Skye Morrison Vampire 2 Sins of the Father (5 page)

It took a few seconds before I could get my
feet to cooperate with my brain, and I slowly walked over and slid
into a barstool. She placed one glass in front of me and met my
wide eyes with her own. The color in hers had returned and they
were completely back to normal.

She raised her glass and waited for me to do
the same. I was too terrified of her not to comply. “To good
health,” she toasted and I would’ve been an idiot to have missed
the veiled threat.

“To good health,” I mumbled back and slowly
drank the shot, never taking my eyes off her. I had a sneaking
suspicion that she might just be a tad bit crazy and I was watching
her like a hawk.

Aoife swallowed her shot and smiled at me.
“There. Now that that’s behind us, there are a few things that you
should know.” I swallowed hard and listened intently. I was going
to take mental notes. I didn’t ever want get on her bad side
again.

“Archer and I have been together since…” he
voice trailed off in thought. “Well, a lady never tells her age,”
she said finally, flicking her wrist dismissively. “But Archer and
I have been together for hundreds of years, child.” She slid the
garnishes into their trays, wiped her hands on a towel, and came
around the counter with the bottle of Jager, taking a seat next to
me. She poured us another shot as she continued. “Archer and I were
married six hundred years ago. Now, every relationship has their
ups and downs, but we took an oath for life.”

She raised her glass and touched it with mine
before we tossed the dark, thick syrupy liquid down our throats.
“We had a lovers quarrel a little over a hundred years ago and
decided to spend some time apart. But, we are together again, now,
and I intend to make up for lost time.”

I nodded my head and clutched the glass
tightly in both of my hands.
Dear God, where is everyone?
I
thought in a panic. I just wanted to get away from her. She scared
the shit out of me.

“I can see how you would have been attracted
to him. He is quite handsome…but he’s mine,” she warned again with
a sharp look.

“I understand,” I said in a voice that was
barely above a whisper. “I apologize for my egregious error.”

She laughed and threw her head back. “Errors
happen to everyone, child,” she said as she patted my knee. My body
instantly jumped and I swallowed a scream. “Just don’t let it
happen again or I won’t be responsible for what I might do to you,”
she said, lightly. “After all, he is my husband.” I clenched my
hands together and nodded. She had sounded so blasé just now and it
terrified me. It was if she were talking about the weather, not my
potential death.

Just then Jameson exited the door to Archer’s
private stairwell and made his way down the wide metal stairs to
the first floor.
Oh, thank you Jesus
! My eyes were still
wide with anxiety as Jameson walked up to Aoife and me. He looked
back and forth between us for a few seconds and then intently
studied my face. I quickly looked down at my empty glass, afraid
for him to see the swirling emotions that lay just under the
surface of my hazel-green eyes.

“Ladies,” Jameson greeted cautiously. “How is
everyone?” I nodded my head as Aoife poured us another shot of
Jagermeister, never taking my eyes off my glass.

“We are excellent, Jameson dear,” Aoife
purred lightly. “How are you?”

Jameson folded his arms across his chest and
looked down at us disapprovingly. “Alright, you two, cut the shit,”
he said roughly. “I know something happened.”

Aoife swirled the Jager around in her glass.
“Whatever do you mean?” she asked innocently.

I downed my shot and risked a glance up at
Jameson, doing my best to clear the emotions from my face and
eyes.

Jameson growled and unfolded his arms,
clenching his fists down at his sides. “Dammit, Aoife! What the
hell did you do to her?”

Aoife kicked me hard under the bar and it
startled me into answering. “Nothing,” I said quickly. “She didn’t
do anything to me.”

Jameson refolded his arms over his chest and
glared down at me. “And I’m supposed to believe that shit? Look at
you!” he said, gesturing wildly to my body. “You’re shaking. There
is genuine fear in your eyes and you’ve bitten a hole in your
bottom lip.”

I quickly put my hand to my mouth and came
away with a small spot of blood. I quickly looked over at the
vampires and apologized. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“What did you do to her, Aoife?” Jameson
demanded.

“Oh, will you just calm the hell down
already,” Aoife groaned and dismissively flicked her wrist in my
direction. “We were just having a little chat, that’s all. Ask her.
Nothing happened.”

Jameson looked at me questioningly. “Nothing
happened,” I said as steadily as I could.

Jameson’s eyes narrowed in anger as he looked
over at Aoife. “Archer said that you weren’t supposed to touch her,
Aoife,” he growled lowly. “If I find out you did anything to her,
I’ll personally deal with you.”

Aoife laughed sarcastically. “Please,
Youngblood. Is that any way to talk to the wife of your
creator?”

Jameson’s face quickly turned to mine and I
briefly met his eyes. We had a whole wordless conversation in three
seconds. I told him that I knew all about Aoife and Archer with my
eyes and he sincerely apologized with his.

He turned his head and glared back at Aoife.
“Do. Not. Call. Me. Youngblood,” he growled severely. She just
laughed unkindly and dismissed him with another flick of her slim
wrist.

Jameson reached over and grabbed my hand,
pulling me to my feet. He wordlessly pulled me across the floor and
down the back hall to one of the stockrooms. When we got inside, he
quickly closed the door behind us and turned to me. “Are you okay?”
he asked, lightly grabbing my chin between his finger and thumb as
he searched my eyes.

I took a deep breath and slowly blew it out.
All of the intense emotions I was working so hard to hold in
suddenly came pouring out in a massive tidal wave of tears and
hiccups.
Damn it all to HELL
, I silently cursed. I hated
showing my weaknesses in front of people and my body shook harder
with the added emotion.

Jameson took me in his arms and held me
tight. He gently rocked me to and fro as he whispered sweet,
soothing words. I pushed him away after a second and roughly wiped
the tears from my cheeks, trying hard to get control of myself

“Damn it, Jameson,” I whined angrily. “Why do
you always have to do that?”

“Do what?” Jameson asked genuinely
confused.

“Do THAT!” I said, gesturing to him. “Why do
you always have to be the good guy? Why do you always feel like you
have to come to my rescue?” I asked, angrily. “I was doing okay in
there, damn it! You didn’t have to come “save me”! I can take care
of myself!”

Jameson took a step back and crossed his arms
over his chest. “I was just trying to protect you from her,” he
said defensively. “You have no idea what she is like, Skye. You
have no idea what she is even capable of. You don’t
understand.”

“I understand plenty now, Jameson,” I spat
angrily. I wasn’t really angry at him. I was angry at Archer and
Aoife. He was turning into the scapegoat and I started to feel bad,
but couldn’t stop my runaway mouth. “I understand that Archer lied
to me and played with my emotions like I was some kind of frickin’
toy! I understand that he was married to her all along and lied to
me about it! I understand that he used me! I understand plenty now,
Jameson! I understand plenty!” I cried and buried my face in my
hands.

Jameson sighed and pulled me to him again as
he wrapped his arms tightly around my body. I struggled in vain for
a few seconds before completely giving up and giving my body over
to him. My knees were weak with the shame and grief that I felt and
he walked over to a box and sat on it, pulling me onto his lap. He
pulled my head to his chest, holding me gently, and allowed me to
cry for a few minutes before he said anything.

I felt like an utter fool. I allowed myself
to think that Archer had genuinely cared for me; that he was
telling the truth back up in his office on opening night when he
said he lied the night before about not having feeling for me. I
was unbelievably disappointed in myself. I saw him kissing Aoife
but I still secretly and immaturely harbored hope that he liked me;
that it was somehow all a misunderstanding. Now I knew that he was
nothing more than a lying womanizer. He was married to Aoife and he
tried to have an adulterous fling with me on the side.
I am no
one’s plaything
, I angrily thought, wiping the heavy tears from
my eyes and clinging tighter to Jameson’s rock hard chest.
Lesson learned. I won’t make that same mistake with him
again
.

I would be sure not to let Archer know that
Aoife had told me about their marriage tonight. I didn’t want him
thinking that that was the reason why I wasn’t melting around him
anymore like some sick, pathetic puppy dog. I wanted him to think
that I made the decision on my own; that I no longer wanted him of
my own accord, not because of his marriage. I didn’t want to give
him the satisfaction of knowing that I actually cared about
him.

“Skye, there is so much you don’t know,”
Jameson said when my tears had finally slowed to hiccups. “I should
have told you, but it wasn’t my place,” he said, sorrow and regret
lacing his voice.

I looked up into his eyes and lightly hit his
chest. “Shut up, Jameson,” I said tiredly. “None of this is your
fault. You did the right thing by not telling me anything. He is
your brother, your blood; your loyalty is to him alone. I do not
now, nor will I ever, hold anything against you because of it.”

He reached his hand around and gently wiped
the tears from my face with the back of his hand and thumb. “I
can’t stand to see you cry, Skye,” he said honestly in a gentle
whisper.

I shook my head with a humorless chuckle and
looked up into his eyes. “I can stand it when I cry, either,
Jameson.” I sighed and voiced something that had been bothering me
for days. “Why are you still being nice to me when I so obviously
don’t deserve it? I know I hurt you when I kissed Archer, Jameson.
It was so wrong of me. I made a huge, ridiculously stupid
mistake.”

He bent down and lightly kissed a soft, slow
trail across my forehead. I sighed, closed my eyes and melted into
his comforting touch. There was something about being kissed on my
forehead that made everything wrong suddenly right in my world.
Why do I always fall for the bad guys
? I wondered.
I went
after bad boy Archer and look what happened! Here is Jameson, the
sweetest guy I’ve ever met in my life, and he’s here kissing away
my tears over his brother.
I desperately wanted the good guy
for once. I desperately wanted a man like Jameson to love me. I
desperately wanted to deserve his love. I was tired of being hurt,
played with, and stepped on.
If I don’t make up my mind soon,
Jameson may not be there when I finally do
. My heart ached at
that possibility. There had been something really special between
Jameson and me before I went and screwed it all up with his
brother. I should have never allowed myself to get blinded by
Archer’s good looks. Jameson is who I wanted.
But will he want
me
?
Will he forgive me
?

I lifted my head an inch and allowed Jameson
to softly kiss each of my eyelids and the bridge of my nose. I felt
a sudden jolt of butterflies in my stomach and became intensely
aware of his intoxicating smell. He smelled like leather and a
cool, crisp manly aftershave.

I took a deep breath in as I lifted my head
another few inches and allowed him to gently kiss a trail across my
cheek and to my jaw.
God, he smells so good.
I felt my
breasts tighten with sudden arousal and I ran my hand up the ridges
of his chiseled chest to cup his face as he kissed the line of my
jaw.
This feels so right. HE feels so right. God, I want him. I
NEED him.
“I need you.” The words slipped out in a breathy
whisper.

He slightly pulled back when he reached the
corner of my mouth and hesitated. “Skye,” he rumbled seductively,
almost as if asking my permission to continue.

I looked up into his iridescent light green
eyes and didn’t waver a second. I closed the two inch gap between
us and softly touched my full lips to his. His touch felt right,
his lips felt like home. I momentarily forgot all about the hurt
his brother had caused me as our tongues slid together in a
sensual, sweet dance.

I couldn’t control the moan that escaped from
my lips, and, as if driven by it, Jameson lifted me in his lap and
turned my body to face his as I placed my legs on either side of
his hips and wrapped them tightly around his waist. I wrapped my
arms around his neck and fused my entire body to his.

Jameson’s kiss was deep, slow, soft,
and…absolutely perfect. I felt my lower abdomen tingle with need
and I involuntarily ground my lap against his. Our kisses grew
deeper and more frantic as our hands explored each other’s
bodies.

“Forgive me, Jameson,” I begged against his
mouth. “Please, please forgive me. I was so stupid. I’m so
sorry.”

Jameson growled against my mouth, quickly
leaned forward and eased our bodies onto the cold, polished cement
floor. He stopped kissing me long enough to look me deep in the
eyes, gently caress my cheek and say, “I forgave you the night it
happened, love.” A small sound of relief escaped my lips before he
immediately replaced it with his mouth.

Our hands grew needier as our kissing
intensified. All I wanted to do was fuse myself to this sweet,
sexy, kind, and thoughtful man for the rest of the night. I reached
down to his waist, grabbed ahold of his black shirt and pulled it
over his head. I gently pushed him off of me and we both rose to
our knees.