Page 76 of Stone

I took Elise’s hand, leading her toward the bar. After grabbing her a glass of water and me a beer, I took her in my arms and joined in with the dancing, though we went slower than the others. Pulling her in, nice and close, I kissed the tip of her nose. “Love dancing with you, Duchess.”

She smiled up as we swayed as one. “Me too.” She turned her head and laid her cheek on my chest. “I wish you didn’t have to leave so soon. It feels like I just got you back.”

I kissed the top of her head. “I know. How about I book a week’s leave, and you come to San Diego for a vacation? We canspend time on the beach, explore, and go out for dinner—just you and me.”

She smiled against my chest. “I’d love that, except we’d probably never leave the hotel room.”

“That works, too.” I tipped her chin up with my forefinger and kissed her lips gently. “We’ve done half a year already. It’s flown by.”

She laughed. “Maybe for you, out shooting and playing war, but for me, it’s dragged.”

My eyebrows snapped together. “You’re okay, right? It’s not been too bad?”

“No.” She shook her head gently. “I’ve coped. Everything just seems a little darker without you, like the sun doesn’t shine so bright every time you leave.”

A warm feeling slid through my gut, and I leaned down and kissed her again. This girl was perfect, so fucking open and raw. The things she told me came from the heart, and there wasn’t a better feeling than knowing one day I was gonna marry the fuck out of her.

“Love you,” I murmured.

“Love you back,” she whispered.

“Guess what?” I breathed.

Her forehead creased questioningly.

“I’ve got the keys to Abe’s room.” I waggled my eyebrows. “He’s taken Iris away for a few nights. It’s not much, but it’s clean and comfortable.”

She raised a hand and stroked my face. “Thank God. How soon can we leave?”

I looked up and around the bar.

Robert was talking and dancing with Foxy. My eyes veered around the room and saw Mom and Dad come into sight, standing at the bar together, shooting the shit with Cueball and Toke. Nobody took notice of us, nobody even looked.

Bending my neck, I stared into Elise’s eyes. “There’s somethin’ I’ve always wanted to be doing when the clock strikes midnight,” I said huskily.

“I’m in.” Leesy’s gaze slid down to my mouth, and her eyes went soft. “You’ve got the best lips,” she whispered. “Especially the bottom one. You’ve got tiny ridges going from top to bottom. They’re so pretty, I just wanna kiss you, likeallthe time.”

“Let’s go to Abe’s room.” I smirked. “I’ll show you what I can do with these lips.”

She giggled and went to pull away, but then the music changed, and the opening bars to ‘Is This Love’ by Whitesnake thumped through the room.

Gently, I pulled her back against me. My hands went around her hips, drawing in until I could feel the heat from her pussy. “It’s our song, baby,” I rasped. “We’ll go after this.”

She rested her cheek against my chest again and sighed contentedly.

Holding her in her arms, we swayed in time to the music. I sang the words under my breath, taking in the lyrics and smiling about how they resonated with our situation.

I loved holding her and having her close, physically and emotionally. I loved the feeling between us. Our chemistry was so tangible, swirling in the air between us, that I could almost reach out and touch it. The love I felt for Elise was written in the stars, but it was also more. She was in my blood and bones; she was my life force.

Elise was essential.

Vital.

Everything.

Without a word, I took my girl’s hand and pulled her toward the corridor where Abe had a room. Well, I say room; it was an office where he had a pullout couch in case he had to stay at theclub and deal with biker bullshit. Still, it was enclosed, warm, and comfortable, and the door locked.

Perfect.

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