Midnight Matings 13 Splash and Elegance (5 page)

“Mmm, I think I can live with that.”

Yeah, everything was always sunshine and daisies during postcoital bliss. Whitley just hoped the man felt the same way when he’d come down from his orgasmic high.

Chapter Four

“You’re sure your parents aren’t going to mind? Did you even tell them I was coming?” Jude was so nervous he could spit as they waited out front of the airport for their ride. Getting his ticket switched from California to Virginia had been fairly simple, though he’d had to do some finagling with one of the passengers so that he could sit beside Whitley during the flight.

“Relax.” Whitley offered him a warm smile and took his hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. “Yes, I told my parents, and they can’t wait to meet you. Besides, I don’t actually live with them in their house. I have my own place. It just happens to be on their land.” Jude didn’t really see the difference, but he did appreciate that he wouldn’t have to be tiptoeing around the man’s parents all the time. In fact, it would be fine with him if he didn’t have to see them at all. It did make him wonder one thing, though.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven.”

Jude resisted the urge to groan, but just barely. Even to humans, that was relatively young. In the paranormal world…Jude felt like a dirty old man.

“How old are you?” Whitley asked absently, releasing Jude’s hand and reaching for his luggage. “That’s our car.” Everything about Whitley, from the way he dressed to his personality, was so unassuming that Jude had a feeling most people simply overlooked him. The stretch limousine that pulled to the curb was so out of the character with the little he knew about Whitley, Jude rolled his eyes.
The driver took his time getting out of the vehicle and gathering their luggage. He never greeted Whitley, nor did he bother opening the door for him. It was beyond rude, and completely unprofessional.

If it was up to Jude, the dickhead would have been fired on the spot.

“Jude, are you coming?” Whitley stood beside the opened back door and looked at him in concern. “Is something wrong?” Jude shook his head mutely, and bent to retrieve his bag, only to find that the driver had already placed it in the trunk for him. Well, at least he’d gotten one thing right. Shaking his head again, he motioned for Whitley to slide into the backseat and quickly joined him.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Whitley asked, seemingly unconcerned about the treatment he’d just received from his driver.

“I just wasn’t expecting this,” Jude lied smoothly.

“It is a bit pretentious, isn’t it?” Whitley folded his hands in his lap and rolled his eyes. “Mom insisted when she heard I was bringing my mate home. It won’t always be like this.”

“So, does your family have a lot of money or something? Should I know who you are?”

“I’m nobody,” Whitley answered, and sounded like he believed it.

“You didn’t answer my question, though. How old are you, Mr.

Chambers?”

“Two hundred and nineteen,” Jude answered, watching his mate carefully for his reaction.

“Cool.” That’s all he said, and Jude sighed in relief that it wasn’t going to be an issue for the man.

They rode in companionable silence for a few miles before Jude tried again. “Seriously, what’s up with the limo? Who are you?” Whitley closed his eyes briefly and groaned. “It’s not a big deal.

My dad does some work for UPAC, that’s all.”

“What does he do?” Jude reclined in his seat with his arm thrown over the back, not wanting to appear too eager for the information.

“You know those nifty cells that UPAC uses to hold paranormals?”
Jude nodded casually to show he understood, though on the inside he was doing a mental fist pump at the information. There was still one more thing he needed to know, but he didn’t want to push too hard just yet. “Your dad designs those? Your dad is Seymour Turner?”

Whitley nodded, seemingly unimpressed. “Yep. He does a few other odd things on the side for different covens, packs, and whatnot, but most of the family money comes from designing and constructing those holding cells.”

“He’s a brilliant man.” He spoke the truth, though grudgingly. He couldn’t deny that the cells were ingenious when used appropriately.

Normal human cells were all well and good for…well, humans…but an angry dragon or a clever witch would reduce it to a pile of rubble within minutes. The UPAC cells were specially designed to negate a paranormal’s powers so that they couldn’t use them to break out.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Jude had the feeling there might be some bad blood between father and son. He was also getting the impression that Whitley didn’t care to talk about it. With his own problems to dwell on, Jude wasn’t too upset by that. If his mate wanted to share with him, he’d be more than happy to listen, but he wasn’t going to prod for information—

until he needed it.

“What did you do back in California? Are you going to be able to find a job like that here in Virginia?”

“I’ve done a lot of different things over the years. I’m not rich, but I have enough put back to survive on for a while if I need. Back home, I built custom-designed boats for people with more money than brains.”

Whitley sat up a little straighter and his eyes lit up. “Wow, really?

That’s great. So, that’s definitely something you could do here, right?”

“Yeah, I guess I could.” That didn’t mean he wanted to, but he supposed it was technically true.
The car slowed and turned, and Whitley whipped around to stare out the window. “We’re here, but I want to hear all about your job the minute we’re alone. Got it?”

Jude chuckled and bobbed his head. “Yeah, I got it.” It wasn’t that important to him, more like a hobby. Most people found it pretty damn boring, but if Whit wanted to hear about the architectural designing of a boat, he didn’t mind sharing.

“So, what do you do?”

“I work for my dad.” Whitley left it at that and didn’t elaborate.

“My mom is waiting for us.” He closed his eyes and groaned.

“It’s fine, Whit. Relax. I’m going to have to meet your parents eventually. We might as well get it over with.” Jude didn’t mind meeting his mate’s family. He was actually looking forward to it.

“Will your dad be here?”

“I’m not sure. He’s almost always in one kind of meeting or another.” He paused and glanced out the window again, fidgeting nervously in his seat. “My mom can be a little intense. So, if it gets to be too much, just tell me, and we’ll leave, okay?”

“Whit, come here.” Jude crooked his finger for his mate to come to him, smiling when Whitley complied instantly. Once he had him molded against his side, he wrapped an arm around his shoulders and kissed the top of his head. “It’s going to be fine. I know I’m going to get the third degree, and I’m okay with that. They’re only doing it because they care about you.”

Whitley nodded weakly. “Just don’t leave. You can change anything you want. We never have to see my parents. We can go back to California if you want. Just…just don’t leave.” Even though Whitley didn’t say it, Jude heard him loud and clear.

He wasn’t as scared that Jude would leave as he was that Jude would leave
him
. They barely knew each other, and Whitley’s already extreme attachment made him uncomfortable.

He couldn’t deny that something about Whitley drew out his protective instincts. There was no way for him to know if those
feelings were real, or if they were something fabricated by the mating bond. Maybe it went beyond that, and it had something to do with the potion the elders gave them.

Either way, they were stuck together for at least the next four years. He couldn’t go anywhere if he wanted to—which meant there was no reason for Whitley’s insecurities.

No, he wasn’t being fair. Whitley knew what would happen if they were separated for any length of time before the next gathering.

He was just scared that Jude would leave him to go feral.

Jude knew exactly what happened to paranormals who went feral.

First came the pain, then the sickness, and finally the delirium until they were left as snarling, screaming, writhing mockeries of themselves.

The execution sentence handed down by the elders to those who had gone feral was a blessing. The probability of bringing someone out of that hell was so minimal it was more merciful to just end their suffering.

“Hey,” Whitley said quietly. “Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”

Jude shook himself out of his depressing thoughts and plastered a smile on his face for his mate. “No, Whit. I’m fine. Let’s go so I can meet your parents.”

* * * *

“Whitley!” his mother sang. “I’ve missed you, dear. How was your trip to Scotland?”

Whitley kissed both of his mother’s cheeks as was expected of him. Her falsely cheery attitude was already grating on his nerves, but he didn’t want to scare Jude off the minute the man got out of the car.

So, he kept his opinions to himself and turned to introduce his new mate.

“Mother, this is my mate, Jude Chambers. Jude, this is—”
“Please, call me Elaina.” She held her hand out daintily as she looked Jude up and down suspiciously. Was it Whitley’s imagination, or had her face paled just a bit? “My, you are a big one, aren’t you?” Jude took it all in stride with a big smile on his face as he took her hand and brought it to his lips. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Elaina.”

“When Whitley said he was bringing a mate home, I didn’t expect someone so…”

“Tall?” Jude asked jokingly.

“Attractive,” Elaina deadpanned.

Whitley saw Jude flinch and the way his mouth gaped open momentarily before he could hide his shock. He’d heard it all of his life, though, so it barely fazed him. He’d known Jude was too good for him the minute he’d laid eyes on the man. If Melody hadn’t deceived them, it was unlikely Jude would have even given him a second glance.

“Well, thank you, but I must say I’m envious of your son. I’m a pretty face, but he’s the total package. You must be very proud.”

“Oh, well, that’s sweet of you, dear.” Elaina’s eyes darted to Whitley, but there was little more than disappointment there.

“Whitley, don’t slouch, and what on earth are you wearing?” She plucked at his plaid shirt and wrinkled her nose. “You’ll change before dinner.”

Whitley ducked his head, embarrassed by the way his mother was treating him in front of Jude. What was he supposed to do, though? It was his mother, and no matter her faults, he loved her. Besides, if he disrespected his mother, he had his father to deal with. And he made it a point to never
deal
with his father. “Yes, Mother.” Elaina sniffed haughtily and gave him something that was probably supposed to be a smile before she turned back to Jude. “I’m sorry that my husband isn’t here to meet you. I’m afraid he’s been called away on important business.”

“Understandable. I hear that he’s a very busy man. I’m sure we’ll meet soon.” Jude’s smile was still in place, though it was looking a
little strained. Of course, Elaina was so lost in her little world, she didn’t notice anything amiss.

Things were going exactly how Whitley knew they would. The only thing that could have made it worse was the presence of the male members of his family. “Where’s Ashley?”

“You have a sister?” Jude arched an eyebrow, but looked nothing more than curious.

“My brother,” Whitley answered quickly before his mother could say something snotty. Why she’d insisted on giving them feminine names and then getting indignant when people mistakenly assumed they were girls was beyond him.

“He’s around here somewhere.” Elaina turned and strode toward the front door, obviously confident they’d follow.

Whitley gave Jude an apologetic smile and motioned for the man to precede him. It wouldn’t do any good to argue with his mother. The woman always got what she wanted. He just wished he knew what she wanted now.

“Ah, the prodigal son has returned.”

Whitley groaned as he stepped into the foyer and was immediately greeted by the sound of his brother’s snide voice. Could things get any worse? Jude was probably already planning his escape.

“And I see you brought me a gift all the way from Scotland. You always were considerate.” Ashley prowled around Jude like a predator stalking his prey while he practically eye-fucked him right there in the entryway.

“Ashley, this is
my mate
, Jude Chambers.” Ashley completely ignored him as he held his hand out to Jude.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Jude answered tightly, squeezing Ashley’s hand.

Whitley bit the inside of his cheek to hide his smile when he saw his brother wince and pull his hand away quickly. Apparently, Jude wasn’t lapping up the bullshit like everyone else did. That pushed the man a little higher in his estimate.
“I was just on my way out,” Ashley said, recovering quickly. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.”

“I’m sure we will.” Jude narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.

Ashley just smirked like a man who knew what he wanted and expected to have it hand-delivered to him. “I look forward to it.” Then he dipped his head, backed away a few steps, turned, and left.

“You have a real charmer there,” Jude said quietly out of the side of his mouth.

“He’s not exactly subtle, is he?” He was, however, gorgeous, smart, manipulative, and conniving. Whitley had no doubt that Ashley would have his hooks in Jude if given half a chance.

Whitley had to make sure that he wasn’t given that opportunity.

“You want to get out of here?”

Jude glanced in the direction that Elaina had disappeared to and then back to Whitley. “What about your mother?” Whitley shrugged. “Trust me. She’s happier when she has something to be angry with me about. If it’s not this, it will be something else.” He turned and walked back toward the front door.

“Come on, and I’ll show you around your new home.” Pausing with his hand on the doorknob, he glanced over his shoulder as his brow furrowed. “That is, if you still want to stay.” Uncrossing his arms and letting them dangle at his sides, Jude chuckled quietly and crossed the checkered tile, pressing up against Whitley’s back. Then his hand covered Whitley’s over the doorknob and turned it. “We’ve been over this, Whit. After growing up with my dad, your family is comparably tame. It’s going to take a lot more than that to scare me off.”