Stone had an extremely effortless talent to be sinfully seductive. He just stood there and was naturally irresistible. Maybe it was his good looks or his mysterious aura. Maybe it was his artistic tattoos or his toned body. Maybe it was him as a person. A secret nerd that was funny and challenged me in every way possible.

Maybe it was all the reasons and so much more.

I could also feel his gaze on me. His eyes travelled from my being in contact with mine to my lips and then to my two-piece black bikini.

I felt bare under his watch. It was like he always knew what I was thinking about.

He shook out of his trance like state and came to sit down next to me.

Brennan sat down at the other side of me as he grinned "See, Little Ella. This is so much more fun than tutoring that asshole, Chase."

Flipping him off, I replied "What is your problem with Chase? I don't get what he has done to you."

"He has not done anything to me," Brennan admitted, "but I have to support my guy, Stone."

"How nice." I deadpanned before I turned to Stone and asked, "And what is your great reason to hate him?"

The expression of disbelief from lunchtime had returned.

He grumbled his response. It was too low and too quiet that there was no way Lana and Brennan could hear it "You know why."

I shook off the need to ask more on what he meant by that and told Brennan "It was actually Lana that tried to push me and Chase together at the start."

Brennan went wide-eyed in shock as he looked at her "Why would you do that?"

"I thought it was a good idea." Lana held her hands up "I thought Ella was lonely and needed somebody."

"Hey!" I reached out and swatted her arm "I am a pretty cool person on my own."

"Of course, you are." She agreed, her tone the opposite of sarcastic.

"I feel kind of lame that my best friend had to go hunting to find me a possible boyfriend and someone that would want me."

She countered back with "That is nonsense! I can name at least five guys that have tried to pursue you—"

Growling cut her off.

Lana held back a giggle and continued "You have always pushed people away. You are trying to hide your inner helpless romantic."

Stone's jaw unclenched and stopped ticking.

"Drizella Miller. The Notebook crier." The giant whispered in his husky voice.

I rolled my eyes before I stuck my tongue out at him "Call me that again and I will give you something to cry about."

He chuckled deeply "So much violence compacted into such a tiny body."

"I am not that small!" I yelled before I lied "I am five foot two."