Page 168 of Stone: The Precursor

“—who I want, Jace. I know you may not agree with it, but I don’t care what you or anyone else has to say.”

“He said you’re his and have been for a long time. How long?”

My brain focused on Jace saying Stone declared me as his, and I forgot the rest. If I were his, then why hadn’t he shown his face? Where the hell was he?

“Cam?”

“Since the pool party,” I confirmed.

Jace’s eyes bugged out of his head, and then he shouted. “You’ve been having sex with him for over a year?!”

Sophia hissed, “Shhh! You’ll wake Val! The people on the sidewalk probably heard you!”

Correcting him, I shook my head. “No, we weren’t intimate yet, but there’s been something there since then.”

“He lives a certain lifestyle, Cam, a dangerous one and he’s older.”

I rolled my eyes. “I know exactly who he is, Jace, and his age doesn’t bother me and it shouldn’t bother you.”

“Park! I know damn well you didn’t just condemn their relationship because of his age?No blow jobs for you buddy.”

Jace looked ill. “Dammit, Sparta. I’m worried, okay? The gang who took you is still around. Stone’s still a member of his club. Being with him may not be conducive to what you want.”

“You don’t know what I want, Jace. I’m figuring it out as I go.”

“Are you okay with a future that includes the man in your life traveling all the damn time? His allegiance is to his club. A club where violence is an everyday occurrence. He has enemies, Cam. You of all people know that now.” He looked at my neck, coveredin the pink scars. I tugged up the collar of my sweatshirt and hugged myself because, as much as I want Stone, Jace may have a point. I haven’t talked to Stone about any of it. I don’t know what the future looks like.

I didn’t know what else to say to Jace, and he went to his office, leaving me alone with Sophia. She sat beside me on the couch, hugging me close. I couldn’t ignore the ache in my heart.

“What are you going to do?”

“I have no clue, Sophia. He ghosted me. We were hooking up and now we’re not. And we didn’t talk about anything long term.”

“Too busy enjoying his dick?”

I looked at her and folded like laundry, giggling. We both laughed until tears came to our eyes.

Once she had settled down, she shook her head. “Hooked up? Girl, please. No, we are not using that phrase. Too mild. Let’s start that bullshit over and tell me the truth because the way he was looking at you was more than hooking up. Stone doesn’t seem like the type to hook up.”

Sophia air quoted it, and I had to agree. Sex with Stone is otherworldly, all-consuming. Nothing as trite as ‘hooking up.’ “I love him, Soph. I’m in love with a man who has secrets and may or may not have murdered the man who kidnapped me. A man whose world is so much more than I understand.”I returned the pressure of her hand when she squeezed mine.

“That’s some big shit right there.”

“Huge. I never felt like this before, but how do we work?”

“Aside from what I can imagine is some delicious sex?—”

She let it hang, and I nodded, blushing, “So good. Like, make me insane good.”

Her long romantic sigh was accompanied by a secret smile. “I know about that.” She hugged me again. “Don’t put limits on yourself or him, or whatever relationship may come from it.Opposites attract. People who come from different worlds can make it work. Look at your brother and me. Two vastly different people and here I am pumping milk for his daughter, having incredible sex and more in love with him than ever, minus his little ageism shit just now. Going to have to correct him tonight.” She grinned, the anticipation on her face clear as day. I leaned away from her.

“Is that some sort of sex thing?”

“Sure is. But I don’t think you want to hear about how I teach Jace his lessons.”

“No thanks. And it’s more than just socio-economic and whether one of us likes hot dogs or hamburgers, Soph. What do I know about being with a man like him? And it all may be moot anyway because he hasn’t shown his face in days.”

“Welp, if you want my thoughts, you may have to go to him. Find out what the hell is going on in his mind. And then you figure out the rest. Him un-aliving people is not something to fuck around with, but I have a feeling he’s not doing it like a Ted Bundy or Gacy. He might have his reasons.”