Hard As Stone Read online

  I took a big gulp of my drink and held it in my mouth for a long moment before swallowing. “Sounds pretty important. I’m not sure I could do a desk job like that, but you seem to have a pretty good handle on it.”

  I’d never had a conversation go so bad so quickly. Tipping my glass back, I drank down the rest of my Jameson and ginger and motioned to the bartender for another. Maybe if I was drunk this would work better.

  “Well, I guess if I had your talent I wouldn’t have to do the desk job. But alas, I merely have my English degree from a well-respected school to pave the way for me.”

  Although I couldn’t be sure, something in the way Summer said that made me think I’d just been insulted. She’d said I was talented, but none of the other words surrounding that seemed complimentary.

  And then, before I could decide what she meant, she added, “I guess it doesn’t hurt to have the Stone name, either, now does it? My last name doesn’t carry as much weight, unfortunately, so I’m destined to have to work my way up the ladder of success.”

  Okay. That was definitely not complimentary.

  I wanted to tell her how much a pain in the ass it was to have the Stone name. How being compared to Tristan Stone all the damn time had gotten old by the time I reached fourth grade. That, yes, I did come from a family with connections that had helped me get my first few jobs in the industry, but that wasn’t how I’d gotten the job with Belle magazine.

  However, I stopped myself. I had a plan here, and I couldn’t let my bruised ego get in the way. I needed this girl to help me, so if that meant taking a few shots in the process, so be it.

  The bartender barely set my drink down in front of me before I downed half the glass to keep myself from making a stupid mistake. Better to keep my mouth busy with drinking than defending myself to Summer.

  Once I’d told myself for the fifth time that I needed to keep my head with her, I smiled and gave the whole situation a nonchalant shrug. “It probably doesn’t hurt, but give me a little credit. You yourself said the shoot went great and your boss is going to love the pictures I took.”

  She tried to speak, but her mouth dropped open. Shaking her head, she asked, “Were you spying on me when I was talking to my boss? That’s not cool.”

  “No, no. I was getting my gear all packed up and heard you. It wasn’t like you were whispering. You were practically screaming it. You know, even though it’s Australia, phones still work the same as they do back in the States. It isn’t like you have to talk louder so your boss in New York can hear you.”

  Summer’s eyes grew wide as I spoke, and I wasn’t sure she got my sense of humor. I made sure to finish with a smile, but for a few seconds, she just stared at me amazed.

  Finally, she said, “You’re quite the smartass, aren’t you, Ethan Stone?”

  “Sometimes. Usually people don’t understand my humor, so I’m impressed you did. But my gut tells me you’re a smartass yourself, Summer…” I hesitated for a moment and then admitted, “Sorry, I don’t know your last name.”

  She smiled and extended her hand. “I’m Summer Carmichael. From the Philadelphia Carmichaels,” she said in a snooty tone meant to make fun of her lack of status or my supposed status because of my family name.

  Whichever she meant, it was funny and I laughed. “Nice to meet you, Summer Carmichael. Philadelphia, huh? My mother was born and raised right outside of Philly. Wait until I tell her I met another Pennsylvania girl just like her.”

  Summer’s eyebrows shot up into her forehead. “A man who talks to his mother about the women he meets in bars. Now that’s a new one.”

  “I’ll leave out where we met and focus on your being from PA. Moms don’t need to know all the sordid details.”

  “I didn’t think we’d gotten to anything sordid yet,” Summer said with a wicked grin I’d expect from someone far less sweet.

  Maybe she did have a wild side to her, after all. That could work, too. I definitely wasn’t against a nice girl in public and a freak in the sheets. All the better.

  Chapter Four

  Summer

  What on earth was Ethan Stone doing sitting with me in the bar at the Richmont Hotel owned by his family? Why wasn’t he upstairs in his hotel room, probably a suite, having sex with some hot model? Or two?

  I’d done a little research on him after the shoot ended, and I had to say I was impressed. He’d definitely gotten more than a few breaks due to his parents’ influence. Nina Stone’s sculptures and exhibitions were known throughout the art world, and Tristan Stone’s story was nothing less than heartbreaking until he met Ethan’s mother. A billionaire left without a family due to a plane crash, he’d had money but little else.

  Until he met Nina.

  Their story had touched my heart, and then when I read about their three children, I had to admit it was hard not to like the Stone family. They weren’t very different from my own family, except for the fact that they were ultra-rich. True, Tristan Stone had inherited his money, but he’d managed a successful business to make Stone Worldwide a giant around the globe. And he and his wife had raised triplets they adored, according to all sources.

  Tressa, one of Ethan’s sisters, took after her father and was soon to graduate with an MBA. Her future certainly held a position in the family business that made multi-billions a year in various ventures, including the hotel I was staying in. Ethan had taken after his mother artistically but chose photography over sculpture or painting. His parents had helped him get his break at first, but he’d made a name for himself over the past few years shooting models for magazines like Belle and seemed to be blessed with artistic talent just like his mother. He had another sister, Diana, but I strangely hadn’t been able to find much information at all on her.

  And all of this explained nothing about why he sat with me, of all people, in a hotel bar. Or why he claimed he’d tell his mother about meeting me. All of it made alarm bells go off in my suspicious brain.

  A slow smile spread across his lips, showcasing how beautiful his mouth was. Straight white teeth and lips just the right fullness made me forget for a moment that I had no idea what this near-perfect stranger could want from me at that moment.

  “Is everything okay, Summer?”

  “Yeah. I’m fine,” I lied, feeling the effect of the two drinks I’d had.

  “Okay. I was beginning to think I’d done something wrong.”

  Damn. With every word, he seemed to get more charming by the second. No wonder there was a line of women who wanted to sleep with him long enough to stretch across Australia. Yeah, I found that out, too, while I was researching.

  “No, no. I think I better go. I have an early day tomorrow.”

  I slid off the barstool and began to walk toward the door in a hurry. Tipsy Summer tended to do stupid things, and at that moment, all I wanted to do was press my lips against his to see if his mouth felt as good as it looked.

  Behind me, I heard Ethan’s deep voice say, “Was it something I said?”

  Turning around, I watched him slowly walk toward me like a wild animal stalking his prey. Why was he following me?

  “No. It’s not that.”

  “Well, what is it?” he asked as he stopped in front of me.

  “I just need to get back to my room,” I lied.

  God, this guy gave off a vibe that made me want to do things I shouldn’t. It was a combination of confidence and power that was more intoxicating than the Moscow mules I’d drunk. And it would probably give me a worse hangover if I let myself enjoy it.

  “Let me escort you back to your room,” he said as the elevator doors opened and he followed me in.

  We rode up to the second floor in silence, and as soon as the elevator doors opened, I rushed out and down the hall to my room. Never before had I wanted someone so badly and didn’t know why.

  Well, it wasn’t hard to understand why. Ethan Stone was gorgeous. Great body, incredible looks, brown eyes I could get lost in. I’d always had a weakness for g
ood-looking men, and it had never turned out well even once. And none of them were anywhere close to how stunning Ethan was.

  Fumbling through my purse to find my room key, I felt him come up behind me. His presence was unmistakable. But why had he followed me?

  It couldn’t be possible that he wanted me. I didn’t think I was ugly, but this man spent his time romancing models. I’d found that out in my research earlier that day too. So why was he standing right next to me?

  Finally, when I found the key, I looked up to see him leaning against the doorframe and smiling. God, that smile was stunning. Everything about him was stunning.

  “Everything okay?”

  His deep voice washed over me, and I nodded, unable to answer without lying. I wasn’t okay, and I couldn’t blame two drinks on what I was feeling. I’d watched him all day and wanted him, but in a world full of models, I knew I didn’t stand a chance.

  But now that he stood next to me at the entrance to my hotel room, I wondered if maybe I’d been wrong.

  Brave from the alcohol coursing through my veins, I smiled. “Yeah. Everything’s fine.”

  And then I opened the door and looked back at him. My hormones must have taken over the speech center in my brain, and I quietly asked, “Want to come in?”

  My heart slammed against my ribcage as the words hung in the air between us and Ethan stood staring at me, not saying a word. Immediately, my mind began assessing the situation. The worst that could happen was he said no. And I’d feel humiliated for the rest of the night, probably salving my terribly bruised ego with more alcohol before I passed out. As for the best that could happen, who knew? I’d never done this before, so I had no idea what the result could be.

  Except for flashing me a wicked smile, Ethan didn’t answer my question and instead followed me into my hotel room. A million thoughts raced through my head. Why was he here? How did this happen? We’d just been having a drink together, and now he was standing there looking completely fuckable in my room.

  Most of all, should I do what I’d fantasized about all day?

  “So I hope you weren’t planning on going to sleep,” Ethan said, smiling in a way that said he knew exactly what I’d been thinking.

  Then, as I stood there letting my gaze drift over his muscular body, he walked over to me and ran his fingertips up my arm. Goose bumps broke out across my skin in the wake of where he touched me as my nipples tightened in excitement.

  What was I doing? I shouldn’t even have entertained the thought of sleeping with him. If Julia found out…

  While I tried to talk myself out of sex with Ethan Stone, he dipped his head so his lips brushed against my ear and said in a low voice, “Why so quiet all of a sudden?”

  Oh, God, his breath rolled across my skin, making me weak with need. I struggled to answer him, muttering, “No reason.”

  “Good. You know, I saw you watching me today.”

  Something in the way he said that made me feel ashamed, and I pulled away, shaking my head. “Don’t.”

  “What?” he asked as he reached out to take my hand in his. “Don’t do what?”

  I didn’t want to be the only one in that room who had wanted this. I knew it was stupid, but to hear him say he saw me watching him made me feel pitiful because he hadn’t been watching me.

  Unsure how to answer his question, I closed my eyes and wished I didn’t feel so insecure, but he’d been with model after model, so why was he there with me in my hotel room?

  I felt him press his body to my back and I leaned against him instinctively, like everything inside me wanted to be closer to him. His mouth pushed lightly against the shell of my ear, sending a rush of desire through me.

  “Tell me what you want, Summer.”

  I wanted everything he offered. The beautiful outside, the confidence, the vibration of his deep voice against my skin, the feel of his strong hands on me. Everything.

  No words seemed to exist in my brain, and when I opened my mouth to speak, all that came out was a soft moan. A sweet ache settled into my body and made its way to between my legs. Pressing my thighs together, I let myself enjoy how good it felt.

  My eyes still closed, I reveled in how his hands felt as they slowly slid down my arms and he wove his fingers through mine. Squeezing them, he brought my left hand up to his mouth. For the first time, I felt his beautiful lips on me.

  I wanted to feel them on every inch of my body.

  Another tiny moan escaped from my throat as he moved his hand up to my neck. Encircling it, he lightly teased just under my ear before dragging his fingertips down to my collarbone and then back up again.

  “Oh, God…”

  He sunk his teeth into my earlobe just hard enough to send a ripple of pain through it as he slowly slipped my dress down my body, leaving me in just my panties and bra. Cupping my breasts, he slowly planted kisses over my shoulder while he gently pinched my nipples through the fabric.

  Every movement made me want him more, but he seemed to want to take his time, almost seducing me. Little did he know that I secretly fantasized about pushing him down on the bed and tearing his clothes off like a wild animal.

  His hard cock pressed against the small of my back, practically teasing me with what was to come. I reached back and palmed him through his pants, and for the first time, Ethan let out a deep moan.

  “I think it’s time I took some of these clothes off,” he said, stepping away from me.

  I turned around to see him unbutton his black dress shirt. He let it hang open for a minute as he undid his pants to reveal black boxer briefs. The muscular body I’d guessed I’d see under his clothes looked even better than I’d imagined all afternoon. Tan and toned, Ethan Stone was a nearly perfect specimen of a man. But even better, across his chest sat an intricate, all-black Celtic-knot-design tattoo.

  He slid his pants off and looked up at me, smiling as I watched him. When he shrugged out of his shirt, my eyes opened wide in surprise to see his chest wasn’t the only part of him tattooed. The design continued down his left arm to his wrist and mixed with different images of a clock, some woman, a cross, and words I couldn’t make out. On his right shoulder he had a tattoo of an all-black fire-breathing dragon.

  As my gaze skimmed over his body in admiration of how gorgeous he truly was, I couldn’t help but wish I had kept up with that workout program I had started last summer. Ethan’s washboard abs put my much less defined and squishy midsection to shame.

  I crossed my arms in front of my body to hide it, but I couldn’t stay like that for long once he took me by the hand and pulled me to him. He seemed to be oblivious to my imperfections.

  Then before I could say a word, he stuffed his hands into my hair and leaned down to kiss me better than I’d ever been kissed before. His soft lips pressed against mine as he tugged my head back just roughly enough to make my pussy run wet.

  I moaned into his mouth, and he slid his tongue over mine to tease me with what he might do to other parts of my body with it. More than anything, I wanted him to make good on that and more.

  His hands left my hair and traveled down my body until they cupped my ass. Pulling me into him, he pushed his hips forward so his cock pressed just above my pussy. I’d never wished to be just a few inches taller more than at that moment.

  I wanted to feel his cock in my hand, feel the hardness against my palm, so I slid my hand down his body and beneath those black boxer briefs and heard him groan. Looking up, I saw need in his dark eyes that thrilled me. I wrapped my hand around his cock and slowly moved up the shaft, feeling the silky skin against my hand. With every inch, that need grew until I reached the head.

  Ethan closed his eyes and moaned, “Oh, God…”

  Then in the split second as I thought about dropping to my knees and sucking his cock just to hear that sensual moan from him again, he spun me around and pushed me back onto the bed. Right before my eyes, he transformed from that sexy man who had seduced me from the moment he caught up to me at
the elevator to a man with a singular goal.

  To possess a woman in the most intimate way possible.

  I’d never seen that look in a man’s eyes before. Was sex always like this for him? I envied him if that was the case.

  He stripped out of his boxer briefs, slid a condom on, and tugged my panties down my legs as I fumbled with my bra. I tossed it aside and watched as Ethan lowered himself down onto me. In one smooth motion, he kissed me long and deep while he pushed apart my legs with his knee. Then before I could catch my breath, he thrust into me slowly, inch by inch, until he filled me completely while his hands worshipped the rest of me.

  My body surrendered to him even before my mind did, taking all he had as he pumped into me. I heard him say my name, but from the moment he began fucking me, I was lost to the ecstasy of the experience.

  I ran my hands over his body, loving the hardness of him beneath my touch. His back muscles flexed with every thrust of his cock into my body, and he grunted in a way that made our fucking animalistic. I’d never felt like this with a man, and as much as I knew I shouldn’t, I wanted more.

  More of him. More of how he made me feel. More of everything about Ethan Stone.

  Chapter Five

  Ethan

  I opened my eyes and looked around at the room I lay in. It looked like my suite, but didn’t Summer and I go to her room after the bar? Looking down at my chest, I saw her brown hair spread out over me, covering her face. As I tried to piece together the events of last night, she moved against me.

  Slowly, it all came back. Yes, we’d gone to her room first—or more accurately, for the first round—but then I’d told her my room was more comfortable and we’d made our way up here to the penthouse. From then, it had been round after round of sex until we both collapsed onto the bed exhausted.

  Summer lifted her head off my body and pushed her hair off her face. I’d seen supermodels first thing in the morning, and none of them looked better than she did at that moment.