“It was sex,” Stevie snapped. “If you think it’s more, that’s on you. But I—”
Stone silenced her by crushing his mouth to hers.
Nico stared, watching as Stevie instantly surrendered. He wasn’t sure she even realized she was doing it, but she stopped fighting him.
“It’s not just sex,” Stone snarled, his mouth hovering over hers. “Not for me. I’ve never felt anything like what I feel for you and Nico.”
It stunned him that Stone was still including him in this conversation. He wanted to pretend he didn’t care, but the truth was, it validated the emotions that had been churning inside him since he realized Stone was back for good.
“Tell me you feel nothin’ for me,” Stone insisted, his hand sliding to her neck, his thumb pressed under her chin, his big fingers curling around.
Goddamn, the two of them were hot together. Nico was surprised by how much it turned him on to see them like that. Stevie surrendering to Stone. It awakened parts that he’d thought were long dead.
“Hatred,” she hissed. “That’s what I feel for you.”
It was a lie. Nico knew it as soon as the words were out of her mouth. But that was Stevie. She was erecting those walls, trying to keep her heart from getting pummeled. He couldn’t blame her, but Nico wanted Stone to knock down those fucking walls. God knows Nico hadn’t been able to. And yeah, maybe Stone was right when he said he should tell Stevie how he felt. Until he did, Nico couldn’t fault Stevie for pretending there was nothing between them but intense heat.
“You can hate me,” Stone told her. “But that won’t stop me from lovin’ you. And it won’t stop me from provin’ that deep down, behind all that hatred, you love me, too.”
Stevie’s mouth opened and closed.
“I don’t expect either of you to trust me right now,” Stone said. “I just want a chance to prove it. Can you give me that chance, Stevie?”
“I don’t know.” Her gaze shifted sideways. “Canyou?”
Nico realized she was asking him.
His first instinct was to side with her because he knew that was what Stevie wanted. She wasn’t asking him to be honest. She was seeking validation for her pain. But Nico knew her better than anyone else. He knew she would latch onto that and use it to shield herself for as long as she could. Nico wasn’t willing to let her shut herself off from him anymore. They’d been doing this dance for a year, and he knew they could keep right on going at this pace for another and another. But they didn’t have to. This was a chance for them to get it all out in the open, to admit what they were pretending didn’t exist.
“Yes,” he said, getting to his feet. “I’m willin’ to let this play out. See where it goes.”
Her eyes widened as he neared.
He moved to stand behind her, leaning down so he could speak directly in her ear. “And I think you are, too.”
“No.”
“Are you sure about that?”
There was a brief pause before she said, “What part of no don’t you get?”
“The part that’s a lie,” Nico told her, feeling her resolve weaken as he stood there.
“Then the joke’s on you,” she hissed, attempting to pull away from Stone.
Nico stepped closer, pinning her between them. “We can make you admit it, Stevie. Is that what you want?”
She shivered, and it was followed by a huff that didn’t have as much conviction as before.
“Make me, then,” she snapped.
“You asked for it. Remember that.” Nico slipped his hands underneath her sweatshirt, sliding higher so he could cup her breasts.
“I didn’t ask for shit.”
He breathed against her ear. “Your mouth says one thing, but your body’s sayin’ somethin’ else.”
Stevie whimpered, leaning into him. Nico knew without a doubt that this was what Stevie needed. She wanted them to fight her. She wanted them to prove her wrong.
