“It is cold in here,” he joked against her lips.
She gasped and pulled away from him as she heard his chuckle. She stormed off to the bed.
“You’re an asshole!”
He chased after her, grabbed her waist, and pulled her back to his front. His arms wrapped around her and bound her hands to keep her from moving. His chest rumbled from laughter. His laughter evoked her own and she giggled. She playfully struggled from his grip when his mouth neared her ear. He was still chuckling. He wasn’t being malicious, he was teasing her. He was holding her, breathing her in, and this moment was perfect.
“I have to head back to Houston,” he whispered.
Her mood deflated. He was leaving. He lived and worked in Houston, eventually he’d leave. She knew that. She tried her best to be indifferent. She was not going to cry and weep like a lovesick girl. She was twenty-two; she could handle a one-night stand. At least he had the decency to tell her. Otherwise she might have waited around for a call that would never come. She’d still have him in her dreams.
“You hear me?” He tightened his arms around her.
She was going to miss this feeling. She’d miss safe. She nodded and tried to move out of his arms but he wouldn’t let her go.
“Talk to me.” He sighed.
“I’m fine, Stone. It’s fine. Last night was great but you have to go, I get it.”
“You think I’m leaving and not coming back?”
“Aren’t you? Look, Stone, it’s fine. I don’t expect anything from you.” Sadie was trying to convince not only him but herself, too. The sadness washed over her. She needed him to leave. The longer he stayed with her like this, the harder it would be when he left. She was not a girl meant for one-night stands, she realized that now. She let her heart get involved. Now, she had to deal with the repercussions from it.
His heartbeat was soothing against her back as they stood embraced in silence. He rested his chin on her head and breathed deeply. She really would miss the safety she felt when he was with her. And his arms around her, she’d miss that, too. She would enjoy these last few minutes with him. This moment was sweet!
Suddenly, she was spun around and tossed onto her bed. She bounced once on her back before Stone covered her body with his. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. His face was serious.
“You might not expect anything from me, Sadie, but I expect a hell of a lot from you.” His grip tightened on her wrist.
“I expect you to be here when I get back in two days! I expect you to stay away from that piece of shit ex of yours. If he shows up again, which considering he is a dumb fuck he just might, I expect you to call Bogs or T. They’re staying in town, and they’ll take care of him. I expect you to answer my calls and texts. I programmed my numbers into your phone this morning. I expect you to be in my bed when I get back. And I expect that if something happens, good or bad, you will fucking talk to me. Do you get me?”
Oh my God! He was coming back! He was coming back to her! She nodded. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She tried to tell herself to relax. He was coming back for now not forever. She smiled up at his serious face. His scowl faltered slightly. He was only giving her a glimpse of a smile.
“This is crazy, you know. We hardly even know each other.”
“I know you, Sadie, trust me, sweet girl, I know you.” He kissed her lips and pulled back.
She smirked. “Well, I don’t know you.”
“Then ask me. What do you wanna know?”
Sadie thought. “What’s your name?”
“What?” His eyebrows cocked up in question.
“What’s your real name, I mean your first name?” She laughed.
“How do you know it’s not Stone?” He smirked. He was teasing.
“Is it?”
He chuckled. “No. It’s Trey.”
“Trey Stone.” Sadie smiled. “No middle name?”
“Garrison.”
“Trey Garrison Stone.” She giggled and pulled his head to hers for a quick kiss. “That’s sexy!”
He burst out laughing. “Glad you like it.”
“Can I call you Trey?”
“If you want to.” He shrugged. He was noncommittal, however, she saw shadows in his eyes. He was playing it off, but she sensed it was a bigger deal than he let on.
“Does anyone else call you Trey?” Sadie inquired. Her tone was light though she was tense.
“No,” he said as his eyes darkened. His face was back to hard. There was something behind the darkness in his eyes. She knew the look. It was a look she had in her own eyes when she looked in the mirror. She had seen it on many people she’d watched through the years. Pain had a distinct look to it.
“Oh,” she whispered. She hated that she just ruined the mood, and now he was leaving.
He reached under her chin to bring her face to his. His eyes were still dark but his face no longer hard. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips before he spoke again. He sighed. “Lisa, the one who gave birth to me, named me Trey. I haven’t answered to it since she gave me up. I was a pissed off little shit.” He snorted. “I refused to answer to Trey so everyone started calling me Stone. It stuck.”
“Why didn’t they call you by your middle name?” Sadie curiously asked.
“I didn’t get Garrison until I was adopted by my mom and dad. I wasn’t ready to change
