Touch Me (Hart of Stone Family 5)

“Deacon.” Her hand slides towards the other side of the mattress, searching for me, and there’s no way I’m going to let this go.

“Morning, sunshine.” I pick her hand up, holding it with mine as I slide in beside her.

“Where were you?” This is the side I’ve seen a handful of times, soft and sweet, not worrying about keeping us firmly in the friend-zone.

“On the phone, making plans. Think you can get this weekend off?” That perks her up. One thing about Kelsey, she’s always up for an adventure. I’m just hoping that this one she won’t blink twice at.

“Yeah, actually I can. Emily and I promoted Natalie; we both officially have weekends off now. What’s up?” I’m sitting up, back against the headboard, dragging her up so she’s in between my spread legs.

“I want to take you home, a vacation of sorts. I know you’ve been working a lot, and so have I. Maybe we visit with my parents, maybe we don’t. But for the most part, it’s just the two of us.” Kelsey’s sleepy eyes open wider, a look of surprise written all over her face.

“Well, I mean that can happen. Is this for show or no?”

“Fuck no, this is for you and me, not anyone else, okay?” I respond, my head dipping, ready to take her lips and maybe get the answer I’m searching for.

“Let me ask Em if she doesn’t mind closing Friday night. That way, we can leave early,” she replies.

“Whenever you can, sunshine.” I figured she’d put up more of a fight, but she doesn’t, which means I’ve got my work cut out for me in the form of talking, and something tells me she’s not going to let it go either. It’s a good thing I’m more than ready for anything Kels throws down.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

kelsey

“Emily, your ass better be here still. I need you. Well, really, I need your stone-cold heart.” Not that it matters. I’ve already said yes to Deke, and I’m not one to renege on my word. My sister is going to kill me; maybe that’s putting it too mildly. Her tongue is as sharp as her mind, and I know just how those words can come down on a person. After Deke asked me to go away with him back to Florida this weekend, I was already waffling. Thankfully, he shut my brain up with a kiss that left me swinging my body up until I was straddling his waist. Yet, there was an abrupt halt to that, too, not on my part, of course. Freaking Deacon Hart, withholding his cock. I can’t even say he’s doing that to orgasms; it’s sex he’s holding back on.

“Where’s the fire? In your crotch? Do you have crabs or something?” I walk into the small office, which reminds me we really need to look at renting a small warehouse. My spare room is becoming consumed. I can only imagine how Emily’s house is looking. Plus, that way, we can load it all up in the company van in one go.

“I assure you I do not have something like that going on. Thanks for the vote of confidence, though.” I roll my eyes at her ridiculousness.

“What? It’s nothing antibiotics can’t cure.” If she tells me anything more about this subject, I may lose the small amount of breakfast I was able to wolf down after I left Deke’s, drove home, and jumped in the shower, doing the bare necessities, got dressed, popped a piece of bread in the toaster, grabbed an energy drink, and left for today.

“Okay, we’re not going there. Unless you have something to tell me about?” I arch my eyebrows, coming to sit in the other chair we keep in the room so both of us can work on the computer if need be. Where I’m the brains of the business, it’s Emily’s creativity that keeps us marketable with social marketing and, following that, keeps us in business.

“Oh no, you don’t. This conversation is about you. Now tell me what’s wrong?” I’ll definitely be circling back to that earlier comment, you can bet your ass on that.

“Deke asked me to go to Florida with him this weekend. You know he’s been hinting at making this fake relationship thing real, right? Well, I kind of said yes.” I hide my eyes behind my hands, peeking through the slots between them.

“Sister, you act like I’m going to lead you to a guillotine. You’ve tried to resist him; I know that you know that, but these past two weeks, you have been floating in happiness. Was I wrong about him? Probably. Were you? Maybe. But if all Deke wanted was a quick wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am, I assure you he wouldn’t be holding out on you this entire time.” Now, here’s the thing: she’s right. I knew it all along. Emily’s reassurance is helping.