Stone Romance (Stone Passion #2) (12 page)

“You’ll survive,” Armand said softly. “It’s the nature of gargoyles to survive.”

Vaughn bent his head and rasped, “What if I don’t want to?”

Rhys gaped at him for a moment before smacking him on the back of the head. When Vaughn grabbed the back of his skull, whipping his head around and glaring at Rhys, Rhys snorted, “That’s a hell of a way to cherish Melanie’s memory. You’re acting as if she is already gone.”

Vaughn closed his eyes as a shudder worked its way through his body, “If she doesn’t return
in time
than she might as well be; I’ll never see her again and,” he swallowed thickly. “And I can’t figure out what I am going to do without her.”

Despite his brother’s breaking heart Rhys could still envision a scenario where he would give
up
his nights
for
Jenna; to keep her safe he would give up everything even if it meant losing her. In the end, Vaughn was going to realize that he made the only choice he could; in order to keep Melanie safe he had to give up his nights.

And if he was given the chance he would give up his nights for Jenna in a heartbeat.

Jenna stood in the break room at the office, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing so she could wake up enough to get her work done; it was going to be a three cup day. Between worrying about Melanie and trying not to think too much about Rhys, she was already exhausted and the week had barely begun.

Hiding her yawn behind her hand, she stared at nothing as she gave herself permission to think about Rhys for a few minutes. There may not be a future for them but that didn’t mean she couldn’t relive the few moments th
ey
had shared.

It definitely didn’t prevent her from dreaming about him.

A slight smile curved her lips at the heated memory of her erotic dreams, of Rhys teasing her with his lips, his fingers, of Rhys fucking her until she screamed. They had been some really good dreams. Relaxing, her eyes slid shut and she pictured Rhys’s chest gleaming in the night, his jacket and shirt gaping open despite the cold air. Even in the middle of winter h
e
had radiated so much heat and she just wanted to bask in it….

“Good morning, Jenna.” A voice interrupted her thoughts and she blushed, opening her eyes and seeing Blake standing in front of her with a coffee mug in his hand. He leaned against the counter and smiled at her, his hazel eyes twinkling far too merrily for that hour of the morning.

“Blake,” she returned. There had been a time not so very long ago that she had found him attractive but compared to Rhys he was just Blake. He was pleasant looking, with short, dark blond hair and a tall, svelte frame, but he lacked the pure masculinity that was Rhys, the laughing brown eyes.

He stared at her for a long time, assessing her with an odd expression on his face. His lip quirked up in a slight smile as he murmured, “There’s something different about you, Jenna.”

She glanced down at herself and made a face; she was wearing her usual outfit, a nice blouse and a pair of beige slacks. She had draped a colorful scarf around her neck but it was nothing out of the ordinary. Blake’s laughter had her lifting her head and looking at him. “I’m talking about you, Jenna; not your outfit.”

“I see,” she murmured, but she didn’t because her brain still needed coffee to be able to function after a night of so little sleep.

“Listen, I’ve wanted to ask you out for some time but you always seemed,” he chuckled, letting the word hang there for a moment before he continued, “Distracted. What do you say?”

“About what?” she really needed her coffee if she had any hope of following the conversation because men in the office simply didn’t walk up to her and ask her out. They talked about tax codes and rates of return, not dating.

He smiled, “Joining me at a bar for a drink and conversation.”

“We’re talking now.”

His smile widened, “I was thinking something a little more intimate.”

She wasn’t sure what the protocol was because she wasn’t actually seeing Rhys; she had put an end to that. But she wasn’t really interested in Blake. Color stained her cheeks as a smile played about her lips and she murmured, “I’m sort of seeing someone right now.”

His smile faded slightly but he nodded. “Then just drinks and conversation.”

“I guess?” Even before she met Rhys she had wanted to test the waters; here was the perfect opportunity; Blake
was handsome and she felt nothing more than friendship when he was near. He was exactly what she required.

“Awesome.” He rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming. “How about we grab those drinks tonight?”

It wasn’t exactly what she was expecting but she agreed none-the-less. Melanie or her parents would watch Ferris and it was only for a drink. And since it was a workday in the morning she would have an excuse to leave early. She nodded her head, “Okay.”

Grabbing her coffee, she headed back to her desk, trying to decipher Blake’s behavior. Why now? She had known him for several years, ever since she started working at the company right after graduating college.

They ended up going to a popular Irish pub in St. Paul that served hot appetizers and located not that far from the castle. Jenna tried not to think about how close she was to Rhys; she was on a date with one of her co-workers and she was going to enjoy herself even if it killed her.

Blake held the chair out for her and she smiled at him as she sat down. Smoothing the material of her slacks over her thighs, she glanced around the bar and took in the ambiance, trying to get into the mood. She was on a date with an attractive man and she was determined to enjoy herself. With a smile she looked at Blake and startled when she caught him staring at her with an amorous smile.

“You’re a beautiful woman, Jenna,” he crooned, caressing her with his eyes, making her blush and feel a little uncomfortable. “Tell me why it is that you never married.”

Her smile was pained but she held it in place so she wouldn’t cry, “My fiancé died shortly before the wedding.”

“Oh, god,” he gasped, leaning back in his chair as the color drained from his face. “I didn’t know.”

Shaking her head, she waved her hand through the air, her smile relaxing slightly. “I wouldn’t have expected you to.”

“At least you didn’t have any children….” His words trailed off as he saw her face, the look of horror she was sure she wore.

“Actually, I have a daughter,” she murmured, thinking how crazy it was to work with someone for so long and know so little about him or her because she knew next to nothing about Blake either.

“You must think I’m the biggest ass in the world,” he continued, obviously upset by his unwitting blunders.

“
It’s
fine,” she tried to assure him because the more he talked about it the worse it was. Rhys would have made some off-colored remark and had them both laughing; he would have looked at her with laughing brown eyes and….

Her brows drew together in a frown as the familiar form of Rhys sauntered into the bar, a gorgeous woman on either arm. Jealousy hit swift and hard and she had to press her fist against her churning stomach; she had no right to be jealous since she was the one who ended things before anything could begin. She tried to look away before he caught her staring but it was as if he had some sixth sense that made him aware of her presence. A slight worry line marred his forehead as he glanced around the bar, searching.

And with unerring accuracy, he turned his head and his gaze locked on hers, the frown melting instantly into a warm smile, genuine pleasure lighting his face. He took a step towards her, oblivious to the two women on his arms. With another frown, this time of frustration, he started to let them go when he finally realized that Jenna wasn’t alone.

Scowling, he looked at her as if she had betrayed him and she arched an eyebrow, pointedly looking at the gorgeous creatures dripping from his arms. Shaking his head in denial, offering her a sheepish smile, he shrugged his broad shoulders and led the two beauties to a booth, holding her eyes as he sat down.

She desperately tried to tear her gaze from his but he had a strong hold over her; even knowing nothing could come of it she still wanted him. And by the way he watched her he wanted her. Yearning scalded the space between them, eating up the doubts and distance until her body trembled for his possession. Even from across the bar his eyes devoured her where she sat, promising her the world.

“Who’s that?” the darkly asked question jolted her back to the present and she blushed as she attempted to focus her attention on George,
er
, Blake. His lips were pressed together in an angry line as he glared at her with hard eyes, “Who’s the guy?”

How could she explain Rhys?
The destiny that she had to deny?
A slight smile curved her lips as she looked up and met Rhys’s eyes, seeing them sparkle with undisguised amusement. “He’s a friend.”

“Really.”
Blake took a drink of his whiskey, crunching a piece of ice between his teeth, giving off strong vibes of jealousy which didn’t make any sense. He had no claim on her whatsoever; they were just friends.
Co-workers.

She glanced up and caught Rhys’s gaze again and the shards of jealousy that had been embedded in her skin faded away; he wasn’t paying any attention to the women at all. He was completely and utterly oblivious to their charms. His eyes devoured her from across the room, stripping her bare and making her blood boil. Her breasts swelled in the cotton bra she wore, her nipples rasping against the soft material; moisture gathered between her thighs and if she sat there much longer he was going to make her come just by looking at her.

Pushing back the chair and standing abruptly, she muttered, “Um, excuse me for a moment; I’ve got to use the bathroom.”

“Jenna,” Blake protested but it was too late; she had fled.

Leaning against the sink a few minutes later, she stared at her reflection and laughed; she was a crazy fool, infatuated with an impossible man. Splashing some water on her face, she tried to calm her racing heart, needing to think up an excuse to leave before she acted impulsively and dragged Rhys into a bathroom and gave in to madness.

Her poor sister never had a chance when Vaughn came into her life.

Hell, she half expected him to charge into the bathroom after her, kissing her until she couldn’t think straight; kissing her until she was naked and spread before him, begging him to fuck her.

With a wry smile, she realized that she was just as bad as Melanie because there was nothing that would have stopped her from having sex with Rhys in the bar’s bathroom had he showed up. All of her promises to keep her distance meant nothing when she came face to face with him. And the answer was simple: she was either going to have to keep her distance or just give in to temptation and hope in the end that it all works out.

With a remorseful sigh, she knew that she was going to have to tell Blake she was sorry but she couldn’t stay; the complications between her and the man with long, auburn hair were just too tumultuous. She spared one last glance at her reflection before heading out to say good bye to Blake.

Suddenly, she was slammed against the wall and a hard body was pressed against hers as hot lips claimed hers in a kiss. As her brain registered the attack, her body recognized Rhys and she relaxed into the kiss, sliding her fingers into the silk of his long hair.