“I … need … you.”
He was getting warmer.
Nico’s spine tingled as Stone drilled inside him, fucking him deeper than he’d ever been fucked before.
“Stone … please…”
“I … love … you.”
Nico let go, soaring into the ether as his release shattered him.
“Fuck,” Stone growled, his forehead resting on Nico’s temple, his cock sinking in one final time. “I love you.”
Nico gasped, gripping Stone’s arm as he felt the pulse of his cock deep inside him.
“I love you, too.”
When oxygen returned to his cells and he could breathe easier again, Nico knew everything had changed in that moment. There was no questioning anymore. He was in love with this man as deeply as he was in love with Stevie. He felt complete for the first time in his life.
And while he was willing to accept it, there was still a niggling of doubt that he couldn’t erase. He prayed it wasn’t a sign of what was to come but merely an echo of the past that hadn’t been erased completely.
Nico slept that night, soundly with Stevie and Stone in his bed, completely oblivious to the invisible hand that gripped the proverbial rug, eager and ready to pull it right out from under them all.
Thirty-Seven
Saturday, February 17, 2024
Stone spent the next morning walking onair. His thoughts drifted back to last night over and over, the movie reel in his head on repeat. His connection with Nico solidifying, punctuated by that moment when it had been hard to breathe because he was consumed by a love so intense, it threatened to steal the air from his lungs. Stevie returning to find them crumpled in the bed together, drawing out the moment when she settled between them, content to simply be for a little while.
And when morning came, Stone felt like he could conquer the world.
Unfortunately, the feeling only lasted until mid-afternoon, when he was getting ready to head out to run a few errands. As he was walking out the door, his cell phone rang.
He dragged it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen.
“Hey, Uncle Curtis,” he greeted, unable to hide his good mood. “I was about to call you. Thought maybe I could swing by in an hour. I’ve got the proposal ready for your review.”
“So you’ve talked to Zane?”
Stone hedged momentarily, trying to figure out the correct answer to the question. He opted to be straightforward. “No, actually. I’ve tried numerous times. He won’t return my calls.”
Curtis’s heavy sigh felt weighted even through the phone.
Stone stood outside his truck, staring up at the brilliant blue sky. “What’s wrong?”
“I had a feelin’ he wasn’t tellin’ me everything.”
“What does that mean? Who?”
“Zane.” Curtis sighed again.
“Is he there? I can come by right now and talk to him.”
“No. I haven’t seen him in a coupla days. The boy texted me.”
“Do you know where he is?” At this point, Stone was willing to track him down if it took all fucking day.
“I don’t. He did mention he’s meetin’ Beau at Moonshiners in a coupla hours.”
