“Now you’re the one distracting me,” I told him. “Close your eyes.”
Stone did, and I rocked him softly, gently, two bodies rooted here.
Stone’s mouth brushed along my shoulder, neck, and jawline. He inhaled deeply, and his warm breath floated across my ear when he exhaled.
My heart stuttered.
I moved my head just enough so that his mouth grazed mine.
“You’re dancing with me,” I told him, forcing my smile back.
Stone blinked his eyes open until they landed on my face. Then a nervous chuckle fell from his mouth. My brows jumped, and he wet his lips, sliding his hands up the backs of my arms as he looked down at our feet. “We have not taken a step in either direction.”
I smiled and gripped his shoulders, guiding him one step to the right. “Better?”
Then he laughed, a smile ripping across his face.
It was fucking beautiful.
“Stone.” I peered up at him, grinning so big, waiting for him to notice his laugh. “You don’t even realize what just happened.”
“What?”
“You laughed.”
Realization dawned on his face. “I laughed.” His eyes slid between mine. He exhaled, his chest caving. And he wrapped his long arms around my back and dropped his head into the curve of my neck.
Out the window, there was an overcast. Dead evergreens stood tall, pointing to a dull and dusty sky. My eyes followed their stretch of descent, seeing that night was soon approaching.
“We still have a few more hours together,” Stone reassured me as if reading my mind. “It is my due diligence to ensure you’re not late to wherever you need to be after your time with me.” Sarcasm seared the tips of each syllable.
I could tell him why I had to return each day. I could tell him I was engaged to another man and living with his family, but it would shift things between us. He’d look at me with pity or distaste or say perfectly curated words to try to wrench me away.
Stone looked down at me, moving hair off my forehead. “I apologize. Every time you leave, it drives me mad,” he said, his sarcasm not meaning to push me over the edge but only a tap to face our reality. But when I didn’t say anything, Stone held us still. “Circe, I want you to come with me.”
I froze.I want you to come with me.
And this was it.This is the moment where everything changed, I thought.
I pretended not to hear him, to buy time to think about what to say. “Weeping Hollow needs a sports team,” I blurted.
“Circe, I built a boat,” he said, reminding me as if I had forgotten.
“Football or soccer or basketball …”
“You don’t have to stay in Weeping Hollow.”
“The Mourners.”
“Circe, stop. I know what you’re doing, but I need you to stop running. I need you to face what I’m saying.” He held my shoulders back so he could look me in the eyes. “Will you leave Weeping Hollow and come with me?”
With me,my mind repeated, unsure of what he was asking of me exactly.
Come with me, be with me, belong to me. Fuck me because I desire you.
Oh, how easy it would be to tell him that there was a barrier I couldn’t cross. Take advantage of theit isn’t you; it’s me. But even if it was possible, Weeping Hollow was my home, and I could never truly leave it.
“No.”
