Page 49 of Embrace the Power (The Blood Rose 9)

No, it can’t.

He drew back. “All right. Let’s have it.”

But Marny returned at exactly that moment with two snifters of brandy. “I saved this for you guys. It’s from my best stock.”

Stone took one of the goblets and dipped his nose close. “Nice.”

“From France,” she added. “Extra-aged.” She then got a very serious look on her face. “And it’s on the house, the whole dinner. My treat, for everything you do for our world.”

Rosamunde watched tears fill the woman’s eyes. Stone grabbed Marny’s hand and squeezed. “I say this with my whole heart: It’s my pleasure. What I do, how I serve Tannisford, it’s my pleasure.”

“You’re a good man, Stone.”

She pulled her hand away and drew upright. She wiped her tears then patted her belly. “Sorry, I’ve been very emotional lately.”

When she moved away, Stone handed Rosamunde the snifter then picked the other one up for himself. “To Tannisford.” He held his goblet close to hers.

“To the Nine Realms.”

When he nodded, she tapped the glass gently against his. She took a sip and saw that Stone’s eyes were wet as he tilted his head back and took a drink.

Rosamunde didn’t really taste the brandy even though she suspected the bottle cost a small fortune. Instead, all she could do was look at Stone and marvel at the man he was, at his goodness and the way he viewed centuries of sacrifice as his pleasure.

She made a decision then and there that she was done talking. She’d tried several times to bring up the difficult issue, and she would have seen it through if she hadn’t witnessed the tender, powerful exchange between the restaurant owner and Stone.

She knew she was being selfish, but she wanted this time with him, to open her vein for him, to make love with him and to share his bed through the day. She knew something else as well, he’d have a hard time forgiving her once he learned the truth. But she couldn’t help that and right now, after her own thousand years of sacrifice, she would have this one moment with the man she loved.

Yes. That was it. The man she loved.

She loved Stone.

; She had since he’d first come to the castle to meet her as the queen.

“Stone?”

“Yes?” He settled his snifter on the table. “Right. You had something you wanted to discuss.”

“I’ve kind of let that go for now. I have something else on my mind. You have a home here in the city, don’t you?”

“I do.” His lips curved. “You’d rather go there than my lake house?”

“I would. It’s closer, right?”

His lips curved. “Hell, yeah, it is.”

“Then I want you to take me there,” she paused for effect. “Then I want you to take me to bed.”

As he rose to his feet, he leaned close to her and growled softly at her words. “Let’s go.”

~ ~ ~

Stone thanked Marny for their meal, bid her a goodnight, then led Aralynn out onto the sidewalk. He held his arm out to her. “It’s only a few miles from here.”

He hadn’t flown Aralynn often. He hadn’t needed to. She usually either levitated by herself or if she knew the destination well enough, she teleported.

He lived in the hills northeast of the city in a house he’d built twenty years ago out of a lot of stone and wood. It was a sprawling modern home, single story with terraced landscaping front and back and lots of concrete.