When We're Alone

Chapter twenty-three

STONE

WakingupinAva’s bed, I feel the empty space next to me before I’ve even opened my eyes. I roll over and it’s still warm, so she can’t have been gone long, but if she thinks she’s running from me now, she’s got another think coming. While I can pretend it’s just us, I plan on taking advantage of that. Checking the time on my phone, I see a text from Mason.

Mason: How is Ava doing with the storm?

God, she has them wrapped around her little finger. They love her too. I reply quickly and then sit up, seeing the bathroom door closed. Stalking towards it, I hear the faint sound of the shower running. I push the door open and see Ava under the stream, water gliding down her curves. She’s facing away from me with her hands in her hair, highlighting her tapered waist and lush ass. Ava has the most perfect figure I’ve ever seen—she could’ve been hand-moulded to be my perfect weakness. Opening the glass door, I step up behind her just as she tenses, hands freezing in her dark hair. I wrap my arms around her waist and lay a kiss to the bend of her neck.

“Are you running from me?” I murmur against her ear, pressing my length against her wet ass. I had no chance, not with the view I just had.

“Depends.”

“On?”

“Which Stone woke up this morning.” I flinch at her words but try to pass it off as pulling her closer back into my chest. That’s fair, but surely she understands why I’m like that? My brother has the girl I would kill for, all wrapped up in a business acquisition engagement. But not right now. Right now we’re alone, and I intend to make the most of it. Keeping one hand tight on her stomach, I trail the other up the front of her thigh, just like the first time we sort-of met.

“Remember that night at the club? I watched you from the edge for an hour before I came over.”

“Creep,” she says, but it’s breathy as I skate my fingertips between her legs.

“I knew the second I got my hands on you, I wouldn’t be able to stop. What would you have done if I’d done this right there on the dancefloor?” She doesn’t reply, rocking her hips against me to try and get my fingers where she wants them as she tips her head back against my shoulder, the spray lightly coating her closed eyes.

“Stone,” she moans, as I carry on feeling every part of her, committing it to memory. Hearing my name full of want on her lips does things to me I can’t even describe.

“Put your hands on the wall,” I growl as I spin us and pull her hips back with me, taking a few steps away from it so she’s leaning forward. Without any more preamble, I thrust into her from behind, matching her groan when I’m fully seated. I take one of her breasts in my hand, squeezing the perfect handful as she pushes her ass back into me, but I love to take her higher like this until her body’s begging me to wring out her pleasure. She gasps as I pinch her nipple, giving a light tug and rolling it between my fingers before repeating the process with the other one.

She’s practically vibrating, clenching around my dick while I softly caress her chest. Her breathing has picked up, and I know it’s not long now until I get to feel her fall apart. I take another step back, pulling her with me so she has to bend further, and grab her ass, massaging it with both hands as the water continues to fall. I pull her cheeks apart so I get the perfect view of me sliding deep into her.

“This is one of my favourite views, Ava. You taking me into your tight, perfect pussy.” She moans as she holds herself up, and when she tightens around me and pushes back, I know she’s close. Giving us both what we need, I pick up my pace, setting a gruelling rhythm as I slam into her over and over again. God, she’s so fucking perfect. Gripping her hips to steady her with one hand, I use the other to feel where I’m plunging into her, tracing my finger up and hovering my thumb around her second hole. “Come for me, Ava,” I command as I press lightly against it, my pace not slowing as she cries out and clenches around me. Her back arches and pushes back into me to take everything I give her as shudders run through her body. Gripping her hips again, I finish inside her with a few final brutal thrusts and a groan. Running my hands down her bare back, I can’t help the words that come out. “So fucking perfect.”

“That’s not the first time you’ve said that,” Ava says through pants as she lets her head fall forward.

“And it won’t be the last,” I tell her, because I know that’s true. Sliding my hand around the nape of her neck, I stand her up, slipping out of her as I spin her to face me. I lower my mouth to hers, kissing her with all of the passion in my chest right now.

“Now I have to get clean again,” she murmurs against my lips. “Get out.” I chuckle at the flick of water she sends my way, always loving how she doesn’t bow down to me. Kissing her again, I reluctantly pull back.

“I’ll see you downstairs,” I say with a light smack to her ass for the sass, but the gasp that comes out of her has me really wanting to stay. I haven’t exactly been gentle, though, so I give her space and go to wash and get ready in my own room. By the time I get downstairs, I’m already desperate to feel her in my arms again and explore her reaction to that spank. Maybe she’s into that sort of thing? Unfortunately, when I expect to see her beautiful face, I’m instead looking at only Reid and Mason.

“Jeez, you look practically chipper,” Mason says, grinning at me. I roll my eyes at his dramatics—I have been happy before—but since Ava fell into my life, I’ve spent the majority of it simmering with anger.

“Has Ava not come down yet?” I ask casually.

“Yeah, she just left with Lewis.” My hand freezes on the fridge handle and I turn round slowly. “And there it goes,” Reid adds as I feel the anger building.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, Lewis got here just after I got up and took Ava out as soon as she came downstairs.”

“As in, it was already planned?” Reid shrugs, not knowing the answer, but surely not. Surely she didn’t let me fuck her in the shower when Lewis was waiting for her downstairs. Surely she didn’t sleep with me, knowing she had a date with her fiancé in the morning. Maybe she doesn’t need our bubble now that she’s got what she wanted from me. I can’t believe how fucking stupid I’ve been. I knew this was going to happen; I knew what she was like and I fell for it with my eyes wide open. What did I think would change? Did I think the whole Lewis thing would’ve been a mistake and she’d actually choose me? I still as I realise that’s exactly what I thought. What I hoped. More fool me for falling for a typical manipulative slut who’s only after more money, even if they have more than they could ever spend anyway. I don’t have the business extras, so I was never an option.

For some reason, I still listen out for the door all morning, but they’re gone for hours. I’m driving myself insane, so I decide to give the guys a break from my brooding and get a session in at the gym. I’m finishing up a killer set when the man himself strolls in like the cat that got the cream.

“Stone,” he drawls when I don’t acknowledge him at all, instead moving onto my next set. “Just had a lovely breakfast with my fiancé. You can’t get a much better dish than her.” He smirks, and I throw the weights down before I catapult them at his head.

“Please. For the right amount of cash you could.”

“Hmm. Business acquisition or not, she’s a damn fine asset.”

“And why would you think I’d give a fuck about your little date?” My patience is running out. He laughs, and I want to throttle him.

“You know, the staring passes for now, but once we’re married, you really shouldn’t be eye-fucking your sister-in-law.” He saunters out and I head to the heavy bag, needing an outlet for my fury that isn’t Lewis’s fucking face. He knows I want her and can’t have her. I would think it was the main reason he even wants her now, but that’s probably not true. Ava is perfection. He’d be insane not to want her.

When I’ve fully exhausted my body, I head up to my room, not in the mood to socialise with the guys. They’re setting up for the party anyway. Ava is coming down the stairs as I storm up them.

“Hey, I was just coming to find you.”

“Don’t bother.” My voice is pure ice.

“What?” I don’t answer, storming past her and onto the landing. “Stone, what the fuck?” she shouts after me, but I can’t get into this right now. My anger is the beast in control, so I stalk to my room and slam the door. An hour or so later, my door swings open with no knock, and Reid and Mason stand there.

“Pissed Ava off again, then?” Reid asks with a sigh.

“Me?! She’s got some fucking nerve.”

“She didn’t know you were throwing the end of the spring break party.”

“And?” That has nothing to do with what I’m angry about, but Mason rolls his eyes and turns to leave.

“I’m going to get ready. Mason is getting laid tonight,” he sing-songs as he leaves.

“Maybe you need to follow his lead,” Reid offers, ducking out of the room before he gets the full effect of my death glare. I know I’m being an asshole to them both, but I can’t help it. Ava reaches inside my brain and shakes everything around so I can’t think logically. Logically, I shouldn’t have gone anywhere near her. I knew about Lewis. I even knew about Cole, and yet I still couldn’t help myself. This is my own fucking fault, falling for her act. Not any more.

There’s not much I want to do less right now than party, but it’s a tradition that a member of the Oakview Elite throws the party at the end of each school break, and I did say I wanted to. I’m not paying attention to anyone, the chatting and music washing over me completely, and I don’t even realise I’m waiting to see her until she’s right there in the doorway. She strolls casually over to the bar, and a lot of fucking eyes follow her, Highland outcast or not. I’m not surprised. She looks like sin wrapped in silk. Her hair is in big, bouncy curls, and a deep purple silk minidress is draped over her curves like a second skin. She’s barefoot, so she’s petite, and a sudden image of her spread beneath me has my dick stirring. That pisses me off even more. This is not happening.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” I growl at her, joining her at the bar.

“A dress, Stone,” she replies in a bored tone.

“Barely.” She rolls her eyes at me and tries to walk away, but I grip her arm. “Don’t fucking push me, Ava. Go and change, now.”

“Yes, sir,” she grits out, giving me a mock salute and heading out of the room. I don’t see her come back in again, and I can’t focus on anything until I see her again. She’s so in my head. Taking two steps at a time in my rush to see her, I push into her room and see absolute fucking red. Cole, in just his underwear, on her bed, hovering over… Before I’ve even consciously decided to do it, I’ve ripped him off and thrown my fist at his jaw the second he’s upright. He’s no pussy, though, and he gets me right back instantly.

“Stone, fucking stop!” someone shouts. Someone that sounds a lot more masculine than Ava, and just as familiar. I freeze with my fist clenched, and turn to see Reid standing at the foot of the bed, half naked. Fuck. “It’s me,” he says, rather unnecessarily, but I know I’ve monumentally fucked up. “Not Ava. It’s me.”

“What is going on?”

Ava stands in the doorway, looking confused—probably because there are three guys in her room, two in very little clothes, and it just devolved into a fistfight. And she’s still in that fucking dress.

“Stone doesn’t know the definition of a private moment,” Cole sneers, and I wince, turning to my friend.

“Reid, I’m—”

“Whatever, Stone. We’ll talk about it later. Can you leave, please?” I nod, giving him whatever he wants right now. I feel like a complete asshole. Leaving them all standing there and unable to look Ava in the eye, I head back to the party. I can’t tell her the reason I threw Cole off is because I thought it was her underneath him. Fuck. I’m going insane. She’s driving me certifiably crazy. Now I’ve just outed my best friend’s hook-up and made a scene before he was ready to tell me or anybody. All because I was jealous of Ava fucking someone else. It’s none of my business who she fucks. I need to get that through my head.

Suddenly, Winnie is in front of me, appearing like an apparition. I take her in, and she preens as if I’m checking her out, which I guess I am, but none of it does anything for me. She’s blonde with huge fake tits, and I have no idea how I ever found her attractive. She’s the opposite of Ava. But maybe a hate fuck is just what I need right now. I grab her hand and lead her into the bathroom.