Heart of Stone - Book 1: Fighting Fate

Groaning, Aubree turned and strode across the span of pavement to the front doors of her apartment building.

Stupid Stone. Why was he such an idiot?

Right back to square one. It was as if he refused to budge in whatever decision he’d made—a decision she had no say in even though it was regarding her own life to begin with!

She yanked open the front door to the building, muttering, “Dumbass,” under her breath as she went.

As soon as he was gone, she could feel her frustration set in again. He irked her so much, and yet, this was the third time she’d had an actual conversation with him. She’d never been so annoyed by someone in such a short period of time of getting to know them. It was as if he wasn’t even trying to be nice, or to be her friend, or to get to know her. He was just... there, taking up her time and energy and projecting himself onto her.

She muttered another derogatory word under her breath as she tromped through the entryway and down the hallway to the elevators. Jabbing the button for the elevator with her thumb, she released a pent-up sigh and dug her phone out of her purse.

Needing something to calm her down and deter her mind from the gigantic idiot, she opened the photo album and began flicking through pictures. There were pictures of her friends back home smiling back at her, her parents smiling together, her mom scowling, her dog, Whiskey, panting in the sun, pictures from a night out with her friends, Whiskey staring up at her with his tail wagging.

As the elevator door open, she stepped in with two other people, feeling homesick and missing her friends, family, and dog.

Whiskey had been her ever-loving, attentive companion for eight years. A half German Shepherd, half Husky mix, he’d been the best dog she ever had. She trained him from a pup the summer they got him and she’d been the one he loved the most. If Dan’s apartment building allowed pets, she would have brought Whiskey with her. Whiskey liked Dan and didn’t mind sharing his girl with him.

She continued to flip through a few more pictures of Whiskey on her phone, missing him. She missed brushing her fingers through his thick black fur, scratching him behind his large attentive ears, the endless hours of playing fetch with him, relaxing on the couch with his head on her lap while she would pet his head.

She needed to go back home and visit her family.

Exiting the elevator, she walked down the hallway to their apartment and unlocked the door, her mind filled with memories of home. As she opened the door to let herself in, she stared sadly at the small apartment before her.

Sometimes, she wondered why she left behind such a great life.

Then, she’d shake her head and remind herself that she couldn’t live with her parents forever. As she stood there now, she chided herself for being so immature. She had a great life with Dan. It would take some time to build that life with him but they would get there. Every couple had to start somewhere and they had more going for them than some couples out there.

Still, she thought with a sigh as she closed the door behind her, it would have been nice to have Whiskey here.

She’d gotten used to living with Dan now, but she still didn’t feel like it was home to her yet. She wondered how long it would take for it to feel like home. Another week? A month?

Setting her purse down, she went into their room and began taking her clothes off before going into the bathroom to shower.

She heard Dan come into the apartment in the middle of rubbing conditioner into her hair. As she rinsed it out, the door to the bathroom opened with a soft click.

“I’m almost done in here,” she said, seeing his shadow through the black and white striped curtain.

“That’s okay,” he said, pulling back the curtain and peering in.

“Hey!” she cried out with a laugh, covering her nakedness as best as she could with her hands.

“How about a double-dip?” He pulled the curtain aside and climbed in, completely naked.

“You’re so bad!” She laughed as he pulled her into his arms, the warm water spraying down on them, and planted soft kisses along her slick shoulder.

She forgot about being homesick, her day at work, and her encounter with Stone, and basked in the sensual touch and feel of Dan under the steamy spray of water.

Aubree pierced the chicken leg with a fork and peered in as the juices leaked out.

“I don’t know, Dan,” she said with a sigh. “They might need a few minutes under the broiler.”

“I’m sure they’re fine,” he said as he placed a dish of roasted potato wedges seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary on the table. “Bring ’em over and let’s dig in.”

She scowled at the meat and placed the steaming chicken legs on a plate. They smelled good, she just hoped they were thoroughly cooked.

As she brought the plate over to the table, she said, “Alright, but don’t try to play the hero and eat it if it looks under-cooked. I’m not going to be offended if you zap it in the microwave.”

He chuckled as he began to load up his plate with steamed veggies, potatoes, and chicken. “I’m starving.”

A grin tugged on the corner of her lips as she began to load up her own plate, her thoughts drifting back to the shower escapade. “Of course you are. Maybe if you didn’t work up such a sweat, you wouldn’t be so hungry.”

He flashed her a devious grin. “I wouldn’t have gotten so sweaty if you hadn’t been there.”

“Hey, I was there first,” she shot back, playfully. “You could’ve waited two minutes and had it all to yourself.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

Her cheeks began to heat up as she popped a piece of potato in her mouth.

“Besides,” he added with a shrug, “I thought I was helping you relax after your first day at your new job. Isn’t that what good boyfriends do?”

She tossed a small piece of potato at him, which he lunged for and caught in his mouth. “I would have been able to get dinner on the table sooner if you hadn’t dragged me to the bedroom after that.”

“Now, now.” He tsked. “I was only thinking about your safety. I didn’t want you slipping in the shower before the grand finale.”

She pursed her lips in an attempt to hide the huge smile forming while lowering her gaze as her cheeks reddened even more.

“And if I may add, I didn’t drag you. You came rather willingly,” he said with a cheeky grin and a hint of a blush.

Adorable was the word that popped into her mind at the boyish look on his face. It reminded her of the first few dates they had back in the early days of their relationship.

That was before she learned that he was more of a dork than he first let on, but she loved that about him.

Turning her gaze back to her plate, she cut into her chicken leg and made a face at the pink meat under the surface. Sighing, she rose from her seat and took her plate to the microwave to zap it for a minute.

“I’m not taking any chances with this chicken,” she said, more so to herself than to Dan. She hoped he wouldn’t be afraid to follow suit if his chicken looked questionable.

She was also attempting to change the subject when the dryer buzzed, announcing that their bedsheets were now dry. The bedsheets that were dry before their soaking wet bodies collided with them in a flurry of passion. The mattress itself was probably still wet though, even with the portable fan blowing on it.

“I think mine’s alright,” Dan said behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder, her face still feeling hot with embarrassment, as Dan sliced into his chicken with a knife. She could envision a little boy, exactly like Dan, sitting in his place and trying his best to hold a fork and knife properly in his hands as he tried to cut his meat.

Our kids are going to be so cute.

Smiling to herself, she turned back to the microwave when Stone’s face flashed in her mind.

Sucking in a lungful of air, she blinked and he was gone. She blinked quickly a few more times as her food rotated within the microwave before it beeped and the internal lights went off.

Why? Why did he have to keep intruding in her mind like that?

Exhaling the air she’d been holding, she popped open the microwave door and pulled her plate out, the meat sizzling.

Pushing Stone from her mind, she forced a smile on her face as she turned to face Dan at the table.

Dan was her man. Why did her head have to play tricks on her all the time now?

Pretending that nothing was wrong, she returned to her seat and decided to bring up the possibility of visiting her parents on the weekend.

He liked the idea and asked if she’d checked with her parents yet. She shook her head no and agreed to call them after dinner.

Once they were done eating, and the dishes had been washed, she went to their room to call her parents. Of course, they were more than happy to have her and Dan over for the weekend.

As soon as she hung up the phone, she heard Dan calling her name from somewhere outside their room.

Puzzled, she stepped out into the hallway and noticed the bathroom door shut. Retching noises reached her ears making her cringe.

Shit.

She knocked lightly on the door, hoping she didn’t need to go in there. “Dan?”

“Bree,” he said in a gasp. “I think I got food poisoning.”