When I realised how long I had spoken for, I shut my mouth and focused on something else other than him and his bare torso.

He broke the silence by demanding in his rough voice "Keep talking."

I let out a small laugh "What?"

"Keep talking." He grumbled out, unhappy that I had grown quiet.

I did not talk. I was more interested in looking at his tattoos.

"Medusa, I don't think you are going to find the answers to the universe on my chest." He uttered quietly and gruffly with a hint of amusement in his usually monotonous voice.

"I was not looking!" I denied before deciding to put our height difference to some good use "Your abs are at my eye-level. That is not my fault."

Stone's lip quirked up for a millisecond.

"Maybe I am just trying to work you out." I shared with him, continuing to keep my chin tilted upwards so I could keep looking up at him.

One of his dark eyebrows raised, silently asking a question.

"Brennan and Lana might be spending more time together so we are forced to speak." I fibbed and then went on to smile as I pointed out "I should get to know my acqenemy."

His attention was on my smile when he grunted "Your what?"

"Acqenemy." I repeated before elaborating "It is a mashup between acquaintance and enemy. That is us."

"I'm glad I inspire you to make new words up, Medusa." He delivered throatily.

I stopped walking and Stone stopped too.

I took a step closer to him and watched as his eyes turned darker. They appeared completely black as he watched me like a lion watching its prey.

All I wanted to do was stand still and study the lines of his tattoos, but I restrained myself.

I rose on my toes and leant close to him. I wanted to catch him off-guard like he had caught me off-guard many times.

"You inspire me to do a lot of things." I told him, lowering my voice into a mere whisper.

The round shoulders moved up and then down. The sharp line of his jaw clenched, and his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. The towering man hunched over me so he could lessen the gap between us

"Like what?" He released hoarsely.

"Plan murder, mostly." I quickly affirmed with a grin before I took a step back.

Stone released a deep breathy chuckle that still sounded hoarse as he watched me turn and walk back the way we had come.

One footstep of his equalled four of mine so he caught up in no time. He lingered near my back while he followed behind me.

"You did not have to stay with me." I told him over my shoulder "You could have been out in the sea surfing."

He grumbled back like he was somehow offended "I will stay with you."