Stone Passions Trilogy (46 page)

He stopped abruptly, a stain of color spreading over his cut cheekbones as his brown eyes bore into her. Licking her lips, she forced herself to meet his gaze and ignore the way her heart pounded furiously in her chest. “Oh, gosh, that’s not what I meant to say. It’s not that I don’t want to have sex with you because I do I just didn’t want to blurt it out like that because we barely know one another and it would be incredibly stupid to just jump into bed with each other and I’m babbling… make me stop babbling, Rhys, before I say anything else.”

He looked over his shoulder at the interior of the building and frowned, an expression that seemed out of place on his handsome face. When he remained silent, she turned her head to see what held his attention but didn’t see anything out of place. It was the same opulent atrium that had overwhelmed her senses the first time she visited Melanie at her apartment all of those weeks ago. Granted, it was gorgeous, with the intricate stone work and soaring ceilings, like an enchanted castle out of long forgotten fairy tale, but there was nothing out of place.

The only other person there was a strange little man behind the counter who was watching them with an eager smile and she wondered if he had heard her blunder. What could she have been thinking, to proposition him like that? She really needed to work on her flirting skills.

With a sigh, she pushed a strand of black hair out of her eyes and twisted her head around so she was looking out the door, to the real world where she didn’t make a fool out of herself in her first attempt at dating since Jeremy. It wasn’t that she was throwing out the possibility of sleeping with the man but it wasn’t smart to just blurt it out like that. The hot rush of desire that had been coursing through her veins must have fried her brain because she never would have stumbled so badly. Plus, she would have waited until they had gone on a few dates.

She shouldn’t even be thinking about Rhys in a sexual manner at all. He hadn’t even asked her out, not that there had been a lot of opportunity to ask her out. They had barely just met and she was obsessing over something that probably meant nothing to him. Prettier girls than her undoubtedly threw themselves at him all of the time. In fact, he probably felt sorry for her and wasn’t sure how to reply.

The longer he remained silent, scowling at nothing in particular, the more foolish she felt. Instead of explaining her huge momentary lack of speech control, she found herself staring at the ground and muttering, “Unless you’re not interested….”

His warm palms wrapped around her upper arms and she looked up. When she saw the desire flaming in his hot, brown eyes she had to remind herself to breathe. His eyes gleamed as he looked at her and cleared his throat. “Sweetheart, I am very interested,” he rasped, his voice rough with emotion. “You have no idea how very interested I am. But it would be a bad idea if we didn’t at least think about it.”

“Why?” Oh, god! Why couldn’t she just let it go? If he decided to take her up on her offer she’d have to explain that she didn’t mean it. Except there was that throbbing hum of desire that was scorching her belly at the thought of giving in to madness and sleeping with him.

“Your sister is… dating my brother,” he said in way of explanation, which was a weak excuse. At her frown, he smiled wryly, “Their relationship is complicated.”

Jenna snorted at that, “Oh, please. They’re made for one another. Haven't you noticed that the world simply disappears when the two of them look at one another? Theirs is possibly the least complicated relationship I’ve ever seen.”

Rhys’s lips curled upwards into a sexy but humorless smile, “Appearances can be deceiving, sweetheart. There are things you don’t know….”

“Just forget it,” she exhaled in frustration and humiliation. If he didn’t want her, he could have just told her instead of trying to spare her feelings with a ridiculous tale. She took a step to leave when she found herself pulled into his arms and surrounded by his body, staring into the chocolate depths of Rhys’s eyes.

Her own eyes widened as he stared down at her with naked hunger, as his thumb brushed over her lower lip, lingering this time. Lightning cracked through the walls around her heart and her stomach dipped with excitement. He bent his head until his breath mingled with hers and she thought, she
hoped
, that he was going to kiss her but he didn’t.

“If things were different,” he rumbled, his voice low and fervent as he held her so close. “If I wasn’t what I was and you weren’t Melanie’s sister I would have you back upstairs, naked and on your back and tied to my bed. I would torture you with pleasure until your body was weeping for release and then I would fuck you until your brain exploded in ecstasy. And then I would start over and do it all again.”

The air rushed out of her as she exhaled, her body softening to accept what his eyes and voice were promising. Her tongue flicked out and touched his thumb, tasting the spicy clean flavor of him. His eyes slid closed for a moment as he let out an anguished groan. It was all the encouragement she needed, “Maybe just one night?”

He opened his eyes and they glittered in the darkness, “One night would never be enough, Jenna, and if I had just one taste of you, I’d want it all.”

She swallowed thickly, staring into the endless depths of his eyes and thinking that they were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. The feelings that were swamping her were similar to how she felt when she drank too much wine only she hadn’t had any wine in months. Her head was spinning and she just wanted to kiss him and lose herself in sensation. She wanted to have sex with him, a virtual stranger, just to feel alive.

Shaking her head, needing to break the spell he had unwittingly cast, she stepped out of his embrace. She laughed uneasily as she pushed her hair out of her face once more, “You’re right, of course you’re right. Giving into this craziness would be so wrong.”

“It wouldn’t be wrong,” he countered, confusing her. Holding his hand out towards her in silent entreaty, he smiled ruefully, “But it wouldn’t be wise, not yet.”

She laughed in earnest now, slipping her hand into his and welcoming the jolt of electricity that reminded her that she hadn’t died almost seven years ago, that life did go on. “It’s alright. We don’t want to do anything we’ll regret….”

“We wouldn’t regret it,” he grumbled, his lips quirking upwards in a dazzling smile, making him look like Loki, a mischievous god among mere men. Bringing her hand up to his lips, he kissed her knuckles once more in that courtly way of his and his eyes sparkled, “Just so you know, I fully intend on getting you into my bed.”

She crinkled her nose as she chuckled softly, “Then I will look forward to that day.”

“Night,” he corrected.

“Night.” She laughed as he pushed open the door and they stepped out into the frigid Minnesota winter. The only drawback of a festival in winter was the fact that it took place in winter. Rhys wrapped his arms around her and the cold wasn’t so bad, even if her heart ached with what could have been.

But life was frequently unfair and it could change so quickly between one heart beat and the next so she was just going to enjoy the moments she had with the fascinating Rhys Nosuntres.

Chapter 2

Rhys knew they had spent too much time in Nod’s presence when Jenna offered sex. Her eyes widened in alarm at the words that came out of her mouth and he had to bite his tongue to keep from accepting. The little sprite tended to have that kind of effect on humans: lowering their inhibitions and making them behave as if they were intoxicated on alcohol and aphrodisiacs. Foolishly, Rhys had wanted her offer to be genuine and had it been made in earnest he would have taken her upstairs and had her naked and in his bed in a heartbeat. However, he probably would have saved the restraints for another time.

His heart thudded dully in his chest as he held the exquisite, raven-haired beauty in his arms. Her delicate scent of night-blooming jasmine wrapped itself around him, the exotic scent more erotic than any of the more cloying perfumes favored by many women of his acquaintance. He hadn’t expected to like her so much and on such short acquaintance but there was just something about her that he found vastly appealing. He wanted to get her into his bed but he also wanted to know everything about her. If nothing else, he better understood Vaughn’s strong reaction to Jenna’s sister.

At the time he had encouraged his brother's infatuation, not knowing the drastic measure Vaughn would take to keep Melanie safe and not understanding the need to do so. He had enjoyed watching Vaughn behave like a fool even if a part of him had been a little envious of the strong attraction between Vaughn and Melanie. Knowing the impossible choice Melanie was going to have to make in a few days, he had ceased envying his brother.

Until he met Jenna as a man.

While Melanie might choose to accept Vaughn’s gift, Rhys knew that there wasn't a chance in Hell that Jenna could accept his. She had a young daughter who needed her mother. If she had been anyone else, he could have played his games with her and they both would have been sexually sated. But she was the type of girl who wanted forever, not a casual fling, no matter how sweetly she asked. Glancing down at the beautiful woman, he let out a sigh. For the first time in his very long life he wished he wasn’t what he was, that he wasn’t a gargoyle.

He wished he could offer her forever and she would be able to accept it.

Was this how Vaughn felt when he met Melanie? This instant connection that was as devastating as it was inexplicable? He was powerless to resist it even as he knew they couldn’t have anything more than a few stolen moments. If Melanie accepted Vaughn’s gift in a few days, if she became a gargoyle, Jenna would lose Melanie and she would despise him and the thought of Jenna suffering made his chest ache. Why couldn’t she have been a beautiful stranger, as Melanie had been to Vaughn?

Rhys vividly recalled the first time he had seen Jenna. It was shortly after Melanie had moved into the closet that had been converted in a hurry when a pixie needed a place to stay. The two of them had come up onto the roof to enjoy the unnatural warmth beneath the winter sun. Humans – normal humans – avoided the castle because they grew increasingly ill from the amount of magic concentrated therein. Melanie, Jenna and Jenna’s daughter apparently had been the exceptions and it had infuriated Armand, which Rhys always appreciated. As much as he loved his oldest brother, Rhys felt that Armand was too tightly wound for his own good.

Rhys had been drawn to Jenna immediately and it had been all he could do to remain standing when he had wanted to claim her right then and there as a gargoyle. That would have terrified both of the girls, since Melanie had not yet been made aware of their true natures. Plus, Armand would have taken a chisel to him had he done something so stupid. Hell, his older brother had almost taken a chisel to Vaughn just a few days before for a similar offense.

It hadn’t helped matters that Jenna had run her slender hands all over his stone body. Her touch had sent waves of sensation along his stone skin, deep into his rock hard belly. He hadn’t known a human’s touch during the day could be so damn arousing and he hadn’t wanted her to ever stop. But then, just moments later, she had spread her towel out and lay down on it in nothing more than a skimpy bikini.

It was worth losing the feel of her hands when she had unhooked her top and then rolled over.

Even in black and white and shades of gray she had been stunning and he had enjoyed watching her sunbathe beneath the winter sun. Her firm, ripe breasts the perfect size for his human hand. They weren’t as full as Melanie’s but they had been flawless and he had wanted to consume her. Her body was sleekly muscled, slender and graceful, a dancer’s body. Having two gorgeous girls sunbathe nearly nude on the rooftop while he was in gargoyle form had been one of the most exciting things to have happened to him during the day in a very long time.

When Melanie had teasingly inferred that he wasn’t as handsome as Vaughn, he actually growled. It had not been a rational move on his part but his reactions towards Jenna were not rational. He just knew that he had wanted her to like him before she had even met him.

It had probably been a blessing that he had not been able to meet her before tonight because had he met her before he got to know Melanie he wouldn't have been able to keep his hands to himself. He would have caused Jenna immeasurable pain because he wouldn’t have known her heartache, her close ties to her family, her devotion to her daughter. Now he knew how very difficult the choice was that Melanie was going to have to make, a choice that he wouldn’t ask Jenna to make until the time was right, if the time would ever be right.

As they walked along in companionable silence, his conflicting thoughts plaguing his mind, he couldn’t keep his eyes from Jenna. Her glossy black hair gently moved with the wind, sticking to her lips and driving him crazy with lustful thoughts. Her ears were starting to glow bright red from the frigid cold and he wanted to smack himself for dragging her out of the apartment before she could finish getting her winter gear on. “Are you cold?”