“She’s visiting her sister for a few hours because I thought it would be good for her.”
Stone looked like he winced. “I should have seen that coming too.”
I walked over to the phone and called Brandy Jo to have coffee sent up for the two of us. Then I turned my attention back to Stone. “How were things in Manhattan? As thrilling as ever?” I was being sarcastic. He hated it there.
He sighed. “Yeah. We managed not to kill each other. That’s always a positive.”
He was talking about his father of course. They were both tall, well-built men. His dad worked out regularly, and his newest wife was only three years older than Stone. The wife before her had been thirty. He was choosing them younger and younger the older he got.
“Assuming you know about me and Beulah from either Sterling or Tate, I guess you also know that Maisie showed up at the house.”
He sneered as if her name disgusted him. “Yes, I know. And it was Sterling who called me. He’s coming into the city next week and wanted to have drinks at Rauls one night.”
A knock at the door stopped the conversation. “Come in,” I called out.
Brandy Jo stepped inside carrying two coffee mugs and a smile that was never going to go away. I shouldn’t have slept with her. She always looked at me like she was ready for round two. Even after I’d made it clear it was a one-time thing.
“Here you go gentleman. Can I get you anything else?” The tone of her voice had Stone rolling his eyes.
“No, that will be all. Thank you.”
She ran her fingers over my hand as I took the cup. I quickly moved it away and turned my attention back to Stone. “Are you going to Spain next month?” I asked him.
He looked at her with his normal scowl, and she got the message that her flirting wasn’t appreciated and left. “No. I don’t think I am. Too much shit I have to handle. Moving into the flat in Manhattan from our house in New England is going to take some time. When are you going to pack your shit up and move it home?”
We’d shared a three-story house three miles from campus since our freshman year at Cuthdart. None of us had moved a thing. Tate was still living there when he wasn’t traveling. He had one year left since he traveled for a year in Europe our freshman year.
“When there is time for me to leave here. I was going to hire someone to pack it up though. I don’t want to leave . . .”
“Her,” he finished.
“Yes, I don’t want to be away from Beulah.”
He drank his coffee and didn’t say more about that. Which I could take as a step in the right direction. He was accepting our relationship, finally. I knew he would. He was just stubborn as hell.
“She’s different. If you’d give her a chance you’d like her. You’d see why I love her. She’s not a mistake. She’s perfect. I can trust her. That’s rare and you know it.”
I expected a snide remark. Something very Stone-like. Instead, he stared out the window behind my desk a moment. Pensive. I let him think it through. At least he wasn’t arguing with me. He’d let that go.
“I don’t doubt what you are saying. I just don’t think your world and hers will ever completely meld. That’s all. You are in the honeymoon phase of the relationship. But when shit slowly starts to unpack itself from the baggage you both have, it won’t be so damn pretty or easy,” he paused then looked at me. “And are you sure you won’t be the one to hurt her?”
It was rare that Stone pissed me off. Normally, I took his know-it-all attitude with a laugh. But this . . . He’d gone too far. I sat my coffee down and glared at him. Not looking away. Not giving him a pass because he was my best friend. “Are you questioning my love for her?”
He didn’t back down. “Yes.”
We sat there in silence, neither of us speaking. I was furious, but there were too many words to explain exactly how wrong he was, and I was calming myself before I started yelling.
The knock on the door stopped me, and as it opened, Beulah walked in.
Beulah
STONE WAS BACK. MY GAZE went from Jasper to Stone, then back to Jasper. Maybe I should have waited until he said to come in. I didn’t walk in any further. “I’m sorry. I can work somewhere else. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Jasper stood up from where he was perched on the edge of his desk facing Stone. They both looked serious but his face immediately softened as he walked toward me.
“You can walk in whenever you want. I’ve told you that,” he said.
Yes, he had, but I also knew Stone didn’t like me. “Okay,” was all I said in return. Stone made me nervous. His presence just brought tension. I couldn’t figure out why Jasper liked him so much. Sterling and Tate were much easier and enjoyable to be around.
“We were talking business and we’re finished. Stone was leaving.”
Stone didn’t move from the chair. I didn’t think he planned on leaving. I didn’t mention it or look directly at him.
“I need to get to the filing. I’ll be out of the way. Y’all can keep talking business.”
“How was your visit?” Jasper asked.
“Great. Heidi was so excited to see me. She wasn’t expecting me, so it was a treat. Thank you.”
He cupped the back of my head and kissed me. It was deeper than I was comfortable with Stone in the room, but I kissed back.
“Don’t thank me for that,” he whispered against my lips then pressed one more kiss to my mouth before letting me go.
“Please continue to suck her face while I’m present. I don’t mind at all,” Stone said in his deep voice, sounding unamused.
Jasper rolled his eyes and gave me a crooked grin. “Ignore him.”
That was hard to do. “I’ll get to work,” I said again, then hurried out of the room to the filing closet.
“Are you always going to be an ass around her?” I heard Jasper ask him.
“More than likely,” he replied.
I closed the door between us and let out a relieved sigh to be away from him. I hoped Stone wasn’t back to stay at the pool house. I didn’t think we’d ever be okay together. He wasn’t going to approve of this. Not the way the others had.
I’d had a wonderful morning with my sister, and I wasn’t about to let Stone ruin my mood. I sat down and began working on the messy pile that I had barely made a dent in. The time ticked by, and it was lunch when the door opened and Jasper came walking inside.
“I’m starved. Come eat with me.”
I stood up and straightened my skirt. “Sounds good. I’m getting hungry too.”
He held out his arms and I walked into them. I liked this. Feeling like I had someone.
“Stone will thaw eventually,” he said into my hair as he held me against him. “One day, the two of you will get along just fine.”
I doubted that, but I hoped it was true. “If you say so.”
Jasper laughed, then pulled back enough to kiss me. That was enough. Having him. His friends didn’t have to like me. He did.
He held my hand as we made our way to the elevator. He wasn’t hiding this. Whatever we were now he was making sure everyone knew. Brandy Jo would throw me out of a window if she got the chance. At least the pure hate in her eyes as we passed her in the lobby said as much. I would need to watch my back around her.
“Where are we going?” I asked and Jasper paused. His eyes fixed on something straight ahead. I followed his gaze and saw Portia stepping out of a black limo outside the entrance. This was going to mess things up. She would be even less thrilled about me than Stone.
I expected Jasper to let go of my hand, but his tightened around mine. I thought we were going to stand there like a wall to keep the evil out for a moment, but he began to walk moving us forward. It wasn’t until the doorman opened the door and we stepped out into the sunshine that she saw us.
Her steps halted. Her eyes went from both our faces to our hands joined. I expected fury. Outrage. Or even a dramatic fit. But instead, there was fear. That, I didn’t understand.
“I didn’t think of this. I should have. She’s gorgeous. Her gene’s are excellent. You’re a man and I left you alone with her. I just . . . I expected more of her. More determination. More pride.”