Page 51 of Stone Promises

He laughs, letting the ball roll into the bushes as he strides over and wraps his arms around me. “Hi,” he says, smiling down on me.

“Hi,” I say, right before he kisses me.

His hands pull me to him by the small of my back, pressing our bodies together as our mouths explore each other. He tastes even better than I remember. Two weeks of separation has heightened my senses. Every touch has my skin on fire. Every caress is like a crescendo of waves. Every murmur from his lips is a spear to my thundering heart.

We break apart, lips swollen but not nearly satiated. “I forfeit,” I whisper.

We both break into laughter as he picks me up and twirls me around. Free—that’s how I feel. Free to finally feel for him what I wanted to all those years.

~ ~ ~

An hour later, Cole pulls our car up in front of a very nice hotel. I turn to Chad. “We’re not going to Ethan’s? I thought that’s where you always stay when you come to town.”

“Not anymore,” he says, reaching down to pull something from his bag. He hands me a baseball hat and sunglasses. “Here, put these on.”

I watch as he puts on his own Yankees hat and aviator sunglasses, making him look every bit the movie star that he is, albeit somewhat camouflaged. He shrugs. “Why ruin a good thing?”

He’s right. I don’t think people seeing us going into a hotel together is the right way to announce our relationship. I like having this secret that only we know. And as Kendra pointed out, as soon as the cat’s out of the bag, everything we do will be scrutinized. I twist my hair up into a bun and put it under my hat.

Chad looks at me with his trademark sexy smile, shaking his head back and forth. “What?” I ask. “Do I look that silly?”

“Silly?” He reaches up and puts his hand behind my neck. “I was just thinking about what I’d like to do to this beautiful neck of yours.” He pulls me close and kisses me on a spot that makes my whole body tingle.

Cole clears his throat from the front seat and Chad pulls back, laughing. “Sorry, buddy. I can’t help myself around her.”

I smile and put on my glasses. He has beautiful women throwing themselves at his feet but it’smehe can’t help himself around. It’s quite a heady feeling. What millions of women wouldn’t do to be in my position.

A concierge opens the door for us and retrieves our bags from the trunk. Cole hands over the keys to the valet and we all head into the hotel. At the desk, we stand back as Cole checks us in. “Rooms for Mr. and Mrs. Grape.”

I shoot a funny look to Chad. Only he can’t see it through my glasses. Cole pays with a credit card and we’re escorted to the elevators. The bellman carries our bags for us. “Mr. and Mrs. Grape,” he says. “Your suite is right this way.” He nods to Cole, pointing at a door down the hall. “Yours is right over there.”

After our bags are placed in the bedroom, Chad tips the bellman, sending him on his way. “Do you think he recognized you?” I ask, worried about our cover being blown.

He shrugs, removing his hat and glasses. “Hard to say. They are used to having celebrities stay here.”

I look around the lavishly decorated suite that is so out of my price range I doubt I could afford the wallpaper. “Wow,” I say. “Do you always stay in places like this?”

“Sometimes. When you travel a lot like we do, it’s nice to have room to move around.”

I frown. “It must be hard being away from home so much.”

He nods. “Yeah, it gets to the point where you forget which city you’re in.”

“Does it ever end?” I ask him. “Do you ever get a break from it all?”

“Not really. Not yet anyway. If I take a break now, I might stop getting offered the big roles.” He sees my look of trepidation. “It’s not that bad,” he says. “I do get weeks here and there. Like now, I’m here with you. And I’m all yours.”

All mine. More tingles work their way across my body. “So, what’s up with Mr. Grape?”

“Mr. andMrs. Grape,” he corrects me with a snarky smirk. “Linda—that’s my travel agent—she’s always booking me under names that have to do with food. I’ve been Mr. Burger, Mr. Linguini, Mr. Pita. I’ve heard she also books her clients using names of clothing, cities, and marine life.”

“But don’t they all know who you are when you go to pay with your credit card?” Then I remember it was Cole who paid. “Or does Cole always usehis?”

He gets out his wallet and shows me his credit card. “Cole uses one of my cards. It’s only got the name of my business on it for that very reason. But a lot of the time, they know who we are, especially if people like Courtney want special treatment.”

I read his Visa card. “Treehouse Enterprises?”

“Yup. That’s my business name. I use it for travel and purchases. Makes things easier sometimes.”

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