Heart of Stone (Rock Star Fairy Tales #1)

Chapter 3

C h apte r 3

Strangers and Back Rooms

After Midnight, Thursday, Febr uary 19 th at the Euphoria in Ke rva, Armav

T wo hours later, Margot and the stranger had worked their way through a row of glasses, the evidence clearly displayed on the bar before them, and they were laughing loudly, the sound lost in the general cacophony of the club. The stranger—his name was Tobin—hadn’t pressured her to drink, but Margot wanted to let go, to give herself permission to cut loose for just o ne night.

“You know,” she giggled, putting her hand on Tobin’s arm, loving the slight thrill that ran through her body at the touch, “I wasn’t even going to come out tonight.”

“What a loss that would have been!” he said, his warm hand covering hers. “I am very glad to have met you, Margot.”

He leaned down to look into her eyes, his face at first blurry, then crystallizing in her mind. Margot couldn’t say what motivated her in that moment, but she tipped forward, closing the distance between them, and kissed him. He seemed surprised for a second, lips flat beneath her mouth, then rallied and tilted his head, moving his mouth against hers in a way that sent shivers across her skin. His hands found her shoulders, pulling her close. Margot reached out awkwardly, not sure what to touch, and she pushed against his stomach. She heard him chuckle, and their mouths separated a fe w inches.

“I…” she managed, too shocked at her forward behavior to finish the thought. Rum really did give her liquid courage. She met Tobin’s eyes boldly. “I think we should get out of here?”

She meant to say it as a statement, but it came out as a question. She didn’t know much about him, other than he was visiting the province and avoiding the trouble to the south, conducting business on behalf of someone else. She knew he made her laugh easily. For tonight, that was enough. Normally, she let men come on to her, offering their place for the night. Margot’s bunk on her bus was too small for ent ertaining.

Tobin glanced around, and Margot followed his gaze to the VIP couch where Ash and Nik had been joined by Timothy, the drummer having maneuvered his way through the harem to sit on the couch next to Ash. None of them seemed to notice Margot at the bar with her ne w friend.

“Your friends won’t mind if I steal you?” Tobin asked quietly, and Margot grinned at the teasing tone in h is voice.

“I’m my own person,” she informed him. “Maybe I want to be stolen tonight.”

Tobin took the hint, grabbing her hand and lifting her to her feet. The world tilted a little as Margot stood. She was definitely tipsy, but not enough to not know her own mind. She looked at Tobin, studying his face.

I want to kiss you again , she thought, turning to look around the club. But where can we go? Maybe a dark corner to make out would work for the immediat e future.

“I have an idea,” Tobin said, raising an eyebrow. “You up for an a dventure?”

“Oh yeah,” she replied, gripping his hand more solidly. “Lead the way.”

Tobin headed away from the bar, tugging her along in his wake as they passed through the rope marking the VIP area. Instead of heading down the stairs to where she could hear other voices, Tobin turned to the right, leading her swiftly up the stairs. At the top, he lifted her, giggling, over another rope with a sign in a language Margot couldn’t read—she wasn’t as fluent in Armavian as she was in other languages—but the warning of Employees Only looked the same in any language. For a moment, Margot hesitated, debating the wisdom of breaking the rules in a province with a brewing civil war in the south, then decided she didn’t care. She wanted to kiss Tobin again, and if they got caught and got in trouble, she would deal with it then. They ducked under a dark curtain into a small back room. Tobin released her hand, taking in their new surroundings, and Margot made out the dim shapes of stacked tables an d chairs.

“Come here often?” she asked, a giggle escaping. “This where you bring all the girls?” She peered at him, sure the alcohol was affecting her vision since he seemed to glow slightly in the dim light, his features standing out in the darkness, bright eyes and pale skin beneath all that white-blond hair. She wanted to touch him, to run her fingers through his hair, to yank him close to her, claiming him and never lettin g him go.

“No one else is like you,” Tobin replied, moving closer to her as he seemed to know exactly what she wanted. This time he kissed her, and Margot let herself melt into him, her mouth eager as her hands began to wander, one sliding up the hard line of his shoulder and curling around his neck. His silky hair brushed the back of her hand, and she twisted it, suddenly yanking hard and tugging his face away from hers. His eyes opened wide, the pupils huge, and the surprise was replaced by excitement as he looked dow n at her.

“No one else is like me,” she echoed, pushing onto her tiptoes so she could reach his face and kiss him again, harder this time. Pausing for breath, she whispered into his mouth, “No one else will be like me … for you.” She didn’t know why she said it, wasn’t normally one for talking in the middle of making out, but something inside screamed that the words were right. That she needed him to understand just what she wa s to him.

And what are you? The thought was distant. A drunken hookup in the back of a bar?

No , the voice inside replied. This is more.

“I want more,” she mumbled, losing herself in the kiss again. Tobin, hearing her words for the invitation they were, moved his hands down her body, sliding along her thighs and beneath her dress to the bare skin. She released his hair, softening her touch and pressing herself into his embrace.

“You want more?” Tobin whispered against her lips. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want you,” she panted, body moving so his hands could gain more access under her dress. She wanted to pause, to remember that public sex, especially in Armavian territory where they were strict about such things, was probably a bad idea, but Tobin’s kisses made her delirious, and his hand knew exactly how to touch her. Part of her resisted, knowing that while the man in front of her was sexy and turning her on in all the right ways, he wasn’t the one she trul y wanted.

You can’t have the one you want, she told herself coldly, shutting down the line of thought. But you can have this. You can have him.

“I am yours,” Tobin said, hand moving faster now, sending streaks of delight through her body. “All yours , Margot.”

Her name on his lips was the final touch, pushing her over the edge until she came apart in his arms. She wasn’t Baby Go to Tobin; she was Margot, and she was shuddering against him, mouth eagerly working against his as the pleasure washed over her.

Caught between gasps and echoes of pleasure, Margot realized something else was happening. She expected to feel Tobin against her eager hands, to press against the hardness she knew was eagerly waiting for her touch. But instead, something was happening to her back. She stepped away, awkward on one foot as his hand still held her close, slick against h er thigh.

“I—” she managed and collapsed forward into his arms as an explosion of pleasure and agony streaked through her body. She fell to her knees, bringing Tobin to the floor with her, and drew him close, not understanding what was happening through the haze. There was a bright light and a flash of something skittering along the skin of her back, and then the sound of something ripping.

When she came back to herself, Margot was on the floor, straddling Tobin’s hips as his arms wrapped around her. There was something odd about the way he was holding her, one arm tight against her ass and the other clutching her neck and pressing her face into his chest. When the moment passed, he slowly eased his grip, peering down to study her face. “Margot?” he whispered, fear and excitement blending in his voice. “My Lady?”

“What was that?” she replied, looking down at her body, trying to see what was different. She could feel something new, a shift in her weight. “What just happened?”

“You’ve been Awakened,” Tobin said in a form al voice.

Margot frowned at him, trying to sit back and get some space. His arm released her shoulder, but the one around her ass stayed firm, holding her on his lap. “Look,” she told him, not liking his tone, “I’ve had an orgasm before. This was someth ing else.”

Tobin bit his lip. “Definitely something else,” he agreed, his gaze leaving her face to examine something over her right shoulder. Margot turned her head to follow his look, caught a glimpse of shimmering iridescence, and her bo dy froze.

“Tobin,” she said quietly, “why the hell do I ha ve wings?”