Page 5 of Stone

He reached up and toyed with her hair. It was inky-black and silky. He liked the way it feathered against the back of her neck. Suddenly, he very much wanted to be the one to show her the pleasures of getting her ass spanked. He’d make her love his palm cracking on her smooth skin.

He moved his fingers down and touched her throat. “Your pulse is racing.”

“I know,” she breathed.

“Been a long time since a woman made me want to kiss her in the middle of a crowded bar.”

“Knox—” she licked her lips “—I wouldn’t say no if you did. And I’ve never said that before.”

He reached out and grabbed her glass. He set it and his beer down on a table nearby. Then he cupped her cheeks. Damn, her skin was soft.

He lowered his head and kissed her.

He wanted to go slow. He moved his mouth over hers. Her lips were plump and soft. Then she parted them, and her tongue stroked out to meet his.

Fuck. Knox felt like the world went up in flames. She made a hungry sound, and he shifted, pressing her back against the wall. Her arms wrapped around him, yanking him closer. He angled his head and deepened the kiss, hungry for the taste of her.

She kissed him back eagerly, her tongue sliding against his. She made little sounds that drove him crazy.

Someone passed by, bumping against his back. When he lifted his head, he felt a little dizzy.

Nola was panting. “Wow.”

Wow didn’t cover it.

He slid his hand into her hair. “Nola—”

Then she looked over his shoulder, and her face changed. A huge smile broke out on those lips he’d just kissed. She wiggled a little, and he eased back.

“My brother and his friends are here,” she said. “Come and I’ll introduce you. You’ll like them.”

Knox turned his head, looking in the direction she was looking.

His body froze. Fuck. She was looking at his coworkers.

CHAPTER TWO

“Nick.” Nola threw her arms around her brother. He was big and strong and rugged.

He was always there for her, even when her father had made it hard. She could always depend on Nick’s grumpy brand of overprotectiveness.

“Nola, you look great.” He smiled at her. His brown hair was a little shaggy and a dark beard covered his face. His blue eyes were the same shade as hers.

“Where’s my best friend?” When Nick had fallen head over heels for Lainie, Nola had been ecstatic. They’d been worried she’d be mad, but she wished the two of them had sorted out their feelings sooner.

“I’m here.” Lainie appeared, opening her arms.

Pregnancy agreed with Nola’s best friend/sister-in-law. Lainie’s pretty face was glowing, her brown hair was lush and long, and her body was curvier than ever.

“Hey, my sparkly mama-in-training.” Nola hugged her friend, then pressed a hand to Lainie’s baby bump. It was even larger than the last time she’d seen her. “You’re not overdoing it at work, are you?”

Lainie was the CEO of Pintura, an uber-successful, billion-dollar graphic design company. Nola had always known her smart, hard-working bestie would be a success.

“I’m delegating more.” Lainie waved a hand. “Don’t start. Your brother is watching me like a hawk.”

Nick crossed his arms. “That’s my job. And that’s our baby girl you’re growing in there.”

Lainie’s face warmed and she leaned into her husband. Just watching the two of them made Nola want to smile.

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