Heart of Stone - Book 2: Hearts Collide

He pressed his cheek against her forehead, his scruff picking up and dragging her hair with it. He couldn’t help but growl lowly as he pulled away to smooth her hair back and out of her face.

“I should have shaved. I must be so scratchy,” he said before he rubbed his scruffy cheek against her forehead, making her squeal and push him away.

A deep growl followed by a series of barks met his ears and he looked up to see a large German Shepherd tugging on a leash as his owner struggled to hold him back.

Stone’s eyes widened. He hadn’t even noticed the dog coming. He was so absorbed in Aubree’s scent and laughter that he missed the dog’s approach.

“We should go,” he said, grabbing Aubree’s elbows and urging her to her feet.

She rose with a look of confusion crossing her face as she watched the woman struggle to get her dog under control twenty yards away.

“Kirk! Stop it! No!” The woman tried to pull the dog away and get him to settle down, but he wouldn’t have any of it.

Taking Aubree’s hand in his, Stone pulled her away from the woman and dog.

“Stone?” Aubree’s voice was laced with confusion as she tried to keep up with his long strides.

“Sorry, I didn’t sense him coming,” he told her as he continued to pull her away, the dog still barking behind him. “As long as she can hold onto him, we should be good soon.”

They reached one of the paths leading out of the garden and crossed the street to the parking lot. The barking died down behind them and Stone only slowed down his pace when he felt they were safe.

Trees surrounded the parking lot with the second garden to their right and the bird sanctuary ahead and to the left. He paused at the mouth of the path to the bird sanctuary in hopes of being fully concealed from other dogs and people. He didn’t want to set off any more animals.

“Sorry about that.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Instead of being scared of us, dogs like that aren’t afraid to get nasty if they fear their owner is in danger.”

Aubree still looked up at him in confusion.

He sighed and rubbed her arms. “They can sense that I’m not human. They’re protective. They won’t harm you, though they might be confused as to whether you’re human or not with my scent all over you.”

“Oh, okay.” Aubree nodded. “I get what you’re saying. My dog is half Shepherd as well. He gets pretty protective of me too.”

This caught Stone’s attention. He cocked his head. “You have a dog?”

Her face lit up. “Yup. His name is Whiskey. Half German Shepherd, half Husky.”

A thought seemed to cross her mind and he asked her what it was.

“When I went back to Chicago and was out with Whiskey, he got very uneasy, which is unusual for him.”

He frowned. “That’s because I asked Hector and Rosemary to send someone to keep an eye on you at all times. I was worried about you. What if the vampires followed you there and tried to hurt you? Whiskey probably picked up on one of their lycans.”

“Oh.” A look of relief passed over her. “Well, that makes sense now.”

Then her lips pulled back in a devious grin as she tugged on the hem of his shirt. “So, you were worried about me, huh?”

He swallowed, feeling his skin tingle as she twisted the fabric around her fingers. “Of course.”

“Even before I chose you?”

Heat began to spread through him. She was teasing him and he didn’t want her to stop. It felt so damn good coming from her.

“Yes, even before then.”

His fingers trailed up her elbows to her shoulders, making her shiver as her skin broke out in goosebumps.

“Before you picked me up from work?”

Her fingers released his shirt and she pressed the palms of her hands on his abs and slowly snaked them up, over his broad chest, up and around his neck. Heat and desire followed the trail up. Every muscle in his body stiffened with her touch, making his heart and lungs work extra hard with the effect she had on him.

He swallowed and released a shaky breath. “Before then.”

Her fingers massaged the back of his neck, making him groan and lower his head. His head began to swim as her fingers toyed with the sensitive nerves on his nape, sending hot electrical volts to shoot through his body.

She stared up at him with wanting, her gaze trapping him. “At the mall?”

Her breath caught in her throat as his hands slid over her shoulders and down her back. Even with clothes on, he could feel her heat seeping through.

“Before then.”

She gasped as his hands roamed over her denim-clad ass and pulled her roughly against him. The sound made his stomach clench. The pressure of her body was setting him on fire.

“The grocery store?” Her voice came out in a slightly higher pitch as she struggled to get enough air into her lungs. It was like a siren’s call to him and he was sinking fast as he dipped his head lower still, an inch away from hers.

“Before then.”

He was panting alongside her, their breaths hot on each other’s faces as they drew closer together. His hands roamed to her hips and up to her waist before dipping back down her back to grasp her butt again.

Her lust-filled eyes closed for a moment with a moan before she opened them again, searching his. “The coffee shop?”

He closed his eyes, his desire overwhelming him, as he pressed his forehead to hers. “Even before then. From the moment I picked up your scent on the side of the road that first night. I’ve never stopped worrying about you. I...”

Her lips seized his and he groaned deeply from the pit of his gut. He squeezed her butt, grinding her against him. She moaned into him, feeling his hardness throbbing against her.

“Stone...”

Losing control, he gripped her hips, pulling her against him, molding her to him as lust clouded his sense of reason, throwing his reservations out and focusing only on the feel of her body demanding his as his demanded hers.

Her hands slid down over his shoulders and a jolt of desire so strong and intense crashed into him like an inferno as she gripped tightly to Adelaide’s mark on his shoulder.

Grunting in both pain and fierce rapture, his hands clamped down on her hips, squeezing her so tightly that she ripped her lips away from his and let out a sharp cry. The sound struck him like a sledgehammer, but he was too fired up to stop. His body roared, demanding more as his pulse exploded in his head.

He snapped. Shoving her away, he bolted into the bird sanctuary, stumbling over his own two feet as lust blinded him.

She touched Adelaide’s mark. His body was on fire. He needed relief. He needed a release.

He fucked up everything!