take the punches that fate hands out, Stone just swings her left hook right back at it. She’s never been one to back down from anything, not even at the tender age of eight.
“If anyone can do it, it’s you, Stone. I’m as certain of it as I am that the stars light up the night sky.”
“I don’t need your flattery, Finn. That’s not the reason why I’m telling you this.”
“Why are you telling me this, then?”
Her eyes slowly open, her light jewels sparkling with a teary-eyed emotion that leaves me, yet again, tongue-tied.
“My mom was never the same after my dad was put away, Finn. A love like that might be rare, but it’s also devastating to watch it fall apart. To love someone so deeply that their mere presence is your oxygen terrifies me to my very core.”
“I get that, Stone. It’s okay,” I hush, trying to console her anxious state. “We don’t have to talk about your parents anymore.”
“That’s just the thing. It’s not them who I’m talking about. Please, Finn, just let me say this before I lose my courage,” she explains restlessly.
“Okay.” I nod.
She swallows dryly three more times before she’s able to say a word, all the while making my foolish heart beat frantically for her.
“I never understood how one person could have that much power over someone else. How falling in love could hurt as easily as it could mend. It was always something I never wanted to experience, and all my life I’ve made sure to keep everyone at arm’s length, ensuring no one could make me feel that powerless. I like being in control, Finn. I like to be the one who has the last say.”
“I know you do.” I smile tenderly.
Her big eyes go wide, her cheeks flushing as she grabs my hand with both of hers, holding it close to her bosom while staring into my eyes.
“I think I might have fucked up along the way, though. I don’t think I’m in control anymore. Last Sunday night, when you left, I felt like you took a piece of me with you. I was scared you’d never bring it back. And then I didn’t hear back from you for almost four days, and I was slowly losing my mind.”
“You were?”
“Yes. And I have to be honest. I hated you all the while you kept your distance. I mean, I really fucking hated you. Don’t do that shit again, pretty boy,” she adds with a pissed-off tone that her teary eyes don’t reflect.
“What are you saying, Stone?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. All I know is that I don’t want to go about my days without seeing you. Without being with you. Does that make sense?”
The little smile on my face grows wider as I say, “Yeah, it makes sense. I feel the same way too, you know?”
She holds onto my hands tighter, her lids shutting once again, letting out a long relieved exhale.
“Does that scare you?” I ask, leaning a little bit closer to her.
“Yes.”
“I didn’t think it would be possible to scare Stone Bennet.” I try and tease her, hoping to lighten up the heavy atmosphere.
Her eyes open, the green emeralds still twinkling with unshed tears, and my heart leaps into my throat, unprepared to face this open vulnerability in her.
“But I am. You scare me, Finn. So fucking much.”
I grab her by the nape of her neck, her head softly nestling itself on my shoulder.
“I’m scared too, Stone,” I confess hoarsely, holding her tightly in my arms.
“You are?” she mutters into the hollow of my neck.
“Petrified.” I chuckle nervously.
She raises her head to look deep into my eyes and asks, “So what are we going to do?”
I give her a little smile, running my thumb on her luscious, full lower lip and reply, “Be scared together. Because being scared with you is the most alive I have ever felt.”
The little smile that crests her lips is my undoing. I can’t hold it in any longer, so I take what I’ve been craving the moment she opened the door—a kiss. One that shows just how much she terrifies me, and how much I yearn for that fucking feeling to be in my life for all my days.
She opens her pouty mouth, letting me in to taste all of her, as her hands find their way into my hair. I keep tasting her as my hands travel down her luscious body but all too soon does our kiss become a volcano of