Page 56 of Stone

He grimaced slightly. “Point taken. I get it, Leesy. It won’t happen again.”

“You’re the one who tells me I should have more confidence and believe in myself, but things like that make me feel like I’m not good enough.” My eyes searched his for some understanding.

John’s gaze softened, and he pulled me into his arms, still looking down at me. “You’re more than good enough, Duchess. You’re everything.” A smile hitched the corner of his mouth. “I’m proud of the way you stormed in there and gave me hell. You didn’t even have to scream and shout. Even the girls were impressed. You made Tammi feel so guilty she almost cried, and believe me, not much can make those tough bitches cry.”

I sniffed haughtily. “You shouldn’t call women bitches, John.”

He laughed. “You’ve gotta lot to learn about club life, Leesy, but with how you just gave me hell, I’ve no doubt you’ll learn fast. You wouldn’t have had the nerve to do anything like that a year ago.”

I took in his dancing golden eyes and soft expression. “It’s you, John Stone. You give me the courage to do things I never thought I could.”

He raised a hand and tapped my heart. “It’s all in there. You’ve got more courage than anyone I know. It’s why I love the bones of ya.”

As we stood there locked in each other’s gaze, a wave of conflicting emotions swept through me. John’s words were heartfelt, yet a lingering doubt gnawed at my chest. The wayhe could so effortlessly surround himself with women who worshipped the ground he walked on made me question his commitment.

His eyes darted between mine. “You’re still not convinced, are ya?”

“No,” I whispered. “Sometimes I feel like it’s not real, that it’ll come tumbling down around us like a house of cards. I want to have faith in us, but it’s hard when I don’t always have faith in myself. Things like today don’t help build my confidence.”

He bent his neck until our foreheads touched. “I swear on my life I’ll never go with a club whore again. You are all I want and need, Elise. What we’ve got is deeper, profound. How could I go back to ordinary after experiencing extraordinary with you?”

My stomach settled, and a feeling of warmth enveloped me.

John nuzzled my nose with his. “Got an idea. How about we meet back here at about six? I’ll bring dinner. We can eat, talk, and spend some quality time together. We haven’t seen much of each other since I’ve been back, and I’m missing my girl.”

My heart soared as John’s words sunk in. “I’ll go work at the store this afternoon to keep Dad off my back, then meet you back here at six.” I went to pull away, but John tugged me close again, his eyes blazing into mine.

Bending his neck, his lips caught mine in a searing kiss that I felt all the way down to my toes. Blood raced through my veins as his tongue tangled with mine. My stomach tugged, and I pressed my body flush against John’s, sighing as his hard, thick cock pressed against my belly.

John groaned and released my mouth. “Don’t ever doubt my feelings for you, Elise. If there’s one thing in this world you can count on, it’s how I feel about you, how I’ll always feel about you.”

As we stood, wrapped in each other’s arms, I realized how lucky I was to have a man like John Stone, with his rough edges and massive heart.

I may have been John’s biggest cheerleader, but he was my rock. He recognized my flaws and insecurities and believed in me despite them.

No other man could compare.

During the week John was home, I spent most of my free time with him at the warehouse, keeping him company while he worked. We would talk for hours, make love occasionally, eat, laugh, and kiss until we were dizzy. The only time I left him was when I had to go to class and to sleep.

As much as I hated the thought of him going back to California, I was beginning to get used to the separation. My mindset altered, and I saw him leaving as the next step toward being together. But of course, time waits for no one, and John’s leave came to an end way before I was ready to lose him again.

Constance had arranged a goodbye dinner for John at their farmhouse and had also invited Abe and Iris along. I love that John had Abe. Bandit was a great father—and John loved him immensely—but he had a screw loose. Bandit was like a nuclear reactor, whereas Abe was a voice of reason and had a calming influence on John. They thought very much alike about most things, and Abe was firmly behind John’s idea to revolutionize the club when Bandit eventually passed over the reins.

I loved Iris, too. She was strong and tough but had a sweet side that shone through. The way she and Abe looked at each other was so tender that sometimes it made me want to cry. Their love was soulmate-deep, and they worshipped each other.

I’d arrived at the farmhouse and, of course, been ushered straight into the kitchen, where Connie and Iris were preparing the food and drinking wine. It was a comfort for me to be there because those ladies supported me when John was away. They’d become special to me for various reasons, but mostly because, over time, I’d begun to see them as extended family.

The brotherhood within the club was strong, but so was the sisterhood. They took me under their wing and propped me up when I needed it, and somewhere along the way—without even noticing—they’d become my family.

Somehow, the subject of a rival club called the Burning Sinners had come up, and what the ladies had to say about them made my chest hurt.

“The intel Bandit got isn’t good,” Connie murmured, taking a seat at the table with me and Iris. “According to a source, they’ve got a big stable of girls already, some of them as young as sixteen.”

“I wonder how they’re getting away with it?” Iris mused thoughtfully. “The lawmen around here are always stopping our boys, even when they’re not doing anything wrong. I find it strange that the Sinners could run a prostitution ring and not get any comeback from it.”

Connie took a sip of wine. “Bandit reckons they’re being protected.”

“Who would do that?” I asked tightly. “If they’re hurting women and kids, why is nobody doing something about it?”

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