by A C Warneke
Armand’s gut clenched at the thought and he curled his hands into fists, squeezing the blood from his fingers. He wouldn’t allow his brother to get hurt, not if he could prevent it from happening at all.
When he seduced the name of Melanie’s protector from her, he would find the loophole that would allow a memory spell to be cast. If he could extract her from his brother’s life now, before it was too late, then maybe Vaughn’s suffering wouldn’t be so severe. Because if she was allowed to keep interfering, keep twisting Vaughn around her little finger, there was going to be no salvation for him.
Determined, Armand left his room, avoiding his brothers as he made his way down the hall. He didn’t want his brother knowing what he had to do, knowing Vaughn would kill him. In time, Vaughn would forgive him. It might take a few years but eventually, Vaughn would forgive him. He prayed he wasn’t going to make things worse even if the thought of losing his brother to a… human was unthinkable.
Chapter Eight
Jenna left around five and immediately after, Melanie hopped into the shower to get cleaned up. She wanted to look her best when she knocked on Vaughn’s door that evening to ask if he wanted to go out and grab a bite to eat, maybe see a movie or something, anything, just so long as they could spend some time together, with their clothes on. As much as she loved having sex with the man, she was desperate to learn everything there was to know about him.
With a towel wrapped around her sun-kissed body, Melanie stood in front of the mirror, unable to wipe the foolish grin from her face. Humming to herself, she brushed out her long hair. She was loath to leave the humid warmth of her bathroom but she had to get dressed and all of her clothes were in the bedroom.
She planned on wearing the outfit she purchased a few weeks ago when she was out with Vanessa and Frankie: a sexy, strappy red dress that hugged her curves. Before New Year’s she would never have dreamed of wearing something so daring but meeting Vaughn changed everything. Now, she knew she was desirable, at least to one über-sexy man, and really, one was all she wanted. With one last giddy smile to her reflection, she opened the door.
“How did you get an apartment here?” Armand’s deep voice resonated from the entry of her apartment, making Melanie nearly jump out of her skin.
Looking over her bare shoulder, she saw him leaning against the door, looking dark and brooding, his arms crossed over his broad chest. His eyes flashed green fire and the absurd thought that his eyes were the same color as the stone in her necklace popped into her head. She also realized he really had pretty eyes, or at least they would be if they weren’t practically slaying her where she stood.
Plus, he was standing inside her apartment and she hadn’t invited him in. And with only a towel wrapped around her body, a towel that barely covered her ass, she felt exposed. Folding her arms over her own chest, mirroring his belligerent pose and hoping her towel didn’t fall, she asked, “How did you get in here?”
“Key,” he growled, pushing off the door and stalking closer, his huge body moving with predatory grace. He seemed so much larger when he was in her small apartment, so much more… daunting. But she still had that feeling that beneath his hard exterior was a nice, squishy center. Granted, right now it was really, really hard to imagine it, especially with the way he loomed, but it was there. He was trying to intimidate her by his sheer size and if he kept looming it might actually work. “Answer my question. How did you get an apartment here?”
Figuring it wouldn’t hurt to answer his questions, she opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. Her brows pulled together and her lips pursed as she tried to remember. It was less than a week ago, only she had no memory of how she actually came to live there. Oh, crap! Someone messed with her memories after all. Helplessly, she looked at Armand. “It’s the strangest thing… I’m not sure.”
Armand’s eyes slid close for a moment as a muscle pulsed in his clenched jaw and Melanie took a step away from him. Anger, no fury, emanated off him in waves. His wrath was a sight to behold but she didn’t know why he would be angry with her. She hadn’t done anything. Clutching the towel to her chest, she took a step forward and put a hand on his arm, “Armand?”
Without warning, he tackled her, pushing her onto the bed and following her down until his body covered hers. Alarmed, she pressed her hands against his solid chest, the weight of him crushing her. With little effort, he grabbed her wrists in one hand and lifted them above her head, bringing his body even closer. She could see his pulse fluttering madly in the strong column of his throat, hear the harsh rasp of his breath. His gaze burned into hers, “Tell me, damn you.”
“I told you,” she said softly, her heart pounding in her chest as the heat from his body burned through the thin material of her towel. Up close and this personal, he was bigger than he had been just a few moments before and impossibly more beautiful. His body completely covered hers and she knew that there wasn’t an ounce of fat on his muscled frame. It was as if he was hewn from stone. He was extraordinarily attractive with his short black hair standing on end, his jade green eyes moving over her face, his sculpted lips pursed in anger.
His nostrils flared as he pushed her further into the bed but his voice was low and seductive as he purred, “Tell me.”
“I. Don’t. Remember,” she repeated, twisting her body and trying to push him off. It was as effective as a butterfly batting its wings against a windshield. Meeting his eyes, she scowled, “Unlike you, someone was successful in altering my memories.”
The growl that emanated from the back of his throat was low and threatening. But she didn’t fear him and she didn’t struggle. His eyes were no longer cold as they glared at her and she felt the coiled power that he held so tightly inside start to unwind. A bead of sweat rolled down the hollow of his cheek as he held himself about her. Yet he didn’t move, he only stared at her and looked for something, she just wasn’t sure what.
Her gaze moved over the taut features of his beautiful face, the anguish in his green eyes. But then something changed as he gave her a look that smoldered and he let his lips curl into a devastating, knowing, smile. She had to suck in her breath at the instantaneous affect it had on her, She felt the power of that smile in her toes and her body responded to the heated promise in his gaze but she refused to acknowledge her attraction.
“I can make you want me,” he crooned, bringing his hand up and brushing a strand of damp hair from her face.
She wasn’t prepared for this new attack and she shook her head no, not taking her eyes from his, “No, you can’t.”
“I can make you forget about Vaughn.” His hand slid down her throat in a sensuous caress as his eyes dipped briefly to her lips. Involuntarily, her tongue darted out and licked her lower lip and his smile deepened. Touching the damp spot with the tip of his finger, he murmured, “I wouldn’t even have to cast a spell. I could simply… kiss you.”
He bent his head and gently placed his lips on hers, pressing light kisses along the seam of her mouth. After a few moments when she didn’t respond, he looked at her, “Kiss me back, damn you.”
She shook her head no, “You’re not the man I want to be kissing.”
“I can smell you,” he growled, running his hand down her side and resting it against the bare flesh of her thigh. “You’re wet; you want me.”
“You’re delusional.” Her voice was barely audible because her body was responding to his seduction but she didn’t want him. “Why are you doing this? What are you trying to prove?”
His gaze moved once more across her face and he finally shrugged, “That you’re no different than any other girl, that a few stolen kisses can tempt you away from my brother.”
She sucked her lower lip between her teeth and shook her head, “But they can’t.”
“I haven’t even gotten started yet, sweetheart,” he threatened seductively. “All that lies between us is a thin towel and a pair of pants.”
“And permission on my part,” she added. Shaking h
er head, she met his eyes, “You don’t have that and you never will.”
“Does my brother mean so much to you then?” he asked softly, grabbing a strand of hair between his thumb and forefinger and bringing it up to his nose. Holding her gaze, he inhaled the scent of vanilla and Melanie, a slight smile playing about his beautiful mouth.
Dumbly, she nodded, unable to form words. Or thoughts.
He brushed the damp hair over her lips, his expression almost wistful as he watched the hair cling to her mouth. “You’re so damn pretty, so damn innocent, and you’re going to destroy Vaughn with your innocence.”
“I won’t,” she breathed.
He let out a humorless laugh as he sat up and stared down at her. His hands were shaking. “I’d do anything to protect him. Anything.”
“I know,” Melanie said softly, wishing she could reassure him that she was not the enemy. Carefully, so as not to dislodge her towel, she maneuvered her body so she was sitting on her knees, facing him. “But you must know that I’d never hurt him.”
“How are you even able to get up to the fourteenth floor?” he asked, his voice breaking in his misery. The anguish she saw in the depths of his eyes wounded her very soul. She wanted to take the pain away but she knew that she wasn’t the girl to do it. “You shouldn’t be here at all.”
“And yet here I am,” she murmured, holding her arms out to the side in a helpless gesture and shaking her head in sympathy. She was as lost as he was. “I can’t explain it, Armand. It’s just the way it is.”
She looked at him with compassion. There was no condemnation in the blue depths, only understanding and he had never felt such desolation as he did in that moment. There was going to be no hope for his brother. “It’s too dangerous for you to be here.”
She smiled self-mockingly at him, “You’re the only threat I’ve encountered and you’re not much of a threat.”
He choked on surprised laughter. Grabbing her shoulders, his hands moved slightly over her, needing to feel her. The silk of her skin beneath his palms, the barely hidden curves of her body beneath the towel, the earnest blue eyes that stared up at him and invited all types of hopeless desires…. She was all that led his kind to hell and gods above how he envied his brother.
Shaking his head to clear it of that dangerous thought, he knew it was time to finish what he came here to do. Softly, he murmured, “Tell me the name of your guardian, Melanie.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” she frowned, shaking her head in confusion.
He briefly looked around the small room before his eyes landed on her nightstand. Grabbing the pendant from the table, he held it up for her to see, “Who gave you this?”
Not taking her eyes from his, she caught her lower lip between her teeth as she took the necklace from his hands and draped it around her neck once more. Her fingers glided over the chain, straightening the kinks and then smoothing over the pendant as it settled between her breasts. Heat radiated outwards from the stone, warming her skin and she had the strangest feeling that it didn’t want her to betray Omari. “Is it wise to give you the name of the man who helped me?”
Armand’s lips curled upwards in a trust-me smile, “I don’t need your help but you should know that the longer it takes me to discover his name, the greater the danger Vaughn will be in. You wouldn’t want that on your conscience, would you?”
Moistening her lips, she asked, “What kind of danger?”
“The very worst kind,” he answered his expression meaningful. Reaching out, he ran the back of his fingers along the smooth curve of her cheek, “Tell me the name, Melanie. Don’t let anything happen to my brother.”
She caught her lower lip between her teeth as she heard his words, felt his touch, and she was tempted to give him what he wanted. Yet something prickled at the back of her head, something that said all would be lost if she trusted him with the name and she would lose Vaughn before she ever really had him. If she told him Omari’s name, what would happen? Shaking her head, she said, “No.”
He closed his eyes in pain and let out a long breath. “Hellfire.”
Unable to bear any more of his torment, she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and pulled him to her body, hugging him. She felt his jaw flex against her collar bone, felt his breath against her skin. “I’m not a threat, Armand.”
His body jerked as he guffawed but he didn’t pull away. He didn’t return the hug either. “You have no idea how big of a threat you are and I hate you for what you are doing to Vaughn. You will destroy him.”
Her brows twisted together at those words because they didn’t make any sense. She only just met Vaughn, how could she be doing anything to him? Yes, the sex was phenomenal and she had the euphoric feeling that maybe he was her soul mate, but it was still so early in their relationship. “I wouldn’t….”
Armand pressed his nose against the curve of her neck, breathing in her fresh, clean scent. It was intoxicating and he could understand Vaughn’s willingness to risk it all for her. But she was still a human and it didn’t matter how delicious she smelled, how luscious her body felt in his arms, she was human.
Uncomfortable with her benevolence, he shrugged out of her arms, forcing himself to stand up and walk away from her. He took a breath before turning around and facing her, “You don’t belong here, Melanie. I am going to make sure you are gone before any more damage is done.”
She put her hands on her waist, her elbows sticking out in a defiant pose, “And I say I do belong here, in this apartment and possibly even with your brother. And nothing you do or say will change my mind.”
“I’ll tell Vaughn you slept with me,” he threatened, narrowing his eyes as he looked at her wearing nothing but a towel and that damn pendant. She actually believed she could win in a battle between the two of them. He almost admired her for her foolishness.
“I thought we had come to an accord so why are you doing this?” she scowled, ignoring the way her heart rate increased at his words. Vaughn didn’t know her very well and with the way they got together, it wouldn’t be too much of a leap to believe she would sleep with Armand. Hell, for all Vaughn knew, she had slept with half the male population of Minnesota, that she always had wild and reckless sex with random strangers in the bathrooms of bars.
But there was something about Vaughn, something that made her feel like she belonged somewhere, with someone. He made her feel bold and beautiful and reckless and he was worth fighting for, even if she was on the same side as his brother.
He looked at her as if she were mad. “Leave Vaughn alone.”
“No,” she firmly replied, standing up and jumping down to the ground. She crossed the floor until she stood toe to toe with him, tilting her head back to glare up at him, folding her arms across her chest. “I will not leave him alone.”
“Then I will personally hold you responsible for whatever befalls him,” he snarled, crossing his arms over his chest, mirroring her image. He was even bigger than Vaughn and she felt like a Chihuahua going up against a Rottweiler. He could eat her up and spit her out before she even knew what hit her. Nut he could also be fiercely loyal and protective of those he loved and she respected the hell out of that.
Going up on her toes, she pressed her index finger into the solid walls of his chest, “I’ve told you, Armand, I am not going to hurt him. I would never hurt him.”
“You don’t know that.” He shook his head, his expression so full of sorrow she was momentarily stunned. All she could do was stare up at him, at the raw beauty of his sculpted face, made even more captivating by the jade green color of his too-knowing eyes. “Just being who you are hurts him.”
“Tell me what you mean,” she whispered. As she continued to stare into his eyes, an ominous chill went down her spine and she shivered. Still, she refused to look away, hoping he would explain his words, explain why he believed she was a threat. He believed it so strongly that he was willing to seduce her to keep her away from Vaughn. If she only held his
gaze long enough he would tell her everything. Or she would see it in the depths of his green eyes. If she only looked hard enough….
The sound of someone knocking on her door broke the spell, though they continued to stare at one another. Clearing her throat, she called out, “Come in.”
The door opened and she knew without looking who it was. Vaughn’s voice was filled with confusion as he asked, “What’s going on here?”
“I didn’t sleep with him,” Melanie said, trashing any attempt Armand might have made to use that balderdash. Sticking her tongue out at Armand, she turned around and faced Vaughn. Staring too long into Armand’s eyes probably would have been unwise anyway. “Your brother had some concerns and we discussed them.”
“In nothing but a towel?” Vaughn asked, his eyebrow arching in disbelief. Still, he crossed the room and put his hands on her shoulders, needing to touch her.
“Well, the room is rather small and there isn’t a lot of privacy,” Melanie explained matter-of-factly. “I couldn’t very well drop my towel and get dressed in front of him.”
“You could have taken your clothes into the bathroom and dressed,” he offered, a smile playing about his lips, obviously amused instead of angered by Melanie’s temporary ridiculousness.
“Oh,” Melanie said honestly. Dumbly. “I didn’t think of that.”
He chuckled, pulling her into his arms and hugging her. “Were you able to settle your differences at least?”
“No,” she answered frankly, putting her arms around his waist and breathing him in. He felt like heaven. “But I think we have come to an understanding of sorts.”
“And what’s that?” Armand asked wearily from behind her.
