Page 124 of Heart of Stone

I felt her stiffen in my arms.

“I guess I do,” she said with a small smile. However, her grin didn’t quite reach her eyes, and I knew that she was thinking metaphorically about what I had said.

“I was only messing around, Krystina. After all, I did quite literally sweep you off of your feet.”

“I know,” she said, planting a placating kiss on my cheek. I set her down, and if I wasn’t mistaken, I thought she looked relieved. Her sudden change of demeanor was perplexing.

“You okay?”

“I’m sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I think I’m just tired, that’s all. Somebody wore me out last night.”

“I didn’t hear any complaints,” I said with a wink.

“Oh, not at all. But I’ll have to admit, the day is finally catching up with me. I’d love to just lounge on the couch for a little while. Maybe watch a movie? What do you say?”

A movie?

Lying on the couch and watching a movie with a woman was foreign to me, yet it provoked some very interesting ideas. The thought of getting Krystina horizontal had me readily agreeing.

“I’m game for that. But first, I have something for you. Come with me.”

I took her hand and led her into the bedroom. When we reached the closet doors, I paused before opening them. I was thrilled at the chance to give Krystina her surprise, but I was nervous about it too.

What if this is a mistake?

I thought of the way her new clothes looked hanging next to mine. For me, it was simply a gift, one that I was anxious to give her. However, Krystina had a tendency to look too much into things, and I was afraid of how she might perceive the appearance of my closet.

Maybe I shouldn’t show her this. Not yet.

“What is it?” she asked.

Her question tore me away from the indecisive meanderings.

I shook my head to clear it, feeling uncomfortable with the way I seemed to be questioning my every move as of late. I have always been confident in my choices, yet I seemed to stumble over the smallest of decisions surrounding Krystina and it was starting to wear on me. I didn’t like it. Not one bit.

Get your shit together and just give her the damn clothes!

“It’s here. In my closet,” I told her.

I opened the doors and gestured her inside. She stopped when she reached the threshold, not having to venture any further to see what was plainly before her. I saw her visibly blanch, in what I could only assume to be shock, before she slowly turned to face me. Our eyes locked, and hers were flashing with accusation.

I should have waited.

“Alex, you said that you had somethingfor me. These arethings. As in plural. Very plural.”

Her voice was strained and I could tell that she was trying to keep her temper in check.

“I just wanted you to have a choice, that’s all,” I tried to shrug off.

She got quiet, unusually so. By the way she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, she appeared agitated. She attempted to tuck a curl behind her ear, but it sprang free again. I reached up to do it for her, but she jerked her head away so that I couldn’t. I dropped my hand to my side, knowing that she was just as angry as I feared she would be.

She cast her eyes down, seeming to stare at some invisible speck on the carpet. Occasionally, her eyes would dart back up to her new wardrobe, but then down again as if she couldn’t bare the sight. Her silence was vexing, but I held my tongue, waiting for her to break it first.

“I wish you didn’t do this,” she eventually whispered.

“I wanted to,” I stated simply.

She looked up at that, sticking out a stubborn chin.

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