Jared (34 page)

“
Fuck the bar!
” Jared
yelled, then closed his eyes as if counting to ten
. “This morning when I left our bed everything was fine
,
so fine in fact I expected to find you still in my bed.”

Tessa cocked her eyebrow. “So you expected me to lay in bed until you decided to come back from whatever you had to do.” She snorted. “You don’t know me very well.”

“Obviously I don’t, but I didn’t mean it that way.” Jared frowned. “Stop playing games and tell me what is wrong.”

Anger gripped Tessa making her grind her teeth. “Playing games?
” Her voice rose while her face heated with anger.
“
Playing games?
I see you with a woman, bent over a pool table clawing
at
your back not even a half an hour after you left me and you say I’m playing games. Screw you!”

Jared stopped her from leaving
,
understanding flashing in his eyes. “I was feeding Tessa.”

“I don’t give a rat
’
s ass what you were doing…Jared.” Tessa spat out. “Let me go.”

“No I won’t let you go until we get this settled.”
His sudden calmness was eerie
. “I’m a vampire and have to feed. I’m sorry if that disgusts you, but….”

“I’m not stupid Jared and stop reminding me you’re a vampire. I know you’re a damn vampire so shut up about it.”
Tessa gave him a little shove
, but he didn’t budge
. “What disgust
s
me is not that you have to feed on blood. I hate liver, but I don’t look at people who eat the stuff in disgust. What does bother me is who you were feeding from.”

“Vicky?” Jared looked surprised.

“
Ah, y
eah…Vicky.” Tessa
spat out
,
want
ing
to punch him so bad her hand fisted.
Were
men, vampire or human
,
that
damn
stupid when it came to
a woman’
s
feelings?
“You know what, just forget it. I have to get back to work.”

“No
,
I won’t forget it.” Jared hissed. “I have to feed Tessa. W
hy does it matter who it’s from?
”

“Why do you have to feed from someone you’ve been with?” When he still looked lost she threw her hands up in the air. “Why does
it have to be with someone
you screwed…fucked…made love
with
,
Jared? Geez, i
s
that so hard to understand.”

“But…”

“No.” Tessa tossed her hand up
to stop him
, shaking her head
. “I can’t do this again. I really can’t. You made no promises to me so I probably have no right to be upset, but I am upset. That tells me this has to end now.
”

“You don’t understand.” Jared sighed.

Tessa’s laugh was bitter to her own ears. “Oh, but I do understand.” Tessa replied. It was him that didn’t understand. If he really did care
about
her maybe this little lie
would
help him feel what she had felt. “I have to close up the bar. Otis is following me home to make sure I get there safe.”

Jared’s eyes narrowed, his calm composure shaken. “The sheriff.” He growled. “Why in the hell did you ask him to follow you home?”

“
You’re the one that said I may be in danger.
What does it matter who follows me home to make sure I’m safe?”
Tessa pretty much threw his words back in his face.

“Oh, it matters honey.” His tone wasn’t pleasant. “I suggest you call the sheriff and let him know you’re taken care of.”

“So
,
it bothers you that I would have someone I’ve had a relationship with follow me hom
e to make sure I arrived safely?
” Tessa cocked her eyebrow.

“Fuck yeah it bothers me and it won’t be happening.” H
is
eyes and voice held no compromise.

“Then how can you stand there and think what I saw t
oday shouldn’t have bothered me?
” She rubbed her arms waiting for his answer.

“I see your point Tessa.” Jared replied.

“But?” She supplied when he didn’t continue.

“I would never do anything to hurt you.” Finally his eyes glowed with understanding.

“Yeah, heard that before.” Tessa cringed listening to herself.
She hated the bitter person she had become and really needed to get a grip on it.
“To be honest with you
Jared I have some issues with relationships and it’s something that is going to take a while for me to get over. I’m not saying that I would freak out every time you talked to a woman or even looked at one, but what happened today is a problem for me. Obviously feeding from someone is a very personal and intimate moment for the two people involved.”

He took her face into his hands gently. “I have never been in this position before.” His lips curved into a sad smile, his eyes searching hers.

“What position?” Tessa loved the feel of his rough hands, man hands, on her skin.
She pulled away suddenly, not wanting to like it….dammit.

“Of apologizing.
This is new to me.
” When her eyes popped open he chuckled. “Tessa I have never had anyone in my life until now. I’m going to make mistakes, probably more than I should so you’re going to have to be patient.”

“What…” Tessa was confused and it showed.

“I’m sorry.” He interrupted her and not only his voice, but his eyes told her that he really meant it. “
I will not feed from Vicky. I will find someone else.”

Well
,
what in the
hell was she to say about that?
Tessa was actually at a loss of words. Otis would have done a lot of eye rolling,
denying everything with his last breath,
moaning about how she was taking his manhood and no way in hell would he have apologized.

“Would you say something?
” Jared tilted her chin up so her eyes met his.

Tessa glanced away for a second before meeting his gaze again. “Don’t they have old, ugly hoe
’
s you’ve never slept with for you to feed from?” 

“For you I will demand an old ugly hoe.” His laughter filled the night air.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…” Tessa started to speak, but his thumb rubbed across her lips to stop her words.

“Never apologize for something I’ve done wrong Tessa.” Jared’s eyes narrowed. “I was wrong to think it shouldn’t matter to you. I should have realized
it
because if I would have caught you in that position I would have killed the man.”

“Can’t you feed from me?” Tessa’s face reddened
, her pulse kicking up a fast pace at the thought of those fangs sinking deep into her skin.

Jared groaned. “I would absolutely love to taste your sweet blood.” His voice deepened, his eyes darkened. “But it would only be for pleasure. I couldn’t survive on your blood alone.”

“Oh.” Surprised at the amount of disappointment she felt at that
,
Tessa thought she really
did
need her head examined. It couldn’t be normal to offer your blood to someone.

“You don’t even know how much your disappointment in that affects me.” He pulled her to him, holding her tight. “Am I forgiven?”

Tessa wrappe
d her arms around him
,
savoring
his warmth and the feeling of belonging that surrounded her. Pulling her head away from his chest
,
she tiptoed as far as she could go then reached up to pull his head down to hers. The kiss started slow, but soon turned into him picking her up, her legs wrapping around his waist.

“We always seem to end up in this position.” He teased against her mouth. “So does this mean I’m forgiven or do I need to grovel a bit more.” He kissed his way down her neck, nipping as he went.

“I think more groveling is in order.” She tilted her head as her eyes rolled. His lips were wicked. She may be the most gullible woman alive, but this vampire
W
arrior was hard to resist. His mixture of a chuckle and growl vibrated along her skin
sending
her over the edge.
Oh y
eah, groveling was good.

Standing in
a
crowded club was the last thing Adam wanted to be doing. Clicking his phone closed
,
he sighed. Tessa was going to be pissed that he told Jared where she was. He hated to invade her mind, but if she was going to pull dumb stuff like running off without telling anyone where she was going she deserved it.

“Everything okay?” Steve yelled over the crowd
,
stepping
out of the way of passing waitresses.

“Yeah
.” Suddenly Adam’s senses were on alert. She was here, his Angel was here. His eyes focused on the crowd, scanning back and forth. Their eyes met. He watched as she moved away from the group of people she was with, making her way toward him.
When she stopped in front of him he couldn’t help the happy grin that played across his lips. “Angel.”

“Never call me that again.” Her words penetrated his love fogged brain as did
the
hand that smacked the happy grin right off his face.
“
I at least des
erved a phone call….you bastard!
” She
hissed
before tears welled up in her eyes
.
Turning away, she stomped to the women’s restroom, head held high
.

When the door closed behind her
,
Adam looked at Steve who wore a pain
ed
expression on his face
, as if he’d been smacked
. “Damn man.” Steve winced. “Little thing packs a punch.”

Adam rubbed his face
feeling
a touch of pride that she about put him on his ass. “Yeah, she does.”

“Guess you deserved that?” Steve glanced around at the crowd staring at them.

“
I definitely deserved that and more.
” Adam turned
to stalk away. He needed a minute to regroup. He didn’t know what he had expected when he saw her again, getting slap
ped
sure wasn’t it.
She was right. He should have talked to her instead of disappearing from her life for a week. He had thought he was doing her a favor.
Finding a corner
,
he propped himself against a banister over the dance floor his eyes going straight to the bathroom she had disappeared into.

Finally
,
after what seemed like an hour
,
she walked out followed by a gi
rl he had never seen. Two guys
met them and they returned to where he had first spotted her. The taller of the two guys handed her a drink before laying his arm across her shoulders.

A low growl
rumbled from his
lips
sending
the few people close to him scurr
ying
away, but he didn’t care.
The only thin
g
he had ever really cared
about
stood across the crowded room with some douchebag he wanted to smash.

“Here.” Steve shoved a beer at him.

“Don’t drink.” Adam didn’t even look his way.
“How in the hell did you get a beer
anyway
. You’re not twenty-one.”

“
Ah..fake ID…duh.
” Steve
frowned.
“
Come on.
If anyone needs a drink in here it’s you.”
He persisted
pushing
the beer at him.

“I don’t want the fucking beer Steve.”
Adam looked back to the crowd finding her instantly. She and douchebag had moved out to the dance floor
,
slowly moving together,
and way
too close for his liking. He also didn’t like where the assholes hands had made camp and by the way Angelina kept trying
to move
them she didn’t either.

“Ah, dude...”
Steve looked at Adam’s
golden eye swirling to black
. “
A
re we going to have a problem?”

“Probably.” He answered Steve’s question
while leaping
over the railing onto the dance floor.
Adam didn’t remember his walk across the dance floor, didn’t remember people jumping out of his way and definitely didn’t remember Steve calling after him trying to talk him out of killing someone. No, all he
was
focused on was his Angel in the arms of another guy and yeah, he didn’t fucking like it
even if it was his own damn fault she was with someone else
.