Heart of Stone

After

The lights were dim in the room now, casting a warm glow over everything. Eloise could hear the steady thump of Alex's heart beating in his chest, his strong arms enveloping her, and the scent of him surrounding her.

A rumbling noise emitted from her belly, and she blushed slightly.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, pulling back to look at her with an amused smirk.

"Yes, actually." She admitted.

"I'll make you something." He said, sitting up.

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that." She protested.

"It's alright, I wasn't really thinking about dinner earlier." He said. "Why don't you join me in the kitchen?"

She sat up with him and slipped out of the bed, finding her dress and holding it up to inspect the damage. Most of the buttons were missing and a few were hanging on by threads.

"I'll buy you a new one." He said, coming up behind her and pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

She chuckled slightly. "I left my bag out in the kitchen, though."

He walked over to a dresser and opened one of the drawers. He pulled out a black t-shirt and handed it to her.

"Here, put that on for now." He said.

She gave him a small smile and slipped it on over her head. It touched her mid thighs as if it were a short dress. She padded behind him to the kitchen, and Luna greeted her excitedly.

"You must be hungry too, huh?" Eloise asked as she pat the dog's head.

"Her food should be warmed enough by now." Alex said, removing the bowl from the warming mat he'd placed it on earlier.

He handed it to Eloise, and she placed the food down for Luna, stroking her back as she dug in.

She watched as Alexander began gathering ingredients from the cabinets and fridge.

"So...you're going to cook for me?" Eloise asked curiously.

"I am." He said, giving her a small, amused smirk over his shoulder. "I've been wanting to for a while, but we've never had the opportunity. Now we do. I'm going to make butter chicken."

Eloise nodded, taking a seat at one of the bar stools. She simply watched Alexander move about the kitchen, confidently measuring and mixing. Luna noisily finished her meal, then sat beside Eloise and stared at her intently.

"Can I take Luna outside?" She asked, glancing around and spotting the back door.

"Of course, just take her right through there." He said, gesturing towards the door. "The light switch is to the left."

Eloise opened her bag, pulling out a pair of loose grey pajama pants. She slipped them on beneath Alexander's t-shirt and took Luna outside. She walked around the yard with the German shepherd, wondering where it ended but not daring to venture too far beyond the reach of the back light. She found herself wondering just how large Alexander's property was as she glanced around, or if all of the land here actually belonged to him. Her thoughts immediately turned to her garden, remembering that it had been nothing but a sea of grass just like this one before she'd started it.

She pushed those thoughts away and waited for Luna to finish her business, then brought her back inside. The small house was filled with the scent of cooking food, and it reminded her of just how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten much, the stress of the day chasing away her appetite, but it had finally caught up to her.

"It smells really good in here." She complimented as she walked back into the kitchen with Luna.

"I hope you like it." He said, giving her a dazzling smile.