Page 19 of Hearts of Stone

“Yes!”

He threw his hands up in the air and then made his way towards the staircase, leaving me for a moment to stand alone on the roof. My eyes were drawn back to the gargoyles.

Because Daniel was right, that cartoon series had been a pivotal one for me when I was young. At first I’d just been drawn to the sight of such strange creatures having adventures, then I’d been entranced by the scenes set in the Scottish castle. Vikings, wizards, magical creatures. I’d always felt the world of history was a mystical place and when I watched the cartoon, reality just fell away. But then I’d followed the story of Goliath and Detective Maza.

I’d loved how strong and tough she was, but, despite that, or to complement it, he was this hulking presence by her side. Always watching to make sure she was safe, but never stepping in and trying to dictate what she did, he had been the template for what I wanted in a guy. One that had been destroyed when I started dating actual men. I blinked now, seeing the roof again, not my childish dreams and I shook my head. I’d long sincefaced the fact that there was a reason why creatures like that were mythical. Nothing that strong, that good, could exist in our actual world. And spending my time dreaming about fantasy creatures was something only a child could indulge in, not an adult. I stepped into the stairwell and shut the door firmly behind me.

Chapter 12

“I’ve gotta sleep at my place tonight,” Daniel announced as the sun started to go down.

We’d ordered food from a very fancy Thai restaurant and then had it Ubered over, and were now left with the remains of the meal spread across the kitchen counter. Although there were dining rooms, plural, in the house, one formal and one for the family, we couldn’t seem to bring ourselves to go and eat in there.

“Why?” I asked.

“I’ve got to water my plant.”

My eyebrow jerked up. “You were complaining it died.”

“I need to empty the bins and put them out. It’s bin night tonight.” I started to peer more closely at him. Daniel was getting all fidgety, twirling a lock of blue hair and then pushing his fork around in his leftover fried rice. I knew all of his tells, and multiple were going off all at once. “OK, fine,” he huffed. “You remember that guy I was talking to you about?”

“I remember guys plural. So, so many guys.” He gave me a straight-armed shove. “I need some more details to narrow down which one.”

“The…” He swallowed hard. “The mysterious daddy type.”

“Ohh…” Yep, I remembered him. Daniel could barely sit down for a week after messing with him, and he was curiously reluctant to share many details. Usually my ears burned with so, so very many tales of his sexual exploits. Dick size, stamina, positions, whether they were tops, bottoms or vers, I got it all, except for info about Mr Big. This was in reference to his dick size, not his bank balance, but apparently the guy was pretty cashed up as well, taking Danny out on dates that made his head spin. “Mr Big.”

“Yes.” He sighed theatrically. “I haven’t heard from him for ages and he messaged me and—”

“You want to go and get your brains fucked out.” I smiled. “Of course. So mi casa su casa and all that, but you don’t have to feel like you have to stay here.”

“I want to.” He looked around the kitchen. “If only to see what kind of confections I can create on a coffee machine that looks like it costs more than my yearly rent.” Those brown eyes met mine. “And I will, in the morning, I’ll—”

“Need a couple of Nurofen and a lie down, if you’re like you were last time.” I grinned to soften my words. “As long as you’re safe and happy, I’m cool.” I walked into the pantry, retrieving a set of keys. Harry had acquainted us with the kitchen facilities. “Take these. Want to come back here afterwards? Feel free. Want to sleep the night away in the arms of a massive-dicked hot guy—”

“That won’t happen.” He plucked the keys from my grip with a tight smile. “I’m fairly sure my Big is just as emotionally unavailable as the one on Sex and the City. But the sex—”

“Cool. Great. Good.” He snickered as I forcefully cut him off. “Do you need condoms? I can get someone to get some. I must have people, right? Or I could get people.”

He moved in and pressed a kiss to my forehead, then pulled away.

“Shut up. I have a lifetime supply and PrEP, thank you, Mother. Go upstairs and draw yourself an amazing bath with all the expensive bath salts I saw in the main bathroom and take it easy. We’ll find some minions to serve us in the morning.”

I wanted him to go. He was my best friend and while I envied the freedom he had to do shit that I didn’t dare do, because he was a guy, I never wanted to get in the way of that. But as soon as he swung out the door, the amazingness of the massive house turned into something else.

Empty buildings are creepy as fuck. Sometimes I’d been the last one to close up at night at the supermarket and the huge space, the echoing aisles, they’d all just felt weird, so completely devoid of life. They were made to be packed with people and felt somewhat haunted when they weren’t. Which was why my heart started to pound, filling the silence that seemed to grow and grow. I made myself move, pack up the takeaway containers and put them in the fridge. I loaded the dishwasher, wiped down the countertops, willing myself to work through these familiar rituals to settle the jumpy feeling.

I was probably far safer here than Trevor’s—

On an estate that contained a haunted psychiatric ward.

The place had to have considerable security—

Which would mean nothing against a freaking ghost or a zombie.

I was fine, safe, alone in a massive, massive house with unfamiliar rooms and so much space that felt like it was slowly getting filled by the spectres I conjured in my mind. My eyes darted around, finely honed evolutionary instincts kicking in, ready to detect threats, but I couldn’t here, not while—

Knock, knock.

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