Page 71 of Stone Promises

For the first time since I saw the broken phone on my bedroom floor, I feel a glimmer of hope. “You’re not leaving me?”

She smiles and it makes me want to shout in victory. “No, I’m not leaving you, Chad. But you have to promise me you’ll never keep secrets from me again.”

I kneel before her chair, taking her head in my hands as I crush my mouth against hers, tasting her salty lips. “I promise,” I whisper into her mouth in between kisses. “I promise no more secrets. Ever.”

There’s a knock at the door and I stand up, pulling Mallory with me. “It’s for you,” I tell her.

“For me?” She walks over to the door and opens it.

Megan walks through, gracing us with her infectious smile. She looks at Mallory. “So you’re the lucky chick who gets to have his gorgeous babies?”

~ ~ ~

Mallory comes out of my bathroom and my jaw hits the fucking carpet.Ho-ly shit!The dress she’s wearing takes my breath away. It’s not skin tight like most actresses I know would prefer. This dress is so much better. The bodice is fitted and enticing, showing just enough cleavage to draw attention without being slutty. It shows off her slim waist, and the above-the-knee skirt displays her shapely legs while leaving what’s beneath it to the imagination. Of course, I don’t need to imagine. I’ve seen her. I’vehadher. More times than I can count now, yet it’ll never be enough.

“God, Mal.” I walk over to her and circle around her, my eyes taking in every inch of her gorgeous figure. “I didn’t think you could get any more beautiful, but I was wrong.”

She blushes. Making her blush is one of the highlights of my existence. If she weren’t all dolled up and ready to party, I’d throw her back on my bed for another round of make-up sex. We’ve been having a lot of that lately. I’ve had a lot to make up for. And when we haven’t been making love, we’ve been talking. Well, mostlyI’vebeen talking, telling her everything about my life from the minute I left her nine years ago until the second I saw her at the club.

“Thank you,” she says, her hungry eyes looking me over. “You clean up pretty well yourself.”

I’m wearing a pair of black jeans with a white shirt, tan jacket, and black tie. Mallory walks over to me and untucks my shirt. “There, you look very celebrity chic now.”

“Since when did you become an expert?” I ask.

“You pick up a thing or two by watching Entertainment News Weekly,” she says.

I frown. “Mal, I wish you wouldn’t watch that shit.”

“What?” She smiles innocently. “ENW is not a sleazy tabloid show, it’s actually pretty good.”

“Still, don’t—”

“Believe everything I see,” she says, completing my thought. “Yeah, yeah. I know.”

I hold my hand out to her. “Come on, Cole’s waiting.”

Mallory is exceptionally quiet on the way to Ana’s house. As Cole pulls into the circular driveway I ask her, “Is something bothering you?”

She shrugs. “I guess I’m a little nervous. After all, I’m about to walk into a room full of famous people.”

“Well, you already met Ana, Hayden, and Noreen,” I say. “That only leaves a few dozen people for you to meet. Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure Ryan Gosling has other plans tonight.” I wink when I say the name of her secret crush.

She gives me a look of annoyance. “Not helping,” she says.

We’re escorted through the front door and directed to Ana’s back patio. It’s decorated with tiki torches and large white paper lanterns. There’s a summer kitchen that has been set up as a bar, tables and chairs under a pergola covered with vines, and attendants walking around with trays of champagne and hors d’oeuvres.

Ana spots us and comes over to say hello. “Hey, Mallory, nice to see you again.” She kisses her cheek and then mine.

“You, too, Ana,” Mallory says. “You have a lovely home and this is magnificent.” She motions around the beautifully landscaped backyard.

“Thank you,” Ana says with pride. “But I can’t take all the credit. It was pretty much like this when I bought it last month.”

Mallory flushes and she elbows me. Hard. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Ana. I didn’t realize this was a housewarming party.”

Ana laughs, putting a reassuring hand on Mallory’s arm. “Don’t worry, it’s not.” Then she motions for a waiter, grabbing a glass of champagne for Mallory. She tells him, “Please get a bottle of water for Mr. Stone.”

More people arrive and Ana excuses herself to greet them. Mallory turns to me. “I really like her. She doesn’t pressure you to drink.”

---