Blood From a Stone (164 page)

Read Blood From a Stone Online

Authors: Cynthia Lucas


S
o
now
w
e
g
et
t
o
t
he
r
oot
of
w
hy
y
ou’d
g
o
t
o
bed
w
it
h
m
e
w
hen
y
ou
a
r
en

t
r
eady
t
o.
Y
ou
’r
e
a
fr
a
i
d.
t
hat
i
f
y
ou don

t
,
I
‘l
l
l
ose
i
n
t
e
r
est
or
g
o
l
oo
k
i
ng
so
m
e
w
he
r
e e
l
se.

S
he
l
oo
k
ed
h
i
m
squa
r
e
l
y
i
n
t
he
e
y
e
and
r
a
i
sed
her ch
i
n
i
n de
fi
ance. “
I

m
not
a
fr
a
i
d.”

H
e
smiled smugly
and
g
r
abbed
h
i
s
w
i
ne
g
l
ass
g
u
l
p
i
ng do
w
n
t
he
r
e
m
a
i
nder
of
t
he
da
r
k
r
ed
li
qu
i
d
t
hat
sat
i
n
t
he bo
t
t
o
m
. “
O
k
a
y
.
I
f
y
ou say
so.”


A
nd
so
w
hat
i
f
I
a
m
?”
she
shot
bac
k
.

I
t’
s
a
l
l
y
ou
g
u
y
s
f
au
l
t
t
hat
w
e
ha
v
e
t
o
cons
t
an
tl
y
f
eel
t
hat
w
e

r
e
not
p
r
e
tt
y enou
g
h…not
sexy enou
g
h…not
g
ood
enou
g
h.
A
nd
t
hat
y
o
u
‘l
l du
m
p
us
t
he
second
so
m
e
b
i
m
bo
w
it
h
a
n
i
ce
r
ack
w
a
l
k
s
by or
m
a
k
es
y
ou
w
hat
y
ou cons
i
der
t
o be a be
tt
er
o
f
f
e
r
.”

H
i
s
m
i
nd
tr
a
v
e
l
ed
back
t
o
h
i
s
da
y
s
w
it
h
D
an
i
a
and
t
he
m
any o
t
her
hea
rt
s
he

d
l
ed
as
tr
ay and
l
e
f
t
abandoned
f
or
t
hat
v
e
r
y
r
eason.
A
l
w
a
y
s
i
n
sea
r
ch
of
g
r
eener
pas
t
u
r
es.
A
nd
i
n
f
act
how
ir
on
i
c
t
hat
he
r
e
he
w
as
fi
v
e
cen
t
u
ri
es
l
a
t
e
r
,
s
til
l
cau
g
ht
i
n
t
he unend
i
ng
p
r
ed
i
ca
m
ent
he
w
as
i
n
f
or
t
hat
v
e
r
y
re
ason.


L
i
s
t
en
t
o
m
e,”
he
sa
i
d
v
e
r
y
so
ftl
y
.

I
k
now so
m
eone has
hu
r
t
y
ou.
A
nd
I
can

t
l
ook
y
ou
i
n
t
he
e
y
e
and
t
e
l
l
y
ou
t
hat I
ha
v
en

t
had
m
y
day
p
l
a
y
i
ng
exac
tl
y
t
he
r
o
l
e
y
ou
s
peak o
f
.
B
u
t

t
he
r
e
i
s
such
a
t
h
i
ng as
second
chances
and
ch
a
n
g
e
of hea
rt
,
and
not
a
l
l
of
us
a
r
e
li
k
e
t
ha
t
.
E
v
en
i
f
w
e
ha
v
e
been at o
t
her
ti
m
es
i
n our
li
v
es.
S
o
m
e of
us
l
ea
r
n
fr
om
our
m
i
s
t
a
k
es.”


Y
eah!
My
po
i
nt
exac
tl
y
.
I
l
ea
r
ned
fr
o
m
m
i
ne,”
she sa
i
d as
a s
i
n
g
l
e
t
ear
s
li
d do
w
n her
chee
k
.

H
e
r
eached
f
o
r
w
a
r
d
t
o
g
en
tl
y
w
i
pe
i
t
a
w
a
y
. “W
i
l
l
o
w
,”
he
s
i
g
hed.

I

m no
sa
i
n
t
,
and
i
n
f
act
I

v
e
been
a s
i
nner
w
it
h
t
he
best
of
t
he
m
.
T
he
r
e

s not
a
w
ho
l
e
l
ot
i
n
t
he
w
o
rl
d
I can
p
r
o
m
i
se,
except
t
h
i
s
one
t
h
i
n
g
:
I
w
ou
ld
n

t
do
w
ha
t
e
v
er
i
t
i
s
t
hat
he
d
i
d,
or
an
y
t
h
i
ng
e
l
se
t
o
hu
r
t
y
ou.”
N
ot
i
f I
can
he
l
p
i
t
any
w
ay,
he
con
ti
nued
t
he
t
hou
g
ht
i
n h
i
s
head of
t
he
w
o
r
ds
he cou
l
dn

t
say
a
l
oud.
A
nd
i
n
t
hat
m
o
m
ent
he
w
as
r
ea
li
z
i
ng
he
w
as
as
k
i
ng her
t
o
ha
v
e
so
m
e
f
a
it
h,
and
p
l
ace
her
tr
ust
i
n
h
i
m
.
T
he
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng
he
had
on
l
y
m
o
m
en
t
s
a
g
o,
been
t
h
i
n
k
i
ng
o
f
,
a
n
d
how
littl
e
of
i
t
he
ac
t
ua
ll
y  had
of
h
i
s
o
w
n.
Y
es,
f
a
it
h
w
as so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
he

d
t
hou
g
ht
littl
e
of
i
n
a
l
l
t
hese
cen
t
u
ri
es,
because
i
t
i
n
v
o
l
v
ed
tr
us
t
.
T
r
ust
i
n
one

s
se
lf

tr
ust
i
n o
th
e
r
s.
I
t
w
asn

t so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
he
w
as
i
n
any pos
iti
on
t
o
do.
A
nd
y
et
t
o
ni
g
ht
i
t
had co
m
e up
m
o
r
e
t
han once. Ma
y
be
i
t
w
as
f
or
a
r
eason.

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