Lucia Jordan's Four Series Collection: Chosen, Whipped, Lick, Risk (18 page)

His fingers dug into her hips and he thrust up into her faster and faster, driving her closer to edge.  “Burke…I’m…”

“Not yet, baby.  Hold on a little longer.  I don’t want this to end just yet.”

She wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold back as he moved her faster and harder onto his cock.  She was so close—she felt her walls begin to quiver.  “Burke…I can’t…”

He gave her ass one more hard slap than demanded, “Now, baby.  Come now!”

Avery let her orgasm take her over as she called out his name.

***

Adam’s graduation was the next day and Avery had no clue what to pack.  If she had been going by herself, she would have taken a couple of simple dresses and some shorts, but Burke was going with her and wanted to turn their visit into a long weekend away.  She couldn’t deny that the idea excited her.  They hadn’t been out of town since they’d met and now that Dalton Printing was running smoothly, Burke had wanted to spend some time away together.

Not that she had any complaints about the amount of time he was spending with her already.  Every morning she was awakened with either his hands roaming her body or his thick staff already buried deep inside her.  He worked from home the majority of the time so she saw him throughout the day, but she didn’t want to interrupt his work, so she tried to steer clear of his office.  But sometimes, when he was feeling particularly amorous, Burke cornered her in the kitchen around mid-afternoon and took her against whatever available surface he could find.  He’d taken her on several shopping trips to look for pieces for the house.  And every night they made love.  In the living room, den, bedroom, pool.  It didn’t matter where they were, it seemed like they always ended up wrapped around each other.

Burke had made sure to take Avery out to dinner several times a week.  She knew he was trying to dispel the notion that he didn’t want to be seen with her and she appreciated the effort.  Despite his demanding ways in the bedroom, he really was the most thoughtful man she’d ever met.

Most of Avery’s clothes were hanging in Burke’s closet and she scanned the sorry excuse of a wardrobe with a sigh.  She wanted to look nice for both Burke and her brother’s graduation ceremony but nothing she owned seemed to be appropriate.  Maybe she could dip into her meager savings and buy a few things when they got there. 

As she pulled out a couple of blouses and capris, she heard her phone ring.  She checked the caller ID and almost didn’t answer, but it was the fifth time in less than two days her ex-boss had called her.  Margot never left a message, just called back.  Avery didn’t want to talk to her but clearly the only way to get the woman to stop calling was just to find out what she wanted.  She plopped down onto the bed with a sigh.  “What do you want, Margot?”

“Now, that’s no way to greet your former boss.”

Avery could tell there was a smile on Margot’s face and that never meant anything good.  At least for her.  “Look, I’m busy.  I don’t…”

“Yeah, I bet you are.  Busy doing Burke.  I know you’re
working
for him…among other things.”

How did she know Burke had hired her?  Had Burke told her?  No, he wouldn’t have.  He hated Margot almost as much as Avery did. 

“That’s right, I am.  On both accounts.  I’m actually sitting in
our
bedroom, on
our
bed, packing
our
things for Adam’s graduation, and then we’re going to spend a romantic weekend at a B&B.  Probably won’t leave the room the entire time other than to get a bite to eat.  We have to keep our energy up for all of our…extracurricular activities.”  Avery smiled as she heard Margot seething through the phone.

“Enjoy it while you can, Avery.  It won’t last forever and when he finally realizes what a waste of his time you are, he’ll toss you out like the trash you are.”

Avery tried to brush off Margot’s words, but her old insecurities were never far away.  No, she wouldn’t let Margot manipulate her again.  “Did you call just to harass me or is there something you actually wanted?”

“I just called to ask you a question.”

“So ask it already.”

“Does Burke have any siblings?”

“What?  Why would you need…”

“I, uh, ran into a man the other day that…looked exactly like Burke and I just wondered if there was another Stone brother out there.”  The story sounded plausible and Margot knew Avery wouldn’t think twice about it.

“No, I don’t think so.  He’s never mentioned any siblings.”

Margot hung up without saying another word.

“That was weird.” Avery tossed her phone on the bed just as Burke came into the room.

“What was weird?” he asked as he headed past her and into the closet to hang his suit jacket up.

“I just got off the phone with Margot.”

“What the hell did she want?” he snarled.

“She wanted to know if you had any brothers.”

Burke nearly dropped the jacket and hanger.  “What?”

Avery came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.  “She said she saw someone that looked just like you and wanted to know if you had any siblings.  I guess she’s still pining for you and wants a substitute.  Just think—there could be two perfect male specimens walking around in the world.”

Burke couldn’t respond, couldn’t turn around.  His gut told him that this was bad—very bad.  If Margot was asking questions about him, about his family, then she must be fishing for information.  Or maybe she already knew about his stepbrother and what he’d done to Avery’s family.  But if she did, why didn’t she just tell Avery?  Why
ask
if he had a brother?

Margot was up to no good.  He knew that without a doubt.

He had to tell Avery, had to come clean about their tangled past.  But her arms felt so good linked around him, her body pressed against his—he didn’t want to ruin it.  Besides, they needed to pack for Adam’s graduation.  The plane was scheduled to leave in less than two hours.  He didn’t want to ruin their weekend with Adam, ruin his graduation, Avery’s birthday and their long weekend together.

He would tell her when they got back home.

***

“I’ve never been on a private plane before,” Avery admitted as the driver pulled into the airport and onto the private airstrip. 

“This one I use for short trips.  I have a larger one I fly when I need to travel across country.  In fact, your b—”  Burke couldn’t believe he’d nearly slipped and told Avery that Adam would be using the bigger plane to fly out to California for his internship.  He had to be more careful.  He still hadn’t told her that Adam would be working for one of his companies.  If he admitted that, then he would have to admit everything.  He knew he had to tell her.  And soon.  Enough time had passed that he knew she was going to be angry when she found out.  He hoped that their connection would be enough for her to look past his omission—his deceit—and accept whatever apology she wanted from him.

But not today.  Today, he was focusing on Avery.  Adam’s graduation would take place the next day and he wanted to make the situation as easy and carefree as possible.  Avery had been a little melancholy lately thinking about how much her life would be changing and what she would do now that Adam was on his own.  He wished he could say something to ease her mind, to tell her that everything would be okay.  He wished he could tell her that he wanted a real commitment with her, that he wanted to be with her for as long as she would have him.  But he couldn’t make that offer until she knew the whole story about how their pasts connected.

“You were saying?”

“You’re, uh, you’re going to enjoy the flight so much more.  And…”  He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “There’s a bedroom on board.  Ever heard of the Mile High Club?”

Avery swatted his arm.  “You’re incorrigible.”

“What can I say?  I can’t get enough of you.”

The crew, which consisted of a pilot, a co-pilot and a stewardess, greeted them they approached the plane.  The stewardess took their bags and stowed them away as they walked up the steps to the cabin.

Avery couldn’t take it all in as she looked from side to side.  The cabin held four light gray leather chairs and darker gray leather couch.  There was a small galley off to the right with stainless steel appliances and there was a closed door at the back of the plane that she suspected was the bedroom he’d mentioned.  Everything screamed money and opulence.

“Burke, this is incredible,” she whispered in awe.

He merely shrugged.  “I travel a lot so it’s actually a good investment.  I don’t have to purchase airline tickets and I can spend less time in airports by traveling privately.”  He didn’t know why he felt to need to justify owning the plane but Avery’s wide-eyed wonder when she’d first seen the interior made him feel a little pompous.  It was true that traveling in a private plane saved him time and money, and he didn’t want her to think that he was throwing his money around to try and impress her.  It just made good business sense, and besides, he wanted to be alone with her.

“So, tomorrow is a big day,” he stated as he took a seat in one of the chairs.

Avery couldn’t stop looking at everything, touching everything.  It was more than she had ever imagined.  People really lived like this?  Yes, apparently they did.  Apparently Burke did.  “Hmmm?”

“Mr. Stone.  We have clearance to take off,” the pilot announced.

Burke reached out and snaked his arm around Avery’s waist.  She tumbled into his lap with a squeal. 

“We have to take our seats and buckle up before the pilot can get moving,” he said as he nipped at her lower lip.

She giggled and tried to squirm out of his grasp but he held her tight. 

“Unless you plan on buckling both of us in the seat, which I’m sure is against FAA regulations, you’re going to have to let me go,” she said.

He reluctantly released her but kept ahold of her hand as she took the seat next to him.  “Did you want to see Adam when we land or does he have other plans for today?”

“He’s got plans so you have me all to yourself tonight.”  She gave him a knowing smile.

“Good, because I have plans of my own,” he said with a salacious grin just as the plane became airborne.

***

“I’m so proud of you,” Avery enthused as she hugged her brother.

“I was a little worried you wouldn’t be here.  I waited for you at the apartment,” Adam accused.

“I know, I’m sorry.  I, uh, was a little tied up.”  She hoped her brother would never find out how true that was.

“I’m glad you made it.  It wouldn’t have meant as much if you hadn’t seen me walk across that stage.”

“Oh, Adam.  I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”  She hugged him again then stepped back.

“So.”  Adam looked at Burke and gave him the once over.  “You must
the guy
,” he emphasized with air quotes.

Burke nodded and held out his hand, hoping Adam wouldn’t recognize him from the past.  The chances were slim considering he’d been a mere child when the trial had been held, but Burke still held his breath.  When Adam reached out and gripped his hand firmly, he smiled.  “Nice to meet you, Adam.  And congratulations.”

“Thanks.  I couldn’t have done it without her.”  Adam draped his arm around Avery’s shoulder and grinned.

The connection between them warmed Burke’s heart.  He was glad they’d had each other over the years and that their parents’ tragic passing hadn’t derailed their lives.  He just hoped that when he told Avery who he was related to that she would be able to forgive him his deceit and move forward in life with him.

“Oh, I have something for you,” Adam said to his sister as he reached into his gown and pulled out a small, wrapped box.  “Happy Birthday,” he said with a grin as he handed it to her.

“Adam, this is your day.  You shouldn’t have gotten me anything for my Birthday,” she scolded but took the box with a smile.

“Oh, come on.  Like I was going to let the big 3-0 go without mention.  You’re officially an old lady,” he joked.

“Hey.”  Avery punched Adam lightly on the arm, but chuckled.  “That’s not very nice.”

“Ow!”  Adam pretended as if she’d hurt him and rubbed his arm.

Avery opened the box and inside was a beautiful gold heart locket.  Inside the locket there was a picture of the two of them during one of their summer vacations on one side, and on the other was a picture of their parents.   “Oh, Adam.  It’s beautiful.”

He shrugged as if embarrassed.  “It’s just a little something so you remember the day.  And you know I was kidding about the
old lady
part.  Half my friends have a thing for you.  They’re constantly asking if you’re available or if you’d considered dating someone younger.”  Adam didn’t miss the way Burke’s nostrils flared or how he pulled Avery closer to his side.

“That’s not even remotely funny,” Avery cautioned as she fidgeted from one foot to the other.  Even if Adam was kidding, she knew Burke wouldn’t take it well.

“Tell me about it.  My bros are panting after my big sister.  Yuck!  Parker asks about you all the time.  He’s bummed that you aren’t on Facebook or Instagram.  He’s always asking to see new pictures of you every time I come back from a visit.”