Inferno - Chelle Bliss by Chelle Bliss

“Dumb,” he mutters, reaching for the beer in front of him.

“Where do we even begin with all the fucked-up shit we’ve been through?” Pike asks. “My mother was murdered because of my father.”

Gigi touches Pike’s arm. “Let’s not forget how your father broke in to our apartment and tried to attack me.”

My eyes widen. “What?” I ask, totally shocked.

“Yep.” Gigi nods. “It was a crazy time.”

“There’re a lot of us who had no one—or if we did, we wished we didn’t—before we met this family.”

“Really?” I ask, still in disbelief.

“I do my best to forget everything that came before them,” Rebel says to me. “It all seems to fade away because this family fills every void and hole you had before. You’ll see.”

“Maybe,” I mumble, not able to imagine being one of them.

I can’t barge right in and make myself at home. I’m here as a guest of Stone’s grandparents because they’re hoping Stone and I become a couple ending in marriage.

We barely know each other. Although my heart beats a little faster when he’s nearby. I also feel comfortable in his presence, as if he’s been part of my life forever. It’s an odd thing to come to terms with because my heart and mind are at war with each other about what could be.

“She can come back, right?” Lily asks Stone. “We want her to come back.”

“Yeah. Of course.” Stone turns to me. “I want you to come back,” he says genuinely as he tightens his grip on my hands.

“We’ll see. We’re not even…” My voice drifts off because I’m not sure what we are or where we’re headed. We’ve never had a conversation about what’s happening between us.

“Stone, are you seeing anyone else?” Lily asks him point-blank.

Stone shakes his head. “Only Opal.”

“You ever date one person at a time?” she asks him.

“Nope.”

Well, fuck. That’s not good. He’s never been able to date only one person at a time.

“Never been in a relationship until now.”

My head snaps to him. “Never?” I ask, once again shocked. Something that I’m getting used to feeling around him.

“No, babe. Never wanted to be in a relationship until now.”

“So, we’re a couple?” I ask him, confirming I’m not making more out of what’s happening between us than is really there.

“Boom. Dating,” Lily says with a clap. “You can thank me later by making me the maid of honor.”

“Matron of honor,” Gigi corrects her. “You’re too damn old to be a maid, and you’re married.”

“Whatever,” Lily says, practically bouncing in her chair.

“Wait,” I say, turning my entire body toward Stone. “Don’t let them bully you into dating me. You honestly don’t have to. I’m okay with being alone. Been that way for a long time. I’m comfortable with it. Do you want to be in a relationship with me?”

He stares at me, his eyes roaming my face. “I do,” he says with a smile. “I’ve never liked anyone else the way I like you.”

“Aww,” Nick, his cousin, says. “That’s too damn sweet. It’s almost gross.”

Stone’s gaze slices to Nick. “Shut it, man. I remember how pussy-whipped you were when you met Jo. You were a goddamn idiot.”

Nick shrugs one shoulder. “Happens to the best of us. I’d do it all again too.” He turns to his wife and pulls her close. “Would you?”

She moves her arms over his shoulders as she drapes her body against his. “Fuck yeah, baby. You’re the best damn thing to happen to me.”

I tune out the conversation, too busy thinking about the fact that Stone and I are apparently now a couple. But it’s not because he asked me, but because his sister asked him. Was he backed into a corner and doesn’t mean it?

How does a man who never wanted to be in a relationship now, all of a sudden, want to be in one? It’s mind-boggling and truly unbelievable.

But sitting here, surrounded by these amazing people, I make a decision. I’m going to lie to myself and settle into the reality that I’ve found new people. I won’t dwell on the likelihood that Stone will drop me like a hot potato when he gets bored with me.

“Hey,” Stone says, nudging me. “Food’s ready. You want me to grab a plate for you?”

“What?” I ask, still lost in thought.

“Want me to grab your food, or do you want to get your own?”

“Oh.” My stomach gurgles, remembering the deliciousness of lunch on Friday. “I’ll come in and get my own.”

“Good. Come on. We’ll go together,” he says, pushing his chair back from the table.

I start to stand, and Stone moves the chair out for me before I can twist my body around the structure. “Thanks,” I tell him, not used to such gentlemanly behavior.

“You sure you’re okay?” he asks me, brushing my hair over my shoulder as I straighten.

“I’m good,” I lie.

He tilts his head, looking at me with knitted brows. “I’m calling bullshit.”