by Jane Jamison
“Charlie, let’s clear the air, okay? I promised I’d tell you why Reese and I were keeping watch on you.” He zeroed in on her. “We heard what happened the last time you were in town.”
She swallowed hard. “Exactly what did you hear?”
“We heard how your sister wanted to kill Deacon Slater and how you came into the picture at the last moment and stopped her.”
If her jaw had dropped, she wouldn’t have been surprised. “I didn’t stop her from killing Deacon. I just wanted to get us out of there.”
“Anderson and Daniel said you tried to get Shannon to leave with you.”
She studied his face, trying to decipher his expression. He appeared open, unguarded, and truthful. Did he know Deacon Slater was a vampire? “She wouldn’t go with me even when I tried to drag her away.”
He set down his glass, his expression growing more serious. “And that’s why we were watching you. Around here, we tend to take care of each other. So when the Holms boys heard you’d come back but hadn’t contacted Shannon to say you were in town, they got a little nervous. I guess they were worried you’d try and snatch Shannon away like people do to loved ones that have joined a cult.”
“I’m not here to ‘snatch’ her, as you put it. I’m here to make sure she’s staying because she wants to and not because she’s being held against her will.”
“She’s not being held here. That much I can vouch for.”
“How do you know? Maybe she’s afraid to leave them. Maybe they’ve got some stranglehold on her. I don’t know. I mean, being what they are, how can I be sure?”
“Hasn’t she called you?”
“Yes.” Did he not hear her last question? Or had he ignored it on purpose?
“Has she ever said anything that would make you think she’s not happy?”
“No. But again, maybe she can’t.”
“Okay, if you don’t believe her, why not go take a look for yourself? Why not meet Anderson and Daniel? See all three of them, and then you’ll rest easy that she’s really happy.” He took another drink then spun spaghetti around his fork.
“There’s more to it than you know.”
His eyes sparkled as though she’d just mentioned buried treasure. “Like what? You’re not out to hurt Anderson and Daniel, are you?”
“Of course not.” Unless they threaten Shannon or my life. “It’s nothing I want to talk about.” She busied herself with her food, hoping he’d take the hint and change the subject. What was she supposed to tell him? That she couldn’t risk getting too close to the werewolves who had taken her sister? If she did, would he believe her?
“Okay, fine. I can respect that. So let’s change the subject.” He placed his hand on top of hers. “Do you know how beautiful you are?”
The question coming from any other man would’ve sounded cheesy, but she could see the sincerity in his face. She’d received lots of compliments before, but his sent an arrow diving straight into her heart to pierce the wall she’d built to keep her safe. Business and her family hadn’t left much time for romance. She’d long ago given up on the fantasy of a man to love and children she’d shower with the affection her parents had never given their daughters.
She offered him a slight smile, suddenly shy. “I bet you say that to all the women who come into town to snatch their sister away.”
“Hey, I thought we weren’t talking about that any longer.” He poured them both another glass of wine. “But I want you to know I’m telling you the truth. You’re the most beautiful, the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
She slid off the stool and walked over to the couch. He followed her, and, unless she was wildly mistaken, he didn’t take his eyes off her. He sat next to her, close enough that she could feel the strange but wonderful reaction he gave her whenever they touched but just far enough away to yearn for more of that touch.
“Tell me, Charlie, what do you want?”
He had a way of looking into her eyes that made her feel special and vulnerable all at the same time. “What do you mean?”
“I mean what do you want out of life? Your family owns a major corporation, right?” He leaned forward and grazed his fingers along her arm. “And I bet you’re in a high-level position in that company.”
“You’re right on both counts.” She had to concentrate on his words. Otherwise, she’d give in to the shivers he sent racing down her spine. Shivers that only his body pressed against hers could warm. “But I resigned.”
“You did? May I ask why?” His fingers did the walking up to her neck then into her hair. He played with a strand of hair as though he’d never seen hair before.
“I wanted to devote more time to Shannon and…other things.”
They’d both finished another glass of wine, so he poured another refill. “Things? That sounds mysterious. What are you after? UFOs?”
He cut his chuckle short when she didn’t laugh along with him. “Tell me you’re joking. You don’t believe in little green men, do you?”
She downed the wine, finding comfort and courage in the dark liquid. “If you’d asked me a few months ago, I would’ve said no. But now? I’m not so sure.”
He left her only long enough to open the second bottle of wine, but it was far too long for her. In that small time, she missed watching the way his mouth moved as he talked and missed glancing at the tent forming under his jeans. She sighed when he returned to his seat and placed the bottle on the coffee table in front of them.
“So should I assume that you had a close encounter a few months ago?”
She could hear the teasing tone in his voice but didn’t blame him. “You could say so.”
He peered at her with his amazing cerulean eyes. “Okay, now you’ve really got me hooked. What happened?”
She put her wine down on the table and shifted to look straight at him. The room spun a little from that quick movement but stabilized as soon as she placed a hand on his shoulder. He was the type of man who could make anything seem more solid than it was.
“I started believing in a lot of unbelievable things after my sister Christine’s death.” She searched his face for any sign that he might believe her. She took a leap of faith, needing to tell someone. “She suffered an awful death.”
He nodded. “Like I said, Forever’s a small town and stories get around it faster than fish around bait.”
Was he saying he believed in vampires and werewolves? Or did he think they were just stories and nothing more. “Then there was the day I shot a werewolf.”
He didn’t laugh, but that didn’t make the anxious churning in her stomach any better. “Did you hear what I said? I shot a werewolf.”
He frowned, his gaze hard on hers. “Where did this happen?”
“I rushed into Deacon Slater’s house and saw Shannon standing there with two very large, very unusual-looking wolves. I saw the intelligence in their eyes, and I knew right then and there that they were werewolves. I was terrified for myself and for my sister. But not scared enough that I wouldn’t do whatever I could to protect her. I shot one of them, grabbed Shannon, and ran for dear life.”
He opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then tried again. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I know how it sounds, but I also know what I saw. And there’s more.” She waited, but he didn’t say anything else, so she plowed ahead, determined to get it over with. “Deacon Slater is a vampire.”
She hoped he’d believe her. Instead, anger flared inside when she saw him roll his lips under to keep from laughing. “It’s the truth. That’s why Shannon was here. We thought Deacon Slater was the vampire who killed our younger sister, Christine.”
He skimmed his palms along her arms. But he didn’t do it in the way a potential lover might do it. Instead, it was more like he was trying to keep a crazy person calm before she went bat shit and started screaming about aliens abducting her. She thrust his hands off her and stood up. “I know what I saw, Blane. If you don’t believe it, t
hen you need to get the hell out.”
“Easy, Charlie. I’m not saying you’re wrong. There are a lot of unknown things in this wild world.” He stood and started to reach for her but lowered his hands when she glared at him.
“But you don’t really believe me, do you?”
“Shannon’s never said one word to me about werewolves and vampires.”
She stalked to the door and flung it open. “I think you need to go.”
He came to her but acted like she didn’t have the door wide open for him to leave. “I just wonder, with all that’s happened, if you know what’s real and what’s not.”
“Trust me, I do.”
“Do you?” He stepped closer to her. “Can you feel the connection between us, Charlie? Can you trust your senses enough to know it’s real?”
“I–I told you to leave.”
“Admit it. Tell me you feel the bond between us.”
She was deep into telling the truth and couldn’t stop. “I feel it.”
“And you sensed it between you and Reese, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. But I don’t understand. What’s going on, Blane? Why do I feel…that way any time I see or touch you and your brother?”
“For now, just let it be. You’ll figure it out soon enough.”
Why had he suddenly backed off? Not physically, but she could sense he was hiding a secret from her. She’d had about all the secrets she could handle for one night. The wine still buzzed her head. If she had her way, she’d forget about everything for the next few hours. Maybe that was the only rational thing to do.
“Like I said, you need to leave.”
He shook his head. “No. I think I need to stay and show you exactly what’s real.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will.” He cupped his hand around her neck and pressed his lips to hers. His forceful grip was nothing compared to the electric shock his touch sent scorching through her.
She melted against him, her anger at his earlier disbelief gone with the slide of his tongue between her lips. He moaned as she wrapped her arms around him and tugged him closer. His tongue swept through her mouth, over her tongue, to skim the insides of her cheeks. Sucking on his tongue, she kept him to her.
He was as firm and solid as he’d looked and just as built as his brother. They were made from the same mold yet given different brains, different thoughts, different personalities.
When he pulled her away, he was as out of breath as she was. “I didn’t mean to do this. I wanted to charm you, to seduce you into bed. Not to attack you.” His gaze slid down to her lips then back to her eyes. “I’m not like my brother.”
“I know.” She pushed her hands against the chest that felt so much like granite then took his hand and led him toward the bedroom.
“Charlie, I want you to be sure about this. I need you to—”
Turning, she pressed a finger against his mouth. “Blane, has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?”
His lips moved against her fingertip with his smile. “A few.”
“They were right.”
She stepped back, kicked off her sandals, and tugged the sundress over her head in one easy move. The beige thong she wore followed the dress to the floor. She stood unashamed before him.
“Wow,” he whispered. He cleared his throat then reached behind his head to grab the collar of his T-shirt.
Her hands on his arms stopped him. “No. Stay still and let me.”
She pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it away. Underneath the cotton was a world filled with boulder-like pecs, brown nipples, and a line of blonde hair that drew her gaze then her hands downward. The waist of his jeans dipped lower in the front to show the beginning of his crotch, and her mouth watered. She’d give him something to remember her by.
He stayed still with his arms at his sides and simply watched her as she undid his jeans. Pulling the flaps wide, she slid her hands under the jeans and toward his butt. The farther back she pushed, the more his jeans tracked in a downward glide. A thrill rushed through her when she saw that he went commando. Her peeked nipples pushed against his chest, and she teased him, using her tongue to leave a wet trail from one nipple to the other. He groaned and reached for her, but she slapped his hands away.
Following the path of the falling jeans, she used his legs as support and moved her tongue between the mountainous pecs, over the hills and valleys of his abdomen, and on to the start of his curly patch below. She pulled off his boots then helped him step out of the jeans and thrust them away.
“Charlie.”
“Shh. You’ve done enough talking.”
His cock was more impressive than she’d hoped. Long and strong, it curved outward, blue veins lining the tender skin, up to the pink, mushroomed cap. She studied it, wanting to remember what it looked like with a small amount of pre-cum oozing from the slit.
She sniffed, drawing in a mix of testosterone, perspiration, and wildness. She’d smelled a similar scent from Reese, just as strong, just as wild, but each man had an extra added aroma that was all his own. If she had to, she could distinguish one twin from the other by their scent.
Running her hands over his thighs then along his legs, she gripped his butt cheeks and flicked her tongue over the tip of his cock, savoring his special taste. He let out a tortured sigh and took hold of her hair. She’d let him touch that much of her, but no more. Not yet.
She squeezed his butt cheeks and blew on his cock. His hold tightened on her hair as he drove his fingers deeper into her locks.
“Is this your way of torturing me?”
She chuckled, glanced up at him with a wicked grin, then opened her mouth wide and took as much of his length inside her mouth as she could. Moving her head back and forth, she played with his cock, swirling her tongue over and over again. He rocked his hips, keeping rhythm with her movement.
He glanced down, and she saw the desire in those blue depths. Knowing he wanted her as much as she wanted him turned her on even more. A rush of warmth burst from her pussy, and she wondered if her juices were running down her inner thighs.
He started to speak, but she stopped him by taking him by the base of his cock with one hand and fondling his balls with the other. She sucked him in and out, loving how she could tell the one big vein apart from the rest of his cock. She wanted to feel it move against her tongue, to let the pulse of it strain against her tongue. Pulling on his cock hard then releasing him slowly, she drew as much of his pre-cum into her mouth as she could get. He was so big, so hard, so perfect for her mouth. She wiggled her fingers and let his soft balls bounce on her hand.
Bending her head, she flattened her tongue against the back of his cock and made a slow, long journey from the tip to the base and back again. He gripped his cock and started pumping. Instead of taking his hand away, she flicked her tongue over the back of his hand then in between his fingers. He moaned, the sound deeper, needier than before as he pumped harder. Yet as delicious as it was to watch him, she wanted him in her mouth even more.
“Charlie, you’re driving me wild.”
She smiled even as she slid his cock inside her mouth again. Sucking, she pulled hard then pushed his cock as far back in her throat as she could handle. His moan sounded more like a growl now, and he bent forward, taking her head between his hands. She tried to keep her mouth on him, to drive him over the edge, then released him in a slow pull.
“Come on me.”
Confusion showed in his eyes until she caressed his cock with first one cheek then the other. “I want you to come in my mouth and on my face.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. On one condition.”
“You sure are a woman with a lot of conditions.”
She grinned in response to his grin. “You have to promise that you’ll get it back up real soon. I want to drink your cum, but I also want you inside my pussy.”
“Damn, woman, you’re a greedy little thing.”
“You don’t know the half of it, cowboy.” She sucked him in again, cutting off any response he could’ve made.
It wasn’t long before he gripped her hair and pulled his cock from her. “Aw, fuck. Here it comes.”
Flicking her tongue over the wet end of his cock, she quickly dragged him back inside. His body jerked as he let his seed go, and she drank him in. He dug his hands into her hair to the point of pain, but she didn’t care. She took in the musky drink then, as his spasms slowed down, she pulled him out and shot the rest of his cum over her bare breasts.
She felt strong, wild, as though the act of spreading his seed over her chest, over her breasts, and over her nipples had unleashed an animal inside her she hadn’t known existed. Leaning back, she rubbed her taut nipples, using the sticky ooze like lotion to soften her skin.
She sat back on her haunches and watched his expression ease from the contortion of the orgasm into one filled with bliss. His cock twitched to life again before his cum had even dried on her. She widened her eyes, amazed that any man could get hard again so soon.
A satisfied smile spread his lips as he gazed down at her. He was a masterful man, a man who could have anyone he wanted, and he’d chosen her. “Now it’s your turn, baby.”
Taking her under the arms, he lifted her to her feet and kissed her. The mix of flavors from his mouth and cock together was a heady combination. If she could bottle his taste, she’d make a million selling to women all over the world.
He never broke the kiss apart as he lifted her higher and moved his big hands to her butt. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. She closed her eyes and clung to him as he moved them to the bed. He lowered her onto the bed, gently, reverently, adoringly. She bit her lip to keep back the tears that threatened to overtake her as he stood up and just looked at her. The love in his eyes was more than she could stand. She had to have him, tonight if that was all he’d ever give her, or forever, if she had her way.
The thought that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him stunned her. But even more, when she thought about living with Blane, Reese was right there with them, side by side until they grew old and died.
