Page 23 of The Hitman and the Psychic

“I do… I love it—I mean…” I shrugged, hoping he wouldn’t read too much into it. “Yeah, it’s nice enough.”

He grinned but didn’t comment on that. “Let’s go to your house first, and then we’ll figure it out.”

I nodded. “Okay.” I gave him my address and managed to get on behind him without too much trouble. The ride to my house didn’t take long. Stone pulled into the driveway, driving back to park in front of the garage.

After unlocking the back door, I glanced around the kitchen to make sure I hadn’t left it in a mess. Relieved that it looked okay, I invited Stone inside.

“It’ll just take me a minute to grab my dress.” At his nod, I left him to look around while I hurried into my bedroom. Knowing he was in my house and looking at my things made me nervous. I’d been alone for nearly a year, and I hadn’t had a man in the house since Brandon left.

I’d done a lot to make this place my own. Getting rid of anything that reminded me of Brandon had been my top priority. Still, I’d been lonely, and having Stone here just reinforced how much I missed being in a relationship with someone special.

I found my red dress and heels. The dress was about the sexiest thing I owned, leaving one shoulder bare and molding to my body, with the tight skirt barely covering my upper thighs. I grabbed a thong and a strapless bra to wear under it, and hesitated. It was skimpy, but thoughts of Brandon and his court battle firmed my resolve.

I was not going to be intimidated by Brandon or any other man. Plus… part of me couldn’t wait to see the look on Stone’s face when he saw me wearing the dress. I knew it was like picking up a snake and hoping it wouldn’t bite me, but I couldn’t help it. He probably thought I wasn’t the type to dress like this, and I wanted to prove him wrong.

Luckily, the dress wouldn’t wrinkle, and I found a small backpack to hold it. On a whim, I took off my boxy blazer and rummaged through my closet for my cute, black leatherjacket. I hadn’t worn it since before the accident, back when I was more carefree and easygoing.

But it was just the thing to wear on a motorcycle. Plus, I could wear it to the club tonight over my dress. It was late spring, so I knew I needed something to cover my bare skin. Slipping it on, I smiled, pleased that I looked a little more adventurous. At least I’d been smart enough to wear my black ankle boots, and now I totally rocked my new look.

I came out to find Stone studying the photographs that covered my wall. He glanced at me, taking in my leather jacket, and gave me an appreciative nod. I tried not to smile, since his response was exactly what I’d hoped for.

He motioned toward the photos. “You take these?”

I glanced at them, as if seeing them for the first time, and inwardly cringed. “Uh… yeah. Some of them are kind of abstract, so it’s okay if you don’t like them.”

He shook his head. “No. I think they’re amazing.” He pointed at the tree trunk. “It took me a minute, but I found the face.”

“Oh yeah?” My chest warmed. “That’s great.”

“And this one? Is it a leaf?”

I nodded. “Yup, you got it.”

He smiled. “It reminds me of being a kid. My friend used to hold leaves up to the sun just to see the little veins.” He twisted his head to the side, quickly pointing at the next photo. “Smoke?”

“Not quite.” I smiled. Who would’ve guessed that the mighty Stone was ever a kid? “That’s one of my favorites. It’s actually a black and white photo of the mist at the base of a waterfall. I have another one over there that’s in color and shows the entire waterfall.”

He stepped to where I’d pointed. “Oh, wow… yeah, I can see that now. It’s beautiful. Is the waterfall local?”

“Yeah, it is. Just up the canyon.” I smiled, enjoying his praise.

“And who’s this?” He pointed to a photo of my niece, running down a green hill with her arms spread out and her laughing face tilted to the sky. You could practically hear her laughter through the photo.

“That’s Gracie. My niece.” That photo always brought a smile to my face. Just the pure joy of my niece was enough to lift me out of a bad mood.

Nodding, he glanced between me and the photo, a smile playing around the corners of his handsome mouth. “I see the resemblance. She’s adorable.”

I smiled. “Yeah… she is.”

He motioned to the wall, brows raised. “These are great. You’re really good.”

I shook my head, but wasn’t able to suppress a blush. “You should see all the ones that didn’t turn out. But… thank you. It’s a new hobby of mine; it helps with the stress.”

“When did you take it up?”

“After the acci— um… about a year ago. I’ve been too busy to do much lately, but I’m hoping to get out more.” I itched to take some photos of him and his motorcycle, but now that I’d seen more of his smile, I really wanted to capture that. There was something about his mouth, something genuine and honest when he smiled. Not that I’d necessarily show the pictures to anyone… they’d be just for me.

Catching myself staring, I rubbed my nose. “Should we go?”

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