Jagger (Blood Brothers) (9 page)

What the hell was wrong with her anyway? She had no business thinking along those
lines. There was no room in her life for any man, and that was that. When she saw Jagger again in the morning, she’d treat him cordially, but that was it. She’d pretend nothing had happened and she hadn’t ogled him like a damned lecher.

Deciding it was pointless to remain in bed when she had no chance of falling asleep, she rolled off. Digging through her suitcase, she pulled out a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt and her sneakers. Camryn hoped a walk would clear her mind. When she left her bedroom, thankfully she saw no sign of Jagger roaming around the house.

Camryn walked a couple miles and, still hadn’t come to a concrete conclusion about her feelings for Jagger. She wanted to believe that he wouldn’t be the kind of man to squash her dreams and keep her tethered to home and family while he did as he pleased and cheated. They all cheated. That was how she perceived things. Though she was too embarrassed to admit it, every single one of her relationships had ended badly with either the guy calling her something hurtful, frigid being one of her favorites, cold, or just plain old bitch. By her sophomore year in college, she shunned all relationships choosing to focus on her. She figured she simply wasn’t cut out for romance, not that any of those guys had made her heart beat fast or her pulse race like she’d read love was supposed to.

Besides, she’d never had a good example of what a loving couple was except what was on television and she knew that was just a fantasy. From an early age, she knew something wasn’t right in her household. Her father was constantly talking down to her mother. He often went as far as calling Maggie an idiot or a moron right in front of her and Darren when he felt like she’d done something wrong. There were many times when Camryn spotted the sadness in her mother’s eyes when she didn’t think anyone was watching. And then, there were the women. After a while, her father made no secret of the fact that he saw other women while telling Maggie it was her fault for being out of shape and stupid. One woman had had the audacity to show up at their house once demanding to see Eugene.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the worst memory of her parents. She’d never forget it. It was shortly into her senior year in high school when she’d witnessed her father completely crush her mother’s spirit. Camryn was supposed to go to a movie with friends, but one of them had gotten sick so they decided to reschedule for another time. Camryn had come home earlier than expected.

Camryn was relieved when no one was in the living room when she arrived home. She wasn’t in the mood to get the third degree. After getting something to drink and fixing a snack, she headed to her room. She had to go past her parent’s bedroom to get to hers.

“Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” Her father’s deafening scream halted Camryn in her tracks.

“You made a promise to me when we got married that I could eventually go back to school and follow my dreams, too. I broke my back working two jobs to help put you through college and law school, while I was pregnant. I stayed home and raised the children. Every time I mention taking a few college courses, you have some excuse about it not being the right time. What better time than now? Camryn is going away to college next year, Darren is already gone. I’d like to pursue a career, too.”

“Isn’t selling your baked goods at that little farmer’s market enough for you? Damn, what the hell do you want from me?”

“
That’s just a little something I started to make a little spending money because you
don’t seem to think I deserve any.”

“Why should you have any? I pay all the damn bills around here while you sit on your fat ass.”

“I cook, clean, take your suits to the laundry mat, and wash your funky ass drawers, so I do far more around this house than you. You haven’t picked up after yourself in years.
I supported you and now, it’s your turn to help me earn my education.”

“Bitch, you’ve lost your goddamn mind if you think I’d waste my money sending you to college. You’re lucky you managed to marry a driven guy like me, because you’re not smart enough to go to college. Not everyone is cut out for higher education and
that means you
. It’s time you learned a few home truths. Even if by some miracle you earned a degree, who would hire you? Do you think employers just care about whether you can do the job? Not anymore. This is a
beauty obsessed
world and employers are looking for people to represent their brand. No one is going to want a fat middle-aged woman. Be thankful with what you have.”

Camryn couldn’t move if she wanted to. She’d heard her father say cruel things to her mother before but
what he’d just said
was way below the belt.

“What? You’re going to cry now?” he continued. “You really are pathetic. I should have listened to my mother when she told me not to marry you.”

Just then her father came storming out of the room as if he were the injured party instead of the other way around. He halted upon seeing Camryn standing there. She was shaking with rage.

“Word of advice. Don’t end up like your mother.” That was it. There was no sense of remorse of what he probably knew she’d overheard. Instead, those cold words as he brushed passed her and headed down the stairs.

With the door still ajar, Camryn had a good view inside the master bedroom suit.
Her mother sat on the edge of the bed, her face i
n her hands. Her shoulders trembled from her silent sobs.

Camryn wanted to go in the room and demand her mother go downstairs and tell her father off. Tell him she’d be fine on her own. Leave him. But she knew it would be pointless. Her mother would stay.

And she’d never ever forgotten that advice from her father. She never wanted to be trapped in a relationship with someone to the point where she felt helpless and had no options. Sure her parents had a miserable marriage but they had to have loved each other at some point. She’d seen the old pictures where her father had stared at her mother lovingly, and her mother had returned that look. They had smiled and laughed and loved once. But where did it all go wrong? When had her father started to feel like his wife had become a burden? At what point did her mother start feeling trapped and hopeless?

Sure she could fall for Jagger but then what? What happened when it turned bad? She didn’t think she was strong enough to survive the emotional pain her mother suffered through.

Camryn was so deep in thought that when a voice interrupted her silent musings she nearly jumped out of her skin. “Such a pretty girl. Why do you look so sad?”

She hadn’t noticed anyone walking along the sidewalk when she’d left the house but she hadn’t really been paying attention.

The smiling red-haired woman seemed harmless enough but there was something off about her. Camyrn couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

“Uh, I just have a lot on my mind. You have a good morning.” Camryn attempted to maneuver around the woman and continue on her way but as she moved, so did the redhead.

“Excuse me,” Camryn spoke as politely as she could but the woman would not let her pass.

“I’m sorry to bother you when it seems you want to be alone, but I couldn’t help but notice the frown on your face. Won’t you tell me about it?” The woman spoke with a heavy accent Camryn couldn’t place. She didn’t seem crazy but again, Camryn couldn’t shake the bad vibe she got from the woman.

“Um, I’m good actually. And as you’ve pointed out, I’d like to be alone. Thank you for your concern though.”

“Oh, I see. It’s just that you look so familiar, like one of my neighbors.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, Maggie?” The statement almost came out like a question as if to test Camryn’s knowledge. It then occurred to Camryn that this woman could be a part of a neighborhood watch program. Being that this area had a lot of high end homes, it made sense. This woman was probably being nosey.

“How do you know my mother?”

A smile that didn’t quite reach the woman’s eyes curved her lips. “I’ve met her. So you are her daughter. I see the resemblance. And I’m guessing you are staying with your mother and stepfather for a time, yes?”

Camryn took a step back. She was literally repulsed by this strange woman and she couldn’t understand why. “Yes.” She hadn’t meant to volunteer that information but the word just tumbled from her lips as if it were yanked out.

“How long will you be with them?”

“A few weeks. I…” She bit her inner lip to stop herself from talking, but again, it was as if she couldn’t help herself. “I’m helping her with the baby.”

The redhead’s green eyes gleamed with what seemed like delight. “Oh, how wonderful. I should like to see this baby. I’m sure I will eventually.” Before Camryn could respond, the stranger grasped her hand and leaned close until their faces nearly touched. “If I come by…invite me in,” she whispered.

Camryn yanked her hand away. “I have to go.” She turned on her heels and started to run. She wasn’t sure why she ran because the woman didn’t chase her, all she knew was she needed to get away.

When she happened to glance over her shoulder, the woman was gone.

Chapter Eight

Camryn was out of breath by the time she made it back to the house but the odd part was, she couldn’t remember what she’d been running from. The last thing she remembered was agonizing over her feelings for Jagger and then, she’d started running.

“I was wondering where you’d gotten off to. If you wanted to take a walk, I would have gone with you.” Jagger appeared in the hallway as she entered the house. As if sensing something was the matter when he saw her, he asked, “Is everything okay? Did anything happen?”

She shook her head, still trying to figure out why she felt as if she’d witnessed something scary but couldn’t figure out what it was. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just don’t know. I took a walk to clear my head and I just started running. It’s probably nothing.” She waved her hand dismissively.

He gave her a long accessing look. “You don’t look like it was nothing. Let me fix you something to drink. Have a seat and I’ll be with you shortly.”

She nodded. It barely registered that a few weeks ago had he given her a command of any sort, she would have done her best to defy it but she was way too rattled to argue. Camryn plopped on the couch and wrapped her arms around her body. She couldn’t shake the chill she felt running through her body.

As promised, Jagger returned holding a tall glass of something bright red. She eyed him suspiciously. He chuckled. “Calm down. It’s just cranberry juice. Drink up.”

She took the glass with shaking hands and took a few small sips before guzzling the rest down. “Thank you. I needed that.” Camryn set the empty glass on the coffee table.

“You’re shivering. You should have worn a jacket.” He slid next to Camryn and placed his arm around her. With her settled against him, he ran his hands along the side of her arms. The motion brought heat to her chilled skin. “You really are cold. I could do a warming spell on you, if you’d like.”

“Um, no thank you. I’d prefer to warm up the old fashion way. Maybe, I just had a cold flash.”

Jagger raised a dark brow. Is there such a thing as a cold flash?”

Camryn shrugged. “People have hot flashes, why not cold ones.”

He chuckled. “I suppose anything is possible.”

His touch was driving her crazy. Slowly, heat ebbed through her body and she decided to direct the conversation to something neutral before her thoughts could take a carnal turn. “It’s past eight in the morning and no one has called to update us on my mother’s status. I know labor can occur for hours, but I kind of thought with her being a vampire and all, the process would be a bit smoother.”

“I’m no expert on the subject but from my understanding, it’s not so easy to birth a vampire child because of how draining it is to both the mother’s body and the baby.”

“Draining? Don’t immortals have super healing power and are incapable of dying?”

“Immortals do die, just not by natural causes. And I didn’t say she would die, just that it is a physically tasking experience for the mother. Vampire babies need to feed constantly once they’re formed in the womb, not just on the nutrients the mother ingests, but on her blood. Once your mother gives birth, the baby must have first blood, usually from the mother and babies require nearly their weight in it. Sometimes, the baby can take enough blood to put the mother into a light coma-like sleep for several hours. It depends.”

Camryn tried not to wince as she imagined a baby with fangs sucking on her mother’s neck. “Yikes.”

“It’s okay. It’s a beautiful experience from what I hear.”

Camryn crinkled her nose. “Well, if that’s the case, I’m glad I’m not at the hospital. I suppose you drained your poor mom dry, didn’t you?”

“Actually, I didn’t. I’m half warlock remember? Though first blood was necessary for me, I didn’t have my first taste until this year.”

“Really? Who did you drink from?”

“Feed. From my father. Actually, it’s really not the blood we’re interested in. It’s what’s in the blood that we want. It’s life essence. It sustains a vampire and makes them strong.”

“Life essence? And it’s only found in blood?”

“It’s also in…I’m not sure how to put this delicately but, it’s in, how do you say, seminal fluids—male and female ejaculate.”

Camryn narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “You’re making that up.”

“It’s true. Ask any vampire and they will tell you this is true. Why do you think I enjoyed eating your delectable pussy? It’s why vampires are such sexual creatures.” He ran his tongue over his full bottom lip sending the clear message that he wanted to do it again.

Camryn felt her nipples stiffen and her core grew hot. If she didn’t put some distance between them, she’d end up doing something she’d regret. “I’m feeling warmer already. You can let go of me now.”

He grinned showing off his perfect white teeth. “What if I don’t want to let you go? I rather enjoy holding you like this without you fighting me.” His smile was so disarming it was hard to think.

She wiggled out of his grasp and stood up. She refused to give in to him this easily when her feelings toward him remained unclear. “Look, we’ve talked about this Jagger. You and I aren’t happening. Why can’t you accept that?”

“It’s not that I can’t accept it. I could accept it, if my heart didn’t tell me you were the one. So, it’s not a matter of me being unable to accept it. It’s that I simply won’t.”

Why did he have to be so persistent? “Look, Jagger, maybe you think you have feelings for me but I doubt you do. There’s no denying you’re an extremely good looking man so you must have tons of women throwing themselves at your regularly. I doubt you ever heard the word no from a woman and that’s what you find so intriguing about me. You just see me as a challenge.”

Jagger stood and closed the gap between them. “A challenge is climbing Mount Everest or swimming the length of the English Channel. You are not a challenge to me. You’re a woman whom I know I want to spend the rest of eternity with.”

She gasped. He’d never said that before. His declaration just made her conundrum one hundred times worse. Jagger wasn’t simply talking about dating and getting to know each other, he was talking forever. “Why did you have to say that?”

“Say what, Camryn? That I want to be with you? That I don’t see you as just a convenient fuck? You’re much more special to me than that. I’ve known it since we first met and perhaps I shouldn’t tell you this so shortly after meeting you, but I know you’re the one for me. When an immortal finds their mate, they know.”

“Mate? You’ve got to me joking.”

“I would never joke about so serious a matter.”

She backed away from him. “I’ve already told you I’m not interested in any kind of involvement. I have dreams and goals I’d like to accomplish.”

“And I’d like you to live those dreams and accomplish those goals. I just ask that I be by your side while you pursue them.”

She shook her head. “You would hurt me. And I can’t live with that fear hanging over my head.”

“What are you talking about,
milaya moya
? What are you so afraid of?”

She practically crumbled on the inside when he spoke Russian to her. His accent alone was enough to make her want to drop her panties, but when he spoke in his native tongue, she didn’t stand much of a chance. “Don’t make this situation any harder than it has to be and what does that mean anyway?”

“
Milaya moya?”

Camryn nodded.

“It means my sweet. Or sweetheart. It’s an endearment.”

“Well, I wish you wouldn’t call me that.”

Would you prefer to hear it in English? Although, I must say English isn’t nearly as passionate or hot blooded as Russian. Such a cold language, English.”

“No,” she whispered. Why couldn’t she tear her eyes away from his mouth?

“No, you wouldn’t prefer me to say it in English?”

“No. I’d prefer it if you just call me Camryn.”

“But that’s not fun.”

“But, it’s what I want. I need you to understand that nothing can happen between us beyond friendship. Okay?”

“You’re kidding yourself if you think we could simply be friends when I still clearly remember the taste of you on my tongue.”

“Stop reminding me of that!”

“Why? It happened. And, you know what? It’s going to happen again. I believe I know what your problem is.”

She rolled her eyes skyward. He had to be joking. “My problem?” The guy had a huge set of balls. The nerve of him to tell
her
she had a problem.

“
Da
. Your problem. Last night you enjoyed watching me. I even suspect you didn’t really knock on the bathroom door while I was showering out of some noble sense of concern. You wanted me. In a moment of clarity, you realized how much you wanted me. But now in the light of morning, you’ve decided to fight those feelings once again.”

“No!” Camryn denied vehemently despite knowing he’d hit the nail on the head. He stalked toward her like a lazy jungle cat, his intense amber gaze holding her mesmerized. Her muscles stiffened and locked as Jagger stopped in front of her. “And you know what?”

Camryn shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

“I enjoyed you watching me. This is what you do to my body whenever you’re near.” Taking her hand in his, he slid it down the length of his torso, letting her fingers glide over his solid abdomen. Camryn tried to pull her hand away when he pushed it lower, but Jagger’s grip tightened. His gaze never left her face, the intensity of his stare making her quiver. Camryn gasped when her hand encountered the hard bulge in his pants.

“It’s okay.
Milaya moya
. Touch me. I know you want to.”

She should have walked away right then and there, but she found she could do nothing but explore the outline his cock made against his jeans.

It was just as long and thick as she remembered it being. Camryn didn’t miss the sharp intake of breath Jagger made.

“You drive me crazy, woman. I have dreamed of you touching me this way and of this.” He captured her face between his hands, bringing their lips together. This was the kiss she’d fantasized about all last night. She hesitated for the briefest moment before she twined her arms around his neck, pushing her body against his.

A stirring in her pussy like never before sent heat waves of delight through her body. When his tongue thrust past her lips, Camryn thought she’d lose her mind. His taste was raw, wild, and so very male. He dominated the embrace, seeking and conquering, sweeping over every recess of her mouth. Camryn’s breasts puckered against the hard wall of his chest. She could never have imagined that the simple touch of their lips crushed against each other could elicit such burning desire.

Before she realized what was happening, Jagger lifted her and carried her to the kitchen table, their mouths never parting. She had no idea what he had in mind, nor did she care. She was completely and utterly lost. Emboldened, her own tongue slid out tentatively, meeting his, but Jagger seemed to have other ideas.

He pushed her back onto the table until she rested on her elbows, then dropped to his knees in front of her—but not before revealing glowing amber eyes. Camryn should have been frightened, but she was so dazed with lust, it didn’t quite register. “What are you going to do?” Was that breathy whisper of a woman in the throes of passion her?

“I’m going to do something I’ve been dying to do to you again, since I had my first taste.” Jagger yanked her sweats off and pushed her legs apart before burying his head between her thighs and inhaling her scent. “You smell so good. The aroma of your sweet pussy has been driving me wild.” Gripping the top of her panties with both hands, he ripped them off as if the material were tissue paper instead of the sturdy cotton it was actually made of. Then he placed them in his back pocket as he did with her other pair of panties in Atlanta.

“Are you trying to start a collection?”

“The first pair, I keep in a safe place, but these,” He patted his back pocket, “I have a plan for. You’re not going to get them back, not that they’d provide you with much coverage now, anyway. Do you know what I plan on doing with them?”

Camryn shook her head mutely.

“When I stroke my dick as I think of you, I’m going to hold your cream-smeared panties in my hand until I come. But right now, I’m going to suck your cunt and make you come even harder than I did before.” Holding her thighs, he pushed them further apart and did exactly what he’d promised. Eager lips clamped on to her labia, sucking them, creating a delicious pressure that sent fire licking along every single nerve ending in her body. Camryn dug her fingers into his thick, dark hair.

“Oh, Jagger! Lick it!” she cried out, wanton bursts of passion taking over. Common sense had long since flown out into the wind. Right now, all she could think about was how good his mouth felt on her hot sex. If she had to look more closely at what he was doing to her—in the middle of the kitchen and on the table no less—she knew she’d be mortified.

Using his middle finger, Jagger parted her dewy channel and eased his finger into her as far as it could go.

“You’re so wet for me, just as I knew you would be.” His finger slipped in, then pulled out just to the tip, before it shoved back into her. Her grip tightened in his silky hair. Jagger might not have used his powers to seduce her, but he certainly had a magic tongue. He knew what spots to licks and nip. He was like a maestro and her body was his orchestra. Camryn could no longer deny that this was inevitable like Jagger had stated. She was weak from his slightest touch. The delicious things he did to her were pure sin incarnate. Yet, it wasn’t enough. She wanted more.

Jagger’s tongue ran along her slit. Camryn’s juices already wet her thighs with her need of him. He removed his digit only to replace it with his tongue, thrusting in and out of her, reaching deeper than she suspected most tongues could go. Grinding her pussy against his questing mouth, she rode his face.

Jagger rolled her clit between his thumb and forefinger, creating just enough pressure to send a tingling sensation up her spine. He continued to fuck her with his tongue, showing no mercy.

The boy she’d lost her virginity to, had never come close to making her feel this way. In fact, the entire experience had left her wondering if she was frigid. Now, there was no doubt in her mind that she was not. What had Jagger done to her?