I let him lead me down the hall. My mind fused with his. Even caught in lust, it fluttered with worries for him.
“But your family is not at your back,” I said. “Are you really ok with that?”
“It’s ok,” he said. “I’m still CEO of Stone Holdings. I probably won't hold it now, but I’ll still be tied to them for better or worse, for as long as they’ll let me. Now, I just have my own thing.”
“You're ok with letting go of Stone Holdings?” I said.
“As long as I have something else to hold on to.”
He smiled, and I kissed him.
He may be happy, and he had gotten a victory, but it wasn't exactly what he'd dreamed of. I wanted to help him get it all, somehow.
Now I was free to help him in every way.
He scooped me up and tossed me onto the bed. I grinned as he joined me.
We could start with the fun stuff though.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Deacon
“Right there, Mr. Stone. Ohhh, give me that raise.”
“Take it, darlin'. You earn every bit of it.”
Kiara moaned and lashed her head side to side. Her slick, dark hair tickled my face as it flew past. Her hands gripped the ivory sheets tighter at her back.
I sank into her deeper, plunging my hard, throbbing erection through her wet, hot folds, going tighter and tighter. Maybe it was me growing at the sight of her ample, lush body open for me to plow. Maybe it was her inviting me in. Wouldn't put it past this girl to do that.
She'd been living with me a month already, though we'd been going at it hard for the past two months - ever since she left her company and joined my new one.
Two months of mornings and nights like this, of waking up right and going to sleep exhausted. You think missionary might have lost its luster. Still, it was my favorite ending.
I clutched her tight, dripping sweat and rushed into her harder and faster, binding her to me.
A thin sliver of Houston light dashed her face, illuminated the rapture her eyes saw. My cock nearly exploded at the sight, but I wasn't deep enough. I clamped around her, and drew her body up, nearly crushing the mattress in my attempt to enter her fully. Her legs wound around me, the delicate heels of her feet indenting my rear, fastening her pussy to my cock.
Her eyes fell dully on mine, like she were seeing a dream, something unimaginable. It made no sense – unless she was seeing her gorgeous reflection in my eyes.
She'd fallen from the heavens before me and then she'd decided not to run. I'd honor her every chance I got, making sure she knew she was mine. There were more permanent ways to fasten her to me, but for now, there was this.
My thrusts grew harder. I hammered her into the dark, heartwood headboards. Her eyes flew shut, her brow wrinkled in concentration. A thin moan escaped her lips.
“Come on,” I said, kissing her and curling in deeper. “Just a little more. Show me you're ready to handle what I've got.”
“Oh god,” she cried out. Her spine arched and she writhed. The wail broke into a squeal. Her nails purchased my skin. The pinpricks just made me throb harder.
“Fuck yes, baby.”
“Do I get the bonus?” she managed to squeal out.
“It's only for you.” I grunted. “Take everything.”
She snapped under me, then bucked like a bronco. One heave, and I was coming too.
Her voice broke high against my groans. Her juices fought mine, but it was no contest. I shot hard and deep into her, giving her every drop I had.
“Phew,” I said, when I finally tumbled off. “That's just the thing to clear my head.”
“You emptied mine,” she said, gasping for breath next to me.
“Good, now maybe I can be half as smart as you.” I kissed her burning cheek.
“We haven't even been together half a year,” she said. “At this rate, I'll have the mind of a ten year old by our first anniversary.
Anniversary. The world tickled down my spine, raising hairs up and down my body. A year of her? We'd met ages ago, it seemed, but the time flew by. A year would be upon us sooner than imagined.
And every day, I grew more certain that I wanted to ensure its arrival.
Despite how late for work we both were, I held her a moment, felt her breakneck pulse lob in sync with mine.
“That would be amazing,” I said. “You'd be far easier to manage as a ten year old.”
“Don't count on it,” she said. “It took a lot of discipline for my father to keep me in line. I don't think you're up for it.”
“Oh, just say the word, darlin' and I'll unleash on you as never before.”
It might have been a dangerous thing to say in the early days, but now, her monster was dead and buried, in real and in her heart. She just smiled and nudged my cheek with her fist.
“Speaking of ten year olds, who's the one running off to meet their mommy?”
I crushed my eyes shut. “Do you have to remind me?”
“You should be at the airport by now.”
“Good thing about a private jet is that it's not allowed to leave without you.”
My elation was quickly dulling though. I had no idea what I'd been summoned to discuss – privately, no less. My mother was pissed about my headlong dive into my new company, but she could hardly punish me with both Stone Solar and Stone Holdings hitting record profits.
But who knows, she didn't exactly need reason to have me step down as CEO. I'd made my peace with that for a while now. Let Jesse have Stone Holdings. I had the things that mattered to me.
Still, I
was
going to see here wasn't I? Why was I dancing to her tune if I didn’t care. My peace hadn't gone more than skin deep maybe. That would take time. Hopefully, all she wanted was to hoist some more abuse on me. That'd speed the process up.
“You shouldn't keep her waiting,” Kiara said.
“Is she working through you, too, now?” I asked.
“I don't think she even considers me a real person.”
“Perhaps I should show her a tape of our morning routine. Let her see how real you are.”
“Please don't.”
I kissed her firmly on the lips, then sat up and gazed sadly at the sheets. Once, I'd flown the world on a whim. Now, even flying away to Dallas seemed hard. It was hard enough leaving Kiara in the morning, even when we were just going to different offices in the same building.
“I'll be back for dinner,” I said.
“With an appetite, I hope.” Her brown eyes glittered in the sunlight.
“With all sorts of appetite
s
,” I said. “That's a guarantee.”
She grabbed my arm, her fingers gentle. “I love you, Deacon,” she said.
I kissed her hand, and gave it a squeeze. “I know.”
“Ugh, don't Solo me.”
I chuckled then bent in for a kiss. “I love you, darlin',” I said solemnly. “More than anything in this life.”
“I believe you.”
Her eyes, warm and tender, told the truth. I couldn't see a trace of the doubt that had once been so strong there. Still, I wouldn't be satisfied until I eliminated it altogether.
But first, I'd go take care of this.
****
Mother's butler led me to her sitting room. That's what she actually called it, and certainly there was ample opportunity to live up to its name.
Light spilled in through sheer lace curtains, dimmed and scattered. It fell across the various ornate wood and white cloth sofas laid out, not quite facing each other. An antique wooden coffee table in the center held a pot of steaming tea.
For a woman who took pride in our Texan legacy, she took an awful lot of inspiration from Europe.
“You're late,” my mother said.
She sat in a wing chair, sipping at a porcelain cup. She wore a loose grey pantsuit and had her legs crossed neatly.
“I got distracted,” I said. “New business takes up a lot of attention, you know. Or no, I suppose you wouldn't.”
“Charming,” she said. “I imagine things are going well with your Arabs, then. You're as rude and surly as they are.”
“Oh, how I wish I had a recording of that to play to the Saudi King the next time you broke bread together.”
“Tea, sir?” the butler said, professionally deaf to the stormclouds moving in.
“Bring me a coffee, if you could,” I said. “Cream, no sugar.”
“Right away.” He whispered off against the expensive Persian carpet.
“How
are
things recently with your new company?” my mother asked.
“We've got a major new contract with Qatar.”
I beamed. Kiara had been instrumental in selling that. It'd be a double pleasure to stick it back at my mother.
But she didn't flinch. She sipped calmly. “How big?” she asked. “Billions?”
“Eight figures. That's major for the sector.” I frowned. “Why the sudden interest in our well-being?”
“I didn't much care when you squandered your own money on it. But you couldn't resist naming it after our family, could you?” She shook her head. “Stone Solar.”
“I named it after myself. I just happen to be a Stone.”
“People still think it's part of the family company, you know.”
“I'm not interested in the idle musings of people who can't be bothered to spend a minute researching the facts.”
“No, you're never interested in what anyone has to think. Well, perhaps other than that woman I hear you're now cohabiting with.”
Kiara was off limits. I'd made that clear to both her and Jesse, though for different reasons.
“What does it matter?” I said. “Going into solar was supposed to spook the politicians. But Tarly's still dining with you and he's still crushing the polls. People weren't swayed by me.”
“No.” Her brow finally wrinkled. “I may have misjudged that situation.”
I snorted. If I didn't know better, that almost sounded like an apology. But she said nothing more.
The butler swished back with the coffee. I set it down on the table, and hunched forward.
“Why did you call me here?” I said. “What couldn't wait?”
She met my eyes an instant, then crossed her legs the other way. “I researched your company before you arrived. Numbers are not my strong suit, but Walter tells me that you are doing extremely well.”
She'd actually talked to our accountant? My eyes felt wide enough to drop out of my sockets.
“We are,” I said.
“It's still not what the Stone name has stood for, but Jesse has mentioned on one or two occasions that it could be made amenable to our family's strengths.”
“It can.”
“Perhaps I was wrong in vetoing its purchase.”
“Perhaps?” I started to laugh, but it choked out as it grew clear exactly where this was headed. “Wait, you don't think you can buy the company now, right? I took the risk. It's my venture.”
“It's already named properly to fit right in as a branch of Stone Holdings.”
Now, I did laugh. I kicked back and crossed my legs, sipping slowly at my coffee. It was good, having something she was begging after, for once.
“I thought Deacon Stone Solar would be a bit tacky,” I said. “But make no mistake. It's my company. I'll be running it well after you give Jesse the reins to Stone Holdings.”
“Ah.” My mother's face went as calm as the center of a hurricane. “That.”
“Yes, that. Always that. We all knew it was in the cards.”
And yet my stomach clenched at the sight of the truth so naked on her face.
“If you knew,” she said. “Then why with every step, did you fight my wishes?”
“Mother, I've been taking the wrong steps in your eyes since I toddled over to the workshop playset instead of the dressage rocking horse. There was no chance we'd ever agree. And it worked out fine. You see that, now.”
“I see your mind for business,” she said. “Don't mistake that for lack of flaw elsewhere.”
“Business is all my mind cares about.” I gulped down the coffee, and beckoned the butler from the door for another. “So I'll take that as a gold star.”
“I'm glad to hear that.” She set her cup and saucer down. “Because I'm giving it to you.”
My lungs shut down. The room went still and solid.
“What?” I said.
“I will name you heir to Stone Holdings. You, not your brother.”
Her thin lips drew tight with a smile.
My jaw was open, I tried to shut it, but it flapped out of my control. “Why would you do that?”
“You know how to make money,” she said. “And our future depends on the amount more than how we make it. This political campaign has shown me that quite clearly.”
“Does Jesse know?”
“He will, if you accept the deal.”
“Of course, I want Stone Holdings.”
It'd been the one thing I knew I'd never have. The thing I fought for anyway.
“The other terms don't matter to you?” she said.
Her smile deepened to her normal malice. Of course, there was more.