Uncovering Stone Read online

  Evan

  My first instinct is to run after Lani, but I refuse to do it. I’m done holding her hand. If I go after her, it would only lead to an argument and another fucking reminder from her that she doesn’t want me. I don’t need it, and I don’t feel like dealing with her shit when I’m horny as hell. It’s been months since I’ve had any sex and I’m ready to make up for the lost time. I wound up packing an entire box of condoms in my overnight bag and knowing just how much relief I’m going to need, I threw in whatever was left in the box sitting in my night stand for good measure. By the time I’m done with her, Mary won’t be walking straight for a while. With thoughts of the different ways I’ll soon be fucking Mary, I leave Lani behind in the penthouse.

  I check into the hotel and send Mary a text with the room number. Walking around the suite, I start planning on how I’ll be spending the next few hours. The bed is a California king and there’s plenty of space to spread Mary out, maybe begin by eating her pussy so that she’ll be ready to take my cock right away. We can get off a couple of times over there, then clean up and go a few rounds in that big tub that’s about the size of a jacuzzi. Maybe even fuck out here on the balcony. I consider my options as I walk outside and breathe in the crisp air. My eyes scan the city below, and as I take in the view, Lani enters my mind. I recall the pain I saw in her eyes as she ran off into her bedroom. I don’t understand why she’s even upset. She made it clear, on multiple occasions, that she doesn’t want to be with me. Did she expect that I’d turn into a monk and never have sex again? Whatever. I really need to stop thinking about Lani and her reaction before the obsession with her finds its way back into my mind. Where the fuck is Mary? She needs to get here, NOW! I need to bury myself inside her and forget all about Lani.

  When Mary finally arrives, I do a sweep of her body as she walks in. Though Mary doesn’t fit the mold of what most people consider as the ideal beauty, I find her sexy. She may be average height and a little thicker in the waist, but it’s the confidence in which she carries herself that makes her hot as hell. I take a lot of credit in making her the woman she is today, because she didn’t have that spark when we first met. All those years of her husband wearing her down did a number on her self-esteem, but I worked on her. Evidently, having a ‘damn good-looking man with a fine ass’ wanting you and giving you the attention you deserve can do wonders for a woman. With all the sexual liberation I provided her, the confidence she found in bed eventually spilled over to all other aspects of her life. Now, whenever she smiles, she has a glow about her and it always gets me hard knowing I had a hand in making that happen.

  Once she’s in the room, I close the door and come up from behind, wrapping my arms around her. She puts her bags down and I greet her by grinding my hard cock against her ass.

  “Mmmm...someone’s eager to get the ‘Fuck Fest’ started,” she says, throwing my words from a text I’d sent her back at me. “I’d say what’s up, but I can feel the answer just fine,” she comments with a laugh. “And it’s good to see you, too! It’s been a while.”

  “Yeah, I got caught up in something and I’ve been busy dealing with it. But don’t worry, I’m back now,” I tell her as I trail kisses along her neck.

  “Well, good. Let me get my bags in the bedroom, then I’m all yours,” she says before turning her head back slightly to catch my lips with hers for a quick kiss. She pulls out of my hold and bends down to pick up her bags.

  “Now, that’s what I like to hear!” I declare, smacking her ass hard with my open palm—that’s going to leave a mark. I can’t wait to get her naked so I can claim that ass. I hear her gasp in pleasure before she excitedly hurries to the bedroom. In her excitement, she completely forgot about her bag and just took her purse. With a smile on my face, I pick up her bag and follow her.

  As soon as I put her bag down, she’s back in my arms, kissing me—fast and demanding. It’s another thing I like about Mary—she doesn’t talk much and just gets straight to business. My cock is so hard, aching to bend her over the bed and fuck her in the ass. God, just thinking about it has me close to ejaculating. It’s a good thing I planned ahead and dumped all the condoms I brought with me on the nightstand before she got here. I already have to deal with ripping the wrappers open and wrapping up my dick, I didn’t want to waste precious time taking them out of the boxes too.

  Not breaking the kiss, I grab Mary’s ass and press her close against me. I feel her reach between us and start to stroke my cock through my jeans. Fucking CHRIST!! Here I am kissing this fine as hell woman and all I can think about is how her mouth doesn’t have that taste of peppermint. And her lips aren’t soft like Alani’s. I realize that I stopped kissing Mary, so I try to get back into it. LANI isn’t welcome in my thoughts! I feel Mary’s hands at the hem of my shirt, lifting the fabric off of me. She’s seen all the tattoos before, so I don’t try to hide them. I help her get the shirt up and over my head before resuming to kiss. We fall onto the bed with her on top of me and her hands start wandering up and down my torso. I brush my thumb over one of her nipples and she rests her hand on my chest—right over my heart, right on top of the ‘Always mine’ tattoo. Once again, I pause. I’m trying hard not to be distracted, but I can’t help it.

  “What’s wrong?” Mary asks, noticing my hesitation.

  “Nothing,” I reply, turning her onto her back and leaning over to kiss her.

  “Evan, stop,” she says, pushing against my chest and turning her head to avoid my kiss.

  “It’s nothing,” I repeat, attempting to kiss her again.

  “No, tell me what’s going on,” she insists, sitting up.

  “Mary, I said it was nothing. Just let it go,” I reply, laying back on the bed.

  “It’s her, isn’t it?” she questions, running her fingers across Alani’s name.

  “No. It’s me,” I answer, closing my eyes.

  “It’s okay, Evan, but I’m going to leave.”

  “Why?” I ask as I sit up and look at her.

  “Because I spent ten years of my life married to an asshole, living in the shadow of other women, and I refuse to do it again! If we’re going to fuck, then I damn well better be the one you’re fucking—I don’t want your mind going to her!”

  Dammit! I want to argue with her and tell her that I’m here with her in body and mind, but I’d just be lying to her. She deserves better than that.

  “I’m sorry, Mary. I never meant to hurt you. When I invited you here, I honestly thought I was ready to move on.” I feel like shit for doing this to her.

  “I know you’d never intentionally hurt me, Evan. And I understand, you’re in love with her—she’s a very lucky girl.”

  I smile sadly at her and let out a humorless laugh, before saying, “I highly doubt that she’d agree with you there. And trust me, that’s all over. No, I can’t say it’s over when it never even started...it just won’t happen.”

  “Listen to me, you just need to give her time,” Mary advises, taking my hand in both of hers.

  “I’ve given her years,” I protest.

  “Then give her a few more. I don’t know her and I don’t know what her story is, but knowing you, you wouldn’t fall for some stupid girl. So your girl, she’s smart enough to see what a catch you are, and if she’s unable to be with you right now, then she has her reasons. You just need to give her time to work through whatever she needs to and be there for her.”

  I dismiss Mary’s mini lecture. I hear what she’s saying, but I can’t keep living the way I’ve been. I plan on finding and disposing of those three fuckers soon so that Lani can finally be safe and out of my space.

  “Thanks for everything, Mary. The room is already paid for, so feel free to stay and enjoy it,” I tell her as I gather my things and leave the room. Not ready to go home yet, I’ve changed into my button up and slacks to go out and meet my brother. Since Maddox is probably balls deep in his new wife, I called on Noah. If I’m spending another fucking night frustrated from
the lack of sex, I’m at least getting the satisfaction of keeping Noah away from Molly for the night. Misery loves company, and God knows Noah needs to stop fucking his wife so much—she’s always getting knocked up.

  Noah beat me to Hansons, and he’s got a couple beers ready for us.

  “Hey,” Noah greets, pushing one of the bottles towards me.

  “Thanks for coming,” I reply, grabbing the beer and taking a swig.

  “Yeah, no problem. What’s going on?” he asks.

  I sit back and try to find a way to explain the situation with Alani, but I can’t find the words, so I just say, “I love her.”

  “No shit, Sherlock,” Noah responds with a laugh, knowing immediately who I was referring to. “But it’s good to hear you finally admit it.”

  “She drives me insane.”

  “Women will do that.”

  “She doesn’t want me,” I admit bitterly.

  “You sure about that? I’ve seen her with you and how she reacts to you. Granted she’s usually pissed at you, but I always thought there was something underneath all that fire,” Noah reasons with a smile.

  “I thought so, too. But she keeps pushing me away and telling me to move on.”

  “Do you believe her?” he questions.

  “Well, yeah.”

  “This is just an observation, because I don’t know shit about women, and I piss Molly off all the time...” I have to smile—I think Noah likes winding her up. “...but I don’t think Lani has admitted how she truly feels about you to herself. She’s comfortable with you, and after what she went through in high school and what she’s going through now, that says a lot. She turns to you because you’ve given her something that she’s probably never had with any man—a constant, dependable fixture in her life. She doesn’t trust easily, but she trusts you not to hurt her and to be there for her. Once she opens her eyes, she’ll realize it.”

  God, when did this asshole start being the smart one with all the answers? I’m two for two today—I talked to two women I give a fuck about and managed to hurt them both. I’m such a fucking moron! I saw the hurt and tears in Alani’s eyes and I let her walk away. She knew I was going out to go fuck another woman and it had to have crushed her. Maybe Noah’s right. Maybe she just hasn’t realized her feelings for me. I throw money down on the table, immediately stand up and quickly say, “Thanks, man. And sorry, but I need to go.”

  “Go. Go talk to her,” Noah says, shooing me away with the beer bottle in his hand. As I turn to leave, I hear him call out after me, “And don’t be an idiot, asshole!”

  Chapter 8

  Lani

  I’ve done nothing all day but feel sorry for myself. Since Evan left to have himself a sextacular weekend, I’ve been free to relocate my pity party several times throughout the penthouse. I’m restless and so is my mind. After twelve straight hours of trying to understand my reaction from this morning, I’m still at a loss. I’m so confused and nothing makes sense. Why should I even care what Evan does or who he does? I don’t know why my heart is aching when he’s done exactly as I asked and moved on. After spending so many hours of being miserable during my nonstop introspection, what I do know is that I won’t be around when Evan gets home. I don’t want to be here when he walks in. He’ll just be gloating with that satisfied look on his gorgeous face after he’s fucked some other woman. I have no clue why I’m so jealous of a nameless and faceless stranger, but I do know I want to claw her eyes out.

  I sit up from where I’m laying down on the couch and decide it’s time I called my parents for help. They know I’ve been living with a man, but that’s about it. After a few rings, my dad answers the phone. I feel somewhat relieved when I hear his voice.

  “Hey, baby girl,” he greets me cheerfully.

  “Hi, Dad. Are you busy?” I ask, hearing the sadness in my voice.

  “Well, your mom and I are searching online for properties in Hawaii, but we can talk. Why? What’s up?”

  “I just wanted to see if I could stay at one of the hotels for a few days.”

  “Don’t be silly, of course you can,” he replies, sounding distracted. “Wait, go back to that last one. See if they have any pictures of the interior.”

  Assuming that last part wasn’t directed at me, I say, “Thanks, Dad. I’ll be by later this evening.”

  “Alright. See you then,” he says before hanging up.

  “Bye,” I say unhappily, knowing the call had already been disconnected.

  I throw myself another pity party—my dad didn’t bother to ask me if I was ok or why I needed a place to stay. Hell, in the short time we were on the phone together, he couldn’t even give me his full attention. As I start to feel even more alone, it suddenly dawns on me why I’m so upset. These past few months, Evan and I have gotten close, and he’s become a really good friend. He’s someone who knows my flaws and keeps me around despite of them. I’ve come to rely on him, expecting him to be there for me. And somewhere deep down, I think I started to want more than just a friendship with Evan—nothing long term, but just...more. I like how he makes me feel, and now I want him to make my body come alive. Except that’s what he’s doing to someone else right now.

  As a stray tear falls down my cheek, I get up from the couch and head back to my bedroom. The front door opens and I quickly wipe away the tear. I see Evan walking in, wearing different clothes from when he left this morning. A stab of pain strikes me in the chest, and I have to keep myself from sobbing. Determined not to cry in front of him, I ignore him and keep walking. He doesn’t try to stop me as I walk past him, and I’m confused by the sudden feeling of rejection that I experience. When I get to my room, I begin to quickly pack my bag. Once I’m done, I quietly make my way down the hall.

  “Going somewhere?” Evan inquires, coming out of the kitchen and startling me.

  “Uh, yeah. I’ll be back for the rest of my stuff later,” I reply, trying to keep my voice steady.

  “Where are you going?” he asks, his brows drawing together.

  “I’m going to stay at my parents’ hotel for a while.”

  “Why?” he questions me with a frown.

  “Because I can’t stay here,” I respond, unable to come up with anything else. A look of understanding appears on his face, and he nods his head in acknowledgement.

  “Look...don’t go. Stay the night and we can talk about this tomorrow,” he says gently, trying to persuade me with the beautiful intensity of his eyes. Getting lost in the blue ocean, I nearly put my bag down. No, I can’t do this! I shake my head, trying to clear the fog forming in my mind.

  “No, one night isn’t going to make a difference. I won’t change my mind,” I state adamantly.

  “Fine. Let’s talk now,” he replies with resolve in his voice.

  “No, it’s alright. I’m just gonna go. Thanks again for everything.” And with that, I turn to leave.

  “So that’s it?!” he asks angrily at my back.

  “I guess so.”

  My casual response pisses him off. “Why are you being such a fucking bitch?” he heatedly shouts at me.

  Hearing that, I instantly get pissed and swivel back to face him. All the hurt I feel converts to rage, and I indignantly throw my shit on the floor. “I’m being a bitch?!” I snap back at him, furiously taking a few steps towards him. “I’m giving you your fucking space back! Giving you the opportunity and privacy to bring whoever it is you’re fucking, home with you. I’m doing you a favor, Evan! You’re such a bastard! God, I fucking hate you right now!”

  Provoked, he quickly stalks towards me and I instinctively back up against a wall, the force of his menacing presence driving me to retreat. He places his hands against the wall on either side of me, effectively trapping me without actually touching me. He brings his face close to mine and seethingly grounds out, “Well that’s just fucking perfect because I fucking hate you, too. If I wanted my fucking space back, I’d fucking ask for it. And not that it’s any of your damn fucking
business, but until you came along, I’d never even brought a woman back here, let alone, fucked one in my fucking home!”

  “What? You expect me to believe I’m somehow special, being allowed into your sacred space where you’ve never fucked a woman?! Well, yay. Lucky me! I get to fucking stay here while you fuck women everywhere else in Chicago! So, how was she? Did she blow your fucking mind along with your cock??”

  OH MY GOD! What the fuck?! Why did I just ask that? Shit! I don’t want to know the answer. My face crumples at the realization of what I had said, and I just want the earth to swallow me up. It would take the whole building down with me, but I’m more than willing to sacrifice all that just to not be here at this moment.

  He raises a sexy eyebrow at me. “Oh, so now you want to hear about my sex life?” he questions cockily with an amused smirk. I just want to reach up and slap the smug look off his face, but in such close quarters, being trapped by his arms, I wouldn’t be able to put the necessary force behind it to give me any satisfaction.