Heart of Stone (Part III)

III. Chapter 6 | Part 1 - Stone

Stone listened to Aubree disappear up the stairs before looking down at his pants.

Goddess, she just had to bestow him with her deliciously sweet juices all over his crotch. The smell of it swirled within him, tugging on his instinct to follow her upstairs and do what he said he would.

He had to hold out for two more days and one more night. Just a little bit longer...

He wasn't sure he could make it.

The windows were all open to let in the fresh air, but her scent still lingered, dancing around him as the breeze picked it up and swept it around the room in a tantalizing slow tango to drive him insane.

Once he heard the water running upstairs, he followed her lingering scent up the stairs to their room where he changed his pants. A fruity fragrance seeped under the bathroom door. The soap would help to mask her naturally alluring musk, but it would only last for half the day if he was lucky.

Returning downstairs, he forced himself to eat his breakfast, appreciating the fact that Aubree took the time to prepare his steak the way he liked it. She could have left it sitting on a plate, raw, and he still would have eaten it. No, she took the time to lightly sear and salt it for him.

She was so getting it later.

While eating, he deliberated on whether he should tell her or not about Tiberius. He wanted to address the mystery at the meeting, and he wanted to keep Aubree informed so she wouldn't be alarmed. Preparing her for everything she could expect was the only way to ease her into it while giving both her and him the upper hand. The inability to mind-link with her was such a hindrance and a weakness to them as an alpha and luna in charge of a pack.

When she came back down, he tried not to stare at her outfit. Jean shorts elongated her lean legs and the loose T-shirt draped perfectly over her shoulders, covering the bruises while showing the flawless, unbitten, state of her slender shoulders. A single word spread across the bust: Believe.

"I like that shirt," he stated, averting his gaze and the lingering question of whether or not she was wearing a bra.

She walked up to him sitting on the couch and stopped a few feet away. "Good. I like this top too. Don't rip it up later."

A smirk met her gaze. "I'll try not to."

This time, she looked away as heat rushed to her face.

Rising, he stood before her and cupped her cheek in his large, rough palm, urging her to look up at him.

When her beautiful eyes met his, her heart did a cute little tap dance—music to his ears.

"I apologize beforehand if things get uncomfortable in the meeting," he said. "There's something about this pack that they haven't told us. I don't know what it is exactly, but it involves Eramis' and Elena's son, Tiberius."

Aubree's brows furrowed. "Who? How many kids do they have?"

"They have a big family, Love."

He loved the way that word rolled off his tongue and the way she melted under his touch when he said it.

He had to pull away to keep himself from kissing her.

Focus.

Pushing away the thought of caressing her lips with his, he continued, "Two daughters and three sons. They had a third daughter, their firstborn, but she died a long time ago. Their second daughter is Luna of the Alkatee Pack in West Texas. Dom is their third pup. Then comes Marina, then Tiberius, and then Laurencius. The Rosmi Maana Pack left Europe after Marina matured. Both Tiberius and Laurencius were born here."