Heart of Stone - Book 2: Hearts Collide
Chapter 15 - Aubree (Part 2)

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 replaceing 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 childlike 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 replace that tree now?”

“If it pleases you.”

She perked up at that. Picking up where they left off a few minutes ago before he excused himself to use the men’s room, she leaned into him and looked up at him through lowered lashes. “Yes. Yes, it pleases me. You know what else pleases me?”

He swallowed. She could practically see the images conjured up in his mind as his eyes glazed over with lust. She grinned up at him and tapped the tip of his nose with her finger. “Coffee and chocolate. And I got my fix right here, so let’s go replace the elf house.”

He groaned as she pulled away, tugging on his arm. “You wish to torture me some more?”

“You know you like it,” she sang as he picked up his feet and let her lead him by the hand.

They grabbed their drinks from the table and set out down the path.

“Must you be so difficult?”

She squeezed his hand in hers. “Because it’s fun giving you a hard time. Plus, you’re cuter when you’re all flustered.”

The back of his neck reddened and began to spread to his face. “That’s only for you, Röslein.”

Heat rushed to her face and she lowered her gaze to hide her smile. “I know.”

He paused and turned toward her and tipped her chin up with his finger. Her gaze met his deep blues and she swallowed as butterflies danced within. “I hope you never stop teasing me.”

She struggled to breathe as his eyes flicked down to her lips.

Closing his eyes, he growled and pulled away, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Sorry.”

Her heart continued its quick drumming within as she lowered her gaze.

Why couldn’t this be easier? Why couldn’t he kiss her like she knew he wanted to? She wanted him to kiss her. She wanted to feel the tender caress of his lips on hers. The fire that burned through her core and made her pulse race and her loins ache.

It was crazy and happening all too fast, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted more of him. Her body ached to connect with his.

She couldn’t tell if it was her hormones making her feel this way or the bond thingy. Maybe both? All she knew was that she was desiring him in more physically intimate ways and it was getting harder to turn off that switch. Everything about him set her off, from his words, to his cheeky grin, to the look in his eyes, to his physical touches that brought forth the hottest blaze within her that was getting harder and harder to extinguish.

It’s moving too fast, she had to remind herself. Slow down. Slow down.

But it’s so fucking hard.

The path curved around the west side of the lake. It was lined with trees, their leaves dancing every now and then when a gentle breeze blew. They passed by a few other walkers, nodding their heads in greeting, otherwise, they walked hand-in-hand in silence. Cyclists zipped by as quickly as the birds that flitted from tree to tree overhead.

After half an hour of walking together, Stone squeezed her hand gently.

She looked up at him in question.

He nodded his head in the direction ahead. “Look.”

Following his gaze, her lips pulled up in a wide smile when she spied the tree with a little wooden door at its base.

A young mother and toddler were huddled around the tree and slipping a folded piece of paper under the door. The child screeched in glee before her mother scooped her up in her arms and began covering her chubby cheeks with kisses. She looked over and smiled at Aubree before shifting the child to her hip and whispering something in her ear.

Aubree couldn’t help the twist in her heart at seeing the love between mother and daughter. It was heartwarming and bittersweet, something she had dreamed of having the last couple of years after getting married one day.

Stone paused, tearing her gaze away from the pair and turning to look up at him. He looked sad, and it added another stab to her heart.

As the mother buckled the child into a stroller and began to walk away, Aubree reached for his other hand so that she held both of them and leaned into him as she raised their hands up to her shoulder. She looked up into his deep blues as they misted over. “Stone?”

He smiled a small, sad smile. “You’re right. Guinevere would have loved this.”

The ache in his heart slipped through his touch and squeezed her own as her eyes prickled with tears.

“We could always come back with Gwen and Gavin someday?” she suggested in a gentle voice.

He pulled her hand toward him and pressed his lips to her knuckles. “Yes. With Alistair and Gunner too. We’ll make it a family day. We haven’t had one in...” He swallowed and looked away as a stray tear slipped down his cheek.

Pulling her hand from his grasp, she gently wiped the tear with her thumb before those swirling emotion-filled blues washed back over her. She slipped her hand behind his head and coaxed him down as she raised up on her toes. Holding his lips with hers, she poured out her heart into the kiss, wanting him to feel the effects his loss had on her too and the way he held his family so tightly to his heart. The bittersweet taste of his lips only hinted at the fraction of emotions that were coursing through him at that moment, but it still moved her deeply.

His arms pulled her against him before he broke away and held her to him, as if she was the only thing keeping him from falling.

He didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say. She could feel it all, and that was more than enough.