Stone Lover (16 page)

  
Vaughn smiled in spite of himself, “I just thank the gods that Melanie saw me first.”

* * * * *

    Armand leaned against the door of his room, listening to his brothers talking about him. He had to get his emotions back under control; Melanie wasn’t the same as Katrina. And Vaughn had to be allowed to make his own mistakes even if she was. If Vaughn gave up his nights for the girl and Melanie didn’t accept his gift it would be devastating but Vaughn would survive.

    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 just prayed he wasn’t going to make things worse; yet the thought of losing his brother to a…
human
was unthinkable.

    Jenna left around three and immediately after, Melanie had 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. And she 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; 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; 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, looking 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. Her body responded to the heated promise in his gaze though 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 her 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; 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. 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 him, 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. 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?”