Stone Passions Trilogy (4 page)

“I have learned my lesson that it is never a good idea to get my fanciful friend drunk,” Frankie grinned, putting an arm around Melanie’s shoulders. “Alcohol has the weirdest effect on you.”

Melanie sighed dramatically then ruined it with a wide grin. “It’s not my fault that I see fairies and imps after a glass or two of wine.”

“Thankfully I don’t have that problem,” Vanessa said as she slammed the rest of her cocktail down and waved over a waiter to order another. With a wicked smile, Vanessa waggled her eyebrows, “I fully expect to crash at your place tonight, Lenni. I insist on sharing your bed.”

“Only if you promise to behave yourself.” Melanie arched a delicate eye brow, sipping her drink. “No making moves on your friend.”

“Ah, come on,” Vanessa stuck out her lower lip, teasingly running her fingers along Melanie’s shirt collar and smiling provocatively. “Let a girl have some fun. Hey, I know! You can embark on a hot, passionate affair with me.”

“And ruin a perfectly good friendship with sex?” Melanie shook her head in dismay, playing with the umbrella from her drink and twirling it in her fingers. Feigning regret, she heaved a sigh and looked at Vanessa, “It would never work; I’m completely straight.”

“Well, as long as you don’t go back to Peter,” Frankie interjected randomly from out of the blue. That wasn't even a possibility since both she and Peter were much happier apart than they ever were together.

“You know, I always wanted what you and Peter had and I don’t understand why you broke up with him.” Vanessa’s slender shoulders slumped forward and she became oddly introspective. It was too early in the evening to be so maudlin. “He’s such a great guy and I’d fuck him in a heartbeat.”

Melanie had to smile at that. Vanessa had always had a soft spot for Peter, who, unfortunately, thought very poorly of her. He had often told Melanie that he thought Vanessa was a promiscuous slut who was heading towards ruin. He just knew she was going to end up with a disease or something. Melanie would just shake her head and ignore him. Vanessa was a grown woman and she knew what she wanted and went after it with abandon. “It’d be okay with me if you guys went out, you know.”

Frankie snorted, “Like Peter would go out with Ness after she’s slept with half of the guys in our high school class. He’s such a freaking prude.”

Heightened color stained Vanessa’s cheeks as she straightened her spine and glared at Frankie, “I’ll have you know that….”

Whatever Vanessa said was lost to Melanie as three of the most gorgeous men in the universe stalked into the bar, overwhelming the space with their presence. But it was the one in the middle, the golden one, that had Melanie rethinking her vow to keep her one night stands limited to gargoyles. He looked like an angel, with a face that was carved by a master and framed by a halo of dark gold hair. With harsh cheek bones that begged to be caressed and a straight nose that flared slightly as he looked at her, he reminded Melanie of a powerful lion. Slashes of dark gold formed his eye brows and his lips were full and luxurious, succulent lips that were eminently masculine and kissable. She wanted to feel them on her body….

He had a body that was absolute perfection: sleek, carved muscles that stretched around his bones, broad shoulders that were made for holding onto, a narrow waist for wrapping legs around.  She drank him in, absorbing the raw masculinity that oozed from his every pore.

Even though he dominated the room with his mere presence, he seemed strangely out of place, not quite a part of the world he commanded. His burnished gold hair was pulled back, giving his untamed nature the illusion of civility. Clothes that were tailor made for his hard body seemed wrong; he should be naked, always naked. There was something so familiar about him even though Melanie knew she had never met him before in her life; she would have remembered meeting someone like him. It was almost as if he had always existed and she was created for him.

But that was ridiculous. If she were thinking straight, she would have realized sooner that he reminded her of the gargoyle she had fallen in love with the night before. And that was even more ridiculous because he was a man, the same as any other.

She looked at his muscular body, his magnificent face and blushed slightly and admitted that perhaps he wasn't like any other man. He was hot, sweaty nights and long, sweltering days all wrapped up in one luscious package. He could make a woman purr with a single word, he could make her melt with a single look.

He sat down at a table only a few feet away, his eyes slowly moving across her face, looking at her as if he was starving and she was the feast. Her body reacted accordingly, preparing to be feasted upon.

“Lenni,” Vanessa’s loud whisper poked at the edge of her thoughts. She knew she was staring but she was unable to help herself for he was divine. But it was more than his looks since his companions were just as handsome. Her gaze briefly touched on the two men sitting with him, taking in the dark expression of the black-haired man, the amused expression of the auburn haired man, before dismissing them. Her eyes returned to the golden man and while she tried not to stare, she couldn’t tear her gaze away.

She had never had such an explosive reaction to anyone before. Her body felt vibrantly alive and her skin was stretched too tight over her bones, her pulse was racing and her brain was re-wiring itself as she continued to stare. His gaze slammed into hers and the world around her disappeared. She lost herself in a sea of gold as she lost her heart to a stranger.

Of course, it wasn’t really her heart. A person didn’t fall in love at first sight – that was just a myth. Lust, but not love, and Melanie definitely lusted, she lusted painfully hard. If she didn’t get a drink, she was going to spontaneously combust right in the middle of the bar and they would be scooping pieces of her off the ceiling for days. It would ruin her perfectly lovely outfit.

Grabbing Frankie’s wrist, she stood up, “Yeah, I think we should go dance. I love this song.”

When her friend didn’t budge, Melanie turned her head and looked at her. Frankie was looking back as if she had grown a third eye, right in the middle of her forehead. “Lenni, you hate this song. I think you called it the worst piece of crap ever to be forced upon the unsuspecting masses.”

Melanie paused, tilted her head to the side, and actually listened to the song that was playing. Sappy, crappy, digitized vocal, pop torture. Cringing, she made a face. “Damn. I do hate this song. Maybe we could get a drink or two. Or six.”

“You don’t drink,” Vanessa smirked even as she stood up and smoothed the short dress over her perfect butt. Grabbing her purse, she looped her arm through Melanie as Frankie took the other arm and the three of them slowly made their way to the bar. “Was he a little bit too much man for you?”

Melanie could have pretended not knowing who Vanessa was talking about but she could still feel his eyes burning a hole through the back of her shirt. So she simply nodded, making the other two girls laugh. Squeezing her arm companionably, Vanessa leaned in, “I could take the red head. I would have offered to take the black haired man but I don’t think even I have the ability to make that man happy.”

Melanie chuckled as her body slowly returned to normal. She didn’t think her brain had had enough time to completely re-wire itself and she hoped that whatever damage that was done would revert once she was away from the golden archangel for a long enough period of time. Leaning across the bar, she shouted out, “An Explosive Orgasm, please.”

The bartender gave her a knowing smile and she finally heard the words that came out of her mouth. Before she could take it back, he set a shot glass in front of her and was pouring the contents of two bottles into it. Warily, she eyed the drink and leaned forward. The bartender leaned forward as well, meeting her halfway. In a hushed voice, she asked, “What’s in it?”

“Banana liqueur and peach schnapps.” He was laughing at her but she didn’t care.

“Ooh, that sounds good,” Frankie said, pushing up to the bar next to Melanie. “I want one of those, too.”

“Me, too,” Vanessa chimed in, squeezing in on the other side. The bartender’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he caught his first glimpse of Melanie’s stunning friends. Wordlessly, he poured the drinks, his tongue probably forgetting how to work.

Laughing, the three girls took their shot glasses and cheered before slamming the sweet drink down. The alcohol burned through her esophagus all the way to her belly and Melanie shuddered, making a strangled sound as her entire body jerked. “Bleck! Wow, that was strong.”

“Lightweight,” Frankie chuckled affectionately, ordering another round. If Melanie wasn’t careful, she was going to get drunk and who knows what would happen should her dream man strike up a conversation. Even without alcohol or talking to her, he made her feel like peeling the clothes from his luscious body and licking every inch of his skin.

Before the bartender could pour her drink, she put her hand over the glass and shook her head, “No more for me, thanks.”

Frankie nudged her shoulder as Vanessa flirted with the man, managing to finagle free drinks out of the deal and probably a phone number. Melanie forced herself to keep her gaze on the many bottles of liquor on the back wall or the other customers instead of searching for the golden, lust-inducing angel. It shouldn’t have been too hard: Skin had been their favorite bar to hang out at ever since it opened and there was so much to observe. And yet, she desperately wanted to turn around.

A wall of heat slammed into her as a man pressed his chest against her, sending fireworks dancing along her spine. And she had thought sparks were a myth. With his lips next to her ear, he purred, “Dance with me.”

Without even needing to turn around she knew that it was him. She was going to meet the blond Adonis and his voice was pure decadence, low and velvety.

Excited, nervous, with her lips curling slightly in an inviting smile and her heart racing, she turned around and she nearly fainted. Reminding herself to breathe, she looked up. And up. Goodness, he was tall, probably six three, six four. At any rate, he was much taller than her own five five. Even in her modest heels, the top of her head only reached his chin. Instead of feeling intimidated, she felt… protected. Safe.

As he held out his hand, the long, elegant fingers extending towards her in invitation, she discovered that she had lost the ability to speak coherently and could only nod

Taking his hand, she walked with him to the dance floor, coming to a stop at the same time. The world shifted on its access as he put his arms around her waist and she rested her hands on his shoulders. His muscles shifted beneath her fingers as he adjusted his hold on her, as he brought her body flush against his. Her lips parted and a breath of air rushed past her lips as she felt the latent strength and power of his hard body. Not only had she lost the power of speech, she pretty much forgot her own name.

She focused intently on his face. The sharp line of his jaw, the hollowed curves of his cheeks, the straight nose, the broad forehead and slashes of gold eyebrows, all of it blatantly proclaimed the virility of this man. With her hands on his shoulders, she knew he was solidly built, muscled without the bulk. Once again she had the thought that nakedness seemed to be this man’s natural state. Or rather, it seemed a sin to cloak the hard, masculine body in clothes.

His broad palm slid up her side and her back arched in pleasure. She had to force her eyes to remain open as he brushed his thumb over her lower lip. His eyes darkened as her lip clung to his skin for a moment, wanting to prolong the contact. “You’re even more beautiful up close than from across the room.”

“Thank you,” she managed, barely, touching the tip of her tongue to his thumb, tasting the salty texture of his warm skin. Her eyes slid close at the pleasure of it and she heard the sharp intake of his breath. When she opened her eyes, his carved lips were curved in an almost smile and a dimple played peek-a-boo on his left cheek, almost there but not quite. If he smiled fully, it would appear….

After a few moments of sexually charged silence, each taking the other’s measure, she cleared her throat and finally found her tongue. “I saw you when you came in and it terrified me.”

He chuckled softly at her admission and she was momentarily stunned by the sheer, masculine beauty of his full smile. There was a dimple. Pulling her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her, he continued to smile down at her. She could feel the hard planes of his chest and abs, the corded sinew of his arms as they held her. Tilting her head back, she was instantly mesmerized by the burning gold of his eyes. As she sank further and further into the golden depths, she felt as if she were flying through infinity. The bar disappeared and she was standing alone in this man’s arms.

“Not half so much as it terrified me.” His voice curled around her and sank deep into her belly, lighting off little fires within. Driven by instinct, she stepped closer until she was plastered against his body, her breasts rubbing against his chest, her belly pressing against the swollen steel of his erection. His eyes darkened and his pupils nearly swallowed the gold irises. “Gods, you tempt me beyond reason.”

“Then I believe that is my cue to cut in,” someone said, shattering the spell that kept the two of them separate from the rest of the world.

As the noise filtered back into her consciousness, Melanie turned her head and saw the auburn-haired man standing there, smiling down at her. Except for the color of his hair and his eyes, he looked exactly like the golden man holding her. Returning her gaze back to him, she tilted her head to the side, “The three of you are brothers?”

The thunderous scowl that had descended when his brother appeared lifted and the golden Adonis smiled brilliantly. “We are. This is Rhys and I am Vaughn….”

“Armand wishes to discuss something with you, Vaughn.” Rhys’s voice held laughter as he took Melanie’s hand and pulled her out of the heat of Vaughn’s body and against his own. Bringing her hand up to his lips, he placed a kiss on her knuckles as he held his brother’s eyes, “He is threatening to talk to her himself if you refuse to cooperate.”