Stone Sober

Chapter 6 - Part One
by Aliyah Burke

 

Knees trembling, heart pounding, palms sweating and breathing irregular Olivia practically sagged against the thick wooden door that separated her from the hottest thing this side of the Mississippi…Stone McLean. One Stone Garrett McLean, according to Deputy Manning and that blasted notebook he carried around with him all the time. Wiping her hand down her face she gathered herself, looking around to make sure there was no witness to her ‘momentary lapse of poise’, shrugged and straightened her shirt only to walk off down the hall as if totally unaffected by the fact she had pretty much seen McLean just as naked as the day he was born.

By the time she had reached her own bedroom Olivia had managed to regain control. But this time it wasn’t going to be enough and she knew it. The usual calming effect of her bedroom failed to do its job. Every time she closed her eyes all she saw was his six foot two inch frame, without an inch of flesh to spare, standing in that room wearing nothing but that one lucky pristine white terrycloth towel. This man was going to be trouble with a capital "T".

Olivia went through her nightly ritual and climbed into her king-sized bed, groaning with pleasure as she slid between the cool Egyptian cotton sheets. As she rolled to her side, she frowned as she looked at the clock; suddenly the anger at the stranger came back, for it was his fault she was getting up more than an hour early. As if five in the morning wasn’t early enough to get up, now she had to awaken earlier so she would have time to head over to her establishment and make sure it was ready for the day.

As she burrowed into the sheets Olivia smiled, she knew she worried too much, but she worked hard at her business. It was her family legacy. And she knew that Momma Bee would do just fine in running the Bar and Grill. Finally exhaustion took over and she succumbed to the strain and fatigue of the day.

Stone finished his bath with a grin on his face. The feisty Ms. Baxter would prove a most pleasurable distraction while he was here. The chance to learn all he could about what makes her tick and the chance to see her smile, well that would be worth picking up all the trash they had in this town. With that thought, he fell under the lure of the sandman.

****

The intrusive beep of her alarm clock cut short her amazing dream. Groaning with the effort it seemed to take just to move, Olivia flipped off the alarm. Swiftly she rose and headed for the shower to get ready for the day.

At five o’clock on the dot Olivia set down the last warm dish of food on the table. With a sigh she looked around, all she was missing it seemed was the man she was sharing a roof with. About one minute later she was getting hot under the collar. Where was he? "Why am I up this early and he nowhere to be found," she muttered.

"Miss me already," a throaty voice teased.

Eyes wide, Olivia looked up as Stone filled the doorway to the kitchen, clean shaven and if possible, more mouthwatering than when she first spied him inside her restaurant. Flustered that she had been caught grumbling she glared at him and snapped, "No I didn’t miss you." With a sharp gesture at the table she added, "Your breakfast is ready."

Tight blue jeans hugged lean hips and a white t-shirt covered a torso that the gods themselves must have carved. Olivia tried hard not to stare as he walked to the table and took the same seat he had eaten at last night.

Stone sat down and looked across the kitchen at the stunning woman who stood there with a dreamy hint to her dark fathomless eyes. She wore another pair of snug fitting jeans and a hunter green tank top that offset her dark skin lusciously.

"What about you?" Those bluish-green eyes moved slowly up and down her body.

"What about me, what," Olivia blinked. She could feel her body tightening under his bold appraisal.

"Aren’t you eating?" He gestured towards the table, indicating that she should join him.

"No."

Stone’s eyes narrowed briefly. "No?"

"No." Olivia got some perverse pleasure from watching him struggle with his emotions. She would bet a month’s take at the restaurant that not many people told him ‘no’. As if a light had just been turned on she realized something about Mr. Stone McLean, he didn’t like to be ignored, especially by a woman.

"You have to eat don’t you?"

"Already did. I am on my way over to the restaurant to get ready for the morning rush." Since I’ll be doing community service instead of working at my business which is your fault.

"What about the community service?" Stone dug eagerly into the food she had placed on the table for him. "This is really good."

"Don’t be late." Olivia turned away and picked up her keys. "We have to be there at six-thirty." At the door she paused and turned back to face him, "You do know where to go right?"

"I don’t have my car. Your law took it from me." He slid the forkful of fresh melon into his mouth never taking his gaze from hers.

Olivia watched as he ate imagining those lips on hers. The flash of gold on his right hand caught her eye. It looked like a wedding ring. For a single moment she felt a blinding jealousy at the woman who had gotten him to wear it. Then she realized it was on his right hand and that she didn’t care one way or the other about his personal life. Liar, her brain said. "You have two legs, can’t you walk that far? Like you keep insinuating, it’s not that big of a town. Mayberry. I believe that was your word to describe Landing Shores."

A smile crinkled up one corner of his mouth. She loves this town. "Well for me it is." He stabbed another piece of fruit and brought it slowly to his mouth.

"Besides, the walk shouldn’t take you more than ten minutes tops. I gotta run. See you at the courthouse," Olivia said with a slight challenge in her voice. Then in a flash she was gone, leaving Stone alone with his remaining breakfast and the faint lingering of a floral-woody scent that seemed to penetrate deep into his skin.

Determined to make up for his trouble he caused her yesterday, Stone finished eating and cleaned up. Not sure exactly what they would be doing he grabbed his bottle of pills, just in case. However, the second he walked out of the Bed and Breakfast his feet were moving him in the direction of her restaurant.

At ten after six, Momma Bee shooed Olivia out of the building. "Chile, ya got ta go’way. Go’way!"

"I’m leavin’. I’m leavin’. You know where I’ll be if you need me," Olivia said as she backed out the door hands raised in a placating gesture.

"Chile…." Momma Bee warned.

"Okay. See you this afternoon." Olivia spun around, jogged down the stairs and came face to face with Stone McLean.

He was leaning against a magnolia tree, legs hooked at the ankle and those arms crossed over that impressive chest. A man that looked good and knew it. On his face rested a disarming smile.

Olivia slowed as she approached him. "What are you doing here?" It had been a very deliberate act giving him breakfast at the house as opposed to having him come with her, he made it hard to concentrate…well on work.

"Came to walk with you." His eyes ran over her body as if they had every right to do so, when in truth he couldn’t help himself from staring at her.

A woman who preferred straight talk to flirtatious behavior, Olivia found she wanted to flirt with this man. She liked the feeling that filled her entire body as she watched his effortless movements or listened to his voice. "Let’s go then. The last thing I want to do is be late and give them another reason to prolong this."

Stone fell into step beside her, unconsciously adjusting his steps to fit her shorter ones. He found there was still a smile on his face as he walked in silence beside Olivia on the cobblestone sidewalks. The walk was enjoyable even though Olivia kept her peace the whole time.

 

 

Part 2