Stone Passions Trilogy (113 page)

“Shh,” he murmured, his breath hot against her ear as his fingers slipped the chemise from her shoulder, as his hand palmed her breast. “We’ve got to be quiet or we’ll wake the house.”

She nodded her head in understanding, losing herself in the heat of his tender kisses. His thumb brushed over her nipple and she gasped, curling her fingers over his hand to hold it in place and thrusting her breast more fully against his palm. His teeth captured her earlobe for a moment before he rasped, “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“More than anything,” Ferris breathed but it was Katrina’s voice that came out. For a split second she wondered how much time had passed between the evening she found him in the garden and the present. But then he bent his head and captured her hard nipple with his teeth and she forgot everything, including her name. Her fingers curled into the silk of his hair and she held him to her breast, feeling the pull of his lips deep in her belly.

Lost in a haze, she felt like she was floating. Thinking Fray was stealing her away again before she was ready, she panicked until she realized Armand was just bearing her backwards onto a soft bed. Fray wasn’t taking her away from the moment just yet. Thank the gods. Within moments she was divested of her chemise and her naked flesh was covered by a hot, male body. “It’s going to hurt.”

“I know,” she breathed, turning her head and pressing soft kisses along his jaw, savoring the midnight taste of his skin. Her fingers curled into his ribs as his hand moved down her body to the damp heat between her legs. She flinched as his fingers softly parted the seam of her sex and Ferris wondered who was experiencing this: her or Katrina. A small whimper came out at the thought.

“Shh,” he soothed, gently rubbing the folds of her sex, dipping a finger in and gathering the moisture that pooled there. Tenderly, he stroked her, encouraging her clit to swell and harden, sending tendrils of pleasure spiraling through her body. Her belly muscles clenched and she could feel the oncoming orgasm. “That’s it, love. Let me make this good for you.”

“What’s happening to me?” Ferris asked breathlessly, frowning at the words that were asked in Katrina’s voice. “I feel achy inside. I feel like I am going to die.”

“Just let it go,” he whispered, unrelenting in his caress as he rubbed the hot length of his erection against her belly. He was already skilled in the arts of love making and she was desperate to feel the length and bulk of his erection inside of her. Her hips tilted upwards in silent entreaty but he ignored the invitation and just kept stroking her clit, occasionally dipping down to gather more moisture.

He nibbled along her neck and then sucked the tender flesh between his teeth and she knew the love bite was going to leave a mark. But she didn’t care because her body tightened for a split second before pleasure exploded outwards and her back bowed in release. He pushed into her at the same moment and she cried out in pain as he tore through her virginity. Only, the pain added to the pleasure and she screamed silently as she lost herself in ecstasy.

When she came to a lifetime later, he was still gently thrusting, holding back as her body continued to adjust to the intrusion. Now that the orgasm was over, she could feel the pain more acutely and she wanted him to stop. Or continue. Or something.

She sensed the white cloud long before she felt it and she wanted to cry out, to beg Fray for just a few more minutes. A lifetime. But the cloud enveloped her and she was pulled out of Armand’s embrace and she did cry out in despair. “Why didn’t you let me stay?”

“It wasn’t your time,” Fray said simply.

“Bastard,” Ferris growled, feeling the pleasurable ache between her thighs as if it had been her first time with Armand and not Katrina’s. Except, in a way, it had been her. Gods, how many girls got to lose their virginity twice and to the same man?

Fray’s chuckle filled her head and she reluctantly smiled.

“I fear for you, Dragon-Mate,” Fray murmured as wisps of the white clouds moved around them.

"Why?"

He took a moment before he spoke again, gathering his thoughts. “What you are going to experience will change everything. I don't know if you will be able to handle it."

With her thoughts racing, Ferris softly asked, “Will you be with me?”

“I’m always with you.”

Licking her lips, she lowered her voice to a whisper, “Where is Katrina?”

“Safe,” Fray said casually. Jerking around to face the dragon, Ferris arched an eyebrow at him, making him smile. “Don’t worry about it, Dragon-Mate. All is as it should be.”

His reassuring words faded as the world took shape once more and she found herself strolling down a well-worn path through a thick forest, holding Armand’s hand. She wore a simple kirtle over her chemise, leaving off the stomacher, petticoats, over gown, and ruff, since they were on the private grounds of the Nosuntres' estate. He had on a flowing shirt over a pair of silk breeches that ended at the knees, showcasing a pair of silk stockings. Somehow she knew that he had left his doublet and jerkin, or whatever they called the jacket, back at their room.

She jumped slightly and Armand chuckled, “What is it, pet?”

Turning her head, she looked up at him in wonder. How did she know anything about her clothes, about where they were and what had happened between them? Granted, she didn’t know everything but she had the general idea. Realizing that he had spoken, she murmured the very intelligent, “Hmm?”

His low chuckle caressed her and she wanted to bask in its warmth but she forced herself to pay attention to his words. “I asked what has made you quiet all of a sudden?”

She was still surprised by the lighthearted tone that came from him. Even though it was only four words she could hear all the difference in the world. Forcing her lips to curl into a smile, she murmured, “I was lost in my thoughts for a moment, that’s all. It’s a beautiful day, is it not?”

His eyes laughed and his lips quirked but he didn’t quite smile. Bringing their entwined hands up to his lips, he kissed her knuckles, “But not nearly so beautiful as you, Kat.”

His words were so sweet but they were a dagger to Ferris’s heart because he called her by the wrong name. But it wasn’t the wrong name; Ferris was simply in the wrong body. Determined to keep her smile from slipping, she stretched her lips even further. “You’re too kind.”

As he looked at her, a puzzled frown marred his forehead for a moment but when she continued grinning at him he shook his head and wiped his expression clean. A warm smile curved his lips as he looked at her and smoothly crooned, “It is not kindness when it is the truth. Never have I seen such loveliness, my dear. Your hair is like honey, your eyes like the richest brandy, your breasts as white as pure cream and your skin like the finest silk.”

At his glib words, she tilted her head to the side and studied the man she had loved for so long. But he wasn’t the same Armand she knew. This one was lightness and laughter and, she hated to admit, not very deep. He was saying all of the right words but she had the feeling that he was just playing a part. Nonetheless, she felt her lips tilting upwards in a silly, infatuated smile. Love welled in her breast and her belly bubbled in excitement. She just wasn’t sure if they were exclusively her feelings or if Katrina shared her sentiment. Despite his shallowness, this Armand was a very easy man to love.

As the sun bathed him in its golden light she sighed with unbearable happiness. He was incredibly beautiful, with his thick, black hair, sculpted face, and sensuous lips and as she continued staring at him, he smiled at her, flashing his teeth. They were strong, straight and brilliantly white, something that must have been greatly prized in an era before orthodontics and rigorous dental cleanings….

The sun! She realized the sun was shining and her eyes widened as understanding smacked her upside the head with all of the finesse of a solid steel demolition ball. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she hoarsely asked, “How many more days until the new moon?”

He gave her a knowing, seductive smile as he reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger on her jaw, “Just a few more days, pet.”

Why did Fray give her this time with him? To show her what she was missing? She already knew what she was missing, had known from the moment she fell in love with him, had it driven home when he turned to stone. It didn’t matter because she was here with him now and she was going to squeeze every drop of enjoyment and pleasure out of it as she could. She was going to create a hundred more memories to hold close to her heart for the long future that stretched out before her.

Smiling sultrily, she took his hand in both of hers, kissing his knuckles before sucking his forefinger into her mouth. She loved the way his eyes darkened to emerald and his lips parted in lust. The love she felt for him flowed through Katrina’s veins, fortifying the childish crush the girl had on him into something deeper, stronger. Softly, in a thick voice, she whispered, “Make love to me.”

His chuckle was strained even as his breaths came faster and he shifted slightly to ease the erection that was starting to tent the fine material of his breeches and shirt. “Outside?”

“Yes,” she said, stepping back and undoing the lacings holding her together. There was no trace of Katrina’s presence as she awkwardly pulled the dress from her body then jerked the chemise over her head. Proudly, she stood naked before him, forgetting for only a moment that it wasn’t her body she was displaying to his hungry gaze but Katrina’s. But then she remembered and regretted her impulsive act.

Heat crawled up her belly, over her chest and into her cheeks as she started to bend down to pick up the discarded garments. But Armand’s fingers circled her wrist, stopping her from gathering up her clothes. Warily, she watched him as he held her arm out to the side and devoured her with his eyes. Slowly, his gaze moved up her body, caressing her skin from her toes to her forehead, and he whispered, “You’re beautiful.”

A sultry smile curved her lips as she held her body still, letting him look his fill. Holding her eyes, he jerkily pulled his shirt over his head and she had to remind herself to breathe in the face of his masculine perfection. It had been a lifetime since she had seen his naked body beneath the sun and to her astonishment tears came to her eyes because Armand was made to live in the sun yet he was confined to the night.

He was in front of her a heartbeat later, wrapping her in his arms, his midnight scent filling her oxygen deprived lungs, her love starved soul. His skin was hot, instantly burning away the coldness that had been building up within her heart. His green eyes glowed with concern as they moved over her face, trying to figure out what was wrong. “What is it? What causes these tears?”

“Nothing,” she said because in that moment everything was nearly perfect, smiling brilliantly up at the man that held her heart. Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss over his thudding heart. His face went through a host of emotions, concern, confusion, bemusement, lust, as she peppered the warm, salty skin of his chest with kisses, as she ran her tongue along the pulsing vein of his throat, as she urged him backwards, falling on top of him as he tripped and fell to the ground.

His startled laugh became a groan as she nibbled along his neck, as she captured his earlobe between her teeth. He wrapped his hot hands around her upper arms, his fingers tightening as she rocked her pelvis against the hard ridge of his erection. With how hard he was holding on she knew that she was going to have bruises on her arms but she didn’t care. If this was all she was going to have of him she would take every bruise and savor it.

Slowly nipping, licking, kissing every inch of his skin, from his forehead to his belly button, she tore at the front of his breeches, pulling them apart, accidentally ripping the bone buttons off in the process. Tugging at the material, she grunted, “Lift.”

With an amused smile and burning eyes, Armand raised his hips and she tore the pants from his delectable body. The hose and shoes were quick to follow and she sat back on her heels, taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of a naked Armand.

He was so perfectly formed, with muscles that were large but not bulky, sleek and marvelous. His shoulders were broad, able to hold the weight of the world. His chest was deep, able to love more deeply than he could ever imagine if only he would let himself love and be loved. His stomach and ribs were ridged with muscles, carved from stone, his thighs were rock hard and his calves curved provocatively. But his penis was a work of art in and of itself, curving slightly towards his belly. The marble column had a thick vein that pulsed with blood to his throbbing mushroom head and she licked her lips in anticipation.

His cock twitched and her eyes went to his, a sexy smirk on her lips for the effect she had on him. His grin was equally sensual and she wanted to devour him whole. Slowly, holding his green gaze, she kissed her way up his luscious legs, hearing his breath catch in his throat, “What are you doing?”

“Loving you,” she whispered, her hot breath moving over the skin of his cock a second before she wrapped her lips around the heated flesh and closed her eyes in ecstasy. The essence of Armand filled her mouth, the midnight musk that made her forget that it wasn’t her body, it wasn’t her life. In that meadow, with the sun shining down on her naked skin, as she made love to Armand, nothing else mattered. Nothing else existed.

His hand settled on her head, pushing her hair out of the way so he could watch. His eyes darkened even further as he gently rolled his hips and his breathing became labored. “How much of me do you want?”

Pulling her lips off his penis with a pop, she looked at him and fell in love all over. With a voice thick with lust and love, she breathed, “All of you.”

His head fell back as he groaned and he thrust deeper, sending the tip of his cock to the back of her throat. Ignoring the instinct to gag, she swallowed and relaxed, taking him as deep as possible, wishing she could swallow him whole. His fingers curled into her hair, the slight pain only adding to her pleasure. His other arm was bent beneath the back of his skull, raising his head up just enough so he could see what she was doing.