Page 122 of Dr. Stone
I wokeup more satisfied than I’d been in my entire damn life, and I glanced over at the woman who was the reason for that, seeing that she was still asleep.
The silk sheets were tangled around her hips, while her bare back rose and fell with each soft breath she peacefully took. Her hair was a mess of curls across the pillow, her perfect mouth slightly open, while one arm reached toward the side of the bed where I’d been before I slipped out from under her.
God, she looked so damn beautiful being ravished, satiated, and more than all that, safe with me again. I stood at the edge of the bed for a moment, just watching her, memorizing her, and then it hit me: that strange, quiet calm I’d only ever found in operating rooms right before cutting into a beating heart. Only this time, mine was the one laid bare.
Last night, I didn’t just make love to her. I vowed something with my hands, with my mouth, and with every part of me that had once forgotten how to feel. I memorized her like I memorized complicated anatomy with slow, reverent obsession.
But it was even deeper than that because it wasn’t out of need; it was out of want. Every kiss was a promise, and every touch was a reckoning. I wasn’t trying to win her over like in a normal relationship because, God have mercy, nothing about us or this pull between us was normal. It was something bigger. Something more profound.
So, last night, all I did was prove what I’d known in silence for months, and it took nearly losing all hope of a future with herto show it finally. And that was that this woman, this impossibly strong, soft, guarded woman, was mine. She was always meant to be mine. Before the first night we even met, fate already knew, and now, I did too. I saw it clearly, like I’d known it my entire fucking life.
Nothing about what happened last night felt casual. God only knew I’d had plenty of sex before, all of which was fast, forgettable, and necessary in the heat of those fleeting moments. But last night wasn’t about release. It was about surrendering to all of her without question.
The grand suite I’d asked Sebastian to prepare for us opened onto a luxurious, expansive private deck—one of his personal luxuries that most guests never got to see aboardVanguard. And true to form, my good friend wasted no time in making sure Andie and I could enjoy it exactly as it was meant to be.
As much as I wanted to stay here and never leave this moment I was cherishing, I had to check on Duke.
Once on deck, I glanced outside, seeing the Adriatic sparkling like molten sapphire while the sun gently rose over this majestic sea. The yacht’s engines were quiet, anchored just off the coast of Hvar, while the sunlight spilled across the polished teak deck. I inhaled deeply, letting the warm, salty air fill my lungs as a light breeze greeted me the moment I stepped outside, coffee in hand, already scanning the deck for where the rascal was likely bossing the dog sitter around.
I nodded at the steward as he stepped out of a private passageway onto the deck where I was having a quick cup of coffee, and watched as he went about setting things in place to prepare for Sebastian and Darcy’s guests.
Somewhere below, I heard Sebastian laughing with Jake and Darcy, and then I spotted the pup of the hour. Mr. Duke was being walked by one of the staff on the lower deck, his tailwagging, and his goofy head turning like he expected to see Andie at any minute.
Little shit’s already being spoiled by the staff,I thought, watching two more staff members walk up to greet him.Looks like I didn’t even need to check on the con artist.
I looked up and spotted the Hawk brothers on the deck where the helipad was. I decided to give Andie a few more minutes of sound sleep and join the men since it’d been a minute since I’d seen Titus’s younger brothers, Colton and Wyatt.
When I stepped out onto the helipad deck, I smirked as I saw Titus leaning against the rail in a gray linen button-down, holding court with his usual cool dominance. His next youngest brother, Colton, had a leather-bound portfolio open on a teak table, while Wyatt, the youngest of the three Spanish Casanovas, was sipping his espresso and wearing aviators as if he were ready for a black-ops mission.
Catching a bit of the conversation as I approached and hearing the wordAmalfi, I knew what it was about. The three brothers, who worked more than they slept and loved their women whenever they could spare the time, were discussing the launch of their new resort on the famous Italian coast.
Last I heard about it from Titus, Colton had spearheaded this one—cliffside suites, underwater wine cellars, and the kind of infinity pool that made these billionaires feel like gods.
“Buenos dias, hermano,” Titus said without looking up. “You sleep?” he questioned with humor in his voice.
I smirked. “Eventually.”
Wyatt grinned over his cup. “That explains why she’s not here.”
“Or does it?” Colton added with a soft laugh.
“It’s been a while,” I said, reaching out to shake Wyatt’s hand while I clapped Colton on his shoulder. “How’s the hotel coming along? I think that’s the last I’d heard from you both?”
“Oh, you know how this goes with us,” Wyatt said. “We think we have things nailed down until Colton comes in with his fucking stiff budgets, and while that shit’s happening?—”
“My stiff budgetsare the problem, eh?” Colton interjected humorously. “Titus is the one who comes in with a goddamn underwater wine cellar, sending my ass back to the drawing board becausesomeonearound here needs to ensure we’re still profitable on day one.”
“Stop whining,” Titus laughed, then looked at me. “Speaking of little bitches, I haven’t talked to you since you were planning to handle that ex of Andie’s?” He eyed me speculatively, saying without words that he would be more than happy to handle the son of a bitch if I hadn’t yet.
I met his eyes. “That fucker’s gone, and I’m pretty sure it’s permanent—I gave him a strong recommendation to leave the state. I brought my attorney to his dealership, where he signed over full custody to Andie.”
Titus raised a brow. “That is all?”
“I didn’t put a hit on him, if that’s what you are getting at,” I chuckled and took another sip of coffee.
“You know that’s exactly what Titus would want,” Wyatt smirked.
I sighed and looked at Titus. “If it helps you to refrain from performing a legit disappearing act, I also made sure he won’t open his mouth again about her or anything else. Let’s say his littledealwith the heiress isn’t as buried as he thought.”
