Stone Romance (Stone Passion #2) (42 page)

“It has always been Omari’s intention to give you and Rhys time to get to know one another,” Medusa murmured, lounging back against another mound of pillows. “He had procured the ambrosia for Melanie days before he sent the two of you off on this little quest. It’s very romantic if you think about it and one of the reasons I fell in love with the scoundrel.”

“
Deus ex
machina
kind of takes on new meaning when you actually have a god that interferes,” Jenna muttered.

“He doesn’t solve any insurmountable problems without exacting a h
igh price,” Medusa corrected. “And h
is interference can sometimes be worse than had he left it alone. It can be a double-edged sword, you know; taking anything from a god
is always a
risky proposition.”

Jenna nodded her head in agreement as Medusa sank further into the pillows, a soft smile on her lips, “He has given me some of the happiest years of my life
but also so much misery
; I will miss him when I am finally able to leave this accursed island.”

“Won’t you be able to see him?” Jenna asked, disconcerted by the sad smile curving Medusa’s lips. “I mean, once the curse is lifted and you’re able to travel?”

Medusa shrugged her delicate shoulders and simply smiled.

Moments later, the room was invaded by three children and Rhys, the noise raucous and exuberant. Raphe curled up next to his mother as the older two stayed by Rhys’s side as he sat down next to Jenna, pulling her into his arms and kissing the top of the head. Jenna had to smile as Michael and Leo continued talking to Rhys, as Medusa wrapped her arms around Raphe and hugged him to her, a gentle, motherly, smile on her face as she held her youngest son.

Leaning against Rhys, Jenna asked, “I take it the gargoyles age at a normal rate?”

Medusa’s lips curled up in a smile as she kissed the top of Raphe’s head, “Yes. They age as humans until they
reach the age of twenty-five, or so, and then
they remain beautiful young men forever after.
”

“Your mother is right,” Jenna breathed later that night as she lay in Rhys arms. Trailing kisse
s
along the strong column of his throat, she purred, “You are a beautiful young man. You’re also a beautiful gargoyle and right now I am torn.”

“Why is that?” he asked, his hands moving
leisurely
over her body, stroking the curve of her waist, the flare of her hip.

“I never want to leave this haven,” she said, punctuating the words with light kisses across his collar bone. “But I’m eager to return home and see my daughter, to hold her in my arms and hug her until my memories of never having her are erased.”

“Soon enough,” he assured her, pushing the soft material of her gown off her shoulder and kissing the naked skin beneath.

Pushing herself up
until she straddled his waist
, she looked
down
at him, “What’s going to happen when we return to reality?”

He gently traced the line of her jaw, the length of her throat; his finger hooked into the gown and gently pulled the fabric down further, exposing her breast though his eyes never left hers. Lightly, he brushed his thumb over her sensitive nipple, gazing at her as if she were the sun and the stars, “What do you want to happen?”

She covered his hand with hers so that they were both cupping her breast, “I never want this to end.”

He smiled slightly, “But that doesn’t answer my question. Would you consider moving into the castle with me?”

Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she asked, “What about Ferris?”

He chuckled, “There is plenty of room for her, even with three additional gargoyles.”

Her grip on his hand loosened and he resumed gently torturing her nipple. “I’d have to think about it before I made any decisions.”

“Of course.”
He
raised
his head and captured her nipple between his lips, plying it with his tongue until pleasure spiraled outwards, pooling in her lower belly with the need to be filled. He released the hard nub with a soft pop before placing a reverent kiss over her heart.

Suddenly, she was flying through the air, landing with a soft
whoomf
on a pile of pillows as Rhys’s hard body covered hers. He gazed down at her with burning chocolate eyes, passion and possession making the brown depths glow. His skin was burnished as he growled, “Put your arms above your head, Jenna.”

With a sultry smile, she slowly raised her arms until they were stretched out above her. Her eyes widened in surprise as vines twine
d
around her wrists, binding her arms in place. Excitement pulsed in her groin, knowing what was to come. Breathlessly, she murmured, “Don’t blindfold me this time, Rhys; I want to see everything.”

Rhys’s smile darkened as he slowly drew his fingers up and then down the soft skin of her underarm, “Everything?”

Uncertain, she nodded slowly and every hard surface became a mirror, reflecting the image of Rhys’s body covering hers into infinity. The warm candle light made Rhys’s skin gleam, made her skin glow, and it was beautiful and erotic and perfect. She wished she could capture the beauty but she knew that her artistic skills were not up to the task and for that she was sorry.

Tilting her head back, giving Rhys easier access to her sensitive throat, she caught the reflection of his muscled
bottom overhead. She followed the sinuous curve of his butt as he flexed and the muscles contracted. In that moment she was grateful that he had cut off his long hair; she wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the perfection of his body
had he kept his hair long
.

His movement was slow, fluid, as he kissed and nipped along her shoulders, her ribs, her navel, pulling the dress down as he went. Her breasts were thrust upwards, her nipples pointing towards the reflection, and she swallowed; in that moment she was beautiful. And the contrast between Rhys’s auburn
hair
against her sun-kissed skin was almost too much; he kissed her softly
and
she felt his love in each brush of his lips.

Bending her knees on either side of Rhys’s hard body, she opened her body up to him, trusting him completely. He reached down and grabbed the hem of her dress, leisurely dragging it up her legs. Lifting off her body just enough to slide the material
upwards until
it
was gathered
around her waist
,
until she was exposed on top and below. His fingers continued moving along her
thigh,
lightly drawing circles on her skin and making goose bumps break out, making her shiver.

His head moved between her legs and she held her breath, unable to tear her eyes from the sensual reflection overhead. Everything had a dreamlike quality to it and when Rhys drew his tongue along the swollen folds of her sex she shivered again. She was stretched out and bared to him, naked and vulnerable, and she had never felt safer or more cherished.

Warm fingers wrapped around her thighs, holding her in place as Rhys feasted on her sex, torturing her with fingers and tongue. His head moved and his hair brushed against her inner thighs and she couldn’t look away. His large hand slid up her body, his fingers long and elegant as they covered her breast and pulled at her nipple. She was a voyeur in her own seduction.

Lifting her eyes she caught her own gaze and had to catch her breath: who was that exotic creature whose face was flushed with love and desire? Blue eyes stared back, a knowing look in the liquid depths. Her lips were parted, her skin dewy and blushing; she was fully alive, completely at peace in her own skin and reveling in her sexuality.

Her body was lost as Rhys found the most exquisite nerve and played it until she broke. Her eyes slid closed as her body tightened and her back arched, as she came with Rhys’s mouth on her sex. As she lay trembling, he smoothly moved up her body, entering her in one powerful thrust, setting off another, deeper orgasm.

He buried his lips against her next, breathing raggedly as he moved within her, “I love you
, Jenna; I’ve always loved you.”

Tears slipped down her cheeks as his words wrapped around her and entered her soul; she was meant to be with Rhys.
Forever.

The plane landed at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport a few days later at one in the morning, plenty of time for Jenna to get home and have Rhys return to the castle with his brothers in tow. Jenna could not believe how much she had lived in just a few short weeks. It was already April
, Ferris’s birthday was quickly approaching,
and in her time away she had lived a lifetime.
Literally, in the case of her trip to
the
alternate reality.

She had such an amazing time as she delved deeper into the mythological world, as she got to know Medusa. It was painful to say goodbye to the beautiful woman, to leave her behind as her last three sons left home. Medusa had stood beneath the stars with a smile pasted on her lips even as her eyes swam with tears. Watching her hug her sons, Jenna felt an ache in her chest, a pang of sympathy for the woman who
had no choice but to let her children go
. Medusa had waved madly as the small group picked their way along the rocks to the harbor that held a dinghy that would take them out to their boat.

Since they didn’t make
a
stop at any of the islands, they made it back to the mainland before the sun rose, arriving at the villa with a few minutes to spare. Leander,
Eryx
and Orion were passed out, their bodies entwined with the naked bodies of several nymphs. Sleepily, they had come awake and welcomed the newest gargoyles into their fold.

That evening, they took off from the airport around eight in the evening but because they were travelling westward they had a lot more time to spare; they were able to take a direct flight to the cities, something that Rhys hated but suffered through all the same.

With the extra passengers the plane ride home had been less sexy but no less exciting. Michael, Leo and Raphe had loved flying as much as Rhys loathed it. They asked a million questions and kept their eyes glued to the window as the plane took off and landed. While their enthusiasm was contagious, Jenna was more concerned with Rhys, who was only able to handle the flight if his head was in her lap. It wasn’t a hardship.

But coming home was bittersweet and as she unlocked the door to the dark and silent house she felt as if she were returning from a fantasy that she wasn’t sure had even been real. The abrupt change back to normalcy was a weight that settled so easily on her shoulders. She tried to shake off the depressing feeling but it was just… there,
as oppressive as
a cold, dead
weight
. It was as if the previous weeks hadn’t happened and nothing had changed. As if it had all been a marvelous dream, one that she had never wanted to waken from
but
the
n the
alarm
sounded
and
when she
tried to recapture
the fantasy
it was just out of reach.

Pasting a smile on her face, she turned to face Rhys, determined to remain cheerful until he left. He had three boys to deal with; he didn’t need to deal with her strange mood, too. “Thank you, Rhys; this trip has been incredible.”