Heart of Stone - Book 2: Hearts Collide
Chapter 25 - Aubree (Part 2)

She shivered as a chill seeped into her, his words heavy with mystery.

She knew she wouldn’t be able to fight against her bodily urges for him forever. The idea of him learning to control such a deadly urge, and helping him along the way, seemed doable for her. Necessary, even.

“How can I help?” she asked again.

His eyes grew serious as he pulled away. Stepping around her, he pulled out a book from the top shelf and opened it up. Aubree’s eyes widened when she realized that it wasn’t a book at all, but rather it served as a secret storage compartment. For a weapon.

It was wrapped in dark brown leather and when he folded the cloth away, she couldn’t help but stare at it in awe.

“If I ever lose control, cut yourself with this.” Stone held out a small double-edged dagger to her. “Just enough to draw your blood.”

She stared at it before her wide eyes looked up to meet his. “You’re kidding?”

He shook his head. “I pray that it doesn’t come to that, but... The smell of your blood might be enough to snap me out of it.”

He put it in her hand and she swallowed as she studied it. She didn’t know enough about daggers or weapons to know what it was made of or how old it was. The black handle was smooth with leafy vines of steel twisting around it. It struck her that it had to belong to Adelaide as it was far too feminine to belong to Stone.

She looked up at him as her eyebrows knotted in confusion. “How will I know when you’ve lost control?”

His eyes closed in a grimace. “When my teeth graze this spot here.” He touched the soft spot on her shoulder next to her collar bone. “I won’t go near this spot with my lips when I’m in control because I don’t want to risk it.”

She swallowed, her heart beginning to race. “Can you try it? So I know what it feels like.”

Stone growled. “I’ve done it once before.”

“You have? When?”

“At the grocery store before you left Dan. His scent was all over you, I reacted...” He looked away, guilt crossing his face. “I almost lost it then.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Thank the Goddess for that.”

“Can you though?” she asked. “Can you show me now so I know for later?”

Staring intently in her eyes, his breathing became labored like her own as his pupils began to dilate. “You’re playing with fire, Röslein.”

“Is it too hard to try, even when you’re in control?”

“It’s not that simple,” he said as he brushed her hair back, away from her shoulder. The simple gesture made her skin tingle.

She knew what he meant. The mere thought of his lips on her neck was rousing her. No doubt that he could smell it and was affected by it.

“You wanted to test your control, right?” she said, unable to help the cotton now filling her mouth. “You can test it now, while we’re both aware of what we’re doing.”

He pressed his forehead to hers and dragged air into his lungs. He held it before releasing it slowly, shuddering with effort. He muttered something under his breath and gently tugged the collar of her T-shirt away from her neck. His weathered fingers grazed against her shoulder as he pulled the fabric along with the strap of her red bra, inch by inch, to the edge of her shoulder blade.

Her breath hitched as he caressed the spot with his thumb. His touch was electric-fire that flared through her, bursting through her veins and deep into her core. He looked into her eyes to catch her heated gaze and she could see the flicker of a hungry beast within those darkening blues. They were darker than usual, like a royal blue. Did they always change color like that?

“Are you in control?” she rasped.

“Barely,” he grunted.

“Do it quick.”

He groaned as he closed his eyes and lowered his head, the sound making her fingers curl into his T-shirt.

“Don’t moan, Aubree, or I might lose it,” he whispered, huskily.

Her skin crawled in anticipation of his words as his head lowered further. She bit down on her bottom lip in preparation.

The heat of his breath on her skin made the hairs on her nape stand on end in delight. Sucking air into her lungs and holding it, she squeezed her eyes shut as she felt his lips graze ever so lightly over her collar bone. He inhaled deeply as he slowly, agonizingly so, moved his lips closer to the curve of her neck, to the soft dip next to the bone where he stopped.

“Here,” he whispered, his voice gravelly and low as he gingerly raked his teeth over her delicate skin.

Gasping, she bit back the moan crawling up her throat as pleasure sparked under his touch.

She understood what he meant back in the garden. The gentle raking of his teeth sent sensual shocks of electricity and heat to shoot through her. Even though it might hurt, if and when he did pierce her skin, the pleasure it brought with it might over-power the pain.

Jerking away from her neck, his lips crashed against hers. The impact shattered her resolve, and the world crumbled at her feet. All inhibitions burned to dust and scattered as his essence, his need, his desire rushed over her in a whirlwind of fiery passion.

The moan she’d been biting back escaped as his mouth devoured hers. Pushing her back against the wall, he pinned her against his firm chest as they both gasped hungrily for air and each other.

His hands were in her hair, then sliding down her neck, her shoulders. She struggled to breathe as the heat from his touch seared over her flesh. Down, down, his palms roamed until they were on her breasts. Her nipples pebbled within her bra, and she wanted nothing more than for those hands to rip the fabric from her chest and press themselves against her wanting skin.

Panting, he pulled away as he planted hot, wet kisses down her neck. “Your turn.”

She arched her back, driving her hips against his, as her arms reached around to grip his back. His husky words barely registered in her mind as it spun. The dagger, forgotten.

“What?”

Her voice was breathless and she whimpered as he continued to suck on the curve of her neck. She dug her fingers into his T-shirt as her heart raced, her blood boiled, and her core burned for more.

“To take control. I’m releasing mine.”