Shades of Amber (13 page)

I took a deep breath and
tried to get up, but his arm was at my waist. “Is the sun up yet?
What time is it?”

“
There aren’t any windows
in here and it’s almost seven.”

I laid back. “I know you
don’t like the sunlight as much as you used to, but how can you not
have windows?”

“
This is what we need to
talk about,” he said as a lamp came on.

My gaze wandered to his
full lips, and then his hands were in my hair as he held me against
him. I gasped, feeling every part of him.

He rolled me onto my back
and covered me with his body. “Don’t shut me out, Jade. This is
what we both want isn’t it? I love you. I need you to stop fighting
your attraction to me.”

I shook my head. “I can’t
be with you. I can’t get burned again.”

Soft kisses touched my
skin, wreaking more havoc than a wrecking ball to a glass house. I
tried to resist, but my hands tangled in his wavy locks.

“
I won’t let you get hurt
again.” He stripped me of my barriers and whispered promises I
wasn’t sure I wanted the new Troy to keep.

There was so much I didn’t
know about this man. His face and body were the same, but his eyes
were full of darkness.

“
One day you’ll see that I
did all of this for you.”

Sinking

Like a rock,

I sink in this endless
sea

Of unfulfilled
dreams

And memories.

You lit up my
life

like a flame,

Not caring or
thinking

about my pain…

Yet,

Here you are once
again,

Expecting me to
forget

and give in.

You torched my
love…

And my heart.

Like a roman
candle…

You lit it up.

Now I see what you
are,

But I can’t
deny

how good we
were.

-Jade

Chapter 13

Darkness, warmth, the
inability to move: those were the first things I noticed when I
woke up. I exhaled as I sifted through my thoughts. Troy kissed my
cheek, and then my shoulder. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see the
smugness on his face, but I rolled over anyway.

He snapped his fingers and
a lamp came on. “That was even sweeter than I imagined it would
be,” he whispered, kissing me with so much passion I thought I
might melt.

I lay in his arms for a
few minutes trying to understand what I was feeling. His warmth
radiated around me like an electric blanket, making it hard to keep
my guard up.

He pinned me with his
magnificent gaze. “I’d trade the fountain of youth for your
thoughts.”

I laughed. “Then you’d be
insane. They’re only worth a dime, if that.”

“
Your thoughts are
priceless; therefore, I would trade something
extravagant.”

My heart wanted to pretend
he was a normal man, but my brain wouldn’t allow it. The Troy I
knew couldn’t whisper inside my head from five feet away or
pinpoint my train of thought.

“
Can you read my
mind?”

He rubbed a hand over his
jaw and sighed. “Yes, but I’d prefer you tell me. It seemed like
you were starting to get used to the idea of us.”

I tucked my hair behind my
ear with shaky fingers. “I don’t think I can do this, Troy. We both
know you are not the same, only… I don’t know what you could
be.”

He pulled me over his
body. “That doesn’t matter.”

I crossed my arms on top
of his chest and rested my head. “It does.”

His arms slid around me,
creating a sensory overload. “Being with you is all that
matters.”

I buried my nose against
his neck, relishing the feel of his hair against my
cheek.

“
It’s okay to stop
fighting it. I love you. My heart won’t allow me to give you up.”
He was trying to put me at ease, saying everything I’d ever wished
to hear, but I still tried to resist the temptation.

I tried to get up, but he
rolled so that we lay on our sides, facing each other.

“
I
need
you
,
Jade. You don’t know how hard it’s been without you.”

My fingers traced circles
on his smooth chest. “Then why did you leave?”

“
So you wouldn’t see what
I’d become.”

I arched an eyebrow. “What
are you?” I asked, brushing his lips with my thumb.

“
If I tell you, you’ll try
to avoid me.”

My finger stilled and he
licked it with his tongue. “You think I’ll
try
?”

He chuckled softly and
caressed my face. “We both know you’ll
try
to get away.” His knuckles
traced a path from my cheek to my hand. “All that matters is that
you realize we’re supposed to be together.” As Troy spoke, he
linked his fingers with mine. “You are my heart; I won’t let you
break again.”

I wanted to protest, but
he was tapping into old feelings.

“
Stop
thinking.”

I tried to deny it, but he
interrupted. “I can read your thoughts remember?”

“
You said you
wouldn’t!”

He embraced me, squeezing
a bit too tight. “I said I wanted you to tell me, but you’re not
talking. Are you, Jade?”

I shrugged and rolled to
the other side of the bed. “I don’t want you to know my thoughts. I
can already tell you’ve tried to change them.”

He laughed, but didn’t
deny it.

Angel

I need you

like a fish needs
water.

To me…

There will be no
other…

Woman

who lights my life like
you.

No one else

to make the long hours
few.

You

are the one I’ve waited
for.

My angel

in this wicked
world.

-Troy

Chapter 14

His boxers were low on his
hips as he stood by the bed. Troy ran a hand through his hair, and
I watched, hypnotized as his ring sparked in the glow of the
lamp.

Blinking twice, I ripped
the sheet from the bed and dashed for the door.

Troy stepped in front of
me, eyebrow raised. “What are you doing?”

“
I’m going to take a
shower.”

He wrapped his arms around
me. “Shower here.”

“
I’m not
going to shower with
you
.”

His eyes took on a wicked
glint. “Why not? You just slept with me
,
” he added as he pulled me toward a
door at the back of his room.

I dug my heels into the
carpet, trying to think of an excuse.

“
Ah, ah, ah, Jade. No
excuses. You enjoy our time together, that’s why you’re trying to
fight it.” He pulled me into a steamy room with a claw foot tub in
the center.

“
When did you…”

He shook his head. “It
will all make sense soon.”

I couldn’t keep my voice
from shaking. “What are you, Troy?”

He pulled the sheet from
my body and led me to the tub. “I’m everything you need me to
be.”

I surveyed the room—tub,
toilet, sink, but no shower. “You said we were taking a
shower.”

“
Did I?”

“
You most certainly did.”
I ran for the door, but he caught me around the waist as the room
went dark.

“
What happened to the
lights?” I asked as he dragged me back. “How can you
see?”

He held my hand as he
climbed in. “Come on, you need to relax.”

“
I’m not going to risk
breaking my neck!”

“
I’ll help you. All you
have to do is trust me.”

I bit my lip as I strained
to make out phantom shapes in the dark. This whole charade was
probably just a ploy to get my guard down.

“
You’re getting in the tub
whether you trust me or not, Jade. But I want to know… do you trust
me?”

I swallowed and nodded
slowly. “I’ll trust you, if you tell me how you can see in the
dark.”

He chuckled. “Alright,
Jade.” The water rippled as he wrapped his arms around
me.

“
Tell me.”

“
My family has been able
to see in the dark for a long time.”

The water was comforting,
despite the chill of his statement. I sighed as he ran a soapy
sponge along my arm. It felt good, but didn’t distract me from the
words he left floating in the air.

“
How is that
possible?”

“
It’s a long story, but it
all began with my ancestors: Christian and Angelique. Soon you’ll
know all my secrets.” He kissed my neck, seducing me in the
darkness.

Was I crazy? How many
women would kill to be in their dead boyfriend’s arms
again?

I closed my eyes and
leaned against his chest.

His voice turned husky.
“I’ve longed for these moments too, Jade, but you won’t have to
wish for them anymore.” He kissed the tender spot below my ear, and
I froze.

“
Why not?”

“
Because we won’t be apart
again.”

“
What does that
mean?”

“
I meant what I said at
the ball, and every time we’ve spoken. I won’t lose you this time.”
He kneaded my shoulders. “You’re so tense, cher, you should try to
relax.”

I turned around, needing
to see his face. For a second, his eyes appeared golden, but it was
just my imagination. “It’s not fair that you can see in the dark
and I can’t.”

He ran his fingers along
my neck and tucked my bangs behind my ear. “I can remedy
that.”

Curiosity peaked; I played
along. “Really? How?”

Troy laughed as he pulled
me closer. “I’ll show you one day.”

After mulling it over, I
decided I might not be brave enough. “I don’t think I want to know
what lives in the shadows.”

He chuckled softly,
“You’re a firecracker, Jade. You’ll do just fine.”

“
What does that mean?” I
gripped the tub, afraid to be in the dark or maybe it was being
there with him that terrified me. Either way, it was difficult to
breathe.

Please, don’t let me pass
out.

“
Just clear your mind,
Jade.”

After a minute, I laid my
head on the side of the tub and tried to still my
thoughts.

He caressed my shoulders.
“Are you alright, now?”

I couldn’t say anything.
The fear in my chest was as intense as my heartbeat. I tried not to
think about anything, but that was like telling a fish not to
swim.

After a few minutes, we
were in towels and he was setting me near the couch.

Turning away, I dried off
without exposing too much skin. When I finally looked at him, he
was against his closet, wearing black sweatpants, and watching me
like a primetime television show.

“
Here.” He held up a white
tank top, and navy capris with a matching jacket.

“
Thank you.” I paused.
“Turn around.”

“
You don’t have to be
modest. I know you better than you know yourself.”

“
Uh huh.” I was dressed in
under a minute, once he turned his back. A personal best, if you
ask me. I zipped the jacket and rolled up my sleeves, surprised
that the clothes fit so well.

I frowned and sat on the
sofa because he was still blocking the door. He’d put on a black
short sleeve shirt that hugged his body and accentuated his
muscles. I looked away, tired of the way he studied me. I had to
move, I was too agitated. I walked over to the piano and touched a
few keys.

Troy rubbed his chin as he
pinned me with his assessing gaze. “You’re mind is different than I
remember it, but then, I couldn’t read your thoughts a few years
ago, could I?”

I wasn’t sure how to
respond.

He continued as though he
was just thinking aloud. “Am I really so frightening that I give
you panic attacks?”

My mouth was still open.
It took a second before I could make my brain accept what he was
saying. “If you couldn’t read it a few years ago, what
changed?”

His smile turned sad as he
motioned for me to come to him, but I couldn’t.

I was
petrified.