by I. T. Lucas
“Snake’s Venom. Awesome.” Jackson helped himself to one. “Where did you get them?”
“In the store. Where else?” Sylvia said.
“They are not easy to find and pricey. We need to split the bill for those.”
Sylvia waved a hand. “Forget it. Next time is going to be your treat.”
Jackson lifted the beer in a salute. “Deal.”
“Who writes your music?” Roni asked.
“Vlad writes the lyrics, and I write the music. Gordon is the ideas man. He comes up with all kinds of weird shit our audiences eat up.”
“Would you mind if I wrote something for you guys?”
Jackson lifted one blond brow. “What are you saying, Roni? Do you think our music sucks?”
Fuck. Had he offended them? For a change, he hadn’t meant to. “No, of course not. You guys are good. I just want to give it a shot.”
Jackson clapped his back. “Don’t worry, man. No hurt feelings here. I would love to get new material that I don’t need to sweat creating. Besides, you are going to join our band, right? We need you.” He wrapped his arm around Roni’s shoulders as if they were the best of buddies.
Given that Roni had none, Jackson had no competition for the position. It was his if he wanted it.
With everyone at the table looking at him expectedly, there was only one way to answer that. “Sure. But I’m nowhere near Gordon’s level.”
Jackson squeezed his shoulder. “You will be. You’re a perfectionist and competitive as hell.”
With a frown, Roni straightened in his chair. “How do you know that about me? You’ve known me for what? Two whole hours?”
Jackson shrugged. “Simple. You don’t get to be the best in your field unless you have an uncompromising drive and ambition. Whatever you do, you strive to be the best at.”
Roni dipped his head. “True. But aside from my obvious genius, which admittedly makes learning new things very easy for me, drumming requires a lot of practice. I have no doubt that eventually, I will get to be as good as Gordon or even better, but it’s not going to happen by the time he leaves for college.”
His genius remark drew snorts and chuckles from everyone other than Sylvia, who knew he hadn’t meant it as a joke.
He was a damn genius, and he didn’t believe in fake modesty.
“Okay, guys.” Jackson put down his empty beer bottle. “Now that I have food in my belly, we can go back to jamming.” He rose to his feet and offered his hand to Tessa. “Your turn, kitten.”
She looked up at him with a puzzled expression on her face. “To do what?”
“Sing, of course.”
She shook her head. “Oh, no, no, no. I’m not going to sing in front of people.”
Jackson waved a hand at everyone present. “What people? Gordon and Vlad have heard you sing before, and Sylvia and Roni are our friends, soon to become part of the band.”
Sneaking a glance at Sylvia and then at Roni, Tessa smiled sheepishly. “One song.”
“Awesome. Sylvia is going to sing the next one,” Jackson said.
Roni expected his girlfriend to object, same as Tessa, but she surprised him by accepting the challenge.
As the band started playing and Tessa took the microphone, Roni leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs at the ankles.
Tessa had a lovely voice, but weak. Jackson kept adjusting the amplifier connected to the mic, but it didn’t help much.
When Tessa was done, he and Sylvia clapped, causing her to blush.”
Sylvia didn’t need any encouragement to take the mic next. “I don’t know any of the songs you guys play. Do you know ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me when I’m Gone’?
“Sing a few bars and we will improvise,” Jackson said.
Wow. Sylvia could sing. He hadn’t known that. She had a sweet voice, similar to the original singer of that song. It was clear and strong, and her pitch was perfect. Roni felt his heart swell with pride, and with something else that was new and unexpected.
He liked these people, and they seemed to like him back.
They wanted to hang out with him, not because of his hacking skills, but because they enjoyed his company. These guys wanted him to jam with them, a fun activity people did with friends.
Friends, for the first time since he was a toddler, Roni had actually made friends.
Chapter 35: Jackson
Jackson’s hands were sweaty on the steering wheel, and he had a feeling that sweat stains were spreading under his armpits.
It was ridiculous. Neither he nor Tessa was a virgin, and he believed that this time she was truly ready. So why the hell was he so nervous?
Apparently, cool Jackson was gone, replaced by an insecure eighteen-year-old. Almost nineteen, he reminded himself.
Tessa didn’t look anxious, thank the merciful Fates, but she seemed contemplative. They’d been on the road for over an hour, and she’d barely said a word to him.
“What are you thinking about?”
She shrugged. “This and that. Just random thoughts.”
“Care to share them with me?”
Tessa threw him a sidelong glance. “Are you sure? It’s mostly girl stuff that will bore you.”
“Try me.”
“I was thinking about Sharon. She is cool and pretty and smart, but she’s never had a boyfriend. She has plenty of hookups, but that doesn’t count. I asked her about it, and she said that none of the guys she’s been with was a mensch, and most were just meh—boring to talk to and boring in bed. So I was wondering if she was going to like any of the immortals Eva and Bhathian were planning to introduce her to. If she is that picky, she might not like any of them, and there aren’t that many to start with. Right?”
Jackson rubbed his jaw. “Frankly, I didn’t give it much thought. But yeah, it’s possible she won’t find what she is looking for.”
Tessa nodded. “If she doesn’t find an immortal guy she likes and who likes her back, is Kian going to allow these guys to sleep with her and try to induce her transition? And what about telling her the truth? Are they going to do it without her knowledge? If she turns, fine, and if she doesn’t, no harm done?”
“I don’t know.” He chuckled. “I’m very happy I’m not Kian. When I was a kid, I wanted to be just like him—a leader, a successful businessman. But I don’t want to be faced with these kinds of decisions.”
She was quiet for a few moments. “When I was a kid, all I wanted was a family. A mom and dad who loved me.”
Jackson reached for her hand. “You have a family. Me and Eva and Bhathian, and Nathalie and Andrew and Phoenix, and everyone else in the clan.”
“I can’t allow myself to think about them that way. Not until after my transition. Except for Eva, of course. She will always be there for me no matter what. Even Kian can’t command her to forsake me. He might think he has authority over her, but he doesn’t and never will. Eva answers only to Eva and to some extent to Bhathian. That’s it.”
“What about me? I’ll never leave you. You must know that.”
She turned her face to the window, looking at the frosted scenery they were passing on their way to the cabin he’d rented for them in Big Bear.
“If I don’t turn, I will not stay with you. I love you too much to cause you that much pain. I know I wouldn’t want to see you get old and die, while I stayed young and healthy. I’m a firm believer in not doing to others what I don’t want to be done to me.”
Jackson shook his head. They were on their way to what he considered an equivalent of a honeymoon, and Tessa was talking about leaving him.
“Then I’m not like you. Because I would rather be with you for as long as I can than not at all.”
“What if the roles were reversed and you were the human and I the immortal?”
He grinned. “Then I would’ve been doubly happy because I would have had a forever hot woman by my side. What guy doesn’t want that?”
Tessa crossed her arms over her chest. “If Eva’s e
x didn’t suffer from dementia, you could’ve asked him. He had a gorgeous, young-looking wife, and he still cheated on her with others.”
“Idiot.”
“Yeah. I agree.”
“Finally we agree on something. I didn’t plan this romantic getaway so we can contemplate every catastrophic scenario imaginable.” He cast her a sidelong glance. “I’m a firm believer in the glass half full as opposed to half empty.”
“You’re right. Let’s talk about something else. Where are you taking me?”
“To a magical place.”
“Seriously. I know it’s up in the mountains because you told me to pack a sweater and we’ve been climbing for the past forty-five minutes.”
If Tessa were a native Californian, she would have known where he was taking her, so there was no harm in telling her the destination. The cabin he’d rented, though, he was going to keep a surprise. He wanted to see her face as she entered.
Jackson had paid for the honeymoon package, which included the fanciest cabin in the resort, fresh flowers, a bottle of champagne, and a fruit basket. In addition, he’d asked for candles to be lit before their arrival but had been refused. Apparently, candles were considered a fire hazard.
It put a little dent in his plans, but he had it covered. There was a bunch of assorted candles in his travel bag, three bottles of wine, and enough Godiva chocolates to land Tessa in a hospital. Naturally, he was going to portion those out so she wouldn’t overdose. The girl had no self-control when faced with those sweet treats.
“We are going to Big Bear. I rented us a cabin. It’s summer, so there will be no snow, but the place is beautiful all year round.”
Tessa frowned. “That sounds expensive. I hope you didn’t spend too much on the cabin.”
Given the state of his finances, it had cost a fortune, but he and Tessa were going to have their first time together only once. He needed to get it right because there were no re-dos on that.
“No, not too much.” Not a lie. Nothing was too much to make this day and night special.
“How did you manage to take a day off tomorrow?”
“Our wayward waitress came back.”
“Oh, yeah? Where was she?”
“Got another job. They promised her better pay but ended up paying her less. So she is back.”
“And you took her back? She is unreliable.”
“True, but I know she is not going to disappear at least until she gets her paycheck, which is in two weeks. She needs the money.”
“What if she doesn't show up tomorrow? What are Vlad and Gordon going to do?”
Jackson shook his head. “Glass half full, kitten. I have to stick with that.”
Twenty minutes or so later, they arrived at the resort.
“Stay here. I’ll get us checked in.”
“Okay.”
It was good she had no problem staying in the car. He didn’t want Tessa to come with him in case the clerk at the reception started blabbing about the honeymoon suite and spoiled his surprise. After checking them in, Jackson made reservations for dinner in one of the restaurants the guy at the reception had suggested, then headed back to the car.
“Our cabin is a short drive from here,” he told Tessa.
Even from the outside, it looked bigger and fancier than all the other cabins they had passed on the way.
Dropping their bags on the front porch, Jackson pulled the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door but opened it only a tiny crack.
“Close your eyes,” he told Tessa.
She smiled. “Okay.”
Lifting her into his arms, he pushed the door open with his foot. “You can open your eyes now.”
“Jackson, it’s beautiful.” Tessa turned her head this way and that, taking in the ultra luxurious cabin. “This must have cost a bundle. And you said you didn’t pay much for it.” She cast him an accusing glance.
“You asked me if I paid too much, and I said no because nothing is too much to make this day special for you. For us.” He kissed her tenderly.
Eying the huge bed, Tessa worried her lower lip. “What now? Is there a protocol for how this should be done?”
“Item number one on the agenda is to feed the bride so she’ll have the energy for a long night of great sex.”
He turned her in his arms, so her chest was pressed against his and kissed her again.
After letting him cuddle and kiss her until he had his fill, Tessa shimmied down his body. When her feet touched the floor, she tugged her shirt down. “I bet you made reservations.”
“Of course. I leave nothing to chance.”
Chapter 36: Tessa
Dinner ended up being a drawn-out affair.
Tessa had ordered a glass of wine, and then another one, sipping on them as slowly as she could. It wasn’t that she’d changed her mind, or felt that she wasn’t ready after all.
She felt pressured. For lack of a better term, Tessa was suffering from what she suspected was the equivalent of performance anxiety.
What Jackson hadn’t realized was that the elaborate setup was more of a hindrance than an aphrodisiac. Things would have been simpler if they had done it in his room atop the café. There was no pressure there. They would have started with kissing and fondling, and one thing would have led to another, and things would have progressed naturally to where they were supposed to.
But Jackson wanted to make it special, and she had no heart to tell him that all that preparation was making her anxious.
“Are you ready to go, kitten?” he asked when the last drop of wine in her glass was gone.
No more stalling. “Yes.” She rose to her feet, or rather to her six-inch platform shoes. Several guys glanced her way, but the new Tessa was able to interpret their appreciative looks as a compliment and not a threat.
Tessa expelled a breath. She could do it. She wasn’t a scared little girl anymore. She was a confident young woman who could kick ass when necessary, and who was secure in her own sexuality. Not only that, she was going to make love to an amazing guy who loved her to pieces, and whom she loved back just as much.
On the front porch of the cabin, Jackson opened the door and lifted her in his arms again, then carried her over the threshold. She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled closer. For a slim guy, he was always warm—her own personal blanket for whenever she got cold, which was often.
“Where do you want to go, bed or bath?”
“Bath, definitely. I bet they have a jacuzzi in there.”
“They do. A two-person whirlpool spa.”
Oh, goodie. Jackson was going to get in the tub with her. They would start with a little fondling and continue to bed.
Jackson sat her down on the counter, then turned around to start the water for their tub.
Her legs dangling over the edge and her arms propped on the marble countertop, Tessa felt like a little girl again. A naughty girl who was planning on doing naughty things with her hot fiancé all night long.
She was getting all hot and bothered just looking at Jackson as he crouched next to the tub. With his broad back, his powerful thighs, and the tight ass that was a work of art, he was a man any woman would’ve loved to call her own.
He was also three years Tessa’s junior.
She should be the one babying him, and not the other way around. The thing was, she loved how he always took care of her.
Age was irrelevant.
Their personalities dictated the roles they assumed in their relationship. Jackson was the caretaker, and she was the one being taken care of, and they both enjoyed the roles they played.
So what was the harm in that?
She would do anything for him, and if Jackson ever needed her to take care of him, she would. But in their day to day life their default modes suited them perfectly well.
Satisfied with the temperature of the water, Jackson straightened up and turned to her. “Is my kitten waiting for me to undress her?”
“Yes.” She treat
ed him to a bright smile, letting him know she liked the direction this was going.
“My pleasure.”
He started with her shoes, the very tall ones he’d bought for her, removing one at the time and then massaging her toes and her arches until she purred like a real cat.
Next, Jackson tackled the buttons of her white, silk blouse, opening each of the tiny fake pearls with nimble fingers. When the last one was done, he parted the two halves of the shirt and slid the sleeves down her arms, letting it fall on the counter behind her.
“Very nice.” He trailed his fingers over the top of her breasts, leaving goose bumps in the wake of his feather-light touch.
“A new bra?”
“Yeah.” Tessa cupped the undersides of her bra-encased small breasts. “The latest in bridal lingerie. Adds two cup sizes.” It was also embroidered with tiny fake diamonds on the sides. Apparently, Jackson hadn’t been the only one who thought of this as their honeymoon. Tessa had gotten the bra because she needed a white one under the sheer fabric of her new blouse, but there were many others she could’ve chosen, and yet she’d been drawn to the bridal model.
Jackson’s eyes started glowing. “Did you get the matching panties?”
She waggled her brows. “You’ll have to find out.”
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he lifted her a couple of inches off the counter and pulled her tight stretchy pants off with his other hand. His eyes zeroed in on the tiny lace triangle covering her mound. “Very nice indeed.” He trailed a finger over her cleft. The lace panties were useless as far as absorbing any moisture, and the evidence of her arousal had already seeped through.
Jackson lifted his wet finger to his mouth and licked it clean. “There is no better taste in the world.” His speech was getting slurred.
His fangs were such a turn-on.
But they were nowhere near their full length yet. She knew exactly how to get them there. “There is a surprise for you in the back.”
“Show me.”
Oh, she was going to have fun with that. Sometimes, being small was an advantage, because a tall woman could not have done what Tessa had in mind. The ceiling was too low for that.
