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  Laughing, he shook his head, his golden hair moving against his broad shoulders, “Honestly, it was only an hour or two and you needed your sleep.” At her scowl, he laughed harder, “I promise, you didn’t miss anything.”

  She harrumphed but her pique was short lived as he slid his hand up her stomach to her breast, cupping the weight in his hand. “At least, you didn’t miss much.”

  Tilting her head to the side, she looked up at him, at his teasing smile. Almost reluctantly, she asked, “What did I miss?”

  “Well, did you know that when you come in your sleep, your mouth parts lightly and the sweetest little sound comes out?” he asked, his eyes sparkling as he rolled her nipple between his thumb a finger, pinching it and plumping it up.

  “I didn’t know I could come in my sleep,” she managed to say on a ragged breath, her hips arching off the bed to get closer to his body. “What else?”

  “You talk in your sleep.” At her horrified expression, he smiled gently, “You come up with things you want to make at the candy store; your latest was raspberry-infused dark chocolate with a raspberry cream center. Apparently, you plan on naming it after me, calling it The Lion’s Roar.”

  “Anything else?” she grimaced, her nose crinkling slightly at what else she might have done but it was getting harder and harder to hold a normal conversation as sexual heat enveloped her body. Vaughn’s cock was swelling inside of her and she could feel it stretching her body.

  “You snore,” he grinned, unable to resist teasing her. Before she could say anything, he laughed, bending his head and kissing the tip of her nose. His breathing was growing harsher as well. “It’s the most adorable, kittenish snore; I was thoroughly enchanted.”

  “You’re so weird,” she panted, her lips twitching as she smiled and moaned.

  “And you’re mine,” he proclaimed, taking her lips in a fierce, possessive kiss. His hips moved faster as he began to fuck her in earnest. Abruptly, the light teasing was gone and power surged through his body, heating it, hardening it. She sensed the change immediately, knowing that dawn was almost upon them. “When this spell is done, I am going to claim you in the sun.”

  “Yes,” she agreed enthusiastically, feeling the heated blood move in her veins. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she let her body mold itself to his. Moving with him as he moved, she silently encouraged him to move faster, to thrust harder, to pound deeper. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he moved his lips along her jaw, nipping at the tender skin of her neck, sucking the fluttering pulse.

  “I’m going to claim every inch of you,” he promised thickly, darkly. His fingers slid down her waist, tightly cupping her ass and tilting her pelvis up to take him all the way to her soul. “I’m going to make love to you until every inch of your body cries for mine and you no longer know where your body ends and mine begins.”

  “God, yes,” she moaned, stimulated by his low, husky voice. He was watching her with darkly iridescent eyes, his mouth slightly open in arousal.

  “You’re mine,” he growled, his voice a deep rumble in his chest. “You belong to me and I belong to you.”

  Her body was shaking with desire and love, her vision slightly blurry as his fingers dug into the flesh of her hips, pulling her towards him as he plunged over and over, claiming her with every thrust. “Yes, Vaughn; you’re mine and I am yours.”

  The first rays of the sun were spilling into her room and a beam of soft, golden light streaked across his chest. As it grew in strength, it moved up his body, highlighting the carved muscles of his body, the tendons of his throat as he swallowed, the sharp line of his jaw. His lush lips as he smiled down at her.

  His gaze captured hers as his face was bathed in sunlight everything in her shattered in explosive pleasure. Vaughn’s body tightened as he thrust one final time, coming with a primal roar. Blistering semen drenched her womb, setting off a series of aftershocks, penetrating deeper and deeper into her body. His essence was branding itself on her cells, on her soul; she could feel him inside of her. His pleasure, his emotions, washed through her and her eyes rolled back as she drowned in one last, all-consuming orgasm.

  Breathing heavily, Vaughn collapsed onto Melanie, his body a luxurious weight that pressed her into the bed and stole her breath. Running her hands over his sweat-slicked back, enjoying the feel of his burning skin, she whispered, “It worked?”

  Lifting his head, he looked down at her with a crooked grin, “It worked.”

  After making love once more, the two of them climbed out of the bed and squeezed together in her little bathroom to get clean. It never occurred to either one that they would have been more comfortable in Vaughn’s bed or his shower; Melanie’s place was their little haven. Afterwards, they dressed quickly and went up to the roof so Vaughn could see the day time sky with human eyes for the first time ever.

  The first thing he noticed was how very blue the sky was, the color of Melanie’s eyes. The wispy clouds were so delicate they looked as if they had been painted in place, except they drifted across overhead. The world was so brilliant, almost unnaturally so. Having spent his life seeing it at night, he had been overwhelmed by how vibrant the domain of day actually was.

  His gargoyle vision never prepared him for the visual feast. Before he had seen the world through a prism of black and white and shades of gray; now it was a kaleidoscope of color. And then he looked at Melanie…. At night, Melanie had been stunning; in light of the day, she sparkled with life and vitality. She was a child of the sun while he was a creature of the night.

  But the most unexpected part was feeling the sun on his face; it was glorious. The sun had no effect on him when he was stone; it was just a gray light in the gray sky with no substance. As a man, he was enthralled by the heat; how could a fire so far away give off such warmth?

  He had tilted his head back and closed his eyes, absorbing the warmth and light. The sun kissed the skin of his face and he wanted to take off all of his clothes and let it caress the flesh of his body. He wanted to make love to Melanie in all of its sweltering splendor. His body hardened at the thought and he had to adjust his burgeoning erection but he didn’t reach for her, knowing she would make love with him even if she was too raw to do so. There would be time to make love to Melanie under the sun later.

  He had no idea how long he stood there, his eyes shut while Melanie stood with him, all the while holding his hand. It had been so peaceful and having her stand silently beside him made a surge of love well up within him. The feelings of euphoria were too great to think beyond the next moment, but he knew there would soon be a time he was going to have to talk to Melanie, to explain what it meant to give up his nights.

  He could wait; he wasn’t going to shatter this perfect moment with the consequences of what he willingly gave up.

  Thirteen

  “My family is going to love you,” she repeated for the umpteenth time, her free hand moving around as she burbled on and on while she drove her SUV the twenty minutes to the house in the suburb where she grew up.

  Vaughn wasn’t sure if it was a good idea for him to meet her family but she was insistent, telling him that it was only fair since she had met his family. And because her family was so important to her, he wanted to do this, even if he had doubts. Besides, it would give him a chance to learn more about Melanie, and that was always a good thing.

  He just wished she would keep both hands on the steering wheel.

  “Do you think you should have called your mom to let her know you were bringing me with today?” Vaughn asked, the uncertainty apparent in his voice.

  She turned her head and smiled at him as she reached out and took his hand in hers. “There’s nothing to worry about; mom and dad don’t bite and if they did, you’re big enough to bite back.”

  He laughed at her unexpected words, feeling the tension ease from his body. If it hadn’t been so bloody cold when they got out to her car, he might have been better prepared for this visit. Instead, he had been floa
ting on a cloud of sun-warmed skin and had forgotten that, while the roof was warm, the rest of Minnesota was not. Had Melanie not been determined to introduce him to her family, he would have returned to the roof. Even if his body was adaptable to the cold weather, it wasn’t immune.

  “Besides,” she continued, oblivious to his thoughts. “They’re going to love you.”

  Yeah, except for the fact that they were going to take one look at him and know that he was sleeping with their little girl. No matter how much the world had changed, one thing stayed the same – a parent’s protective instinct for his or her child. He was going to be lucky if he got out of there with all of his limbs in tack. Damn it, he was a gargoyle, a mythical being of not insignificant powers, and he was apprehensive over meeting a few humans. It would be funny if it weren’t so fucking pathetic!

  “Ferris is going to adore you,” Melanie continued, squeezing his hand in silent comfort. Was she chattering to set him at ease? God, she was wonderful. “She’s six and just the most wonderful child in the entire universe. She’s going to love the castle.”

  “Castle?” he asked, enjoying the sound of her voice as she spoke of those she loved, hoping that she would talk about him with the same affection someday.

  A stain of color burnished her cheeks as she gave a delicate shrug smiled slightly, “The apartment building; it’s what Rhys called it at the club and it’s such a perfect description of the building….”

  “Ah,” he smiled at her and felt that well of love surge up in his chest again. This time, he gave her a hand a reassuring squeeze. After she was silent for a few moments, he realized that that she was trying to keep herself from talking too much. Didn’t she know he loved listening to her? “Tell me more, Melanie.”

  She looked at him as if to gauge how serious he was and when she saw that he was sincere, she gave him a blinding smile before rushing into more details. “Well, my sister is simply amazing; she’s so serious and mature now, but you should have met her when we were in high school. She would come up with the most daring plans and somehow manage to pull them off and whenever we got caught, which we always did, she never got into any trouble. I swear, she was able to wrap everyone around her finger and she was just so damn charming that the wronged party ended up apologizing to her!”

  They shared a laugh, even as Melanie’s mood darkened. “God, sometimes I miss the old Jenna.”

  “What happened?” he asked softly, unsure if she was going to tell him.

  She sighed, “Her fiancé, Ferris’s father, was killed a week before the wedding.”

  Melanie spoke briefly about Jeremy but didn’t go into a lot of detail. Vaughn knew it was a sore subject and that her family still suffered from the loss, especially Jenna. With a slow inhalation and an even slower exhalation, Melanie grinned, “I think we should set Jenna up with your brother.”

  “Armand?” he asked, considering the idea briefly. Maybe the two of them could heal each other’s broken hearts….

  “No; Rhys,” Melanie laughed. “Don’t you think they would be perfect together? He could remind her how she used to be and she could show him the more serious side of life.”

  “I don’t think Rhys has a problem with a lack of seriousness,” he countered.

  “Well, no,” she agreed slowly, hesitantly. It wasn’t her fault that she didn’t know how long the three of them had been around; he hadn’t gotten around to telling her. She had a hint that they were older than they appeared but she had no idea that they were nearly five hundred years old. With a sigh, she shrugged her shoulders, and offered an apologetic smile, “I just want to see Jenna have fun again, you know?”

  “Understandable,” he conceded. Clearing his throat, he admitted, “It has taken Armand a long time to get over his broken heart.”

  Melanie’s brows furrowed as she considered his words, “He doesn’t seem to be over it, yet, does he?”

  Vaughn chuckled softly, “No, I suppose he’s not. But he’s a gargoyle and we tend to feel things very deeply and very strongly.”

  Skeptically, she looked at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief, “Are you still talking about Armand?”

  His lips curved up in a rueful smile, “I am; he comes across as brooding and dark, but….”

  “He has a soft, squishy center,” Melanie said with an amused sigh. “I know.”

  “I wouldn’t quite go that far,” Vaughn chuckled. “He is dark and brooding but I think that if he ever falls in love again, it will be forever.”

  “You are such a romantic,” she sighed, this time in dreaminess. The look she gave him was a combination of love and hopefulness.

  Before he could respond to that look, or even think of anything to say, she was pulling into the driveway of a generous-sized house. Even as she was turning off the engine, the door banged open and a little, miniature Melanie was racing towards the car. Vaughn turned his head and caught the absolute adoration on Melanie’s face as she scrambled out of the car, catching the little girl up in her arms before he even had a chance to unbuckle his seat belt.

  Holding the girl on her hip, Melanie waited for him to get out of the SUV. Up close, he could see that the little girl’s hair was a shade or two darker and her eyes had a little more green in them. Other than that, she could have been Melanie as a little girl. Inexplicably, he was nervous; he wanted the child to like him. The little girl leaned into Melanie’s shoulder, staring at him with her beautiful, old-soul eyes.

  “Hi,” he croaked out. Clearing his throat, he offered a tentative smile, “Hi; I’m Vaughn; you must be Ferris.”

  Her rosebud mouth curled into the sweetest smile as she regarded him with her intense eyes, “Are you going to marry my Aunt Mellie?”

  Melanie choked back a laugh as her face went bright red. Hugging the little girl, she murmured, “We’ve only just met, sweetie. It’s too soon to know if we’re going to get married.”

  Hell, she didn’t even know if gargoyles did get married, or if they performed some other sort of bonding ritual. For all she knew, she “married” Vaughn last night when he gave up his nights for her. Luckily, they were saved by arriving at the door just as her mother opened it, the smile on her lips faltering as she looked past Melanie and saw the unfamiliar Vaughn standing there.

  “Mom, I’d like you to meet my, er, boyfriend,” Melanie said, reaching back for his hand. For half a heartbeat, she feared he wouldn’t take it but then she felt the warmth of his skin envelop hers and she knew that everything was going to be all right. With a brilliant smile, she looked up at Vaughn with all of the love in her heart. “Vaughn, this is my mom.”

  “Mrs. Jacobs,” he said formally, taking her hand in his free one and bringing it to his lips, kissing the back of it. “It is an honor to meet you.”

  “Please, call me Jennifer,” Melanie’s mom blushed to the roots of her professionally dyed hair, beaming like a schoolgirl. Standing to the side, she ushered the small group inside, “Come in, come in and meet the rest of the family.”

  “Smooth,” Melanie whispered in passing, pressing a small kiss to his cheek as she followed her mom into the house. “Real smooth.”

  “Ew,” Ferris complained, still in Melanie’s arms. “Why’d you kiss him?”

  This time Melanie blushed as her mother turned around with a raised eyebrow. It was just her luck that her father and brother entered the room at that moment. Both wore expressions of shock when they saw she brought home a hulking, supremely masculine, blond man. “Daddy, Jensen, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Vaughn. Vaughn, this is my dad and my brother, Jensen.”

  “So, you’re kissing my little girl,” her dad scowled, crossing his arms over his barrel chest, glaring at the Viking. Vaughn towered a good six inches over her father, and perhaps three over her brother; he also had several pounds of pure muscle on either of them.

  “Er, yes,” Vaughn stammered, stepping closer to Melanie but keeping his hands where everyone could see them. “But I hold her in the highest esteem
.”

  Everyone’s eyebrows shot to their foreheads at his formal words while Vaughn squeezed his eyes shut and color flooded his cheeks. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and met Mr. Jacobs’s stare without flinching. Holding out his hand, he cleared his throat and started over, “Mr. Jacobs, it is a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

  “Jenner,” her father said gruffly, reluctantly taking the offered hand.

  “Jensen,” Vaughn murmured, shaking her brother’s hand next.

  Putting Ferris down, Melanie looked around the hall while still holding the little girls hand. “Where’s Jenna?”

  “I had her run to the store for some wine,” her mom explained, still smiling at Vaughn. “She’ll be back soon.”

  A strange expression came over Vaughn’s face as he looked at the four Jacobs present. Tilting his head to the side, he frowned, “Your names are Jenner, Jennifer, Jensen and Jenna; how did Melanie end up with a non-Jen name?”

  Melanie bit her lip to keep from laughing; he seemed so offended on her behalf. Luckily, her parents weren’t offended; they laughed as they led Vaughn into the living room to tell the story about how Melanie came to be. Once everyone was seated, with Ferris on Melanie’s lap, Jennifer took Melanie’s hand in her own, the love apparent on the older woman’s face as she spoke. “Well, Vaughn, to tell you the truth, we weren’t expecting Melanie and her birth ruined our Grand Plan.”

  She said the words with a rueful chuckle, shaking her head at her long ago foolishness. Vaughn appeared even more confused, “She was unexpected?”

  “You could say that,” Jenner said gruffly, reaching over and ruffling Melanie’s hair with affection.

  “Mom, dad, you don’t have to tell Vaughn the story,” Melanie interjected, color blossoming on her face even as she reached over and took Vaughn’s hand in her free one, twining her fingers with his. She didn’t seem to be aware of it but Vaughn didn’t mind; he enjoyed holding her hand.