Stone Cold Surrender (22 page)

slowly,
deciding
that
no
matter
how
sexy
she
got
when
she
was
mad,
he
didn’t
want
to
get
her
pissed
off
too
much.

“Before
we
head
up
toward
Uncle
Corey’s
mountain,
you

need
to
come
to
terms
with
what
we
might
find
when
we
get
there,
Madison.”

He
watched
as
she
averted
her
eyes
from
his
briefly
and
he
knew
she
understood
exactly
what
he
meant.
She
tilted
her
head
and
their
gazes
connected
again.
“I
hear
what
you’re
saying
but
I
don’t
know
if
I
can,
Stone.
She’s
my
mother,”

she
said
quietly.

Stone
held
her
gaze
intently.
Logical
thinking—which
he

knew
she
wasn’t
exemplifying
at
the
moment—dictated
that
he
have
something
to
say
to
that.
So
he
did.
“She’s
also
a
full-grown
woman
who’s
old
enough
to
make
her
own

decisions.”

She
sighed
and
he
could
just
feel
the
varied
emotions

tumbling
through
her.
“But
she’s
never
done
anything
like
this
before.”

“There’s
a
first
time
for
everything.”
He
of
all
people
should
know
that.
Until
yesterday,
no
woman
had
taken
hold
of
his
senses
the
way
she
had.
He
wasn’t
exactly
happy
about
it
and
in
some
ways
he
found
it
downright
disturbing.
But
he
was
mature
enough
to
accept
it
as
the
way
things
happen
sometimes
between
a
man
and
a
woman.
Unlike
his

brother
Thorn
who
liked
challenges,
he
was
one
of
those

men
who
tried
looking
at
things
logically
without

complications
and
definitely
without
a
whole
lot
of
fuss.
He
accepted
things
easily
and
knew
how
to
roll
with
the
flow.

Madison
was
a
very
desirable
woman
and
he
was
a
hot-
blooded
male.
He
had
conceded
from
the
first
that
getting
together
with
her
would
be
like
pouring
kerosene
on
a
fire.
The
end
result—total
combustion.
The
only
problem
with
that
picture
was
that,
no
matter
how
hot
they
could
burn
up
the
sheets,
on
some
things
he
had
made
up
his
mind
with
no
chance
of
changing
it.
Getting
involved
in
a
permanent
relationship
with
a
woman
was
one
of
them.
It
wouldn’t

happen.

Seeing
the
look
of
uncertainty
on
her
face,
he
knew
she

was
a
long
way
from
accepting
the
possibility
that
her

mother
and
his
uncle
were
lovers.
As
strange
as
it
seemed,
he
had
come
to
terms
with
it
and
eventually
she
would
have
to
do
the
same.
“I
suggest
that
you
get
a
good
night’s

sleep,”
he
said,
moving
toward
the
door.
He
intended
to

open
it
and
walk
out
without
looking
back.

But
he
couldn’t.

He
turned
and
reached
out
and
pulled
her
to
him,
encircling
her
waist
and
resting
her
head
on
his
chest.
Some
inner

part
of
him
just
knew
that
she
needed
to
be
held
in
his

embrace.
And
that
same
inner
part
of
him
also
knew
that
she
needed
a
kiss,
as
well.

A
tenderness
fed
by
a
burning
flame
of
desire
raced

through
him,
making
his
heartbeat
quicken
and
his
body
go
hard.
She
must
have
felt
his
arousal
and
lifted
her
head.

Their
gazes
locked.
Words
weren’t
needed,
sexual

chemistry
had
a
language
all
its
own
and
it
was
speaking
to
them
loud
and
clear.

She
parted
her
lips
on
a
sigh
and
he
lowered
his
head
and
captured
the
very
essence
of
that
moan
with
his
mouth.
The
taste
of
her
was
tempting,
and
he
immediately
thought
of

silken
sheets,
burning
candles
and
soft
music.
He
thought
of
touching
her
all
over,
loving
her
with
his
mouth
and
his

hands
until
she
groaned
out
his
name,
then
placing
her

beneath
him,
entering
her,
thrusting
in
and
out
in
the
same
rhythm
he
was
using
at
that
very
moment
on
her
mouth.
All
during
the
previous
night
he’d
had
a
hard
time
sleeping

because
his
body
had
silently
yearned
for
her.
And
he
knew
tonight,
tomorrow
night
and
all
of
the
nights
after
that

wouldn’t
be
any
different.

After
a
long
moment,
he
broke
off
the
kiss
and
rested
his
forehead
against
hers.
Kissing
her
was
exhausting
as
well
as
stimulating.
He
could
have
continued
kissing
her
forever
if
he
hadn’t
needed
to
breathe.

“Stone?”

He
inhaled
and
tried
to
get
his
body
to
relax,
but
her
scent
filled
his
nostrils
making
regaining
his
calm
downright