I wasn’t scared or concerned, I just thought it was weird. Right after that, a bright light completely enveloped me in warmth, taking away all my cares and worries.

The next thing I knew, I opened my eyes to see the nurse hovering over me. She told me I was going to be okay, and I believed her. Later, I woke up in a room with my mom and Brandon watching over me. I told them about the warm light, but they didn’t like talking about it, so I never spoke of it again.

Brandon had been so happy that I’d survived, until the visions started. I remembered the exact moment his eyes changed from love to abhorrence… like I’d turned into a monster.

It didn’t help that I’d embraced my newfound ability, deciding to actually make a career out of it. I’d always wanted to help people, and now I had this gift. I had to use it. But, for Brandon, that was the last straw.

He hated the idea that I could learn information just by touching someone or something, and fear pushed him over the edge. He couldn’t even stand to let me touch him , and I finally realized that no amount of begging or talking would ever change that.

I could never go back to who I was before the accident, but he couldn’t go forward with who I’d become. I understood that, but why couldn’t he agree to the terms of the divorce instead of suing me? I knew it was all about the insurance money, and I’d even agreed to give him some of it, but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough.

Sure… he was angry, but claiming I’d ruined his life was ridiculous. He’d done that himself. He just wanted me to suffer, because he claimed I’d made him suffer. It was pointless and discouraging, and the last nine months had been hell.

Before I knew it, we were back at Vanetti’s, and I made a pit stop at the restroom before joining Stone in his office. He’d already started the surveillance video, pushing the arrows to make it go faster or slower, depending on what was going on. I sat beside him and watched, only stopping him if I thought I saw someone familiar.

By the time we got done, the work day was over. I’d seen enough to know that the man from my vision wasn’t any of the people on the video. But that wasn’t the worst of it. For some reason, it had irked me to watch so many women throw themselves at Stone. Didn’t anyone have any dignity these days ?

Stone put the thumb drive in his desk drawer and slowly stretched, careful of his bruises and sore muscles. I tried not to stare, but couldn’t help myself. There was just something about watching him move that mesmerized me.

He caught me staring, and a blush stained my cheeks. “Uh… I may not have picked up anything on the video, but I still think The Comet Club is worth checking out.”

“You want to go back?” His brows rose and he studied me for a moment.

“Yeah. Look, I’m sorry I overreacted back there.” I didn’t like having bad feelings between us, and I wanted Stone to know I could apologize when I was wrong.

“It’s not a big deal.” One corner of his mouth quirked. “It was probably bad timing on my part. Do… you want to talk about it?”

My eyes widened, and I shook my head. “So, The Comet Club?”

“Sure. We can head over there before we meet the boys at the park tonight.” He paused. “But that means you’ll have to dress up.”

I blinked. “Well… yeah… of course.” Did he think I didn’t know how to go clubbing? Tightening my jaw, I tamped down my defensiveness before I made things even worse.

“It also wouldn’t hurt to lose that jacket. You look too much like a cop.”

I glanced down at my clothes, knowing he was right. In fact, I’d dressed like this for that very reason. Not being able to completely suppress my frustration, I couldn’t help asking. “Well then, what would you suggest?” I wasn’t so sure that ‘the boys’ thinking I was a cop was such a bad thing.

His eyes narrowed, and his assessing gaze flicked over me. I swallowed, and a shiver ran down my spine. In a moment of weakness, I licked my lips, just to see his eyes darken, and boy… did they. “You know what? Don’t answer that.” I raised my brows. “I’m a professional. I’ll wear what I want, even if the snake gang doesn’t like it.”

Rolling his eyes, he shrugged, wincing a little before he could mask it.

My stomach gave a little squirm. “You okay? That looked like it hurt.”

“My shoulder’s just a little sore.” His voice firmed. “I’m fine.”

“Okay. Uh… I brought most everything I thought I would need for a couple of days in my suitcase. It’s in my car, but I need to go home and get a dress for the club.” I glanced away, unsure how to ask my next question. “So, are we staying here? In your apartment? That wasn’t real clear to me.”

Stone closed his eyes and huffed out a breath. “I guess that would work. There’s a spare room.” His gaze met mine. “You’d probably be more comfortable here than at my house?”

“That’s true.” Even though I wouldn’t mind seeing where he lived, going to his house seemed way too intimate for me.

His eyes narrowed. “How about we go to your house for the dress, and pick up something for dinner while we’re out. I’m afraid there’s not much food in the apartment, and I’m starving.”

“I think that will work.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

Taking the elevator to the garage, Stone strode to the bike. He handed me a helmet, and I raised a brow. “Uh… will there be room for the food if we’re on the bike?”

His left brow quirked. “Don’t you like the bike?”

“I do… I love it—I mean…” I shrugged, hoping he wouldn’t read too much into it. “Yeah, it’s nice enough. ”

He grinned but didn’t comment on that. “Let’s go to your house first, and then we’ll figure it out.”

I nodded. “Okay.” I gave him my address and managed to get on behind him without too much trouble. The ride to my house didn’t take long. Stone pulled into the driveway, driving back to park in front of the garage.

After unlocking the back door, I glanced around the kitchen to make sure I hadn’t left it in a mess. Relieved that it looked okay, I invited Stone inside.

“It’ll just take me a minute to grab my dress.” At his nod, I left him to look around while I hurried into my bedroom. Knowing he was in my house and looking at my things made me nervous. I’d been alone for nearly a year, and I hadn’t had a man in the house since Brandon left.

I’d done a lot to make this place my own. Getting rid of anything that reminded me of Brandon had been my top priority. Still, I’d been lonely, and having Stone here just reinforced how much I missed being in a relationship with someone special.

I found my red dress and heels. The dress was about the sexiest thing I owned, leaving one shoulder bare and molding to my body, with the tight skirt barely covering my upper thighs. I grabbed a thong and a strapless bra to wear under it, and hesitated. It was skimpy, but thoughts of Brandon and his court battle firmed my resolve.

I was not going to be intimidated by Brandon or any other man. Plus… part of me couldn’t wait to see the look on Stone’s face when he saw me wearing the dress. I knew it was like picking up a snake and hoping it wouldn’t bite me, but I couldn’t help it. He probably thought I wasn’t the type to dress like this, and I wanted to prove him wrong.

Luckily, the dress wouldn’t wrinkle, and I found a small backpack to hold it. On a whim, I took off my boxy blazer and rummaged through my closet for my cute, black leather jacket. I hadn’t worn it since before the accident, back when I was more carefree and easygoing.

But it was just the thing to wear on a motorcycle. Plus, I could wear it to the club tonight over my dress. It was late spring, so I knew I needed something to cover my bare skin. Slipping it on, I smiled, pleased that I looked a little more adventurous. At least I’d been smart enough to wear my black ankle boots, and now I totally rocked my new look.

I came out to find Stone studying the photographs that covered my wall. He glanced at me, taking in my leather jacket, and gave me an appreciative nod. I tried not to smile, since his response was exactly what I’d hoped for.

He motioned toward the photos. “You take these?”

I glanced at them, as if seeing them for the first time, and inwardly cringed. “Uh… yeah. Some of them are kind of abstract, so it’s okay if you don’t like them.”

He shook his head. “No. I think they’re amazing.” He pointed at the tree trunk. “It took me a minute, but I found the face.”

“Oh yeah?” My chest warmed. “That’s great.”

“And this one? Is it a leaf?”

I nodded. “Yup, you got it.”

He smiled. “It reminds me of being a kid. My friend used to hold leaves up to the sun just to see the little veins.” He twisted his head to the side, quickly pointing at the next photo. “Smoke?”

“Not quite.” I smiled. Who would’ve guessed that the mighty Stone was ever a kid? “That’s one of my favorites. It’s actually a black and white photo of the mist at the base of a waterfall. I have another one over there that’s in color and shows the entire waterfall.”

He stepped to where I’d pointed. “Oh, wow… yeah, I can see that now. It’s beautiful. Is the wa terfall local?”

“Yeah, it is. Just up the canyon.” I smiled, enjoying his praise.

“And who’s this?” He pointed to a photo of my niece, running down a green hill with her arms spread out and her laughing face tilted to the sky. You could practically hear her laughter through the photo.

“That’s Gracie. My niece.” That photo always brought a smile to my face. Just the pure joy of my niece was enough to lift me out of a bad mood.

Nodding, he glanced between me and the photo, a smile playing around the corners of his handsome mouth. “I see the resemblance. She’s adorable.”

I smiled. “Yeah… she is.”

He motioned to the wall, brows raised. “These are great. You’re really good.”

I shook my head, but wasn’t able to suppress a blush. “You should see all the ones that didn’t turn out. But… thank you. It’s a new hobby of mine; it helps with the stress.”

“When did you take it up?”

“After the acci— um… about a year ago. I’ve been too busy to do much lately, but I’m hoping to get out more.” I itched to take some photos of him and his motorcycle, but now that I’d seen more of his smile, I really wanted to capture that. There was something about his mouth, something genuine and honest when he smiled. Not that I’d necessarily show the pictures to anyone… they’d be just for me.

Catching myself staring, I rubbed my nose. “Should we go?”

“You got everything?”

“Yeah.”

I locked up the house, and climbed on the bike behind Stone, feeling like I belonged there, wearing my black, leather jacket, and ankle boots. Elation rushed over me, and I couldn’t help smiling.

On the way back to his apartment, we stopped by a Mexican restaurant. Stone had ordered some food while waiting for me, and it was packed in a sturdy Styrofoam container and ready to go.

He placed it on the back of his motorcycle and fastened it down with a bungee cord. That didn’t leave a lot of room for me, but, since it gave me an excuse to plaster myself against him, I couldn’t complain. He didn’t seem to mind, either, but that was his problem, not mine.

Back at his apartment, he showed me the guest room, and I put my luggage inside and hung up my dress. He was on the phone when I came out, so I set the table and put the food out.

He paced back and forth in the living room, and I tried not to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t help listening to his side of the conversation. From his tone, he didn’t sound happy, and I heard him say that staying in touch just wasn’t working for him. It hit me that he might be having an argument with a woman.

He’d mentioned a girlfriend earlier, but I thought he was bluffing. I knew he wasn’t married, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t in a relationship. Although, from his side of the conversation, it sounded like it was over. For some reason, that brought a smile to my lips. He ended the call and joined me in the kitchen.

“Everything okay?”

He glanced my way before sitting down. “I hope you like Mexican food.”

“Yeah, I do.” He really should have asked long before now, but obviously, he was deflecting. I let it go.

We ate in silence, but my nerves about going to the club and meeting more snake gang members got the best of me, so I couldn’t eat much. “Thanks for dinner. What time do you want to leave for the club?”

He checked his watch. “It’s just after seven-thirty. Let’s leave in about an hour.”

“Okay. After I clear this up, I’m going to settle into my room. Let me know if you need me.”

His mouth quirked. “I’ll clean up. Go take care of whatever you need to.”