StoneHardPassion Read Online Free Page B

the mirror, knowing she couldn’t see,
Vidar let his hungry gaze roam her reflection. The black leather pants and
sleeveless vest fit her like a second skin, hugging firm, high breasts, slim
hips and thighs. Her tattoo only emphasized the wiry strength of her arms, the
reds, oranges and gold of the roc a perfect complement to her skin. She always
wore her hair up, sometimes under a cap or, like tonight, rolled into a casual
bunch at the top of her head. It left her throat bare, and his fingers clenched
into fists, the urge to stroke that smooth, glorious skin almost too much to suppress.
    As though feeling his regard, she looked up. Her gaze swept
over his reflection and he swore he could feel it rush like fire over his skin
too. She licked her bottom lip and her fingers definitely trembled against his
skin. Then she met his gaze in the mirror and gave his hip a little push with
her hand, indicating he should turn back around.
    “I can do that.” Was it his imagination, or did her voice
sound a little raspy? “It is an interesting story, if I might say so myself.”
    Vidar grasped the edge of the table and squeezed his eyes
closed as the machine started to buzz. “Tell me.”
    He was hoping to sink into her tale the way he usually did.
Jasmina had once explained storytelling was an important part of jinn life, and
her gift for it was evident. She wove words into strangely beautiful patterns
and used her voice the way other people used their hands in emphasis.
    There was the first touch of the needle and Vidar began to
relax. Despite her hand moving lower and lower, holding the flesh in place to
be inked, they were back on a more businesslike footing. And there was nothing
unusual about the fact that she didn’t start the story right away. Making him
wait, building anticipation, was part of her natural showmanship.
    She lifted the needle away from his skin and wiped the area
with gauze.
    “I come from a very traditional, old-fashioned jinn family.”
She pitched her voice so he could hear it clearly over the hum of the machine
as she went back to applying the tattoo. “So old-fashioned that if my father
had his way, I would never see anything but the inside of his house or, should
I marry, that of my husband.”
    Jasmina paused to wipe at the tattoo again, and gave a
little chuckle.
    “What’s so funny about that?” Vidar asked.
    “I was just picturing my father seeing me tattooing your ass
and reading my mind, realizing just how badly I want to fuck you. He’d lock me
away forever.”
    Every muscle in his body went into rigor, and Vidar couldn’t
restrain the low moan that broke from his throat.
    So much for getting lost in the story.
    She definitely was trying to kill him. He just knew it.

Chapter Three
     
    I really should stop doing that.
    But Jasmina wasn’t really contrite. Sure, Vidar was hesitant
about them sleeping together, but she wanted to keep reminding him the door was
open. All he had to do was walk through. Although feeling him stiffen beneath
her hand gave her a small pang of remorse, it wasn’t enough to make her stop. A
quick glance in the mirror confirmed that while intellectually he wasn’t ready
to take her up on the offer, physically he was still raring to go.
    Besides the renewed tension in his body, Vidar made no
comment so, as she moved on to outline the rest of the first root, she
continued her tale.
    “While most jinn families have moved away from the
traditional lifestyle—allowing their female members almost as much freedom as
the males—my family has clung to the old ways. My father’s wives and daughters
were secluded from all outside men, kept at home until they’re married and
allowed to study only subjects deemed fitting for women.”
    “What kinds of subjects are those?”
    Jasmina smiled to herself, pleased he’d picked up on that so
readily. One of the joys of telling Vidar a story was his quick grasp of the
important points.
    “The jinn, as I’m sure you know,