Page 79 of The Hitman and the Psychic

I automatically reached out to take Stone’s hand, but stopped. He didn’t need protecting at my house, so if I took his hand now, he might get the wrong idea, and that would be a disaster.

Before I could put my hands in my pockets, Stone grabbed my hand.

“What are you doing?” I hissed, trying to discretely tug out of his grip, but he didn’t let go.

“There’s no way I’m letting you say you’re mybodyguard.” He gave me a cocky grin that turned my insides to mush, even while my face went crimson.

“No way,” I argued.

But he just winked and rang the doorbell. Dammit! It would be even weirder if we waited for them to answer. So, I pushed the door open and stepped inside, pulling Stone with me.

My parents, along with Felicity’s husband, Ryan, and their four-year-old son, Hank, my older brother Will, his wife, Emma, and his three kids were crowded into the living room. They all turned to me, mouths open with greetings, but froze when Stone entered behind me. Oh, hell. The doorbell brought Felicity in from the kitchen with Gracie at her side, and Gracie let out a squeal, breaking the tension.

“Aunt Senny!! You came!!”

“Hey sweetie! Happy Birthday!”

Stone finally let go of my hand as she ran into my arms, nearly knocking me over with her enthusiasm. After a big hug, her gaze landed on Stone. “Who are you?”

“Gracie… this is Stone.”

“You can call me Nate.” He smiled and knelt down to Gracie’s level. “I came with Serenity so I could wish you a happy birthday. I also brought yousomething.”

By this time, my parents had stepped over to see what was going on, confusion written all over their faces, and we all watched Stone pull an object from his pocket. He held it out, showing us a black, polished, oval-shaped rock with several gold and white veins running through it.

“What is it?” Gracie asked, her voice hushed.

“It’s a dragon egg. It’s old, so there’s not a real dragon inside, but see all those gold and white streaks?”

“Yeah.”

“Dragons love gold, and it gives the stone special powers.” He handed it to Gracie, and she took it, her eyes sparkling with awe.

“Wow.”

“What do you say, Gracie?” Felicity prompted, glancing back and forth between me and Stone.

“Thanks Nate! I’ve never seen anything like this. Look everybody! A dragon egg!”

My heart swelled in my chest, warmth washing through me. How could I not help falling for him even more? Sheesh! Who knew he’d be so good around kids? Did he have nieces and nephews? He’d never mentioned any siblings, so probably not. And who knew he was into dragons?

While Gracie showed off her stone to everyone in the room, Felicity stepped beside us. “Wow, thank you so much!” Her cheerfulness came out a little forced. “Gracie loves make-believe with princesses, and knights, and dragons, and all that. Did Sen tell you? Oh, I’m Felicity, by the way.” She glanced at me. “Sen forgot to mention she was bringing someone with her.”

“I sent you a text.”

“Really? Oh, well, I didn’t see it.”

Stone put his arm around me. “When she told me about the party, she wasn’t sure she could take the time. But Imanaged to convince her we should come. I hope that’s all right?”

What was he doing?

“Of course it’s all right. I’m so glad you’re here.” She sent me anotherwe need to talklook.

“Thanks.” He sent her his sexy smile, and she nearly swooned.

My mom chose that moment to step closer, putting her arm around Felicity to get her attention. “Oh… these are our parents, Kristin and Jack. Nate Stone, right?”

“That’s right. A pleasure to meet you.” He held out a hand, his low voice sending shivers down my spine.

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