Page 9 of Stone

Britta’s face turned pink, and a little smile lifted the corners of her mouth.

Just as quickly, her smile disappeared, and her green pools darkened. She sighed and hugged me tight, casting her eyes down before resting her cheek against my chest.

4

BRITTA

Ihated that my mom was missing, but I was finally with Shaw after two long years. I felt guilty over how happy I was to be in his arms when I didn’t even know if she was still alive. Sniffling, I pressed my face against his broad chest.

“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked, pressing a finger under my chin to tilt my head back, his gorgeous blue eyes filled with concern.

“I’m warm and protected in your arms—where I’ve dreamed of being for the past two years—but my mom is out there. Someone could be hurting her right now. Or worse,” I rasped, tears streaming down my cheeks.

“I get where you’re coming from, but there will be no regrets when it comes to you and me being together, Britta.” He stroked his thumb across my cheek. “And you gotta know that I’ll do everything in my power to make sure your mom comes home to you.”

“Just so long as nothing bad happens to you while you’re doing it,” I whispered.

“You don’t need to worry about me, baby. Good old Uncle Sam trained me well, and five years as an Iron Rogue has only honed those skills.”

His reassurances helped soothe some of my nerves as I looked around his room, surprised by how clean it was. The one I had shared with my mom when we’d been here two years ago had been nice enough, but I had assumed that the rooms the men used would be more…lived in. Or downright dirty based on how my mom’s boyfriends never seemed to know how to clean.

Wanting to help where I could after all he’d done for me, I offered, “I can take over for your cleaner if you’d like.”

“Cleaner?” he echoed, his brows drawing together.

I swept my arm in a half circle to gesture around the room. “Whoever keeps your room like this. Your bed is made so well, I bet I could bounce a quarter off your mattress.”

He shook his head with a laugh that sent a shiver of awareness down my spine. “That’d be me, baby. Another thing being in the military taught me.”

“Oh.” I giggled, and his eyes darkened a shade.

Tugging me toward the bed, he suggested, “Maybe we should test your theory, but with something different than a quarter.”

I eyed the mattress, my panties growing damp. “Um…didn’t Maverick say that he was going to send Molly for me?”

“Fuck.” Shaw sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “You make it too damn easy to forget everything else.”

I felt a feminine thrill at knowing I could distract this man. He was so confident and sexy, but I was able to throw him off course. Knowing the impact I had on him gave me the courage to go after what I wanted. Rolling up on my toes, I brushed my lips against his.

The tiny peck I had planned to give Shaw quickly turned into more as he took control of the kiss. He took full advantage of my lips parting on a gasp, his tongue sliding between them toexplore the depths of my mouth as it tangled with mine. One of his hands slid up my back to tangle in my hair while the other lifted so he could cup my cheek. Tilting my head back, he deepened the kiss, only pulling away when someone rapped their knuckles against the door and called, “Is it safe to come in?”

“Fucking hell,” Shaw groaned. “You’re dangerous to my self-control, baby.”

I fanned myself with my hand as he strode across the room to open the door. The heat in my cheeks was from a mixture of the first passion I’d ever experienced and being embarrassed to have basically been caught making out.

Molly grinned at him, wagging her brows when she bumped him out of the way to walk over to me. I had met the VP’s wife the last time I was at the Iron Rogues clubhouse, but we hadn’t interacted much back then. So I was surprised when she gave me a hug and murmured, “Welcome back. I know the circumstances aren’t ideal, but it’s so good to see you again, Britta.”

I flashed her a weak smile. “You, too.”

Molly turned toward Shaw. “Mav wanted me to tell you to get your ass moving since the meeting is going to be in your office. Don’t worry about Britta. Since she mostly hung out with her mom who was stuck in bed recuperating the last time she was here, she didn’t get to see much, so I’ll show her around.”

He heaved a deep sigh and crossed the room again, shrugging his leather vest off his broad shoulders. “Wear this when you’re not in my room.”

There was a mischievous glint in Molly’s eyes as she said, “Your cut is going to hang down to her knees, Stone.”

“Don’t have a problem with that,” he grunted, quirking a brow at her.

“Even though she’s perfectly safe at the clubhouse?” she prodded with a laugh.

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