Stone Passions Trilogy (Stone Passion 1, 2, & 3)

by A C Warneke

“It’s quite simple,” she said, looking over her shoulder at the green-eyed man. He was looking at her with the strangest expression, determination and resignation in his eyes. She wasn’t sure it boded well for her… in fact, it probably didn’t. Swallowing against her reservations, she told him, “I convince you that you’re wrong.”

  “That might take a while,” Vaughn chuckled, squeezing her closer and kissing the top of her head. She took strength in the brief kiss.

  Holding Armand’s green gaze, she offered a tentative smile, “I plan on being around for a while.”

  Armand waved his hand through the air as if he were washing his hands of her, which she knew wasn’t true. He would continue to fight her until the end. Armand looked at his brother over the top of Melanie’s head, “Don’t make any promises you cannot keep.”

  “I never do,” Vaughn said solemnly, holding her tighter. He and Armand were obviously continuing a conversation that they had started earlier, one that was about her but didn’t include her. She tilted her head back and looked at Vaughn’s face, seeing how his jaw was clenched as he continued to hold Armand’s gaze. Maybe there was something more to staring contests than she thought, considering how close she felt to getting some answers earlier. Or perhaps she was just imagining things.

  Melanie felt the tension tighten Vaughn’s muscles as the silence became weighted and seemed to drag on and on. Gently, she ran her fingers up his spine as she looked up at him. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  His eyes closed and his nostrils flared slightly as he took a deep breath. With an indulgent smile, he looked down at her, “I know, love. I know.”

  Armand let out a low growl of disbelief as he stormed past Melanie and Vaughn, slamming the door behind him as he left the apartment. After another moment’s silence, Vaughn stepped back, taking Melanie’s hands in his and meeting her gaze, “So, are you going to tell me what really happened this evening?”

  “I told you,” she said with a crooked smile, her eyes drifting briefly to the left. “He had some concerns about my… intentions and I disagreed.”

  “And nothing else happened?” he asked, his gaze intent as he looked at her.

  Widening her smile, she shook her head, “Nothing at all.”

  His brows pulled together, as if he weren’t sure he should believe her or not. Not letting her smile falter even a little bit, she said, “Truly, Vaughn, nothing happened. Well, he did want the name of the man who gave me this necklace but then said he didn’t need my cooperation.”

  For some reason, this admission did not go over well with Vaughn. He closed his eyes and turned away from her, running his hand through his golden hair. Melanie was more interested in the play of his muscles than whatever alarm her words caused. The tight t-shirt he wore only emphasized his masculinity, his strength. She could see the muscles bunch and flex as he moved, the play of cords and sinew was so sexy.

  God, he had held her in his arms as they had sex!

  “What are you?” she asked softly, her gaze moving to his head as he turned around. She saw the panic in his golden eyes yet she continued. “You’re not a vampire or incubus, are you?” At his slightly horrified expression, she quickly added, “You know, needing something from me to survive? My blood or sex?”

  “No,” he said, his expression relaxing. A bit. “I don’t need to take anything from you at all, though I do enjoy the sex.”

  She blushed, lowering her lashes at the heat in his eyes. She wasn’t embarrassed by his bald statement; she was turned on. Licking her lips, she smiled a little, “So do I.”

  He closed the distance between them and put his hands on her waist, loving the curves of her body. Bending his head, he nuzzled her neck, “How much?”

  She let out a little sigh of pleasure as his lips caressed her skin, “Very much.”

  When he began to tug on her towel, she forced herself to step back. Holding onto the material, she looked up at him, her serious expression halting his sexual fantasies in their tracks. “What is it, Melanie?”

  Her tongue darted out and moistened her lips as a slight flush stained her cheeks. “Well, we haven’t been very careful and I think it’s something we should… discuss.”

  “If you’re worried about disease, don’t be,” he said bluntly. “My kind cannot contract sexual diseases or any diseases really. And we don’t pass any on.”

  She nodded her head, taking in that information, “And what about, um, pregnancy?"

  He stared at her for a long moment, having never worried about pregnancy before. He knew it wasn't possible but suddenly the idea of this woman swollen with his baby, holding his child…. Longing, painful in its intensity, rushed through him, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. He was forced to tell her, “It’s not possible.”

  “Because of what you are?” she tilted her head to the side and furrowed her brow. “Or because I’m human?”

  “Ah, it’s a little bit of both, I guess?” he moistened his lips with the tip of his tongue as he paused thoughtfully. “My sperm is incompatible with your egg and I cannot give you children.”

  Again she nodded, swallowing her, what, disappointment? She hardly knew the man and she was nowhere near ready to be a mother. Besides, she had Ferris. And who was to say she and Vaughn were going to last past the winter? While she liked to imagine they were in it for the long haul, she had to be honest with herself: he wasn’t human. She would take what she could now and worry about the details later. They had time. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” He half-smiled at her simple acceptance.

  “Okay,” she repeated, releasing her hold on the towel and letting it drop to the ground.

  His mouth went dry at the sight of her standing naked before him. Her long chocolate hair was damp and clinging to her gorgeous body in thick strands, her breasts were heavy and peaked with tight, coral nipples, the hair between her thighs was still damp and neatly trimmed. Her big, blue eyes stared up at him with desire and something more he didn’t want to name and she was beyond beautiful.

  Holding those eyes, he quickly divested himself of all of his clothes, his erection already pulsating with life. It was thick and stuck nearly straight out from his body, the corded veins sticking out in stark relief against the smooth skin in anticipation of what was to come. Their lovemaking had been both passionate and powerful and Vaughn knew that he would give anything to protect the delectable woman he held in his arms.

  He was about to take her into his arms and kiss her senseless when her eyes dropped to his cock and she seemed to freeze. Her eyes widened in alarm as she continued to gape at his penis. “Melanie?”

  “My God, how were you ever able to fit?” she asked in a horrified whisper. Her eyes flew to his, “You’re enormous.”

  Pride warred with caution at her statement. Slowly, he reached out and ran his palm down her arm, “We fit perfectly.”

  “Yes, but that was before I saw how big you are,” she said, taking a few steps backwards until her knees hit the edge of the bed and she stopped. Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea to have sex with him right now, no matter how incredible the sex was.

  He smiled slightly at her absurd declaration. His hand slid over her belly to the curls between her legs. Curling a finger into her slick folds, he smiled at her quick intake of breath. “You took me into your body as if you were made for me and me alone.”

  His low, seductive voice washed over her, through her, connecting to the feel of his fingers stroking her flesh. As her knees weakened from his velvet caress, from his velvet voice, she reached out and grabbed his forearms. “Is it because of what you are?”

  “I don’t know,” he answered truthfully, shrugging his broad shoulders. “It’s never happened to me before.”

  “How many… how many women have you been with?” she asked, her voice soft and breathless as he continued to caress her with his hand.

  “More than I’d care to admit,” he said grimly. “But none like you.”

  Her smile was a
little wobbly as her legs gave out completely and she fell onto the bed. As she watched, he took his damp fingers and put them in his mouth, tasting her as he had the other night. A hum came from the back of his throat, “You’re delicious.”

  Without another word, he nudged her onto her back and joined her. Instead of covering her body with his, though, he laid out on his back. Taking her hand in his, he curled her fingers around his cock, “I want you to ride me.”

  Propping herself up on her elbow, she watched her hand beneath his stroke his erection. The heat was blistering, nearly burning the flesh of her palm, and it set her own sex on fire. His penis was stone wrapped in silk and felt like perfection in her hand. Any fear she had that he wouldn’t fit swiftly vanished. Of course he would fit. Of course he would.

  Still holding him, she maneuvered her limbs until she was straddling his waist and her legs were on either side of his hard body. Slowly, she guided him into her, feeling her flesh stretch as she took more and more of him in. Gold fire watched her face as she sank down onto him, gold fire that inflamed her. Consumed her. As she took him in completely, she let out a low moan, closing her eyes in bliss. He was made for her and she was made for him.

  “Ride me,” he growled, putting his hands on her hips, the heat of his palms searing her. After her first tentative movements, his hands moved to her breasts, feeling their heavy weights as she rocked forward. He brushed his thumbs over her nipples and held her torso upright as she leaned into his touch. Her fingers wrapped around his wrists, holding him in place, holding onto the only thing that was solid.

  “You’re carved of stone,” she breathed, his body so hard beneath hers, his arms like steel. She opened her eyes and caught the oddest expression fleetingly appear on Vaughn’s face. Before she could ask him about it, his cock bumped something deep inside of her and all coherent thought flew from her head. Her lips formed an ‘O’ and her eyes closed again.

  “Look at me, Melanie,” he urged, his voice dark and sensuous.

  She forced her eyes open, watching him as he watched her, another bond forming and strengthening as she fucked him. Golden eyes devoured her and she wanted to give him everything. As his cock filled her, as she rode it, she felt the tides of her orgasm pulling at her. She was so close. “Come with me.”

  He gritted his teeth, lifting his hips to meet her down strokes, rolling her nipples to increase her pleasure. Her body tightened around him and as the walls of her sheath clenched around his cock, it took everything in him to not go over with her. And when her body collapsed onto his, he wrapped her in his arms until she recovered.

  After a few minutes of him stroking her back and kissing her hair, she lifted her head and looked at him in confusion, “You didn’t come.”

  “I want to come….” He reached out and brushed his thumb over her lower lip, his golden gaze darkening as he stared at her mouth. “Elsewhere.”

  Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she pushed herself off his body after a moment’s indecision. With a sultry expression, she kissed a path down his glorious body, taking her time exploring the hard muscles of his chest, the delineated ridges of his rib cage and taut belly. His skin tasted like the finest chocolates, smooth and rich. She ran her tongue along his hard stomach, loving his taste, loving the low growl that he made and absolutely loving the deep, rumbling purr that came from the back of his throat.

  She had never actually taken a man into her mouth before; it just wasn’t something she wanted to experience with Peter. But now, with Vaughn, she wanted to devour him, she wanted to suck him dry until there was nothing left. His smell was mouth-watering instead of overwhelming, his taste delicious. Tentatively, she ran her tongue along the rigid flesh, tasting herself as she tasted him. When he groaned, she hummed in satisfaction.

  Feeling bolder, she swirled her tongue around the flange, pressing her lips together and sucking the sensitive under ridge into her mouth. She could feel the warmth of his hands as they hovered over her head, not quite willing to push her too far. She loved him for his restraint but she didn’t want him retrained.

  Wrapping one hand around the length and curling the other hand around his scrotum, she took his cock as far into her mouth as she could without choking. She could taste the salty fluid of his pre-come as she teased the slit with her tongue. Finally, he brought his hands down, his fingers twining in her hair. His grip tightened and his hips trembled as he held himself back.

  Her body responded to the pleasure she gave. Keeping her mouth on him, she straddled his leg, pressing herself against his knee. And as she bobbed her head, she rubbed against him, feeling her body’s moisture dampen his skin. He bent his leg slightly, increasing the pressure against her sex and she almost came right there.

  “Melanie,” he crooned hoarsely. “You’re killing me.”

  His grip tightened as he lost control of his body and thrust into her. She was as lost in her own pleasure as he plunged deeper and faster, groaning as he approached release, as she took everything he gave. Her body burned as she rubbed against him and then his body arched off the bed and stiffened and a flood of fluid overfilled her mouth. Liquid heat slid down her throat, her chin, as fireworks exploded outwards from her clit.

  With a self-satisfied smile, she kissed the tip of his cock and rested her cheek against his thigh. His fingers gently stroked her hair as he tried to get his breath back. She was just closing her eyes when his voice entered her satisfied state.

  “Why did you say you didn’t sleep with Armand?”

  Melanie froze at the unexpected question, thoughts suddenly flooding her head as if she didn’t just have a mind-wiping sexual experience. His hands were still stroking her hair but the question hung in the air. Swallowing against the sudden dryness, she cleared her throat, “Because… I was standing in nothing but a towel and you might have jumped to the wrong conclusion?”

  “Of course you didn’t sleep with him,” Vaughn murmured, staring past Melanie, his brows pulling together. “Why was he so furious?”

  “He’s a bit, um, overprotective,” Melanie pointed out, idly smoothing her hand over his hard thigh. If his flesh wasn’t warm and if his muscles didn’t quiver beneath her palm, he could have been made of marble.

  Vaughn smiled slightly, “He has his reasons.”

  “Is it because of what you are?” she asked, lifting her head up and resting her chin on his groin.

  Cupping her cheek in his hand, his thumb brushing over her shining lips, he nodded, “Yes.”

  Studying him, the sculpted lines of his face, his sinful lips, the gold of his gorgeous eyes, she asked, “Are you a fairy?”

  “Fairies are extraordinarily beautiful.”

  “Then you’re a fairy,” she said with absolute certainty, since he was the most gorgeous being she had ever seen, with the possible exception of his brother Armand. Or the young form of Omari. Of course, she would take a single Vaughn over a thousand Armand’s or Omari’s any day because he was hers. Vaughn was hers.

  He laughed, his golden eyes blazing with amusement and desire, “No, I’m not a fairy.”

  “Then what are you?” she asked, sliding up the bed and stretching her body along his, her curves aligning with his muscles. They fit together perfectly in all ways, as if truly made for one another.

  Tracing his finger along her temple, her jaw, he smiled crookedly, “It’s complicated.”

  “And you can’t tell me?” she asked.

  His eyes flashed as he grabbed her beneath her arms and pulled her upwards and over his body, until his lips captured hers in a tender kiss. Breaking the kiss just enough to speak, he murmured, “I would tell you if I could, Melanie. Someday, I promise.”

  “All right.” He was not human, he said as much, but she couldn’t figure out what he was. Already he said he wasn’t a vampire, an incubus and now a fairy. Obviously he wasn’t a gnome or a pixie or anything that was traditionally small. He wasn’t the undead, because he was not rotting or decaying away. He was very
much alive, hot and animated, and vastly intelligent. Nope, no mindless biting and gnawing of human flesh.

  She had the strangest feeling that she did know what he was but she couldn’t remember, almost as if it came to her once in a dream that faded too soon after she woke. Hell, it didn’t matter because she would adore him no matter what he was, even if he did turn out to be a shape-shifting troll. Sliding her hands around his neck, sinking her fingers into the silk of his golden hair, she sighed. She could kiss him all night long. But it didn’t make it any easier to get to know him. With a groan, she broke the kiss and looked down at him, “Let’s go out and do something.”

  “Like a… date?” he asked, hesitantly.

  “Exactly.” Sitting up, she chewed on her lower lip and looked at him through lowered lashes, “I just want to get to know you outside of the bedroom. I mean, I’ve only been with one other man and even though we were together for so long, I never really knew him. I don’t want that kind of relationship with you. I want more.”

  Cupping her cheek in his palm, he swallowed thickly, “I want to share my secrets with you, but they aren’t all mine to share and it’s going to take time”

  “I have time,” she promised, turning her head to kiss his palm.

  After a contemplative silence, as he studied her open expression, her beautiful eyes, her lush lips, his expression became serious. His golden gaze moved slowly across her face. “Your ex is an idiot.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because if you were mine, I’d never give you up.”

  “I am yours, Vaughn, from the very first moment I saw you.”

  Chapter Nine

  Melanie did a quick scan of her small living space to make sure everything was in its place and the room was clean. She made spaghetti and sauce, with garlic bread and a salad for the side. But dinner wasn’t her forte, desserts were and she made a luscious, triple chocolate cheesecake drenched in a rich, chocolate caramel sauce. It was in the fridge and ready to go, and really, that was all that mattered. Putting a hand to her hair, smoothing the strands of the French braid, she was absurdly nervous and wanted everything to be perfect for their first official date.