“What’s wrong?” I shake my head as they continue slowly moving up. “Tell me.” He whispers as his hands reach my breasts. He cups them and gives a gentle squeeze over my bra.
My tight buds sting with need. There’s almost a sense of danger knowing he’s one layer closer to touching my sensitive peaks with his calloused hands. He hesitates, and I’m not sure why.
I shift my hips so that I’m moving over him, to make sure I still feel the large hammer he has hidden in his pants. Stone slides one arm around my back, bringing me closer and kissingmy neck, while his other hand slips beneath my bra and palms my breast.
“You have such an incredible body.” He says, pulling back to look at my face.
I want to believe him, I really do, but I’m nervous. I feel a deep connection and a sense of intimacy with him that I’m not used to. I want to push my fears aside and give in. No man has ever said that to me before and truly meant it. After they see me with my clothes off, it’s always, why don’t you try to lose a few pounds? Or, if you just lost a little bit of weight...
I wince as fingers tweak my nipple. “Where’d you go? Were you thinking about someone else?”
I shake my head. I wasn’t thinking of anyone in particular. Instead of answering his question, I lift my blouse over my head and toss it on the floor.
“Hmm.” He moans. “So beautiful. His fingers trace my skin at the top of my bra, his touch making me shudder. “Is this,” he pulls my breasts out of the cups, “part of a matching set?”
I swallow the thick lump in the back of my throat. “Yes.”
He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. “I’ve been wondering all night long if you’re wearing that sexy pink thong.”
Stone lowers his head and brings his mouth to one of my pink buds while playing with the other. My fingers twine in his hair as he gives them the attention they’ve been yearning for. With every squeeze and pinch of my breasts, a lightning bolt of desire shoots through me. After laving my breasts, Stone grips my hips and shifts me back and forth over his lap.
“Camilla... I don’t know...”
I kiss him to shut him up. It works. Temporarily.
“There’s something I have to tell you.”
I stop moving and create distance. Here it comes, the brush off, the reason we can’t be more than friends with benefits.
He shakes his head, but no words come out. I climb off his lap and reach for my shirt. “No, don’t pull away!” It’s almost a plea. “I’m afraid once I tell you you’re going to hate me, but it hurts so much, and I need to tell you first, but I don’t know how.”
“You don’t want to be in a relationship with me?”
“I do. Just give me a minute.” Stone reaches for my hand. I give it freely, waiting to hear what he has to say.
“This is so hard,” He says, looking down before locking his eyes on mine. Okay, here goes. You know how tonight you thought some of the people there were wearing costumes?”
“Yes.” That is an odd thing to bring up at a time like this.
“What if I told you they weren’t costumes?”
“What?” I lean back and examine his face, looking to see if he’s trying to pull one over on me.
“That’s impossible. Your friend Drake was a dragon and had wings.”
Stone nods. “And what, you mean to tell me that Celeste Bonacoeur, who could have any straight man, and probably some gay ones too, married the Grim Reaper?”
“Yes,” There’s no humor in his tone or on his face. “Actually, there is more than one grim reaper. But yes.”
“And the reindeer was anactualreindeer? From the North Pole?”
“He is a reindeer, although I believe he was born here.”
I get to my feet and pick Stone’s glass of water off the end table and head into the kitchen to set it in the sink.
“You’re crazy, you know that, right?" I look over my shoulder before washing the glass. “Let’s see, you’re on the pale side, and you like to work at night, what are you, some kind of vampire?” I say jokingly.
“No, but Raven is. Half vampire, actually.”
