Page 73 of Heart of Stone

After placing the steaming mug on the nightstand, I glanced down at Krystina. She was still sleeping soundly under the lily-white comforter. I took a step closer and reached down to brush away a thin lock of hair that had fallen over her face. She hummed at my touch and her dark lashes fluttered, but she didn’t fully stir. I slowly pulled my hand away, not wanting to wake her, and took a step back.

“Goodnight, Krystina. My angel,” I whispered.

****

I had driven the Tesla over to Krystina’s place, but I decided to leave it on the street and retrieve it in the morning. I needed to walk, and I could only pray that the crisp night air would help me to clear my head.

The light at the corner of Thompson and Bleecker Street changed, signaling that it wasn’t safe to cross. There was little traffic on the road, and I crossed despite the flashing red hand. Following pedestrian rules just seemed moot at this time of night. Not to mention that I was too tired to really give a damn.

As I crossed over to the street that would take me into Manhattan, I thought about the past week. I analyzed every minute spent with Krystina, carefully going through it all like I was deciphering a playbook. There were too many uncertainties, and I had to put it all in order. Where it belonged.

Krystina had been throwing curve balls at me since day one. And while I may have struck out on a few, I was able to grasp my mistakes and change tactics accordingly.

At least until tonight.

It was no longer Krystina that was taking me by surprise, but myself. The rules in my own game had become blurred lines.

It didn’t seem possible that just a few hours earlier, I had Krystina’s ass in the air, beautiful and rosy pink from my hand. She had been arching and gasping, ready to lose her mind at the slightest touch. But I didn’t take her. Normally, my rationale would have been that every Sub has to start somewhere. I’ve been with new Subs before. Some of them work out well, but some only like the idea of being dominated and fail miserably when trying to get their feet wet.

Tonight, Krystina had been willing. I saw it in her eyes. Definitely submissive, despite the way she held her guard and fought tooth and nail over every little thing. It had taken every ounce of willpower I possessed to push her away. My opportunity to teach her had been there, but it seemed wrong. Somewhere along the line, I realized that I didn’t want Krystina to just test the waters. I wanted her all in. Completely, without any regrets. And not just for a one or two night fling – I wanted it to be a regular thing.

However, after seeing the meticulous organization of her apartment tonight, my reservations about whether or not we could be a feasible match grew even more. It appeared that Krystina liked order and control almost as much as I did. I may succeed in uncovering the submissive side to her, but I wasn’t confident that she could surrender full control. This was a major concern, and I wondered if she could trust me enough to let go.

She has to.

There could be no debate about it. For the longer I knew her, the more I found myself compromising my ideals to accommodate her, and there was very little left for me to give. I was capable of a compromise now and then, but I wasn’t able to relinquish total control. Doing so could be disastrous.

Maintaining restraint was an absolute necessity, as I could not allow myself that sort of vulnerability. The blood that ran through my veins didn’t leave me any other option.

Because, even in her drunken stupor, Krystina didn’t know how right she was.

She truly is an angel, and I am the devil.

CHAPTER 20

There was a stabbing pain that pierced through my right eye. I tried to blink to rid myself of it, only to find myself blinded by the bright sunlight coming through the blinds of my bedroom window. I brought my hands up to my head and squeezed my temples. I moved to sit up and felt my stomach pitch. I felt like I had been run over by a bus. I slowly opened my eyes and allowed them to adjust to the light.

When my vision finally came into focus, I remembered the amount of wine that I had consumed the night before.

I’m such an idiot – why did I drink so much?

I glanced over at my nightstand clock to check the time and saw a bottle of aspirin and a note propped up by a mug. I groaned out loud as the rest of the memories from the previous night came flooding back.

Please, let it be just a dream.

A nightmare was probably more accurate. But I knew that was it neither as I reached over for the note on the nightstand.

Take two aspirin and drink this.

There is more in your refrigerator if you need it.

Dry toast will help you, too.No coffee– it will make you feel worse and I want you better for later. Looking forward to tonight.

Affectionately,

The Devil on Your Shoulder

“Oh, no!” I said to myself, and threw myself back onto the pillows. The action didn’t exactly help the rolling in my stomach, but nothing could be more terrible than the mortification I felt at that moment. I could only imagine what he thought of me.

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