Page 68 of Dr. Stone
“What a fucking coward,” Jace said. “At least when I was an asshole, I owned it.”
I let out a soft laugh. “I’m only telling you this because I need you to understand why I have difficulty trusting people. Letting you into my life, even just to see if there’s something real between us, is a big deal. I can’t afford to be played or hurt like that again. My son deserves a mom who’s happy and grounded, not careless. I’d rather raise him alone than bring a man into our lives thinking he’s here to save us. I don’t need that kind of shit.”
“I understand,” he said. “I swear to God, I won’t hurt you like that fucker did. Goddamn, I wish I could meet him one day.”
“Oh, are you going tokick his ass?” I taunted, trying to loosen Jace up a little.
“If I knew where that piece of shit worked, I might show up and ruin his day just for kicks.” He chuckled, knowing he sounded as immature as Jonathan.
“Well, he’s a used car salesman, and something tells me you’re not in the market for used cars.”
He laughed into the whiskey he was about to take a drink of. “No,” he shook his head, “I’m not one for used cars.”
“I met your parents,” I blurted out, trying to get away from the subject of my ex.
“No shit?” he practically spit his drink back into the glass. “I’m sure Hawk had something to do with that.”
“They approached us,” I said, wanting to gauge his reaction. “They seem like very lovely people. Your brother, as well.” I watched different expressions cross his face before saying, “You don’t seem to be anything like them.”
“I’m not,” he smiled. “Honestly, it takes an actual event to get me around them. My brother and I can manage a short conversation, but I check out the second he starts going on about all his accomplishments. I have zero desire to hear about any ofit, not because I’m not proud of him, but he’s just braggy in the shallowest way.”
“He does seem to enjoy that world, or should I saythatlife?”
“It’s funny you see it that way because that’s how I see it, too,” Jace said. “It’s a completely different world, and it takes a lot of work and stress to live in it. The circles, the status games, the so-called friendships that are really just networking connections. It all feels like a performance. It’s an illusion of happiness, in my opinion.”
I smiled, “That’s exactly what I saw in Titus that made me realize I couldn’t live like that, no matter how charming or magnetic he was. None of it felt genuine. I felt more like an accessory than a person.”
Jace’s expression grew contemplative. “It makes me very happy to hear you say that.”
“I feel the same way about you, especially after seeing where you come from and realizing you’re not just some super sexy doctor who is amazing in bed.”
“No, I’m nothing like them and have no temptation of that lifestyle at all,” he smirked. He set his cup on the small coffee table in front of him and walked over to kneel in front of me on the sofa. “Honestly, I have no idea what it’s like to date a single mom and live in your world, but I want to try.” He laughed nervously, “If I’m being totally transparent, I amterrifiedthat I’m going to fuck something up, and the last people on earth I want to hurt are you or Brandon. So, I have to ask you, are you willing to deal with a man who’s never been in a relationship before and who might unintentionally do something fucking stupid to hurt you?”
“The only way you can hurt me is by cheating or leaving me unexpectedly,” I smiled reassuringly at him. “Other than that, welcome to the relationship club, where communication is key, and after the honeymoon phase, everything is fucking work.”
“That easy, huh?” he smiled.
“That easy and that difficult,” I challenged him with an arch of my eyebrow. “But I don’t think it’s half as difficult as mingling with elites at hotel grand openings and trying to fit into all that, all while knowing you don’t belong there.”
He licked his lips, his eyes locking with mine. I recognized that look on his face. It was the same one I’d seen more than once that night when he was ready for another round. And my body was already responding to him as if it remembered exactly what we both wanted and needed.
“What if this—me and you—what if it’s just about the sex we had that night?” I said without thinking.
“It’s good to know you’re reading my mind,” he laughed.
“I’m serious.” I sat up. “What if we just want that night back?”
“I didn’t expect to have sex tonight,” he moved closer, running his fingertips along my jaw, “but it’s one hell of a theory I’m willing to try out to see if you’re right or not?”
Once again, I fell under the spell I’d been under the night we first met. His urgent lips claimed mine, flooding my body with the heat I’d been starving for since I last saw him. I moaned into his kiss as he eased me back, my legs parting in invitation.
It was like he knew exactly what I wanted—his hands sliding up my thighs, his mouth hard on my throat.
“Holy shit,” I breathed when his fingers slipped inside my shorts and found my clit.
The yacht came rushing back—how he’d made me come again and again that night. My body clenched around nothing, desperate for his fingers, his dick… and more.
I sighed, arching into him, my head tipping back as his two thick fingers pushed inside me.
