Evelyn Vine Be Mine (47 page)

I nibbled my bottom lip and stared at the water droplets in his buzzed hair, watching rain drizzle over his impressive back and feeling more droplets travelling down my arms and face. I touched his warm, wet skin and raised a bare leg over his lower back, loving the way the slick skin slid. I tugged impatiently at his jeans, wanting the rough fabric off so that I could slide against him everywhere.

He bent his head toward my nipple, taking it into his mouth and shaking his head at me. I tugged harder, silently demanding he lose the pants.

His lips left my breast and he looked up at me with stormy grey eyes. “I won’t be able to put them back on wet,” he growled between clenched teeth, his face tight with what I thought might be lust. I groaned and released the fabric, letting my hands move over his abs instead.

I watched his face as it returned to my boobs, loving the way the water made it look. His thick eyelashes were darker as drops clung to them, softening his harsh features. He slipped a finger inside me and growled harshly. His head came up again to give me another hard, hot and hungry look.

“Now,” he hissed quickly, his eyes shouting that he couldn’t wait one more minute.

Hell yes now!

I nodded in agreement, taking a condom from his pocket and ripping it open. He stole it from me, rolling it on quickly as I hungrily watched his movements, my hips thrusting upwards in response. He grabs my ass with one hand before it could hit the foam and used his hold to thrust hard inside of me.

We cried out in unison and he gently lowered me to the mattress, following me down without pulling out. He waited a moment, keeping himself deep inside of me as I adjusted and we both caught our breaths. When he finally moved, he started steadily, rapidly getting faster and harder. His shoulders were back over my face, his arms crowding around my head, still trying to protect me from the gloriously cool rain.

He bent his head awkwardly and kisses me, letting me taste him. I savoured the mixed flavours of rain and chocolate from the Smarties, as well as a faint hint of cigarettes and rum. His pace picked up as he groaned into my mouth and he grabbed my right hand, sliding it between our bodies. I blushed, suddenly incredibly shy despite all we’d done together. I didn’t know if I could touch myself in front of him.

“Help me get you there,” he commanded, his gruff voice sounding strained, as if he was trying to hold back, to wait for me. Sensing his desperation, I hesitantly swirled a wet finger over my clit, the rain slicked skin easing the abrasion and feeling Oh. So. Good.

I gasped and quickened the movement, arching into Stone’s hard thrusts and feeling my inner muscles clench and flutter in appreciation. Stone must have felt it too, because he growled his approval, picking up the pace, the truck bouncing with the force of his thrusts. That quick, I was there. I lost it, crying out for everyone to hear.

Stone rode it out, holding on as I started to calm. “Grant,” I whispered with pleasure, shivering as erotic waves still rocked my body. That was all he needed. He let go, muffling his hoarse shout by biting my neck gently and thrusting wildly as he came. I gripped his shoulders hard for support, glancing over his shoulder and up into the tree, suddenly aware that we were in the exact same position as the photo…

…and I came again.

***

We lay there panting, our chests moving rapidly as our brains slowly started to work again. Stone moved off me, then tucked me into his side, still trying to shield me from the most of the rain. He disposed of the condom and we lay there, content to just listen to each other breathe and the soft pings of the rain. I shivered a little and he frowned, running a hand over my cool body as a light breeze swept over us.

“Time to go,” he murmured, and though soft, his tone brooked no argument.

I glanced at my drenched clothing and blushed, wondering how the hell I was going to get into house. Stone followed my gaze and grinned like a little boy, catching me by surprise. He yanked off my wet skirt and jumped out of the truck, reaching back in to pull me out after him.

“Grant!” I hissed, looking around fretfully. I tried to cover myself, aware that I was standing out in the open with not a stitch on. He opened my door and lifted me in, walking around to the other side and sitting beside me. He picked his white shirt off the dashboard and thrust it at me, watching me with a hint of a smile as I eagerly slipped into the warm fabric and button it up. He eyed my slick, naked legs and I blushed again, grateful that this shirt was made for the extra tall man and covered my bare ass.

“Sexy,” he said, pushing some of my wet hair out of my face. He started the car and drove back toward the house, staring at the dirt road in front of him as the sun continued to rise. I inhaled, breathing in the scent of Stone from the collar of the shirt. I smiled into it, looking forward to snuggling in bed with him.

The rain pounded down by the time we reached the house, so I sprinted inside, the white shirt only getting a little wet as I barged through the door and ran smack into Donny.

“What are you doing awake?” I spluttered.

He looked me up and down and raised an eyebrow. With a low whistle, he asked, “What have you been up to this morning?”

Stone chose that moment to stroll casually through the door, dripping wet in just his jeans, my soaked clothes dangling from his hands, my lacy underwear clearly visible. Donny grinned and looked back at my shirt. I paled, crossing my arms over my chest and raising a knee slightly.

“We went for a walk?” I squeaked.

Donny started laughing and Stone wrapped his arms around me, making sure I was covered. His look at Donny must have spoken volumes, because he turned and scurried away.

A kiss on my temple settled my nerves and we walked quietly down the hall to our room, climbing into bed and snuggling under the covers. Exhausted, we both quickly fell asleep.

TWENTY-NINE

Everyone rose late that day. Jamie cuddled up to the toilet bowl and the rest of us helped clean up the mess outside. It took us forever. Jamie did eventually emerge and helped the rest of the band pack up their instruments.

Mary and I were the only ones with smiles on our faces. Everyone else either looked ill, tired, grouchy or lost in thought. We were a sober bunch as we piled into the cars and drove home.

Home? I grinned at the thought. I hadn’t realised the university had become home to me. I looked around at my friends and chuckled at my eclectic new ‘family’. Fredi with her unique appearance, head-banging as she listened to her iPod; Jamie, though lacking tact and a bit of an ass, was fun-loving and wild…and currently hugging Briar’s pillow like a poorly little boy; Briar, usually mischievous and bright, but looking pensive as she kept sneaking looks at the band van behind us; and Stone. I cocked my head to the side and studied him.

Him I hadn’t worked out yet.

He drove in silence, eyes on the road, face blank…but the usual tightness of his features had relaxed, his body less tense as well. I turned my face away to hide a smile, hoping that I was the reason he felt good today.

When we went to bed that night, I snuggled into his side and propped my chin on his chest, staring up into his eyes. He raised an eyebrow and waited.

I closed my eyes and smiled nervously. “Was this morning your kinky payback?” I whispered into the dark, “Is it my turn to come up with something?”

I felt his head snap up a bit further and opened my eyes. He shook his head, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. My breath caught as my mind whirled with all the possibilities. Stone chuckled and slid down the bed a bit to line his face with mine (his knees probably hanging off the bed!). Slowly, he kissed me, drawing it out for so long, that my head nearly exploded with the need to breathe…but I didn’t want to break the kiss. Eventually, he pulled away, pecking my forehead and rearranging our bodies more comfortably on the single bed.

“This bed is too small for us,” I murmured sleepily. He chuckled, pulling me on top of him and spreading out over my bed, covering the whole thing. I frowned at him. Where was I supposed to sleep?

Stone chuckled again and gently eased my head down to his chest, guiding my arms to his sides and wrapping his own around me. Stone became my own personal mattress – though admittedly, a very hard one – and mmm, I thought as I snuggled in and sprawled my legs across his, he was damn comfy.

***

The events of the next two weeks were bizarre in my opinion. Logan had started to call me twice a day, actually asking me for girl advice. I’d dropped the phone the first time, when he tried to casually ask how to placate an angry girlfriend. Since when did Logan need help with any woman? The very idea was laughable.

He refused to tell me what the problem was, so it was hard to give him any solid advice and he sounded increasingly desperate each time he called and my previous advice hadn’t worked. I didn’t know what to tell him. I didn’t know Ivy. I didn’t know what he’d done.

I winced. He better not have cheated on her. Typical man!

Stone was acting strangely too. At first, he had seemed suspicious and aggravated by how many calls I was receiving from my brother (though he probably assumed I was talking about Jake) but then, after a heated talk I saw him have with Briar, he started acting unusual…and he wasn’t the only one of the group.

On the Wednesday – after having had the discussion with Briar the night before – Stone came to my room earlier than usual. Much earlier. I hadn’t been expecting anyone and had been so engrossed in my project that I’d squealed in fright when he barged through the door without knocking. Luckily, I didn’t get any paint on the bedspread.

He stopped and stared at me, taking in my startled face, the paintbrush paused in mid-air and the easel in front of me. Raising a curious brow, he moved quietly towards me, kneeling on the bed to look over my shoulder at the nearly complete picture.

“Landscapes aren’t really my thing,” I said nervously.

His lip quivered in a flicker of a smile, before he wrapped his arms around me and switched his gaze to the photos and sketches on the bed. I was still frozen, my paintbrush still poised in the air.

“I’m better at people,” I hurriedly added, “And caricatures.”

His head snapped back toward me and his eyes lit with amusement, before returning to my picture.

“I like it,” he said firmly, holding up the photo I’d taken next to it, “It’s good.”

I blushed and finally put my paintbrush down. “Thanks,” I murmured softly, “I took these pictures the last time I saw Logan. He took me out into the desert to get some great photos of the landmarks.”

I felt Stone stiffen behind me at Logan’s name and turned my face away to roll my eyes. I opened my mouth to let him know Logan was a brother, but he spoke up before I had a chance.

“Do you like photographing land?” he asked quickly.

I took his cue and let the Logan subject drop. “Not especially,” I answered honestly, “I like photographing nature, but it has to be something special. Something that calls to me.”

He stared at me, waiting for me to explain. I hesitated, trying to put it into words.

“These pictures for example,” I said, holding up the photos, “I love the Outback. The colours are so different here than they are over the rest of Australia. The rest of the world even. Sure, it’s a desert, but it’s not just a blaring sun and hot, soft, white sand like you see in movies. It’s all shades of reds and oranges, sometimes black. The ground is hard and cracked in an array of interesting patterns. The rock formations rival landmarks like Stone Henge: huge, round, red rocks seeming to precariously pile on top of each other; massive, solid rocks that are split down the middle; Uluru, Kings Cannon, all the animals…and the sunsets!”

I sighed and closed my eyes, my lips spreading into a dreamy smile. “There is nothing more beautiful than seeing the sunset over the desert. All those colours. And then, the stars. Pitch black everywhere, but for the sky. The whole thing lit up, every star clearly visible…it’s perfect.”

I opened my eyes and flushed bright red when I saw the way Stone was concentrating on my face.

“That’s the kind of thing I like to photograph,” I said hastily.

“You’re wrong,” he said finally.

“What?” I frowned at him in confusion.

“There is something more beautiful,” his eyes never left mine and after a long pause, I scoffed.

“That is so corny,” I started to say, but Stone’s lips captured mine and for the next hour, we didn’t talk at all.