Jagger (Blood Brothers) (2 page)

“If she is who you want—”

“She is.”

Niccolo nodded. “Then you’ll have an uphill battle claiming her. Camryn won’t make this easy for you.”

“I wouldn’t expect her to. I can’t help but hear the hesitancy in your voice when you speak of her.”

His father stopped pacing the floor to meet Jagger’s gaze. “Jagger, I may have regrettably missed a large chunk of your life but you are my son. You and your mother are the two most important people in my world which means I’ll support you in anything you do. My only concern is that she’s under Marco’s protection and he’ll allow no harm to come to her. This could potentially create a situation that could cause trouble within our family. You’re in a precarious situation,
piccolo
, because
la morte dolci
is a tricky thing. If your need for her goes unfulfilled, it could mean trouble for you. Already, your body is going through changes because of your desire for her. You don’t have much time to stake your claim before this illness becomes full blown.”

“How much time do you think I have?”

“If you were a full-blood, based on the symptoms you’ve thus far displayed, I’d say two weeks, maybe three tops. But you’re not. Your warlock blood might actually work to your advantage in this situation. It may slow down the process but I can’t be sure because I’m not much of an expert on hybrids like yourself.”

Jagger sighed, hanging his head in frustration. He wasn’t sure if he could convince Camryn to take a chance on him in such a short period. He wanted to get to know her properly before even considering seducing her. Getting a woman into his bed had never been problematic for him in the past but Camryn was different. “I guess it seems my only option now will be to book another flight to Atlanta, but this time around, she’ll know I’m there.”

Niccolo nodded. “Just be careful and if you feel that you can’t handle being around her without doing something irrational, get away as quickly as possible. Considering we’ll be flying out to Virginia in a week or so for the birth of the baby, things will be extremely awkward between the two of you if things don’t go as you’d like them to.”

“I promise I’ll careful, but I sense there’s something else you’re not telling me.”

His father’s eyes darted away, and Jagger knew there was something he wasn’t being told. “What is it, Papa?”

“Unfortunately.”

His pulse raced, and his breathing was now shallow. “What is it?”

“Just because you love her, it doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll love you back.”

That was exactly what he feared.

Chapter Two

Camryn pulled out her cell phone to check the time. Terri was a half hour late. She’d warned her perpetually late friend she wouldn’t wait more than twenty minutes for her. Besides, she had to work on her thesis and study for midterms. With an exasperated sigh, she gathered her purse and headed out the door. Just as she was walking out of the coffee shop, her girlfriend rushed toward her.

“I’m so sorry Cam. I had a sorority meeting that ran later than I expected it to. You’re not leaving now are you?”

“You’re twenty minutes late. I told you I couldn’t wait around for you.”

“I know but I swear it couldn’t be helped this time. We have a new chapter president in my sorority and I swear the woman talks just to hear the sound of her voice. I was really looking forward to seeing you. Please?” Terri pouted.

Camryn rolled her eyes skyward. It was difficult to say no to one of the best friends she’d had since their freshman year of college. They had been roommates in the dorm when they were undergrads. They had ended up attending grad school together at the same university, as well, although they both had their own apartments. With their separate majors and different interest groups, they weren’t able to spend as much time together as they once had, but they had a running date to meet at the coffee shop every week.

“I should say no. You know I have a lot on my plate at the moment but yeah, I’ve been looking forward to seeing you, too. Come on, girl.” Camryn reclaimed the seat she’d just vacated once they were inside.

“Do you want to order something?”

Camryn glanced at the menu board on the wall. “I wouldn’t mind just a regular coffee with whole milk.”

“Okay, I’ll go get it. My treat.”

“Sounds good.” When Terri left the table to give their order to the barista, Camryn pulled out her phone and checked her email. As she scrolled through the device, a tingling sensation shimmied through her body. With a shake of her head, she attempted to ignore it, but it wouldn’t go away. It almost felt like she was being watched but she didn’t bother to look around to verify. Making eye contact with strangers often lead to strange awkward encounters, at least in her case. If in fact someone was staring at her, she figured they would eventually get bored.

Terri returned with a huge smile on her face, two cups in hand. “Here you go, sweetie.”

“Thank you. I really needed this.” Camryn added two sugars from the bowl, stirred and tasted her drink. “Mmm, this is heaven. I’ll probably be drinking a lot of this tonight.”

“Pulling another late night?”

“Yep. I want to do well on my midterms. My Professor of Finance is on the board of one of the largest investment firms on the East Coast and he usually recommends the top three students in his class for internships in the company. I want one of them. I’ve heard that interning there will pretty much guarantee you a job in any financial institution in the country. ”

Terri waved her hand dismissively. “You have that in the bag. You’ve got a head for numbers.”

“I wish I had your confidence.” She paused. This time the sensation of being watched was more intense and increasing with each passing second.

“I…whoa!” Terri’s eyes widened.

“What?”

“Behind you. Hottie alert. It looks like he’s approaching our table.” Terri licked her lips and eyed whoever it was. Her friend was a major flirt.

Camryn was tempted to turn but didn’t need to because she suddenly felt a presence directly behind her and the familiar scent of an exotic cologne tickled her nostrils. Her pulsed raced and her heart pounded. She’d only felt this way once before and she hadn’t liked it one bit.

A heavy hand fell on her shoulder. “Camryn, we meet again. I told you we would.”

The thick Russian accent left not a doubt in her mind who stood behind her. It took a considerable amount of her willpower not to flinch away from his scorching touch. As calmly as she could and without turning around she asked, “What are you doing here?”

“You knew I’d come for you. Won’t you look at me so I can see your beautiful face?”

It suddenly occurred to her why she’d had the feeling of being watched. The thought of him watching her while she was unaware of his presence frightened and thrilled her at the same time. The latter emotion scared the crap out of her. “Apparently, you’ve already seen it. You were watching me, weren’t you?”

“Is that a crime?”

“Stalking usually is.” She couldn’t figure out how he’d come in the coffee shop without her noticing. It was a sizable establishment but Jagger Grimaldi was the type of man one noticed right away. His commanding presence demanded attention. Jagger was the epitome of tall, dark, and sexy. He stood well over six feet, with a solid, broad-shouldered frame. His jet-black hair fell to his collar, caught between the edge of long and short. Everything about him was attractive, but Jagger’s eyes were his most arresting feature: their amber gold was emphasized by the dark slashes of his eyebrows. Not that any of that mattered. She wasn’t interested in any kind of relationship with anyone.

While she figured she’d eventually run into him again seeing as how his father and her mother’s husband were brothers, she didn’t expect to see him here. Not on her turf.

“You know this guy?” Terri’s mouth fell open and then closed.

“Unfortunately,” Camryn muttered still not daring to look at him. Jagger, however, took the choice from her, moving around the table until he stood directly in her line of vision.

“Don’t you want to talk to him? If you don’t, I’ll take him.” Terri greeted Jagger. “Hi, I’m Terri. Are you a friend of Camryn’s?”

“You could say so, although I would like to be a lot more.” The deep cultured voice sent shivers down Camryn’s spine.

Damn.

“Please have a seat. You can sit next to me.” Terri patted the empty chair next to her which Jagger took.

“Thank you.” He nodded in Terri’s direction but kept his amber gaze focused on Camryn.

With him seated across from her, it was nearly impossible to ignore him. Camryn hissed, “Why are you here? I thought I told you I wasn’t interested in you, the polite thing to do would be to take no for an answer.”

Terri’s eyes widened as she gasped. “Camryn! That’s no way to talk to your friend.” She gave Jagger a brilliant smile. “She’s not usually this way. And since I’ve introduced myself, what’s your name?”

Jagger finally turned his attention to the other woman and offered her a smile revealing perfect white teeth. He captured Terri’s hand in his and brought it to his lips. “I am Nikolai Jagger Romanov-Grimaldi, but please call me Jagger. It’s my pleasure to make your acquaintance. As I strolled this campus, I noticed it’s full of beautiful women and you, of course, are no exception.”

Terri giggled. “Oh, you’re charming. This guy is definitely a keeper. Like I said before, if you’re not interested, I sure as hell am.”

“Give me a break,” Camryn muttered under her breath. She rolled her eyes annoyed with her friend’s flirtation and how easily Jagger was able to charm her with a twist of his lips—his full kissable looking lips. As quickly as that thought popped into her head, she shook her head to rid herself of it. There was no way she could possibly be interested in this guy who laid it on so thick. He was free to charm whoever he wanted as long as he left her alone.

Terri glared at her before smiling at Jagger again. “So, how do you know Camryn?”

“Her mother is married to my uncle.”

“Oh, so you’re related. How interesting,” Terri cooed, batting her eyes like a nitwit. Camryn wanted to throw up.

“I think the word fortuitous would more adequately describe the situation. Because my uncle had the good fortune to marry her mother, I met Camryn. I’m hoping she will allow me to get to know her better.” Jagger said that last part as he glanced across the table at her, his gaze holding a wealth of meeting.”

Terri seemed undeterred by Jagger’s lack of interest in her and scooted closer to him. “I adore accents. Are you from Eastern Europe?”

“Yes, Russia.”

Terri clapped her hands together. “Oh, I love Russia.”

Jagger raised a brow. “You’ve been?”

“Yes. When I was in high school, my school choir went to Moscow to perform. I loved it. I even picked up a little Russian.”

“Oh?
YA rad chto vam ponravilos
.
’
”

Terri went from golden brown to bright red. “Uh, well, I’m not that advanced. What did you say?”

“Jagger smiled. “I said, ‘I’m glad you enjoyed it.’”

Terri boldly placed her hand on top of Jagger’s. “Maybe you can help me with my Russian. I’ve always wanted to be fluent.”

Camryn had had enough. She wasn’t sure why it bothered her so much to see Jagger and Terri banter, especially when she hadn’t wanted him here in the first place. She gathered her belongings and stood. “Look, while you two practice Russian, I’m heading home to study. Enjoy your lessons Terri.”

As if coming out of a trance, her friend turned her dazed expression in Camryn’s direction. “Don’t go Cam.”

“I have to. You two enjoy each other’s company.” Without giving either of the table’s occupants a chance to speak, she quickly exited the coffee shop. She loved her friend dearly but the girl was hopeless around men, especially ones as good looking as Jagger. She told herself that she didn’t care that her friend had taken such an interest in Jagger. After all, she didn’t want him, or any man for that matter, but still seeing them smile at each other irritated her to the highest degree. Maybe she was stressed over midterms. Yes, that had to be it.

She’d barely gotten a hundred feet from the coffee shop when someone grasped her shoulder. She didn’t expect him to follow her or, even catch up to her so quickly. With an exasperated sigh, she whirled around. “What do you want? Shouldn’t you be back there with your fan?”

Jagger offered her a lop-sided grin. “You almost sound jealous. Does this mean there is hope for me?”

“You wish. What the hell are you doing here anyway? Shouldn’t you be somewhere else? Maybe annoying another person?”

He seemed unperturbed by her jab. “If I were anywhere else, I wouldn’t be able to admire your beauty. You look even lovelier than I remember, Camryn.”

“Oh, please. I’m not as easily impressed as Terri. What did you say to her to get away so fast? You didn’t do any hocus pocus on her did you?”

“No. I just told her I had to follow you and perhaps we would talk another time.”

“I bet she wasn’t happy about that.”

“Whether she was or not, is no concern of mine. I came to see you Camryn. I was polite to her because she is your friend. Can we perhaps go somewhere to talk in private? You said you were headed home. Perhaps your place?”

“Not a chance.”

“Please, I need to speak with you. I’ve come all this way to see you and I know you don’t owe me anything. But if you could grant me this one meeting, I’ll say my peace and then if you don’t like what I have to say and mean it, I’ll leave you alone.”

Camryn narrowed her eyes. “You’re right about one thing. I don’t owe you anything.”

“Please, Camryn.”

She really wanted to give him a piece of her mind for showing up uninvited but part of her was curious to hear what he had to say. “Fine, but you’d better not try anything. Marc will kick your ass.”

He nodded. “I would rather cut off my hands than hurt you or make you feel uncomfortable around me.”

“Well, it doesn’t help that you showed up out of the blue.”

“Again, I offer my apologies. I just had to see you.”

“Can you save it until we get back to my place? Did you drive?”

“Yes, I hired a car from the airport.”

“Okay. You can follow me there.”