Mr. Stone (More than Money) Read online

  Besides, Emma’s beaming smile was priceless.

  He looked to the side of the auditorium at the graduating class, capped and gowned in their school colors, standing in a line, waiting for their time in the spotlight. The principal, or maybe it was a teacher, stood at a podium on the stage and droned on about the trials of the past few weeks. Damon didn’t think the kids cared. Their buzz of restless excitement could be felt. They just wanted the ceremony to begin, get their diploma, and start the next chapter of their lives.

  Emma waved enthusiastically at Ben. His cheeks turned red but kudos to him for still giving her a small smile and low wave back.

  “You’re embarrassing him,” Damon whispered in her ear.

  “I don’t care. I’m so happy, I’m near to bursting.” But she did turn forward in her seat. “I wish Mom and Dad were here to see this.”

  He took her hand and squeezed it. “They’d be proud of the great job you did raising him.”

  She gave him another beautiful smile. “He’s a good kid. I’m going to miss him. I can’t believe he’s leaving in just three weeks.”

  “It’s only a five-hour road trip to Berkeley. We can visit him whenever you want.”

  Her tensed body relaxed, telling him she was happy with that idea.

  The first graduate’s name was called.

  “It’s starting.” Emma practically jumped up and down in her seat.

  And when Benjamin Jones was called, she cheered the loudest of any parent.

  “I can’t believe you did all this.” Emma gestured to the room at large with the wine glass she held.

  Damon couldn’t either. Looking around his house, overrun with teenagers, he wondered if he’d lost his mind.

  And then he looked at Emma and the happy expression on her face.

  No, he hadn’t lost his mind, just his heart.

  “Can’t have a graduation without a party.” And with the majority of the valley under renovation after the earthquake, it had been hard to find a good spot.

  Damon had been lucky. Being so newly built, his house had sustained minimal damage. And ninety percent of that had been cosmetic. He had come home to a mess with shit knocked about and a few items lost to breakage, but Princess had been unhurt and that was all that mattered. Everything else could be replaced.

  He wished he could say the same about the office building that housed his headquarters. Slone Industries had temporarily moved. It should be an interesting few months. Business was already booming with calls for rebuilds and repairs.

  And speaking of interesting, Emma and Ben had moved in with him when their complex had been deemed unsafe. Or maybe interesting was the wrong word. Frustrating was better or he’d even go so far as to say maddening because he was truly going crazy having her under his roof but sleeping in a guestroom. He wasn’t going to rush her though. She would let him know when she was ready. As far as he was concerned, he had a lifetime of sex with Emma to look forward to, so waiting a few more weeks was no hardship. His dick didn’t agree, but he was satisfying that every morning during his shower.

  And sometimes at night.

  Okay, most times.

  After Ben left for college, he was hoping to convince Emma to make her stay permanent. And he wasn’t averse to using anything from strong-arm tactics to a few good bribes. Whatever would get the job done.

  “The band you hired seems to be a hit.”

  In the backyard, along with a large BBQ spread, a local band—who Ben’d helped him find—was set up and playing, drawing a big crowd. “Not hard to please a bunch of teens.”

  Emma rolled her eyes. “You’d be surprised.”

  “Okay, I’ll rephrase. It’s not hard to please a bunch of teens when you spend a shit-ton of money.”

  Emma laughed. “That’s more accurate.” She set her glass down, turned to him, and hugged him around the waist. “What do you want to do to pass the time?”

  “Strip poker?”

  Man, he loved her laugh.

  “Who knew kids could make such a mess?” Emma had a large garbage bag in one hand and was picking up used Solo cups off the coffee table.

  “I told you to leave it. The cleaning crew will be here Monday,” Damon said, coming in the front door after tipping the catering company and seeing them on their way.

  “I can not look at this mess for two whole days.”

  “Well at least leave it for morning. It’s late.”

  “You know I won’t be able to sleep until I hear from Ben. I may as well do something productive.”

  Ben and two of his buddies were on their way to San Diego for a long weekend. In a limo, no less. Damon’s contribution to teenage delinquency. It had been a bit of a fight, but it really wasn’t very hard to twist Emma’s arm when it came to Ben and his happiness.

  He went to her and snatched the bag out of her hand. “I can think of a more enjoyable way to spend the next two hours.”

  “Yeah, and what’s that?” she asked, leaning into him as he wrapped an arm around her.

  “There’s a big tub in my bathroom with your name on it. Bubbles, wine, soft music. Relaxation after a very long day.”

  “Mmm. That does sound nice. But I have an even better idea.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Umhum,” she purred. “It’s a surprise I was going to save until tomorrow to celebrate having the house all to ourselves but seeing as it was technically tomorrow five minutes ago…” She fingered the buttons on his shirt and his dick jumped to attention. “Meet me in your bedroom in ten minutes?”

  It was the longest ten minutes of his life, but then she was standing in his doorway.

  The sight before him almost brought him to his knees. Emma in a sexy-as-fuck, silk and lace babydoll that left nothing to the imagination. Held together under her breasts with a thin bow and flaring wide to expose the flat of her stomach and the matching scrap of lace panties. All in royal blue.

  His favorite color.

  And if it hadn’t been already, it definitely was now.

  She started to fidget under his prolonged stare. “Well?”

  He took a few prowling steps toward her, loosening and yanking off his tie in the process. “I’ve jacked off to thoughts of you too many times to count.” He stopped just within touching distance. “Not once did any of my fantasies come close to the reality of you.” He traced a finger along the edge of lace, teasing the swell of her breast.

  “Damon—”

  He stopped her with his next words. “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and I’m truly, madly, and deeply in love with you.”

  Pink tinged her cheeks, and he captured her lips, not giving her a chance to respond. He didn’t want to put her on the spot. He hadn’t made the best first impression, and in the few short weeks they’d been together, he didn’t expect her to feel the same as him. At least, not yet. But he was more than willing to bide the time. When it came to her, his patience was endless.

  His hands roamed while he kissed her. Over the soft skin of her shoulders and down her arms to her ass, bared for his pleasure in the thong she wore. He cupped fistfuls of the creamy globes, lifting her onto her toes and pressing her into his dick.

  This time he wasn’t stopping, and that knowledge had his heart racing and his dick throbbing.

  Clutching at his shoulders, she got into the kiss, her tongue sparring with his.

  He groaned, dipped to capture the back of her thighs, and lifted. Her hands clutched his shoulders tighter, and her legs wrapped around his waist.

  He dropped them onto the mattress. “I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment. You, lying naked in my bed.”

  “I’m not naked yet.” She stretched her arms above her head. “Do your worst.”

  Her words were a challenge, but he wouldn’t be rushed. Like every good present, he wanted to savor the unwrapping. Taking his time, he gently pulled the string that held the nightie together until it fell open, revealing her breasts.

/>   Her rosy nipples puckered to attention, and he captured one, sucking it into his mouth. Used the tip of his tongue to play with it.

  The sound of her moan was almost his undoing.

  Finding the buttons of his shirt, her fingers slipped them through their holes one by one until the material parted wide enough for her to dive her hands in. Her palms grazed his ribs as she reached around to his back, nails digging in as she arched, wanting more.

  He gave it to her.

  Trailing his lips down over her belly, he stopped when he reached the waistband of her panties. He captured it between his teeth as his fingers found the band at her hips, pulling and sliding them down her legs. He skimmed his hands back up her thighs, parting them and looking his fill as he slipped his fingers through her folds, coating them with her arousal.

  Her hips bucked.

  So he did it again, that time getting a small gasp as he slowly moved his finger up and down.

  Leaning in, he flicked the nub of her clitoris with his tongue before taking it between his lips and sucking, alternately licking through her folds.

  “Yes, right there.” The muscles in her stomach flexed as she jerked up, her fingers digging into his hair as she ground herself against his mouth. The noises she made—soft gasps, low groans, and breathy moans—had his dick twitching in his pants and screaming for release.

  He ignored it, concentrating on the rhythm that was bringing Emma closer and closer to climax.

  Right when she was on the brink, he ripped his pants open, took himself in hand, and slammed into her. He held that position for a few seconds, savoring the feel of her pussy spasming around his dick before he started moving. Gripping her hips, he moved in and out, watching her tits bounce with each violent thrust.

  Her head tipped back, exposing the long line of her throat, and she fisted the sheets, her heels digging into the mattress, working her pelvis. His fingers dug into her ass, and his thumbs into her hipbones as his body strained and his balls tightened, his blood rushing through his veins as his orgasm roared in his head.

  He collapsed on top of her, catching himself with his elbows, his hands diving into her hair, and his lips landing on hers. She opened for him and, with his dick still pulsing in her pussy, his tongue went to war with hers, shoving every ounce of what he was feeling into his kiss.

  Satisfaction.

  Euphoria.

  Awe.

  But mostly, love.

  Lying in bed, most of the covers kicked to the bottom, Emma tucked into his side with her head on his chest, Damon closed his eyes. He ran his fingers through the silky strands of her hair enjoying the feather-soft tickle of her breath as it played over his skin.

  He was content.

  Possibly more content than he’d ever been in his life.

  And then he heard her whisper.

  “Damon?”

  “Yeah?”

  “For the record, I’m in love with you, too.”

  A smile curved his lips. He’d been wrong.

  Now, he was content.

  Epilogue

  Three years later…

  Damon

  Damon shuffled through the papers on his desk. He couldn’t find the Steven’s proposal. It was late and getting later by the second, and he wanted to go home.

  There was only one person who knew where everything was.

  His assistant.

  He hit the intercom button on his phone. “Mrs. Slone, can you come into my office, please.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He grinned, shaking his head. After almost three years of marriage, she was still a fucking smartass.

  There was a sharp tap on his door before it opened and in walked his wife. It didn’t matter how many times a day he saw her, his reaction to her was always the same. She made both his heart and dick swell.

  She was wearing a skirt that was way too fucking short for the office, a silk blouse that at some point she’d untucked from said skirt, and her feet were bare. As he’d said, it was late, and it appeared she was more than ready to go home, too.

  He pushed his chair back. “Come here.”

  She padded around his desk. “What’s wrong?”

  He nabbed her arm and pulled until she fell into his lap. “I can’t find the Steven’s proposal.”

  She eyed his messy desk, leaned over, pushed at a few papers with a finger, and pulled out a folder. She sat back up, handing it over.

  He grunted, grabbed the folder, and tossed it back on top of the mess on his desk.

  She raised her brows.

  “I’ll get to it in a minute. Something more pressing has come up.”

  She wiggled in his lap. “Yes, and I can feel it pressing into my ass.”

  He grinned and started unbuttoning her blouse. “Did we get the permits filed for the Porter Ranch development?”

  She loosened his tie, slowly slipping it from his collar. “Yes. Did you see the email from Alliance I forwarded? They’re a week behind schedule.”

  “Fucking sub-contractors. If they agree to a schedule, why can’t they stick to it?”

  “Shh. You’re getting tense.” She placed her hands on his shoulders and dug her fingers into the muscles. “Better?”

  He ran a hand up her thigh and under her short fucking skirt. “What would be better is you riding my dick.”

  She chuckled and pulled something in her hair that had it magically falling down over her shoulders. “I can do that, too.” She hiked up her skirt and straddled his lap. “But first, did you read the other memo I sent?”

  His brow puckered as he thought over the last few in his inbox. “The one about a subsidiary wanting to join the company?”

  “Mmhmm.” She started tackling the buttons on his shirt.

  “You know I’m not interested in that shit. I turned away three merger inquiries last year alone.”

  “I think you might be interested in this one. They want to join in about seven and a half months.”

  “What company?”

  “Family Affair Construction.”

  “I’ve never heard—” Wait. Seven and a half months. He might be slow on the uptake, but he wasn’t that slow. “Are you…”

  She laughed at the ridiculous expression he probably wore. “Yep. Confirmed this afternoon. I was at the doctor’s, not the Planning Department like I’d said.”

  “I didn’t even know we were trying.” The subject of children had come up a couple of times but after raising Ben, she hadn’t been ready. Said she wanted some time for just the two of them.

  “I hope it’s okay. You said you were ready when I was, and I wanted it to be a surprise. I didn’t want to get your hopes up too early. I went off the pill a few months ago, and I know it can take a while to get pregnant.” She shrugged. “Guess we got lucky.”

  “Or my guys are great swimmers.”

  She laughed again.

  He placed his hand on her belly. “There’s really a little Slone growing in there?”

  Her hand covered his. “Yep. Happy?”

  He took her face in his hands and kissed her. “Second best thing money can’t buy.”

  A little line appeared between her brows. “Then what’s the first?”

  “You. Always and forever, you.”

  Author’s Note

  I was born and raised in SoCal and was a young mom living in Van Nuys during the Northridge quake. It happened at O dark hundred, and I did everything I wasn’t supposed to. I ran to the kids—of course I did. In the aftermath, with the electricity out and still pitch-black outside, I had know idea the distruction I’d see once the sun came up.

  And then the news reports started coming in.

  Structures and freeways collapsed, trapping residents and motorists. Fires ignited. A freight train derailed. And power and telephone service was lost throughout Southern California. Seventy-two people died, one of which, a Los Angeles police officer who drove his motorcycle off a darkened, severed freeway overpass falling 25 feet.

&n
bsp; But as horrible and tragic as the quake was, it could have been worse. So much worse. It could have hit at the height of rush hour—which if you’ve ever been to LA, you know is no joke—but it happened at 4:30 on the morning of a Federal Holiday. I know in my heart, that had saved hundreds of lives.

  I tried to stay true to what would happen after an earthquake but I did embellish a few things to enhance the romance. So I hope you read with that in mind, knowing it was a romance first.

  As solitary as the writing process is, no author should do it alone, and I’m so thankful for my village. Christy, who holds my hand the whole way, and I swear is the the other half of my brain. I honestly don’t know what I would do without her in my life. Layla and Brynne for always being there no matter what. Carla, who slogs through my first draft and gives me so much insight just to do it all over again with draft two. My betas, Shiree and Mindy and all their sage advice. My ARC readers for taking the time to read and review. All my Alpha Lovers. And last but most important, to all who are reading this, I couldn’t do what I love without you. Thank you for taking a chance on this indie author.

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