Heart of Stone Read online

  Body burning with a passion too wild to control, she wrapped her limbs around him, bringing his mouth to hers and kissing him with all the dark desire in her soul. His response nearly burned the ship down around them.

  Much later, after they'd managed to drag themselves to their quarters, Mea stretched with sensual pleasure on the bed, enjoying the throbbing lassitude in her body. Next to her, Stone watched with a knowing quirk of his lips, dark eyes heavy-lidded with satisfaction. She smiled back, tracing her finger over the planes of his face.

  "You didn't have these when we met you,” she said softly as she passed a fingertip feather light over the lines at the corners of his eyes. “I'm pretty proud of them."

  His smile grew, deepening the lines. “You're proud you gave me wrinkles?” he asked with a snort of amusement.

  "These are laugh lines. We taught you how to do that,” she sighed in contentment.

  He leaned over her, smile fading into intensity. “You taught me how to live,” he murmured, brushing his lips against hers.

  Warmth filled her to bursting, but she knew how to answer it. “Where did you get the ring?” she asked in a whisper as she wrapped her arms around him again.

  His eyes sharpened with curiosity. “Why?"

  "I want to make sure they don't just do black work. I'd like mine edged in silver."

  His swift indrawn breath made her mouth curl with the beginnings of a smug smile, but the wild abandon in his kiss and his touch ignited a fire in her that consumed everything but him. He'd once said he didn't know what love was. She was going to enjoy pointing out that it was no longer true.

  About the Author

  Michelle O'Leary is the author of The Huntress, Angels and Ministers of Grace, and a growing collection of short stories. She is also a contributor to Clerestory, a windowed wall and The Insomniac Tales by Chaucer's Women.

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