Stone Lover (19 page)

     Melanie did a quick scan of her small living space to make sure everything was in its place and the room was clean. She had 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.

    Taking a deep breath and then slowly letting it out, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a silky dress that had a scooped neck, capped sleeves, and swirled around her legs when she spun. It was a pale, shiny gold color and with the shimmery thigh high nylons and three inch strappy gold heels, she felt almost sophisticated. With just a touch of make-up, some mascara and lip gloss, she was as good as she was going to get. Vaughn didn’t seem to mind her lack of make-up, or even the slightly smudged make up she was wearing New Year’s Eve when they met; he always looked at her as if she were the most beautiful, most desirable woman in the world.

    How on earth was she expected to get through an entire date without jumping him?

    The knock came just after sunset and she smiled, doing yet another look around to make sure her space was tidy; it hadn’t changed in the five minutes since she had looked. Smoothing her hands over the front of her dress, she took another breath and calmly walked the three feet to the door and opened it, smiling when she saw Vaughn. “Hello.”

    “Hello yourself.” His smile was slow, heated, as he bent his head and kissed her. Her arms slid around his shoulders and she stood up on her tip toes to deepen the kiss, pressing her breasts against his chest. But before she could tear the clothes from his body, he was pulling away, holding her by the elbow to keep her steady. Clearing his throat, he smiled ruefully as he brought his other hand around to show her a beautiful bouquet of flowers: a profusion of lavender and red roses, some red asters, and a single purple gladiola that created a riot of splendid color. “I got these for you.

    Moisture filled her eye as she looked up into Vaughn’s slightly embarrassed expression and a tear slid down her cheek at his thoughtfulness. She had never received flowers before and she had always thought flowers were a salve to make bad news easier to bear. But Vaughn was standing there, awkwardly holding out a gorgeous bouquet, and her heart melted. “They’re beautiful.”

    “I, um, also brought….”

    He was shoved aside as Rhys sauntered through the door and loudly clapped his hands together once, a wide smile splitting his face as he looked around the room, “So, what’s for dinner?”

     Melanie was speechless for only a moment before she burst into laughter, clutching her stomach with one hand as she slid the other into Vaughn’s. He gave her a self-mocking expression as he shrugged his shoulders and followed her into the small room, “I figured it would be impossible to bypass the date and head straight for the bed if we had a chaperone. But I would have brought the flowers either way.”

    “You’re a genius, Vaughn.” Going up on tip toe again, she pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek before taking the flowers and going into the small kitchen to grab a vase to put them in. “Thank you.”

   Glancing around the apartment, Rhys let out a low whistle, “I like what you’ve done with the place; it doesn’t seem so... closed in.”

    “Thanks.” Melanie had decorated with light colors, using light, airy material to make it feel more open. And she had thought she had done a pretty good job, too, until two hulking men stood in the middle of the room. Now her apartment seemed smaller than ever. But that was neither here nor there; she was going to entertain two of the Nosuntres brothers and get to know Vaughn outside of the bedroom.

    Once the flowers were in some water, she set one more place at the table and smiled at the two males, a little embarrassed by her mismatched dinner plates and plastic cups for the apple juice. “Dinner is ready if you want to sit down; just be sure to save room for dessert.”

    “Oh, honey, I can eat all that you throw at me,” Rhys grinned, rubbing his flat stomach and prowling over to the table. “And whatever you’re cooking smells delicious.”

    Grabbing the garlic bread from the oven and putting it on the small café table, she apologized, “I’m sorry to say that it’s nothing more exotic than spaghetti but my dessert will make up for what dinner lacks.”

    “I love spaghetti,” Rhys beamed, sitting down at the table and beaming up at her. “And I love dessert.”

    Vaughn wrapped his arms around her from behind as she was scooping the spaghetti into a serving bowl, nuzzling his nose against her temple, “I hope you don’t mind that I brought him; it was either that or chain you to one side of the room and then chain myself to the other. But then I realized that once I had you chained up I’d be able to have my wicked way with you and we’d still end up naked and too exhausted to talk.”

    “Then you chose wisely, though the thought of being tied up….” His body twitched behind her and he let out a low growl making her chuckle. Leaning back into his strength, she shook her head, “I don’t mind in the least and there is plenty of food. And thank you for the flowers; I love them.”

    “Do you need my help with anything?”

    Turning around she was pleasantly surprised at how close he was standing but she glanced over at the table and Rhys’s expectant expression and realized that there was no room at the table for the both the food and their plates. “Could you bring me the plates so I can serve the food from here?”

    “No problem.” He kissed the tip of her nose and went about gathering up the plates, shoving Rhys on the way. Melanie smiled at the display of affection between the two brothers; it was so normal and that was strangely comforting considering the two men in her kitchen weren’t human. It probably should have worried her that she wasn’t freaking out about that fact but she wasn’t worried; maybe because she had only seen his human face.

    “Are your other forms as beautiful as your human forms?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and she blushed. Pretending she hadn’t just stuck her foot in her mouth, she served up the food then sat down at the table to join the two of them, who were now staring at her in something akin to horror. “Um, dig in?”

    “Um, some people find our… other forms beautiful,” Rhys said awkwardly, taking his glass and draining the apple juice in one gulp, his cheeks red and his eyes sparkling. Did he laugh at everything?

    “I’m so sorry for just blurting it out like that,” she apologized sincerely. “I am just so curious about what you guys are; is there a reason why you can’t just tell me?”

    “We are bound by magic,” Rhys explained, a wry grin on his lips. “Otherwise I am sure Vaughn would have spilled his guts the first time you asked him.”

    Melanie looked at Vaughn and he shrugged his shoulders and grinned, “I’m oddly vulnerable to you.”

    She didn’t have to say anything; she simply slid her hand into his and smiled at him, enjoying the warm, sunny feelings he stirred in her. Holding Vaughn’s eyes, her voice became flirtatious, “But if I guess correctly can you tell me?”

    Vaughn shook his head no but it was Rhys who answered, “I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way. It is really a matter of fate; once the gods or elders or whatever decide you are ready our natures will be revealed. Until that time….” He shrugged his broad shoulders and let the words trail off as he shoved a mouthful of food into his mouth.

     “So I could have seen your other form a thousand times but I wouldn’t remember because I’m not ready for it?” she asked, just to clarify. At Vaughn’s nod, she frowned, “So, have I seen you?”

    Rhys choked on the bread he was eating and started hacking up a lung. Without a second thought, Melanie was out of her chair and pounding him on the back while Vaughn got up to pour him another cup of juice. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he struggled to catch his breath.

    “Are you all right?” Melanie asked after he took a rattling breath and pressed his fist against his chest. At his nod, she held up the cup to his mouth, “Here; drink this; it’ll help.”

    After that, she didn’t ask any more questions about what they were though their words and actions gave her a lot to consider. It all made sense, of course; how else were magical beings to remain secret if they couldn’t go about their lives without fear of humans discovering their existence? Of course, her brain whirled with the possibilities, trying to come up with all sorts of possibilities. Maybe they could lie if they were confronted directly, which would mean the Nosuntres brothers
were
fairies, but not the children’s fairies that were all that was sweet and dainty and light.

    No, the Nosuntres brothers would be the mischievous fairies of the Old World; the fairies of Oberon and Titania, of merciless cruelty and shameless passions, without remorse or guilt.  But, no, not even Armand had been mercilessly cruel; he only wished to protect his brothers. They couldn’t be fairies. But what else could they be?

     Rhys chuckled, nudging her chin with his knuckle, “Let it rest, Lenni; you’re never going to figure it out.”

     Her eyes widen in her head as she stared at the long-haired man in wonder, “You called me Lenni; only my close friends and family call me that. How do you know that name?”

    “I’m sure I must have heard it at the club.” He had the good grace to blush and look away. And Vaughn kicked him beneath the table.

    Melanie looked from one brother to the other, missing something. “Not that I mind, of course; I would love to call you a friend; it’s just weird, is all. How long do you think it will be before the fates decide I’m worthy, or whatever?”

     “Well, humans are a tricky business,” Rhys answered slowly, thoughtfully. “Usually, they are much happier not knowing what is going on right beneath their noses. When someone like you comes along, it gets… complicated.”

    “Complicated.” She repeated the word and made a little moue with her mouth. “I don’t think I like that word anymore.”

     The two males chuckled and Vaughn gave her hand a commiserating squeeze. “It just means that there are certain… creatures out there that are attracted to humans who can see beneath the veil. Usually, once a human gets his first taste of what it is really like, he quickly closes his eyes.”

    “So humans are cowards.”

     Vaughn shook his head, “Not at all; they are simply… human.”

* * * * *

     “Oh, man,” Rhys leaned back in his chair, resting his hands over his still-flat, rock hard abdomen. “I am so full; I don’t think I could eat another bite.”

    “I told you to save room for dessert,” Melanie scolded teasingly, nudging him with her hip as she carried the empty plates to the sink. “I may not have very impressive skills when it comes to making dinner but my desserts are to die for. You have to find a little bit of room in that stomach of yours.”

    “Sweetheart, my brother is trying to be polite,” Vaughn grinned, gathering up the rest of the dishes and carting them over to the sink. “He could eat an entire elephant and still have room for dessert.”

    “Well, then,” she smiled and went over to the refrigerator where she pulled out the decadent dessert. Turning around, she saw Rhys’s eyes widen in anticipation; he sat up straighter in his chair and Melanie could have sworn she saw drool. “Who wants dessert?”

    She cut two generous slices of the cheesecake, setting a plate in front of each brother, than stood back and watched in excitement and nerves. She wasn’t sure why she was nervous; she knew that her dessert was amazing and nearly everyone loved it. But she had never served it to anyone who wasn’t human before; it was kind of thrilling to see how the other beings of the world would react to her chocolate masterpiece. And they didn’t disappoint.

    “My God, Lenni,” Rhys moaned in pleasure. “I think I’ve fallen in love with you; you should ditch my brother and marry me.”