I didn’t expect him to say that.
And I suddenly needed to be in his arms.
Next I was sliding off the bed and walking to him.
Stone froze until I was standing between his spread thighs. He shifted his coffee to the side table and pulled me onto his lap, and my face buried in the curve of his neck. When he sank us into the chair, he removed his gloves and dragged his palm up back beneath the shirt.
“For a moment there, I thought you were coming over here to hit me again,” he said to me in a whisper. “Is this how it works? I say kind things, and my darling siren falls into my lap.”
“I just wanted you to hold me.”
His body was warm, and I could feel his heart pounding.
“Circe,” he said, fingers drawing patterns on my hip. “If I had a daughter, I would rather suffer than have her live with murder on her conscience.”
“You don’t understand. It’s not that easy.”
“It’s very simple. One cannot bear the weight of everyone’s pain. I believe two people who commit themselves to each other fight for each other. It’s why Lena fought for her husband, and she should have endured the consequences alone. It’s your father’s job to fight for your mom. Not yours.”
My leg crossed over his lap until I was straddling him and looking him in the eyes. “I believe everyone has a choice in who they wish to fight for.”
“You’re impossible,” he said, his hands coming over my hips.
I was only wearing his shirt, no panties, and I felt his cock instantly harden beneath me. Stone looked at me, studying my face, ten fingers curling into my flesh. I shifted, a slight grind. His lips parted, and he slowly shook his head.
I kissed the corner of his mouth. “I have to leave soon.”
And when I rolled my pussy against him that time, Stone squeezed my ass, lifting his hips into it as though he couldn’t help himself. My hands flew to the button of his trousers, and he stopped me.
“I can’t.” His jaw clenched, and his eyes flicked to the window. “The sun.”
“It’s okay.” I kissed the other corner of his mouth and resumed undoing his button. “We can do other things.”
He sat up, grabbed my wrists, and moved them behind my back.
He was breathing harder against my chest, and there was a pained look in his eyes. It was almost as if he were ... scared.
Insecurity crept in after all I’d confessed.
I dropped my head to his. “I thought you trusted me.”
In one moment, I was staring into his eyes, and in the next, he was lifting me up by my hips and placing my feet on the ground as he stood.
He grabbed his mug and walked out of the bedroom toward the kitchen.
I turned, confused. “Um ... what just happened?”
“The night was long.” He was already in front of the sink, and he turned the water on to wash the mug. But I didn’t believe him.
I walked into the kitchen, stepped between him and the sink, and turned off the water. “Just spit it out.”
Stone didn’t answer, swinging his gaze away from me, and I grabbed his jaw and forced him to look me in the eyes. “Tell me.”
Stone leaned over me and gripped the edge of the sink, caging me in.
“You either look at my cock with disgust or do your best to avoid looking at it altogether,” he whispered, the words punching me in the chest as his eyes dropped down to his erection between us. His stern gaze hit mine again. “I cannot bear it nor can I erase my scars.” That was when Stone’s attention turned to behind me. He snatched my hand from his face and walked out of the kitchen.
I whipped around. “What is it?”
