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  He released my breast and pushed my hips back down to his, moving against me in a now familiar motion. I pressed down into him, grinding against him, making sure he hit just the right spots. His eyes were intense as he stared up at me, that strange, liquid mercury colour growing darker, the emotion in them hot, instead of his usual cold. I looked away, focussing on the dusky pink of his nipples against the tan of his chest. I had the sudden urge to know how he tasted, so I bent and bravely licked a nipple.

  Stone gasped. Actually gasped aloud! The sound was still masculine and deep, but it was a gasp all the same. His hands moved to my ass and squeezed as he rubbed me harder and faster against him. He watched my face, as if looking for something. I could feel my release getting closer and closer. My hands dug into his ribs and I bit my lip, throwing my head backward and closing my eyes to hide from his penetrating gaze. I could hear the harsh raggedness of Stone’s breath and wondered whether this was as good for him, whether he too was close to coming. The idea threw me over the edge and I jerked wildly, gasping as I came. I heard Stone swear under his breath before his hands tightened on me and he gave four last thrusts, his movements hard, uncontrolled and sharp.

  I collapsed forward onto his chest and he caught me, wrapping his arms around me and holding me close as our breaths calmed. I blushed when I realised I was topless and rolled off him, stumbling onto the floor before he could catch me. I pulled my singlet on and moved back to the bed, not wanting him to feel rejected by my abrupt move. I shyly perched on the edge of the bed and waited for him to say something.

  He groaned and flinched, sitting up in the bed and glancing toward the bathroom. I look at him with concern, hoping I hadn’t hurt him (I could still see my fingermarks on his ribs). He pulled the waistband of his track pants out and glanced inside with a small frown. I giggled when I realised what the problem was. I figured it had been a while since Grant Stone had come in his pants. He glared at me, but it melted into a very small, wry smile. He pulled my head close for a quick kiss and walked toward the bathroom.

  I smiled at his back as he walked stiffly, but it faded as I realised I still had no idea what our relationship was. I shrugged and figured that we were probably in the casual, but closed, relationship category. I thought about it for a moment and decided that that was alright with me. Boyfriends like Stone were bossy and controlling and selfish. I wasn’t in the market for one. Still…If we were going to be…sleeping together….perhaps we should try to get to know each other a little better.

  “Grant,” I called from the safety of the bed when I heard the shower stop.

  He poked his head out the door, wearing only a towel and dripping everywhere. I made myself look him in the eyes as I quietly said, “I’m going for my run. Want to come with me?”

  I didn’t know if Stone ever ran, but he seemed pretty fit from what I saw at the gym and we’d both be heading there soon for a session before our first classes. I could tell he took a moment to think it over, though his expression didn’t change. He gave me a brisk nod and shut the door behind him.

  I’d just finished pulling my own gym clothes on when there was a knock at my front door. I opened it quickly, curious as to who was knocking on my door so early. Alec stood there with a wide grin on his face.

  “Hey Evie,” he greeted me cheerfully and thrust a pair of gym shorts at me, “These are for Stone. He said you two were going running.”

  I watched him closely, trying to see any sign that he knew why Stone needed him to bring shorts. After a moment I decided that he didn’t know and took the shorts from him with a smile.

  “Thanks,” I said softly, “He’s in the bathroom.”

  Alec nodded and ruffled my hair with a laugh, reminding me that I had scary bed-head and needed to find a brush and hair tie. “I’ll see you at the gym,” he said, before backing up and closing the door. I ran to the bathroom door, opened it a crack and threw the shorts in for Stone, before running to my dresser and tackling my nest of hair. I’d only just finished when Stone walked out and started pulling on his shoes. I grabbed my water bottle and hat and then we left the building, heading out to the rugby pitch to run some laps.

  FIFTEEN

  Chapter 15.

  I frowned as we began to ease our run into a slow jog. I puffed a little, more out of breath than usual from trying to keep pace with Stone. My legs were long for my body, but his legs were longer…and stronger. I shot a glance up at Stone as we further slowed to a walk. So much for getting to know each other! He hadn’t said a word since we’d left the room. I tried to find something to talk about, but failed miserably. I was still too intimidated by him to ask him banal questions like ‘what’s your favourite colour?’.

  He reached the doors to the gym first and held one open for me as I brushed past him. Unlike when other men held doors open, it didn’t feel sweet, romantic or even polite when Stone did it. Especially when he followed immediately after me, herding me with his big body, so close at my back. It felt scary. It felt delicious…

  Alec saw us first, his head popping up from where he’d been reading a file over Briar’s shoulder. From the flushed look on her face, his proximity had affected her greatly. She pressed a hand to her cheek as Alec grinned and strode toward us.

  “Time to get you weighed,” he told me with a wink, taking my hand gently and pulling me away from the warm, electric air surrounding Stone’s body. I shivered a little in the air-conditioning and let him lead me towards the scales.

  “Your run will have affected the results slightly,” he told me, “But not by a lot.”

  I nodded and shucked my shoes, walking up to the metal plate. I watched the digital screen wade through the numbers until it eventually stopped on my new weight. I gaped at the number on the screen.

  “Are you serious?” I whispered in shock.

  My hands flew to my stomach in awe (I would have felt up my breasts, but hey, I was in public!). I tried to squidge some fat there, but there was barely any give at all. Twelve weeks ago, when Briar first forced me to do something about my weight, I only weighed 46 kilograms (101 pounds). For my slightly-taller-than-average height, that put me firmly in the underweight category. According to doctors and other weight/fitness peoples, a healthy girl at my height should weigh between 55 and 70 kilograms (121-154 pounds). Now, after just twelve weeks, six of which were spent on holidays, I weighed 51 kilos (112 pounds). I’d gained a whole five kilos! Sure, some of that was muscle weight, but some of it must be fat! I sneaked an admiring glance at my new boobies, before worriedly seeing if any other parts would squidge!

  “Awesome!” Briar announced to my left.

  “Well done,” Alec added with a grin.

  I didn’t move off the scales. I was still in shock. A shadow passed over me and I looked up into Stone’s eyes. He eyed the way my fingers were grasping my thighs and cocked his head slightly in question.

  I shot an uneasy glance at Briar and Alec, but they were now wrapped up in their own conversation. With them out of earshot, I leant towards Stone and whispered nervously, “I don’t have any new squishy bits do I?”

  Like a typical male, his eyes dropped to my chest automatically and his mouth twitched. I blushed, knowing full well that I’d increased a cup size. Well, two actually. I’d gone from an A to a C, but that wasn’t too much of a surprise. All the females in my family had been ‘blessed’.

  “Grant,” I hissed quietly, “Not there. I meant in other places.”

  His eyes moved back to mine with a frown.

  “I mean,’” I continued, “Five kilos is a big percentage of my overall weight. It can’t all have gone there.”

  Stone’s lips twitched again and his eyes moved back down to examine my body. An actual smile threatened when his gaze paused on my ass. He gave it a firm pat and cocked his head to watch my reaction. My jaw dropped.

  “It’s all gone there?” I asked frantically, peering over my shoulder to try and look at it. Stone rolled his eyes and glanced toward the
numbers on the digital screen. His eyes narrowed and he looked back at me in disbelief. Without warning, he wrapped one arm around me and lifted me into the air, moving his arm up and down as if trying to judge my weight. I spluttered indignantly.

  “What are you doing?!” I demanded.

  “You’re extremely heavy,” he told me dryly, though I didn’t quite hear his sarcasm in my agitated state.

  “I’m still slightly underweight!” I protested, feeling very sensitive all of a sudden and forgetting who I was talking to, or that I might draw attention to myself.

  “How much do you weigh?!” I demanded, my soft voice not sounding at all like the intimidating command I had intended. He shrugged as if he had no idea. He nudged me out of the way and toed off his shoes, stepping onto the scales with a bored expression on his face.

  I fell on my ass when the numbers stopped.

  One hundred…and thirty-five kilograms!!!!! (300 pounds)

  I tore my eyes from the display and stared at him instead, taking in every inch of his 6’8”, muscle-bound body. I couldn’t believe it! I mentally shuddered as I tried to picture myself weighing even 100 kilos (220 pounds). Not that I thought 100 kilos on a woman was hideously ugly…but on my slight frame…after being under 50 kilos my whole life…the thought did not appeal to me.

  Stone’s low, growly chuckle snapped my attention back to his face and he held his hand out to help me up. I stared down at the massive appendage for a moment, before swallowing nervously and gently sliding my hand into his grasp. He pulled me to my feet and then tugged me close so he could murmur in my ear, “I bench-press three times what you weigh. I don’t think you need to worry just yet.”

  He left me then, walking away to join Donny and Jamie in weight-training. Alec appeared in front of me with an enthusiastic grin…and I just knew he had hell planned for our session today. I stifled a whimper.

  Buck up soldier, a deep, commanding male voice drifted to me as if on the wind, a memory from many years ago, Give me one hundred and ten percent!

  My spine snapped straight in automatic response, my shoulders dropped and pushed back as I raised my chin with determination and courage. Yes, sir! My inner voice barked…but it sounded suspiciously young, soft and cheerful…like that little girl I used to know…in pigtails, boots and camouflage pants.

  But that girl was long gone…just like the man.

  ***

  Stone ate his dinner with even more concentration than usual that night. He didn’t look up or listen in on the conversations happening around him. He just ate steadily, then pushed his tray away and impatiently watched me eat. I tried to eat a little faster, unnerved by the way he was staring at me, as if willing me with his eyes to hurry the fuck on! As soon as I set my cutlery down on my plate, he was standing up and reaching for my hand. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Candy nudge Briar, and the two of them stood up as well. I slowly rose to my feet.

  “Hey Evie…”Candy began brightly, “I was thinking we could have a girl’s night in our room tonight. Just you, me and Briar.”

  “Oh and Fredi too,” Candy added hastily, turning to look at her with a smile and a small wink. Fredi’s eyes lit with interest as she looked back and forth between Candy and Briar. I was suspicious too. I turned to look at Stone and felt the irritation and frustration radiating from his stiff body.

  “Ummm,” I stalled for time, but Stone gave me a small nod and looked toward Donny.

  Donny took the hint and stood up with a grin. “Alright boys, let’s hit the Uni Club for some beer and pool!” he said enthusiastically.

  “Oh, and I thought we’d have a slumber party,” Candy said pointedly, glancing at Stone with a small smile. He looked back at her with an unamused expression.

  “On a Monday night?” I whispered in confusion, “I need to sleep. I have an early class tomorrow.”

  Briar laughed and shot Stone a covert look. “Trust me,” she told me smugly, “You’ll get more sleep with us there tonight.”

  And with that cryptic remark and the snorts of some of the others, the girls dragged me to my room.

  ***

  Briar shut the door hard behind us and leant against it, her eyes sparkling. Candy leapt onto my bed, dragging me down with her, and Fredi slowly sat on Candy’s, a grin slowly forming on her face. I looked between the three of them, feeling more than a little uneasy.

  “Tell us everything!” Briar said breathlessly, hurrying forwards to sit on the floor by my bed.

  I looked at her blankly.

  Fredi rolled her eyes. “She means about Stone,” she explained, “She wants the goss.”

  Oh.

  “Candy said you and GG finally made out,” Briar said smugly, “Still sure he isn’t your boyfriend?”

  I was actually, but I ignored the question.

  “Umm,” I started awkwardly, then reluctantly filled them in on what had happened and admitted I was still nervous about the whole sex thing. That caused them to launch into a long list of advice, the three of them battling each other for the chance to tell me all their sex secrets and tidbits. My head swam with the overwhelming amount of information they fed me and I was almost relieved when Briar broke the surge with a squeal

  “I know! I know!” she said excitedly. Fredi and Candy leaned in expectantly.

  “Let’s give Evie a makeover tomorrow! She’s put on weight and looking sexy! She needs a new look too!” she told them.

  I gaped at her. We’d only just bought new clothes a few weeks ago.

  Candy grinned and bounced happily on the bed. “New makeup!” she cried.

  “Her eyebrows!” Briar shouted gleefully.

  Fredi grinned evilly and leaned forward to add… “A Brazilian.”

  I gulped and pressed my legs together.

  Oh shit.

  SIXTEEN

  Chapter 16.

  After class the next day, Candy and Briar dragged me off for my makeover. Candy had borrowed Mason’s car and I sat silently in the back as they discussed where to go first. Finally, Briar decided that they couldn’t buy me new clothes until I’d had my hair done and so our first stop was the Hairdresser. I had my eyebrows waxed and my hair layered, but Candy insisted on leaving my hair colour natural.

  “It’s much too pretty to change,” she told me, fingering the lengths with a smile. Briar looked ready to argue, but after a few moments to think she nodded.

  “Fine,” she agreed, “Stone would probably kill me anyway.”

  I peered around Candy to send her a funny look.

  “Never mind,” she told me, pulling me from the chair so that we could shop for clothes and…lingerie.

  I couldn’t tell you how many times I whispered the words ‘no way’ that afternoon. I lost count before we even entered the lingerie store. There was no hope for my protests once Candy and Briar launched themselves at the rows and rows of lace and ribbon. Occasionally they’d include me in their frenzied conversation, throwing comments over their shoulders like:

  “Have you worn garters before?”

  “How big are your breasts now?”

  “Oohh look at this one! Stone loves black lace!”

  I gave her a funny look at that last one, wondering if she actually had conversations with Stone about lingerie in order to know such a thing. I giggled, picturing Briar sitting with a pen poised over a notebook, looking up at Stone excitedly and asking him to describe his lingerie preferences…and then of course, Stone staring back at her until she put the pen down and trudged off defeated.

  I frowned. So then how did she know?

  “Is black his favourite colour?” I asked curiously.

  “Black’s a tone, not a colour,” Briar murmured distractedly, then snapped her head round to look at me, as if she’d only just realised I’d asked a question about Stone.

  “No,” she said with a smile, “His favourite colour is yellow, but if there’s a gold pen or crayon, he’ll take that over yellow any day.”

  She giggled at her jok
e, her eyes looking distant as if remembering back to a funny incident from their childhood. Candy snorted and held up a black lace teddy.

  “So what’s with the black then Bri?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows, “Ever gone over the friendship line yourself?”

  Briar wrinkled her nose as if Candy had something distasteful.

  “No. Ew. He’s like a brother to me.”

  “Does he talk about chicks then with you?” Candy asked eagerly, obviously hoping for the gossip on what went on in Stone’s head.

  “No,” Briar said with a laugh, “Chloe was bragging about it at a band practice once, saying how much Stone loved anything red.”

  “Red?” I asked, confused.

  Briar laughed. “Yep, that’s what she said. She was bragging to me and Alec’s now-ex-girlfriend, while the band was setting up their instruments.”