Page 94 of Stone Promises

“I don’t know,” she says reluctantly. “It’s such an imposition.”

“You know as well as I do that he’d love to have you. He’s always thought of you as a sister, and soon you’ll actuallybeone.”

She shrugs. “That might work. But only if you don’t have to strong-arm him into it.”

“Strong-arm him? Hardly,” I say, laughing. “As soon as he tastes your cooking, he’ll never let you leave.”

My doorbell rings so I hop out of bed and pull on some sweatpants. Walking down the hall, I pray I don’t open it to find the eviscerated Teddy’s twin on my doorstep. But when I open the door, I see it’s even worse than I feared.

“Is it true?” Heather asks, plowing past me and into my living room before I can stop her.

“What the hell are you doing here, Heather?”

She crosses her arms and looks at me sadly. “How could you do this to me, Thad?”

“Heather, I don’t know what you’re on these days, but it’s made you delusional. I’m not doing anything to you. I haven’tbeenwith you for almost four years. I’m engaged to Mallory and you need to respect that.”

“Respect that?” she scoffs. “You’re with a school teacher, Thad. It’s just wrong.” She walks over to me, getting too close for my liking. She puts a hand on my bare chest, violating me with her eyes. “We were good together once. We can be again.”

Mallory walks around the corner wearing her short robe, clearly looking like she just rolled out of bed with her mussed-up hair. Two things happen. Mal looks at Heather’s hand on my chest—hatred seeping from her eyes. And Heather scowls melodramatically at Mal, eyeing her from head to toe as if she’s a mangy stray, a pauper off the street.

I quickly step aside, out from under Heather’s touch and walk back to my front door which is still wide open. “Thanks for stopping by to congratulate us, Heather. I wouldn’t want to keep you any longer. I know how busy you are.”

Heather sneers at Mallory. “Congratulate,” she says dryly. “Whatever.” She walks past Mal and toward the door where she doesn’t even bother to lower her voice. “When you tire of her, I’ll be waiting.”

“You’ll be waiting forever, Heather. Because I won’t leave her.”

“Huh,” she says. “That’s not how I see it. You did it once, Thad. You’ll do it again.”

I point to the porch. “Out,” I tell her.

She walks through the doorway and I slam the door after her. Then I turn to Mallory. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea she was coming. I’m going to call the gate and have her banned.”

“It’s okay,” she says, sadly. “I know I’m going to have to deal with women who want you. If it’s not Heather, it will be someone else. It’s just . . .”

I step over to her and cup her face in my hands. “It’s just what?”

“Well, you and Heather were together for years,” she says. “And when I saw her hand on you. It just makes me wonder if you miss it sometimes.”

“Miss it?” I say incredulously. “Miss Heather? Are you kidding?”

She shakes her head. “Maybe not miss Heather, per se, but the fun you two had when you were together. I’ve seen pictures; read stories. You were young and wild. Do you ever miss the drugs, Chad? Do you crave them?”

“Oh, wow.”Deep fucking question. I take her hand, leading her over to the couch where I sit her down next to me. “To be honest, the answer is yes and no. Intellectually, I know drugs are bad for me and they lead to destructive behavior. But physiologically, my body does still crave the feeling I’d get from getting high. It’s why I never drink much. I don’t ever want to be in a position where I’ll make a stupid choice. I’m not sure drug addicts are ever fully recovered.”

She grips my hand, seemingly terrified.

“You have nothing to worry about, Mal. I’m not doing drugs again. Ever. If I do, I give you permission to publicly flog me, shame me, string me up by my testicle.”

She shakes her head and then looks at me with serious eyes. “I wouldn’t do any of that, Chad. But I would leave you.”

I smile at her and nod. “I know you would. I would expect nothing less. But I’m not going to fuck this up by being a . . . what did you tell me never to be that first night we made love?”

“Stupid bastard,” she says.

“Right. I’ll never be a stupid bastard.” She relaxes into the couch causing her robe to gape open, allowing me to see the curve of her bare breasts. “But I will be a horny one if you keep teasing me with what may or may not be under that robe.”

She smiles seductively at me. “I’ll let you in on a secret. There’s nothing under it.”

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