Turning to Stone (Heart of Stone: Book 2)

Chapter 38: Bonding

Chapter 38: Bonding

Sun rays streamed through the cracks in the floor-to-ceiling blinds. I rolled onto my other side away from the light, snuggling into the warmth of Ed's body. With a sleepy sigh, his fingers slipped into my hair and tangled into the loose strands.

As we cuddled, I replayed last night's events while absentmindedly tracing the dips and ridges of his abs. Had I really blurted out that I loved him? And he hadn't even tried to pretend that he'd not heard me do it.

"I can almost hear the cogs in your head turning." Ed's groggy voice vibrated against my brow and his hand dipped from my hair to my back, drawing me closer.

"Just thinking about last night."

"Mm? Which part?"

My fingers paused their appreciative exploration as I battled with my nerves.

"A lot happened," I said. "Just reflecting on it all."

"I had fun." He kissed the top of my head. "I was actually having some thoughts myself..."

A knot twisted in my stomach, but I tried to stay casual. "Oh yeah?"

"I met your friends last night. As your boyfriend. I'm seeing Aaron and Lacey next week before they fly home for Christmas. You should be here too. As my girlfriend."

He seemed anxious asking. This was unfamiliar territory to him, so maybe it was a big step in his eyes. Or maybe he was thinking about the bad blood between Aaron and me. Spending several hours with him didn't exactly fill me with excitement. Still, this was important to Ed, so I could suck it up for a night. Just like he'd done with my friends.

As for Lacey, I'd not seen her since the night we'd bumped into each other in the corridor downstairs. If she'd forgiven Ed for contemplating a tell-all story, hopefully she'd forgiven me, too.

"Sounds good," I said.

With no warning, Ed pushed me onto my back and rolled on top. His lips found my neck to trace a damp path up to my ear.

"Thank you," he murmured.

I smiled and scraped my nails down his spine, flexing my hips when he shuddered against me.

"Don't thank me yet. You set the bar very high last night."

His mouth curved against my jaw. "And you love a challenge."

*

Aaron arrived first, so early in fact that I hadn't had chance to mentally prepare myself for the inevitable clash.

"It's rude to arrive too far ahead of the invite," I said, stepping aside to let him into the suite regardless. "Ed's still in the shower. You'll have to entertain yourself until he gets out."

Aaron's boyish cheeks dimpled as he grinned at me. "Come on, Soph. He's your boyfriend now. You need to make more of an effort with his best friend."

He strolled past me, shrugging off his jacket and hooking it over one of the hallway pegs. From the casual way he then kicked off his shoes and slotted them into the rack, it was obvious he'd spent a lot of time in this suite.

Would Lacey be the same? Probably. I bet she'd spent even more time than Aaron here.

As I flicked on the kettle, I tried to ignore his hovering presence behind me. Even with half a room between us, his woodsy aftershave choked me, the scent reviving a vivid memory of the kiss we'd shared. Guilt churned in my gut despite everything now being out in the open.