Page 71 of Heart of Stone
Knowing what Sandstone Heart meant to her—even if things didn’t go where I hoped they’d go between us—I wouldn’t be able to follow through on my original plans for this place.
I couldn’t do that to Natalia. I wouldn’t take this away from her.
When a deep groan crawled up my throat at the same time a guttural moan escaped from Natalia, she begrudgingly tore her mouth from mine. Panting heavily, her face flushed and lips swollen, she asked, “Should we take a break for a bit?”
“We can.” I tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “If you need to stop, we can take a break.”
She smiled at me, the sight breathtaking. “I’m pleased to report that you did as you promised and made up for the lack of affection when I first arrived.”
My body vibrated with laughter beneath hers. “Happy to hear it. In my defense, I wasn’t expecting you at the door. Is there a reason you showed up here other than to surprise me?”
Natalia shook her head. “Not really. I just didn’t want to wait any longer to see you, so instead of waiting for you to show up at my place, I decided to come here.”
“Fair enough.”
She hesitated for a beat, her eyes searching my face. “So, we’re going to tell everyone about us by Christmas?”
“If you’re okay with it, I think that’ll be a good time. It’ll give us just a bit more time together without having to worry about anyone else, but it won’t be so long that it becomes more and more difficult to share. What do you think?”
Natalia considered it. “I think that’ll work. Yes, definitely. It’s a great idea.”
“Good.” My hand drifted down over her ass and squeezed. “Did you want to have dinner and watch a movie here, or do you want to walk back to your place now, so we can do it there?”
“I know you aren’t going to let me walk back tonight by myself.”
“I’m happy you’ve finally accepted that.”
She licked her lips as she shook her head. “I don’t mind staying here now to have dinner and watch a movie. In fact, I’d love the change of scenery. But I don’t want you to have to walk me there, only to have to return here.”
There was a small part of me that was prepared to tell her she could invite me to spend the night with her, but I managed to hold myself back. Clearly, she wasn’t ready to take that step, or she’d have said as much. That was one thing I knew I could count on with her. Natalia wouldn’t hide how she was feeling. Whenthe time was right, whenever she was ready, she’d find a way to communicate that.
“I don’t mind the walk at all,” I told her. “In fact, I like when you spend some time here with me, because after I take you back and return, the scent of you lingers here. It’s nice.”
Her features softened. “So, we can stay here for now to have dinner and watch a movie?”
I nodded. “We can stay here.”
Natalia nibbled her lip. “I might want to kiss you again for being so sweet.”
“It isn’t me who’s going to stop you.”
The sound of her laughter filled the air seconds before she touched her lips to mine. Having dinner was important, but I was beginning to think I could survive for a long time just hearing her laugh and kissing her mouth.
TWENTY-ONE
Reid
Weeks.
Mere weeks was all it had taken for me to wind up in this position.
It was a place I never anticipated being, a place I insisted I’d never find myself. None of this had gone anything like I’d planned.
Just a handful of weeks had me reconsidering everything—the retreat, my plans for it, and where I saw my future heading.
And while I couldn’t deny there were parts of the actual retreat itself that had me feeling that way, the reality was that nearly all of what had pushed me to this point was the woman standing in front of me.
Natalia had been everything I didn’t know I needed. Her bright, smiling face, her gorgeous personality, and her absolute love for life, despite the horrible circumstances she’d experienced from the time she was a teenager.
