Stone In Love

Chapter 39

"How long have you two known each other?" Colin asked Sylvie as they hunched over their pizza plates at the counter.

"Reese and I met at MICA about four years ago. After we hit a few clubs together, we realized we were perfect for each other, so we became roomies." Sylvie smiled at me as she finished off her slice and reached for another. "We used to take walkabouts with our cameras, and while I focused on interesting people, Reese hunted for gothic architecture, anything with gargoyles. The girl is nuts for them."

"Is that right?" Colin smiled at me, and I offered an innocent shrug, while Vincent avoided our conversation like the plague, choosing to eat his pizza in moody silence. I couldn't blame him. It had been a long, painful twenty-four hours, and he hadn't slept a wink. Come to think of it, neither had I.

I rubbed my hand across Vincent's back, reminding him I was there, while Colin and Sylvie made their love connection. Based on my experience with Sylvie and the plethora of expressions she wore when chatting up a guy she was hot for, she was likely to end up making it with a gargoyle. The thought had me smiling for some reason. She was going to flip her shit when she found out the truth. Would she think I was a terrible friend if I waited until afterward to tell her?

Vincent was the first to call it a night, giving me a kiss on the cheek as he politely excused himself from the room. Although I had become accustomed to his cold, sterile side, that didn't mean I liked it, but Colin and Sylvie didn't give me a chance to wallow.

"Do you want to come next door and watch a movie with us, Reese," Sylvie asked as she threw her paper plate in the trash. "I think we're going to watch Pacific Rim."

I glanced at the clock on the stove, which read ten minutes past two. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm wiped out. You two enjoy yourselves. I expect to get full details in the morning... about the movie, of course." I shared a grin with Sylvie as she and I hugged, and she took the opportunity to whisper in my ear.

"Thanks for inviting me to stay, chica. I'm going eat this tasty man alive."

"Have fun, just don't overindulge. You know how bloated you get when you eat rich foods."

We both laughed, but Colin didn't seem to care if he was the butt of our joke. Based on his dilated pupils and flushed complexion, he was looking forward to dessert. After I saw them out, Bonnie and Clyde followed me into Vincent's bedroom. He lay on his bed, still fully clothed, but his feet were bare. Somehow this turned me on, although everything about Vincent turned me on, even his cold, sterile side. The guy took intense to the next level.

The dogs made themselves comfortable at the foot of the bed, and I slipped under Vincent's arm where it was slung across his forehead. He smelled so pungent and powerful, I wanted to lick every part of his body. I didn't expect him to be asleep yet, but I didn't know him well enough to assume he wasn't, so I just enjoyed the feeling of being close to him as I shut my eyes.

"Are you disappointed?" Vincent asked, his voice rolling out in a throaty whisper.

"Disappointed in what?" I opened my eyes to look at him, but he hadn't moved.

"Disappointed in me."

"Why would you think that? Am I acting like I'm disappointed in you?"

"Not exactly, but I have a feeling I'm not living up to your expectations. I don't make jokes or watch movies or play games. I think the most I've done is frustrate and annoy you." He finally lifted his arm from his face to look at me, drawing me in with those mesmerizing eyes. "I'm trying to figure out why you're still here with me."

"First of all, you played a heck of a game of Scrabble the other night. I like a man with more than half a brain. And secondly, you have gone through a lot of trouble to keep me alive and well. I am definitely not disappointed in you."