When Stone’s eyes darted to him, he nudged his chin in Stevie’s direction. “She said the same thing.”
Nico stood there, captivated by the gleam in Stone’s eyes when he looked at Stevie again. Neither of them bothered to hide what they were feeling. It was damn potent, too, warming the house better than the fire that was crackling in the fireplace.
“This isn’t why I came here,” Stone said, his voice dropping an octave when Stevie stepped toward him.
“I know,” she said, closing the distance between them.
Nico couldn’t look away. The same way he hadn’t been able to that night. These two… Separately, they were attractive. Together, they were unforgettable. The contrast between them was staggering. Stone, at six feet, three inches, towered over Stevie’s petite form. He outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds. Of solid muscle. The guy had always been big—a trait that ran in his family—but years of hard work had honed him into something spectacular.
Stone inhaled sharply when Stevie curled her fingers into the waistband of his jeans. Nico’s muscles clenched as though she was touching him and not Stone. As though Stone was the conduit, and simply being in the same room allowed Nico to feel what he was feeling.
Stevie’s eyes closed when Stone cupped the side of her face. His hand was bigger than her head; his long, wide fingers looked as though they could easily break her. Yet he was so gentle.
“God, baby,” Stone whispered, now completely enraptured by her.
Nico understood what that felt like. He’d endured it for months on end, looking at this woman and seeing only the best that life has to offer.
“I want you to stay,” she replied, her voice equally as soft.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Stone said, but he didn’t sound like he believed it any more than Nico did.
“Why?”
Nico felt the full impact of Stone’s gaze when it shifted to him. He wasn’t sure what the guy was thinking, but he held his stare, waiting.
Then Stone looked back at Stevie. “I kissed him earlier.”
Well, hell. Nico hadn’t expected him to saythat.
Stevie’s gaze darted between them, coming to rest on Stone. “And?”
“And I didn’t think about what I was doin’ when I did,” he admitted, holding Stevie’s gaze.
Stevie frowned. “What’s there to think about?”
“For one, the two of you … it seems you’re buildin’ somethin’ between you. I didn’t even consider that I could be comin’ between that. It was selfish.”
Stevie looked at Nico. He saw her understanding and the mischief that lived inside her. She was up to something.
“I kiss him from time to time, too,” she said, a smile pulling at her pretty mouth. “He doesn’t complain.”
Nico choked on a laugh. What the hell was going on here? And how hadhebecome the topic of their conversation?
Stevie’s gaze returned to Stone. “In fact, I’ll kiss him now if it’ll make you feel better.”
“It would,” Stone said, his tone serious although the smile on his face was devastatingly roguish.
Nico knew when they both turned to look at him that there was a better-than-good chance he was not going to survive this night with his heart intact.
***
Stevie never meant to turn this intoa dare.
Her brain was aware she was making a grave mistake by letting her hormones dictate her actions. Stone had shattered her heart once; there was nothing to say he wouldn’t do it again. And as much as she pretended she only cared about sex, it was a front. A way to protect herself. If she were to wake up tomorrow without Nico, she would be as devastated—if not more so—than she’d been when Stone left. What she had with Nico was significantly deeper because it was built on not only friendship and a mutual attraction but also years of spending time together, getting to know one another, and simply being there.
Releasing Stone’s waistband, Stevie stepped around him and walked toward Nico. If he didn’t want this to happen, he would tell her. She trusted him to be honest with her. About everything.
She stepped up to him, holding his gaze as his head tilted down.
