As Aubree waved goodbye, Stone appeared next to her, jolting her in her seat.
"Elf house?"
"You startled me," she said, making him chuckle.
"I leave for a minute and you've already made a friend."
Aubree shrugged. "She reminded me of my late grandmother."
Stone stood tense next to her before he shifted his weight between his feet and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry."
Remembering what the woman said, she gave a slight shake of her head. "It's okay. Death is inevitable to us all. We should cherish the moments we have and remember the happy ones."
He glanced away, an apprehensive, pained, and lost look clouding over him.
Why did he have to look so damn torn?
Reaching up, she clasped his hand in hers and pulled him down to sit next to her at the round picnic table. He let her guide him, though he didn't meet her eyes and kept his body angled slightly away from hers with a few inches between them.
Changing the subject, she asked, "How's your shoulder?"
"Better."
She frowned. "Is it going to bruise every time I touch it?"
"I don't know." His voice lowered a notch.
She swallowed, her stomach twisting anxiously at the thought of hurting him like that again.
Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. "It shouldn't... but you'll have to be careful from now on and try not to squeeze it like that again."
"I'll try," she said softly.
He looked away, allowing a moment to pass as he scratched the scruff on his chin. The corners of his eyes crinkled. "So, what was she saying about an elf house? I didn't catch it all over the blaring of the hand dryers."
Aubree brightened as she relayed what the woman told her about the elf house. She grew more excited with the prospect of finding it with him that it was hard for him to keep from grinning at her.
"It's like a treasure hunt!" she said, unable to contain her child-like glee. "Can we do it?"
He shook his head in amusement. "You realize that there's probably no elf living in that tree and it's pure fabrication by humans, right?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "Then humor me, okay?"
"You sound like Guinevere."
"Gwen would love this!" Aubree declared getting to her feet in hopes of coaxing him to follow her. "She'd be way more fun than you are right now."
That did it.
Growling, he rose from the table and pulled her into his arms. He clasped her lips with his, eliciting a small moan as pleasure swelled within her. She whimpered with desire as his tongue slipped into her mouth. She leaned into him, her head growing heavy as tingles rippled through her. He pulled away as her toes began to curl. She stood there in a daze for a moment as her heart thundered in her chest.
"You were saying?" a husky voice whispered as weathered fingers brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes and shivered. "You are hot and cold, Stone. Hot and cold."
He chuckled as he kissed her forehead before placing his hand on the small of her back. "I like the way that sounds."
She liked the feel of his hand there, warm and comforting, yet subtle. Shaking her head, a small smile of amusement tugged on her lips. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling better. Can we go find that tree now?"
YOU ARE READING
Heart of Stone (Parts I & II)
Werewolf[COMPLETE] Some bonds can't be broken, even in death. -- He couldn't endure another heartbreak. "Accepting her would be a mistake," he said. "She's a human. I can't afford to have her blood on my hands." Gwen looked away, and he knew she saw the ima...
