Capturing Their Flame [Stone Passions 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read online

  “Yes, did you ever want to work for any of the companies your people own?” He tilted his head. He knew they had quite a few companies.

  “No. I didn’t want to get into business. I didn’t find it interesting. Maybe later I’ll take some classes to see if I find it as boring as I imagined.” She took a slow drink.

  They placed their orders. He knew she had to have more questions than that about him and about the Gargoyle. She’d come to them knowing little about the clan. What little she’d learned about them, she’d acquired from incidents that had happened.

  “Did you live in an apartment or with your parents?” He asked.

  She seemed dutiful. He doubted they’d have kept her locked to their side. She might have stayed there because it seemed more comfortable.

  “In the dorm on campus.” She shook her head. “I wanted to get an apartment, but my parents didn’t exactly approve of my career choice. They thought I should do something that would allow me to work with my intended in business. My grandmother paid for my college, but she thought a stay in the dorm would be better for me.”

  He raised his brows. She had someone in her life who might not completely agree with her parents’ plans. That pleased him. Did her grandmother hope that she’d see how other Branal lived and perhaps decide to go against her family’s plans? “How did your grandmother feel about your intended?”

  He didn’t like saying the words, but the man was out of her life whether she realized it or not.

  “She didn’t like him, and thought I’d made a mistake in considering it. My parents’ arguments for it made more sense than her arguments against it.” Naomi leaned back to allow the waitress to place their order in front of them. “How did you and Isaac find each other? You’re more than friends. I can tell from watching you. In spite of the fact that you both seem to have different interests, you sometimes move as if you’re one being.”

  “We met when we were around twenty-eight.” He looked around to make sure no one could hear them. “About fifty years ago. That’s relatively young to find a partner. The moment we started talking there was something there. A pull. It drew us together.”

  “But how did you meet?” She cocked her head to the side.

  “I found him when I left home to train. Because no Cim ruled at my home, young men didn’t train there. There needs to be strong leaders to control that aggression. I came here to train and met him then.” He smiled.

  “There were three men at Dante’s house. How do you know you’re not supposed to have three?” She stared at him.

  “It’s the strength of the connection. Isaac and I could feel that the bond was complete. We weren’t waiting on someone else to find us to complete it. It’s hard to explain, but we’d know if someone else should be part of it.” Neil took a drink and focused on his meal for a few minutes.

  “Could you be wrong about this mating thing?” She skimmed her finger along the rim of her glass. She didn’t look at him.

  He didn’t think she meant to challenge him, although part of him wanted to take the words as that. She was theirs. She should damn well acknowledge it and stop thinking about running away from them. They wouldn’t change their mind.

  “No, just as you’re eyes glow only for the men meant to be your mates. Our bodies react in that way exclusively to our mates. I know it’s hard for you to accept considering your current attitude.” He didn’t want to get into an argument about it. He stated facts.

  “I didn’t think the Gargoyle would live all together like that. It seems a little strange for them all to be together. I thought they were territorial.” She exhaled, a long controlled breath, as if she hoped to control herself.

  He appreciated the effort. A public argument wouldn’t get them anywhere. He believed she hoped to avoid further discussion rather than any desire to learn more about them as a people.

  “We are territorial, but when we have strong leaders, as we do with Sin and Abram, we can live within boundaries without fighting. It’s when there’s a lack of rules and boundaries that there’s a problem. Without that, males will begin to fight to protect an area they consider theirs. Now, we protect our family and the people and that’s it. There’s no need for anything else.” Neil shrugged.

  “You seem pretty knowledgeable about that. Was it different before?” She tilted her head.

  “Not here. I wasn’t born in this area, although I would have loved to have grown up here.” He shook his head.

  “Was Isaac born here? If not, how did both of you come to be here?” She leaned forward.

  “Yes, Isaac was born here. He’s why we’re living here. Well, as well as the fact that there’s no clear leadership in the clan that I came from. I wouldn’t bring a family into that type of situation. It would be dangerous with the males fighting for position.” Neil shook his head.

  “Why don’t they have a stable leadership? Shouldn’t someone go there to take it if there’s not a leader there? If they’re fighting and doing things without rules, someone could do something to draw attention to the Gargoyle as a whole.” She drummed her fingers on the table top.

  “Leaders usually feel a calling to go there, but if the man has no connection to the others of his bond, he won’t feel it. Not until he finds the other or others,” Neil explained. “Yes, the others are out of control, but they usually know that if they go past a certain limit someone will be coming for them.”

  When Neil began driving her back to the office, he couldn’t get the words she’d said out of his head. Rationally, he knew she hadn’t questioned the bond. She’d done what he’d suggested. The rational part of his mind didn’t give him problems. The wild possessive side of him prodded him to remind her of whose woman she was.

  He couldn’t just jump her though. He knew that would cause more problems and that would cause them more problems in the end. If he had his way, this relationship would settle quickly. Perhaps, they should start by showing her that she’d find pleasure with them.

  As he parked in the underground parking garage, he unbuckled his seatbelt, but made no effort to get out. When she reached for the door handle, he grasped her arm and pulled her across the seat. They could do more in the back seat, but he could work with this.

  She turned to him. Before she could ask him anything, he closed his mouth over hers. Her mouth opened. He took the opportunity to thrust his tongue deep inside. She groaned against his lips.

  When her hands crept up to his shoulders, he prepared for her to try to push him away. She didn’t though. She began to stroke and caress. When her fingers clutched at his hair, he smiled pleased with her response. He pulled his mouth away from hers and tugged her until her back pressed against him.

  One arm slipped around her and cupped a breast. With the other, he drew her skirt up. He loved her in a skirt and had insisted she wear one today, not because it looked more businesslike as he told her, but because the thought of being able to push up that skirt and sink into her without having to peel her out of more than her panties thrilled him. It wouldn’t happen, but he couldn’t resist reveling in the fantasy.

  “Neil, what are you doing? We’re in a parking garage.” She stiffened in his arms.

  “Don’t worry. No one will pay any attention to us. We have time.” He kissed her cheek. “Let me do this.”

  As soon as the skirt rose above her waist, he cupped his hand over the mound of her pussy. She was damp, but not nearly as wet as she would be soon. He pressed his fingers against the panties, pushing his fingers between the lips. He stroked upward, rubbing the fabric against her clit.

  Her breath hitched. She clutched his arm. He smiled. Those hands didn’t pull him away. He didn’t know if she knew what she wanted. He’d make certain she realized exactly what she craved.

  His cock hardened further, demanding to be freed. He gritted his teeth. This might cause him a little pain, but he hoped it took them a few steps closer to securing her acceptance.

  He continued to stroke and rub
at that hardened nub. When her juices wet her panties and that nutmeg and cream scent filled the car, he ripped them off. He planned to watch his fingers drive into her sweet pussy and sink his teeth into her as she came.

  She pressed back against him. Her thighs widened, one lifting onto the seat and bending, opening her further to him. He’d love to lap that sweet stuff right up. The thought almost made him get out of the car and go around to do that. Resolutely, he circled his fingers around her clit until she lifted into the touch. He slid his fingers down and pressed against her slick opening. He pushed two fingers into her. Her inner muscles clenched, urging his fingers deeper. Settling his thumb on her clit, he pulled his fingers back before thrusting them deep again. On every inward plunge, he flicked his thumb across that sensitive bud. She moaned. Her closed lips muffled the sound as if she feared someone would hear. He wanted to draw more of those sweet sounds. He wouldn’t mind if everyone in the building heard. They’d know that this beautiful woman belonged to him and Isaac.

  Her hand now pressed his against her harder. With each plunge of his fingers, she lifted into him. Her inner muscles trembled around his fingers. She was close. He nuzzled his lips against her shoulder. She tilted her head, giving him room. He pressed kisses there, and licked the salty skin. She panted, the breaths fast and shallow.

  He thrust his fingers in hard, flicking at her clit, before pulling back to do it again. As her muscles clamped around his fingers, he struck. His teeth sank into her shoulder. Her body bowed as he continued to rub his fingers in circles over her clit. Her hips jerked upward. When the tremors finally subsided from her body, he lifted his mouth from her shoulder. It drew a slight moan from her.

  He smiled and pumped his fingers into her before lifting his hand away from the sweet treasure of her pussy. She was made for them. She had to recognize that soon. He wouldn’t accept anything less.

  Chapter Twelve

  Naomi glared at Isaac as he drove them back to the Gargoyle community. She didn’t know why Neil hadn’t come, but as soon as five thirty hit, he called Isaac and told him to come get her that he had to work late. No one had told him to work late and he’d gotten through everything he’d put on his list at the start of the day.

  The man was a little obsessive. He made a list before he started work and crossed it off as he went. It appeared as if he thought that missing one thing would get him fired. From what she’d seen, the man did more than anyone else in the desks around them.

  “What’s with the attitude?” Isaac asked.

  “No one told him to work late.” She glanced over at him. “Everyone else started leaving before five.”

  “Yeah, I know. So do his bosses. Neil thinks he needs to prove himself to them because he wasn’t born here. That he’ll have to fight for everything. We’ll have to have patience with that. It will eventually go away once he realizes he belongs here and that everyone accepts him, but until that time, he’ll continue trying to show that he’s got what it takes.” Isaac sighed.

  “Would telling him that he belongs here work?” She tilted her head. That did change things a little. She couldn’t fully understand why he thought he had to prove himself. Everyone at the office seemed to think he had great ideas and was good at his job.

  “No more than it does you. I’ve tried over and over. He’ll have to see it. Once that happens, he’ll start acting more normally. For now, he acts as if they took him into the clan yesterday.” He pulled into the community and drove toward their house. “Would you like to ask me some questions tonight? Neil told me you asked him some today.”

  “Yeah, I’d like to know a little more about you and the Gargoyle.” She nodded. Although she should try to keep her distance from them, she couldn’t hold back her curiosity. They were different from what she’d expected.

  “Let’s get inside and we’ll get more comfortable. Maybe later we’ll take a bath and enjoy ourselves in the hot water.” He slid a hot glance over at her.

  She couldn’t misread that glance if she tried. Damn. Water sex. Damn, it sounded fun. In that huge tub they had in the master bathroom, there would be room for some great play. Her inner muscles contracted as she thought about his cock sinking into her.

  Fuck. Their scent might turn her into a sex-crazed woman, but her brain aided their cause. She couldn’t keep her mind away from carnal thoughts whenever she came near them. For the entire day, she’d thought about unzipping Neil’s pants and tasting his cock. Only the thought of other people watching had held her back.

  Once he’d pulled up the drive and they’d strolled inside, he went to get them something to drink. She settled on the couch. Although she knew space would be a better option, she couldn’t stay away from him. She wanted his arms around her. Or better, his palms cupping her breasts as his fingers tugged at the hardened nipples.

  As he came into the room, she saw him sniff. The wide smile that curved his lips caused her eyes to narrow. She had to get her thoughts under control before she climbed onto him and tried to ride him.

  “Now ask me any question that you’d like, Naomi.” Isaac settled back against the cushion. His fingers tangled with hers.

  “Why does Neil seem to be starting out on his career? Is this late for a Gargoyle or a second career for him? He said you two met about fifty years ago.” She tilted her head and watched him as if she wondered if he’d tell her the truth.

  “The Gargoyle are a little different. The young males spend time acting as warriors. We train for years after we master our gifts, but that takes longer than it does to reach adulthood. We have to be able to hold our different forms in stressful situations.” Isaac lifted her hand and kissed it. “Once we’re trained, we can start moving among humans since there’s little chance we’ll reveal our otherness to them accidentally. That includes work situations. We finished our service about ten years ago. Neil went to school and I trained with Dante to be part of his security firm. Both of which had us in near constant contact with humans.”

  Well, that made sense. She’d had no idea that the Gargoyles spent so much time training. “Do you still serve as a warrior now?”

  “Yes, the service beforehand enables us to get experience we’ll face at home, and is supposed to bring us together with other males if we’re not matched. The warriors are sent in small groups to other clans and are moved every couple of years.” Isaac stroked his thumb over her knuckles.

  “Does that training include any females born to your people? I know that there are a few born. I think I heard something a few years ago about an incident where something almost happened to one.” Naomi frowned as she thought.

  “Yes, that includes the females. They are trained to fight, as well. No service for them. Then they go into their chosen field of study or profession,” Isaac said.

  “They’re trained to fight.” She sent him her most disbelieving look. She’d heard that they’d gone to the theater that night with females. Why would they need guards if they females could fight?

  “Although they’re trained, that doesn’t mean we’ll let them get in situations where they could get hurt. That would be irresponsible of us.” He shook his head. “There’s always something that could happen. The Gobel are one of the problems we face. There have also been a few other attacks by Appari, other than ours.”

  She bit her lip. Safety. It was the excuse that everyone always gave. With the Appari attacks she could sort of understand their hesitation. “Do the females get to go to their school alone or to work?”

  She didn’t know why she asked that. She didn’t plan to be with them long enough for it to matter. On the other hand, she couldn’t hold the curiosity back or deny that the answer mattered too much.

  “Yes, unless there’s a direct threat. They can hold their own against any human attackers. They also know what to do if there’s a hint of one of our enemies.” Isaac shrugged.

  “And what are they supposed to do?” She raised her brows in suspicion.

  In spite of his asser
tion that the women could take care of themselves, the women probably didn’t fight the things. It went against everything she’d seen of these men. Overprotective was a mild word compared to the way they acted.

  Isaac’s phone rang. He straightened and pulled it from his pocket. He took a glance at the name on the screen and answered. He flicked it onto speakerphone.

  “Hi, Dante,” Isaac relaxed back against the couch again.

  “Hello, Isaac, I need you to go back to the office and take over remote monitoring for Sal.” Dante’s voice was brusque.

  “Sure, but I’ll have to bring Naomi with me. Neil’s at work.” Isaac readily agreed.

  “That’s all right. All you’ll be doing is watching and only for a few hours. If she has the computer we fixed for her, she should be able to keep herself busy until the next shift comes on,” Dante said.

  “She does. Wherever she goes, it goes.” Isaac smiled at her. He finished talking with Dante and ended the call. He stood. “Come on. We have to leave.”

  “Just that easy. He calls. You say yes without asking why?” She frowned at him. It looked like maybe Isaac wanted impress the boss with his work ethic as much as Neil did.

  “He wouldn’t call unless it’s an emergency. It won’t be for long.” Isaac tugged her hand pulling her back toward the entry hallway. “It’s good that we left your computer in the car. We won’t have to carry it back out.”

  She shook her head. As if he’d have forgotten it regardless. Both he and Neil had made sure she had that thing with her. She didn’t know what they thought she’d do if she became bored.

  “What kind of emergency do you think this is?” she asked. She knew he wouldn’t take her into any situation he considered dangerous.

  “It’s probably something related to his family. Sal’s a father. It could be something with them, but it’s not something directly with Sal. He’s in a room at the home office watching security feed.” He put her into the car and walked around to the driver’s side.