Page 28 of The Handyman and The Drama Queen (Myths, Legends, and Southern Charm #1)

Ezra

I was getting fucking married.

And getting a body again.

And more land.

Fuck. I had to pay more attention. Everything seemed to be moving too fast to keep up with and Stone’s expression was a mix of delight and curiosity, so I knew he’d asked me something but fuck if I could guess what it’d been. “Sorry.”

In the handful of minutes we’d been given for them to finish getting ready, I should’ve been lost in his eyes or some shit like that but I just couldn’t think. “My brain isn’t working. It’s too see-through to function right now. It’ll be better once I can rattle it around again.”

He was doing his best not to laugh and pressed his lips together until he could sigh. “Don’t make me look like I’m laughing at you while we’re getting married. I’m supposed to look serious and like I’m falling into you or something like that.”

Well, it seemed like we were both doing it wrong then.

“Am I not worth falling into?” I managed not to cross my arms over my chest but it was close. “I’m special.”

His shoulders were shaking but he kept his laughter from booming out across the packed yard. “You’re going to regret this later when you have a solid body I don’t have to worry about.”

That was going to be weird.

I was going to have to remember to open doors again.

Wait.

“How much am I going to regret it?” It’d just been a little bit of fuckery because I liked seeing him laugh and it was a good way to vent and make sure I didn’t pop and tell his mother she was a moron.

That would not be good.

Stone’s eyes sparkled with mischief and desire, and I knew if it weren’t for the lack of privacy he’d have distracted us again. “A lot, baby. Oh, so much.”

Like a spanking level much?

He’d kept saying we’d try it when I could maintain my form solidly enough, but even with his will, anything that startled me or sent my heart racing drained me too quickly.

Like orgasms…or scaring the fuck out of me by showing up when I wasn’t expecting it.

Falling through the floor had been a fucking pain in the ass.

“How does that ratio work?” Was there a sass to spank scale? “I think—”

“We’re ready! Places everyone.” Fucking hell, she was going to give me a heart attack if she kept screaming like a banshee.

His mother had the worst timing.

Wait.

Were banshees real?

Once I got my ability to hold a pencil and a fucking notebook again, I was going to write every question I had down and Stone was going to have to wait for anything else.

I had questions.

Lots of them.

“You’ve done the heavy lifting in the thought department already.” Stone kissed my head, not pissed that I had no idea what he’d asked. “So I’m going to make the call and you can bitch at me later for it.”

Sounded good to me.

“Thank you.” It’d be more fun to complain later when I could do a really good stomp. Stone said I made noise when I walked but I was pretty sure he was just humoring me to save himself from me when I was pissed.

He chuckled, shaking his head as he took my hand and led me over to a stone circle that was now set up in my backyard.

Questions about magic versus religion were going at the top of my questions list, right after the ones about his background. Mutt was not an appropriate descriptor for anything but a cute dog from the pound who was healthier and smarter than he should’ve been.

Stone was distractible and giggly…so he was not a mutt…he was closer to a pedigreed yappy dog.

There was one opening in the circle just big enough for him to lead me through and once we were inside, one of the kids who’d been running around closed it with the last stone. He was old enough to radiate pride at being given such an important job but young enough not to notice all the adults that melted at it.

So anywhere between five and fifteen?

I hadn’t been able to guess kids’ ages when I’d been alive and I was pretty sure death had made it worse.

“Ezra?” Stone’s tone was a mix of delight and Dom, and it snapped me back to reality. “There you go.”

“It’s a lot but I want to remember everything.” That seemed to be a tall order, though. “I’m good. Honest.”

I wanted to tell him green but doing that in front of half the town was a new limit I’d discovered. But it was pushing at me like a stubborn drunk at last call, so I stepped closer and brought my lips to his ear. “Green, Sir.”

Distracted but green.

He moaned.

Ha.

I’d made him hard.

I was too nervous for anything in my body to work right, but I wasn’t worried about that. Stone had proved that he could make me come, body or not.

“So much trouble, baby.” If he wanted that to scare me, he needed to stop sounding so sexy when he said it.

There was nothing I could say that wouldn’t have been oversharing considering how many people were around us, so I was smart for once and kept my mouth shut. Hell, I even took a page from his mother’s playbook and smiled sweetly at him.

He was going to laugh before this was over…he just wouldn’t be able to help himself.

“Alright, Stone?” His mother had an expectant tone in her voice that had Stone nodding, so he’d obviously been paying attention to something I hadn’t.

“Yes.” He was speaking to her but he gave me a quick peck that got an “aww” from our stupidly oversized audience.

I’d never been to a wedding this large in life but it seemed like death had other plans for my social schedule.

“One second.” He stepped back, squeezing my hand before looking around. “One second.”

What was he looking for?

Teenagers.

He was looking for teenagers.

“Alright, guys. Cameras out, please.” Every parent around them frowned and I’d have bet the fucking house they were going to say their kids didn’t have their phones.

They had their phones.

Hands seemed to magically produce the damned things and they were all grinning like they’d pulled one over on their parents. It was clear from Stone’s pleased and grateful expression that they couldn’t get in trouble for it either.

Ours was going to be a handfasting none of them would forget.

“Perfect.” Looking delighted, Stone let out a sigh and slipped his hand in his pocket, and his smile turned up to a thousand as he focused on me again.

“You’re my eternity and I want you to always remember that.” Slipping the gold chain between his fingers, he carefully placed it around my neck. It sent a shiver through me but there seemed to be nothing but calm confidence in him.

When he stepped back, he looked like he owned the fucking world and nodded like a king studying his kingdom. “Perfection.”

I was trying to swallow past the lump in my throat, but all I could do was try not to do something stupid like cry. Thankfully, Stone knew that and just kissed my cheek before he leaned down and picked up a piece of fabric off the ground that I hadn’t noticed.

I’d missed a lot but he knew what he was doing even though he was definitely dragging it out for drama’s sake.

His mother didn’t appreciate that. “ Stone .”

He chuckled as she sighed out his name, not looking guilty at all as he draped us in what turned out to be a soft, thin white blanket. It was almost a sheet but it felt heavier and silky, like it was more fucking expensive than I’d ever spent on fabric in my entire life. “Privacy.”

Oh.

Duh.

“Thank you.” Someone had probably given me instructions but I’d lost them when my brain had started to fail so spectacularly. My Dom seemed to know that, though.

“You’re welcome.” Kissing my head, he wrapped us in the fabric and tucked me against his body. “I’m the focus. All you have to do is relax and open yourself to me. Just like we’ve practiced.”

For orgasms and ridiculous shit…this was not naked playtime.

But I nodded and rested my head on his shoulder. “No matter what happens. I love you and I’m really grateful that you tried to get me a body again. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Stone had kept saying that this would be safe, but I’d been killed by fucking SpaghettiOs.

Nothing in life or death was ever safe, especially when he was channeling the Earth’s will or something insane like that. The explanation hadn’t made any sense but that was mostly because Stone always started halfway through a fucking story and we usually ended up naked.

Oops.

“I love you, baby.” He let out a slow breath before he pressed his lips against my neck and the low buzzing I always felt when he filled me turned into something closer to an earthquake.

Stone just held me tighter as I ignored everything but his arms and his warmth and the smell of his body as he wrapped it around me. There were quiet murmurs that almost sounded like the Latin I’d tried to learn in high school, but I couldn’t pick out individual words.

All I could hear was the hum of what sounded like a thousand quiet voices as Stone’s body got hotter and the sensation inside of me felt brighter. Stone was my strength and the pillar I clung to as the magical hurricane shook my very foundation, but I wasn’t scared.

I had my Stone.

My rock.

Nothing bad could happen when he was with me and all I had to do was submit.

I’d belonged to him since the first moment he’d smiled stupidly at me and flirted with a cranky dead guy. I’d been his since the first time he’d touched my cheek, tenderly easing a dead man back to life. I was his now…soaking up everything he could give me because that was all he’d asked of me.

At some point reality just became heat and power and his body against mine…and then it was utterly silent.

Slowly the world tuned back in and I could hear Stone’s breathing and the thump of his heart under my ear. I’d somehow ended up curled into him, but it felt right as his arms held me tight and reality slowly crept into our tiny circle.

“They’re beautiful.” Lillian was crying softly, but she was mostly quiet as everyone seemed to be holding their breath.

I wanted to ask if it’d worked, but that seemed a bit stupid and cliché.

I could figure that out.

A tiny shift made me realize the silky fabric was next to my skin…so I was fucking naked.

Great.

But I was covered and I could actually feel the weight of it against me and the way the necklace shifted against my neck. I could even feel Stone’s tight hug as he kept me pinned against his chest.

Fucking hell.

I was solid.

Calling it a body seemed weird, but I was fucking solid.

Yep.

Very solid.

“Thank you.” Stone didn’t seem to be talking to me, so I stayed quiet as he softly mumbled words of gratitude to the gods he worshipped. “Thank you for helping me find my love.”

After a moment of silence, Stone kissed my head. “Solid or not. Body or not. I will always love you, but baby, you’re beautiful.”

He was crazy but that was what I loved most about him.

“Thank you for finding me.” In every sense of the word. “And thank you for keeping me.”