Page 21 of Mated to the Pride

My heart swelled. I felt, instinctively, that Stone meant what he said. He’d do anything for me, just to make me feel even a single bit better. It made me want to tear up, but instead I felt a now-familiar tug in my stomach.

Oh. Not you, again.

“That’s kind, Stone. Thank you.”

“Now, doctor’srecommendation,” he said. “You can refuse this one, but… I give a mean back massage. Totally guaranteed to work out stress just as well as it works out knots.”

I hoped I wasn’t blushing too badly, but I could feel the heat gathering in my cheeks and on the back of my neck. “I mean. That’s…”

“Up to you,” Stone insisted. “I figure if I can’t talk about whatever-it-is with you, I can at least get you comfortable enough to deal with it yourself.”

I should decline. I knew that. I was already feeling guilty enough about having had both Preston and Blake’s hands on me, and the prickling feeling of attraction I felt for them was here for Stone too. If he touched me, especially in such a kind and intimate way, I didn’t know how it would escalate. Didn’t know if I could stop myself.

What Ididknow was that I wanted it anyway, more than I could bear.

“I mean. Are you sure…?”

“Are you kidding?” he said. His face lit up. “Of course. I want to help, and I’m good at it. Look, I’ll get some of this lavender oil on a pillow for you. You just… lie down and get comfortable.”

If my blush wasn’t fire-red before, it certainly was now. The backs of my ears were burning, but I tried to ignore that too-human mix of excitement and nerves as I laid down on the bed.

“Prop up on your arms,” Stone suggested, his voice soft and easy. “That’s it.”

As I got settled, he slipped a pillow underneath my head. Sure enough, the soothing scent of lavender filled me — strong, but not overwhelming. I sighed, sinking back down into the pillow, and closed my eyes. “You’re right. It is nice.”

“See,” said Stone. “I know some things.”

“A couple, I guess.”

I felt the weight of the bed shift as he climbed on. For a brief moment I felt my whole body flush with heat as I imagined him straddling my waist. It thrilled me so much that I was almost disappointed when he did the gentlemanly thing and sat on one side of me instead.

“Let me know if I go too hard,” he said, voice soft.

“Psh,” I said, muffled into the pillow. “You couldn’t go hard enough if you tried.”

I smiled at his laughter. As intensely attractive as Blake and Hale were, it was also nice to spend time in Stone’s friendly, unassuming company. He was just as handsome, but his appeal was markedly different to theirs. It felt less like the exciting mystery of being with a handsome stranger, and more like the firelight familiarity of an old childhood friend who had grown upveryright.

When he actually laid his hands on me, though, there was no ‘too hard’ or ‘too soft’. Even over my pajama cami, every trail of contact felt perfect. Whether it felt wonderful because it was Stone or whether he really was as expert as he claimed, I wasn’t sure. Either way, I never wanted it to stop — not even when I heard myself make a quiet moan I hadn’t intended, feeling a knot of tension dissipate under the warm arch of his palm.

“You’re welcome,” Stone teased.

“Youaregood at this.”

“Uh-huh. I’m good at a lot of things.”

“I believe it,” I assured him, eyes squeezing tighter shut as he worked another knot out of me. I never wanted him to pull his hands away. In fact, I wanted them to explore further — wanted them smoothing just as firm and eagerly over every private plane of my body. It was only as I heard him chuckle quietly that I realized my back was arching under his hands.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, shuffling on the bed. If I could have made myself smaller, I would have, but Stone didn’t seem to mind the blatant body language.

“I’ll take it as a compliment,” he said. I could still hear the laughter coloring his tone, but not in an unpleasant way. I could imagine the smile playing across his handsome face and spent every inch of energy I had on continuing to lie face-down. Onnotspringing up to touch him back. Unfortunately, it seemed my body told the story anyway; he spoke up again. “You okay? You seem tense all of a sudden.”

“I’m fine. I swear.”

Stone hummed, fingertips kneading the small of my back. It was heaven through the fabric. I could only imagine what it would feel like skin-to-skin.

“Well, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he said. “So if you want me to stop…”

“You better not.”

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