Blood From a Stone (184 page)

H
e s
i
g
hed. “
C
an I
co
m
e
i
n?” “
Y
eah….of
cou
r
se,”
she
sa
i
d,
her
t
ee
t
h
cha
tt
e
r
i
ng
as
she ushe
r
ed h
i
m
i
n out
of
t
he
fr
ee
z
i
ng
a
ir
. “Why
d
i
d
y
ou….”
H
i
s
so
f
t
li
ps
w
e
r
e
on
he
r
s
i
n
an
i
ns
t
ant
s
il
enc
i
ng
her
be
f
o
r
e
she
cou
l
d
fi
n
i
sh
w
ha
t
e
v
er
i
t
w
as
she
w
as
about
t
o
sa
y
.
I
t
d
i
dn
’
t
m
a
tt
e
r
…he
on
l
y
had
one
t
h
i
ng
on
h
i
s
m
i
nd
as
he s
w
ept
her
da
m
p
body
up
i
n
t
o
h
i
s
a
r
m
s
and
be
g
an
w
a
l
k
i
ng do
w
n
t
he ha
l
l
t
o her
bed
r
oo
m
.
H
e
f
e
l
t
her
a
r
m
s
ti
g
ht
en a
r
ound h
i
s
neck
as
he ca
rri
ed her
and he deepened
t
he
k
i
ss.

W
it
hout
a
w
o
r
d he
k
i
c
k
ed
t
he
door
c
l
osed beh
i
nd h
i
m so
C
i
sco
cou
l
dn
’
t
f
o
ll
ow
t
hem
i
n.
A
lt
hou
g
h
t
he
dog
he
l
d
a spec
i
al
p
l
ace
i
n h
i
s hea
rt
,
t
h
i
s
w
as one
ti
m
e
w
he
r
e
m
an
’
s best
fri
end
w
as
g
o
i
ng
t
o ha
v
e
t
o be h
i
s
fri
end
fr
om
a
f
a
r
.

H
e
l
eaned
f
o
r
w
a
r
d,
g
en
tl
y se
tti
ng
her
do
w
n on
t
he bed
w
h
il
e
ne
v
er
t
a
k
i
ng
h
i
s
li
ps
fr
om he
r
s
and
so
m
ehow
s
h
i
mm
i
ed out
of
h
i
s
coa
t
,
t
oss
i
ng
i
t
on
t
he
fl
oor
beh
i
nd h
i
m
.

A
second
l
a
t
er
he
pu
ll
ed
back and s
li
p
ped h
i
s
sh
ir
t
up o
v
er
h
i
s
head.
S
he
s
t
a
rt
ed
t
o
spea
k
,
but
he
k
nee
l
ed
i
n
fr
ont
of he
r
,
push
i
ng
h
i
s
body
be
t
w
een
her
t
h
i
g
hs
and
put
a
fi
n
g
er
t
o her
li
ps.

G
oosebu
m
ps
b
r
o
k
e
out
a
l
l
o
v
er
her
body
at
t
he
f
ee
l
i
ng of
ha
v
i
ng
h
i
m p
r
essed
a
g
a
i
nst
her
ba
r
e
t
h
i
g
hs,
and
her
m
ost
i
n
ti
m
a
t
e
p
l
ace
as
w
e
ll
,
desp
it
e
t
he
f
act
he
w
as
s
til
l
a
l
m
ost
f
u
ll
y
d
r
essed.

“
S
hhh.”
H
e
t
ook one
of
her
hands
and put
i
t
i
n
t
he cen
t
er
of
h
i
s
m
uscu
l
ar
ches
t
. “
F
eel
t
ha
t
?” he
w
h
i
s
p
e
r
ed.
S
he nodded.

“We
ha
v
en
’
t
k
no
w
n
each
o
t
her
v
e
r
y
l
on
g
.
A
nd
g
ood sense…soc
i
e
t
y
…
t
he
r
u
l
es
say
it’
s
a
l
l
w
r
ong and
i
t
c
an
’
t
be an
y
t
h
i
ng
m
o
r
e
t
han 
l
us
t
.”
H
e
s
m
il
ed.  “
L
e
t’
s
j
ust
s
a
y
,
I
’
v
e ne
v
er
been
v
e
r
y
g
ood at
f
o
ll
o
w
i
ng
r
u
l
es.”

H
e
pu
ll
ed
her
hand
m
o
r
e
fir
m
l
y a
g
a
i
nst
h
i
m
,
and
she cou
l
d
f
eel
t
he s
t
eady
t
hudd
i
ng
of
h
i
s pu
l
se a
g
a
i
nst
h
i
s
ri
bs.