Though for a moment, she had admitted it. You, Stone. I want you. Those words had come from her lips, but she hadn’t meant it. Hadn’t wanted Stone the man, only Stone the lover.
And that stinging rejection was what I held on to as I drove into Pilgrim and past all the places Sophie and I had created a lifetime of memories. They were good memories, but they were no different than those that included the rest of my childhood friends, because that’s all we were.
Friends.
It was a hard pill to swallow, but Sophie’s friendship meant too much to me and I wasn’t prepared to let it go. No matter what had happened between us.
I just had to find a way to forget how good she tasted, the way she felt pulsing around me, and the way her face twisted from agonized pleasure to the pure bliss of orgasm. I had to forget the scent of her sex, and the way she begged for me, and cried out my name. I had to forget it all so we could go back to the way things were before.
Before I opened my mouth and changed everything.
My phone rang just as I turned onto my block, and I knew who it was without asking. “Hey Ma, how’s it going?”
“That’s my question for you, boy. How did things go in Tulip?” I could hear the smile in her voice and shook my head as I put the car into park
and killed the engine.
“You sure you want to know? It might interfere with your scheming to get grandchildren.”
Silence fell for a long moment before she erupted in laughter. “Oh, I’m so proud of you Stone. You’ve done so much more than I ever imagined for you, even in my wildest dreams.”
“Thanks, Ma. I’m pretty proud too, and I couldn’t have done any of it without you.” She’d been my biggest cheerleader and sounding board whenever I felt unsure of myself.
“Besides, with that face and your bloated bank account, the women will flock to you. That’s my prediction at least.”
“Ma,” I groaned.
“Oh hush up, it’s my god given right to desire a house filled with grandbabies, and I’ll keep desiring it until I get one or two. But I promise to stop wanting more when I get to three grandchildren.”
“How gracious of you,” I told her with a laugh and stepped out of the car, waving at one of my elderly neighbors who seemed to know when everyone left or came home.
“I happen to think so too. Besides, I’m feeling hopeful after seeing you and Sophie disappear at the engagement party for a good thirty minutes or more.”
“It was just a conversation, Ma. A long overdue conversation.”
“Whatever you need to tell yourself, Stone. I like that friend of yours, Babs. Smart and gorgeous. It’s hardly fair, but she’s great.”
“Ma,” I groaned again and stepped inside my house, kicking off my shoes. “Stop meddling. Please.”
“I make no promises, but my cookies are nearly done, so I’ll talk to you later. Love you.”
“Love you too, Ma. Save some of those cookies for me.” Her chocolate chip cookies were the best, but not even Mara’s cookies cooked rival her peanut butter and white chocolate chip cookies.
“I’ll think about it. Bye-Bye.”
Tossing the phone on the sofa as I passed the living room on my way to grab a beer, I froze halfway between both rooms and retraced my steps. Sure enough, sitting there right beside my phone in a white halter dress with a cherry print and sexy red shoes was Sophie.
My Sophie.
Not my Sophie. Just Sophie.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, since we’d had keys to each other’s places since the day we’d each moved in, but this visit was unexpected. “What’s going on?”
She flashed a nervous smile and shrugged, which made her breasts jiggle more than a little bit. “I came for a few reasons. First, I needed to apologize for running off the other night. I’m truly sorry, Stone. I was overwhelmed and I needed some time to process what had happened without any outside influences.”
That was typical Sophie, overthinking things until they made no sense at all, but I understood her. “And have you figured it out?”
She nodded, her blond curls bouncing cheerily, then she shook her head with uncertainty and let out a nervous laugh. “No, but I’m here.”
She was here. Finally here, but why exactly? “For more sex?” I asked bitterly.
At her easy nod, my shoulders sank. “That’s part of it, I won’t deny it Stone. But it wasn’t just the sex.” Sophie sighed and her neck and cheeks turned as red as the cherries on her dress. “It was good, Stone. Really good. It was the best sex I’ve ever experienced. It literally brought tears to my eyes,” she said as she sank against the sofa and crossed her legs. “What are the odds that the best sex of my life would occur with the person who knows me best? The one person I’m most afraid of losing? It’s the universe is playing some big cosmic joke on me.”