Stone Romance (Stone Passion #2)

by A C Warneke

  No, she was being ridiculous. She forced herself to relax her hold on him as she tilted her head back and looked at him, smiling at him.

  He chuckled, keeping one arm draped around her shoulders as the four of them made their way to the kitchen, the place they all tended to gather. After a few moments of idle chatter, he asked, “Is your sister’s plane getting in on time?”

  “It is,” she nodded her head, thinking about the twin sister she hadn’t seen in ages. Melanie had flown to Paris after high school and hadn’t looked back, except for the occasional visit every now and then. She led a glamorous life in Paris, flitting from one glitzy party to the next, leaving a trail of broken hearts in her wake. Jenna once asked her what happened to all of her talk of fairy tales and magic and Melanie had laughed her tinkling laugh and said, “I grew up.”

  Sometimes Jenna missed the old Melanie but she knew that at some point everyone had to grow up. Well, it no longer mattered; Melanie was coming home so they could celebrate their thirtieth birthdays together, something they had planned on ever since they were children. Jenna wondered where the years had gone; it was just yesterday that she was twenty-four with a one year old son.

  Sitting down and scooping Lanie up onto her lap, she smiled unto her daughter’s hair, breathing in her sweet scent. “She says she has a surprise for us.”

  Turning her head, she saw the latest magazine, the model on the cover an absolutely gorgeous auburn-haired man with abs that could cut diamonds. There was something so familiar about him, the curve of his lips, the spark in his eyes… But of course she had never met anyone like that in real life; his abs were probably spray painted on. Ignoring the image, she looked up at Jeremy and smiled. He was a 100% real man, with laugh lines, a non-corrugated stomach, and a few gray hairs.

  She looked around the room at her small family, sighing in contentment; life was good.

  The doorbell rang and excitement bubbled up from deep inside of her. Her sister was here! Setting Lanie on the ground, she made her way back to the entry way, her crew following close behind. Swinging the door open, the smile fell from her lips when the most incredibly sexy man she had ever seen in her life stood on the front step, a large grin on his too handsome face. His black hair gleamed in the overhead house light and his jade green eyes glistened with cheerfulness.

  Before Jenna could ask if he was at the wrong house, Melanie stepped out from behind him and captured Jenna in an enormous hug, “Surprise!”

  “Lenni,” Jenna breathed, her eyes stuck on Mr. Tall, Dark and Stunning. There was something so familiar about him, much like the man on the magazine cover; she just couldn’t place it. Maybe he was a model, or something; but what was he doing here?

  “Jenna,” Melanie beamed, stepping back and entwining her arm with the gorgeous paragon of manhood. “I want you to meet my, er, husband Armand.”

  Stunned, Jenna held out her hand, jumping slightly when the man – Armand – clasped it in his warm palm, “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Mitchell.”

  “Likewise and, please, call me Jenna,” Jenna said dumbly, her thoughts whirling in her head. Shaking her head to clear it of the cobwebs, she stepped aside to introduce her motley crew, “This is Jeremy and these two little rug rats are our kids, Jeremy Junior and Lanie, short for Melanie.”

  Armand shook J.J.’s hand before he squatted down, offering the little girl a dazzling smile, “Hi there, Lanie.”

  “Mr. Armand,” the little girl murmured, staring at him with wide, curious eyes.

  The man grinned, looking up briefly at Jenna before facing the little girl again. “Did you know that your aunt is moving back to my place and that I only live a few minutes from here?”

  Lanie looked up at Jenna with wide eyes but Jenna barely noticed as tears filled her own eyes. Looking at Melanie, she could scarcely believe her sister was coming home, “Is it true?”

  Melanie laughed, a light-hearted sound that Jenna hadn’t heard in years. “It is. But there’s something we have to talk about.” With a significant glance at the kids and Jeremy, she added under her breath, “Later.”

  Armand stood up and wrapped his arm around Melanie, pulling her into his hard body. It was apparent that the two of them were in synch; their bodies just meshed. Still slightly gob smacked, Jenna welcomed them into her home, following as Melanie scooped up Lanie and Jeremy led the small group into the living room. “I love what you’ve done, Jenna; is the artwork yours?”

  Jenna glanced at the paintings on the walls, the portraits she painted of the children and a few still lives, and she smiled, “It is.”

  “They’re amazing.”

  After a few minutes of idle chatter, of Melanie and Armand seducing one another with their eyes, Melanie sighed lustily, “Do you mind if I find the bathroom and freshen up?”

  “Of course,” Jenna said, blushing as Armand stood up and went with Melanie, caressing her butt as they went. Flopping down on the couch next to Jeremy, she stared at the spot where Melanie and Armand disappeared, “I think they are going to have sex.”

  Jeremy chuckled, entwining his fingers with hers, “I think you’re right.”

  “Isn’t Armand just to die for?” Melanie asked later that night as she and Jenna sat in the kitchen sharing an after dinner coffee. It was nearly impossible to convince Armand to let Melanie out of his sight for more than two seconds and hang out with the kids and Jeremy so Melanie and Jenna could have a sister-to-sister chat. He was obviously very possessive of Melanie. And judging by the lust-fueled screams coming from the bathroom earlier, he was also a generous and demanding lover.

  “How in the world did you meet someone like that?” Jenna blurted. Even knowing the circles her sister travelled in couldn’t explain the perfection that was Armand. He was an ethereal being, closer to an archangel than a man. As her sister, Jenna also knew that he was overwhelming poor Melanie with his intensity.

  A tremulous smile curled Melanie’s lips, “He was at a club in Paris; he came in with three other men and when our eyes met…. It was magic. I gave him my virginity less than a week after meeting him and a month later we were wed. Well, sort of.”

  Jenna was a little astounded that Melanie had her virginity to give, though it shouldn’t have been surprising since her sister swore she was saving herself for marriage. But in the end, she hadn’t saved herself, even if she married the man she gave it to. It sounded as if Melanie had been caught up in the whirlwind that was Armand. Jenna was still a little unclear on something. “Are you married or not?”

  “We are,” she hemmed, a slight frown on her face as she studiously watched Jenna’s expression, looking for signs of something; Jenna just wasn’t sure what. Moistening her lips with the tip of her tongue, Melanie said, “He was in Paris to break an old bond that he had foolishly made when he was younger and then he met me. He told me it was reckless but he didn’t care; he gave up his nights for me. And I accepted his gift. I’m a, um, I’m a gargoyle now.”

  “Pardon?”

  Melanie laughed nervously, twirling a strand of chocolate colored hair in her fingers, “During the day I’m a gargoyle… I’m still trying to adjust so please don’t yell at me.”

  Jenna blinked, pretty sure her sister had hit her head and suffered some sort of brain damage. “A… gargoyle.”

  Something pinged in the back of Jenna’s mind, something about gargoyles that walk as men at night because their father was Apollo, that walk as gargoyles during the day because their mother was Medusa. Shaking her head to clear the delusions, she stared at Melanie who watched her with wide, wary eyes, as if Jenna would condemn her.

  Taking her sister in her arms, she hugged Melanie and felt her sister tremble in relief. Kissing the top of Lenni’s head, she chuckled even as her thoughts were struggling to deal with her sister being a gargoyle. “What’s it like? Being a gargoyle?”

  “It’s challenging,” Melanie answered hesitantly, honestly. “I’m still learning how to fly but Armand has b
een very patient; he’s eager to return home and introduce me to his pod of brothers. He has assured me that they’ll love me but I’m so nervous.

  “There’s so much to learn, to get familiar with, but Armand gets distracted so easily,” she said with a nervous laugh and a furious blush. “I’m sure I’d learn so much faster if he didn’t get an erection every time he looked at me.”

  Jenna had no idea what Melanie was talking about but she knew her sister had to feel overwhelmed. Sitting back she grinned, “Can you make love as gargoyle?”

  Melanie’s cheeks turned bright red as she lowered her lashes and smiled slightly, “Yes; and Armand is very… sexual in both of his forms.”

  “Yeah,” Jenna grinned, scrunching her nose. “I heard.”

  After a moment, Melanie licked her lips, the color fading from her cheeks as she looked at Jenna. “I’m incredibly nervous, Jen; tomorrow evening I’ll be meeting Armand’s brothers and I want so badly for them to like me. Come with… please come with me.”

  “Of course,” she readily agreed, concerned about Melanie and everything she was going through. Of course she would be there for her. She took Melanie’s hands in her own, offering support in whatever way Melanie needed.

  “They’ll adore you, Lenni,” Jenna assured her sister with absolute conviction.

  Blinking her eyes, Jenna was standing in an elevator surrounded by her family, her sister in Armand’s arms, Lanie in Jeremy’s arms with J.J. holding her hand. Jenna was incredibly nervous, with the sense that something important was going to happen. Giving Melanie a frozen smile, she tried to scrub her brain of the memory of the sounds that had come from the guestroom throughout the night. One thing was for sure, Melanie and Armand were insatiable.

  And when the sun had risen, her sister and her gorgeous husband had turned into gargoyles, Armand a majestic griffin and Melanie a sweet if slightly demented rabbit. They had remained indoors, figuring the neighborhood wasn’t ready for a couple of living statues. Lanie and J.J. had been enthralled, even if Melanie and Armand had spent the day holed up in their room doing God knows what.

  Jenna was never going to admit her curiosity to how two stone gargoyles could even do that.

  “Armand has been telling me that I am going to love his brothers,” Melanie said, filling up the silence with nervous chatter, something she used to do as a girl. Jenna could only stare as Armand placed hot kisses along Melanie’s throat, seemingly oblivious to the other passengers, including the two children; he was simply lost in Melanie. “But I have to admit that I am glad you guys are going to be there with me for this first meeting.”

  Jeremy cleared his throat as Armand’s hand slid up the front of Melanie’s shirt, capturing her generous breast in his palm. With an annoyed glance, Armand lowered his hand back to her waist, pulling her harder against his body. It was quite the display and if Jenna weren’t so uncomfortable she’d be taking notes.

  Melanie caught her eye and blushed furiously, “Armand is incorrigible.”

  The elevator came to a stop and by some miracle Armand pulled himself away from Melanie and straightened his hair, an oddly nervous gesture Jenna wouldn’t expect from the gorgeous man. With eyes only for his lover, he held his hand out, “Ready?”

  “No,” Melanie answered honestly with a light laugh as she slid her hand into Armand’s. Smoothing her other hand down over the front of her tight dress, she followed him out into the entryway of an exquisitely decorated penthouse suite.

  “Welcome to your new home, love,” Armand said, holding his arm out to encompass the suite. “Come, meet my brothers.”

  Jenna and her brood followed behind, a little intimidated by the display of wealth. Exchanging a wry smile with Jeremy, she held onto J.J.’s hand as they wound their way through the lushly decorated interior.

  Two men appeared, both as gorgeous as Armand, though one had golden hair that hung to his shoulders and the other had auburn hair that hung to his waist. With a slight gasp, Jenna realized she knew the auburn-haired man. Before she could think, she rasped, “Rhys.”

  His head jerked around and she found herself staring into chocolate brown eyes that she knew. She could almost imagine having his hands on her body, his chest crushing her breasts as he moved within her; the slickness of his skin as he brought her to orgasm….

  But of course she didn’t know him and with an uneasy laugh, she tore her eyes away from the familiar stranger and saw Melanie’s eyes widen as they clashed with a pair of golden eyes and Jenna knew that the golden haired man was named Vaughn. The sense of déjà vu was so strong she pressed her hand against her stomach to calm the frightened butterflies that were clamoring for an explanation. How could she know Rhys? How could she know what it would be like to make love to him when she had never even looked at any other man?

  Her gaze moved to Melanie who seemed to be in a trance as she stared at Vaughn, their souls recognizing one another. Time froze and Jenna was able to see everything so clearly: the moment Armand saw the attraction between Melanie and Vaughn, the fury on his face, the helpless lust on Melanie’s.

  Turning, Jenna saw the longing in Rhys’s eyes as he appeared to want to consume her from across the room Turning again she saw Jeremy with sweet, little Lanie in his arms, her thumb in her mouth and her head on his shoulder as she watched the scene with wide, blue eyes; J.J. stood next to his father, his hand in Jeremy’s larger hand. And as she felt her perfect world crumbling beneath her feet, Jenna realized someone important was missing: Ferris.

  Frantically, she scanned the room, looking for her first born child, the child who didn’t exist in this reality. And she knew that everything was wrong; this wasn’t what was supposed to happen. Clutching the front of her chest, she collapsed to her knees, desperately trying to fill her lungs with air; it wasn’t supposed to be like this.

  It was all wrong.

  Chapter 17

  Rhys looked at his mother as she lounged on the chaise and plucked a large, purple grape from the platter of fruit, unconcerned with the sleeping girl in the middle of her large, extravagant bed. Though she was ancient she looked like she was barely legal, with smooth ivory skin that bore no blemishes or wrinkles and a perfect, feminine body. Her dark, chestnut hair hung to her slender waist in a riot of curls, barely concealing the diaphanous gown that concealed nothing. Her dark eyes were solemn as they watched her son. “I’ve never had a female ensnared before; I am sorry that she is yours.”

  Rhys blinked, his eyes dry from worry and his lack of sleep. It had been almost a week since Jenna fell into one of the enchantments that held his poor mother’s companions hostage. He had honestly believed that if Jenna had only held on until they found his mother that she would be safe; Omari certainly hadn’t indicated otherwise. “What will happen to her?”

  His mother was silent as she slowly chewed the grape. After what seemed an eternity, she sighed, “She will experience an alternate reality that is based on an event or a choice that was made in her past. It could be something as insignificant as turning right when she usually turned left or something momentous and quite different all together.”

  “Mother….”

  She shrugged her shoulders in an elegant, insouciant gesture, “Truly, I do not understand how the trap works, which event of significance is chosen. I have lived here for thousands of years, my entire life really, but the workings of these snares,” she waved her hand in the general direction of Jenna. “Are beyond my comprehension; the Fates control them, not I.”

  “But you know what they are,” he ground out.

  “Of course,” she acknowledged. “I have had conversations with the Fates but they hold their deepest secrets close. They have only told me enough so that I may… take advantage of the traps to suit my needs and take advantage of the bodies left behind.

  Rhys ground his teeth together, not wanting to hear yet again about his mother’s companions. As indescribably beautiful as his mother was, she was cursed with an equally powerful need for sex
. The Fates were kind to her, sending many weary travelers her way throughout the years. Once ensnared, a man could last his mother a decade, producing the vile little imps that plagued his life. “Mother.”

  She chuckled at his squeamishness, stretching as languorously as a feline, a smug, self-satisfied grin curling her full lips. “Darling, your father was here recently; I have a reprieve until Michael reaches his tenth birthday, which is in a few weeks.”

  “And where are my newest brothers? They have been awfully quiet,” he said through clenched teeth; anything was better than talking about or thinking about his mother’s sex life.

  “They are playing with the imps,” she said with that complacent smile. When he stiffened, she laughed, “Don’t worry, my darling boy; the imps are wonderful with children; it’s only when my babies get older do they develop their less than savory behaviors. Plus, they feel just awful about what happened to Melanie so they are trying to behave.

  “They’ll resort to their true nature soon enough.”

  “True,” she agreed with a lazy smile. Her eyes brightened as she sat forward and took Rhys’s hand in her own. “So tell me, is it true that there is a human that can be in your father’s presence and not faint dead away?”

  “Yes.” His answer was terse but his father was another topic he did not wish to discuss with her; it inevitably led to longing sighs and a detailed trip down memory lane.

  She sighed and he nearly groaned. “I am so happy for him; he has longed for this day for as long as I have known him.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Rhys shook his head, not knowing why he was still talking about his father. But there was nothing he could do for Jenna until she woke up. If she woke up. “Melanie belongs to Vaughn and Father wouldn’t be so cruel as to taste that which is not his.”