Jamie opened the office door and saw her father sitting behind his desk with Henry standing next to him. Even knowing he would be here, her heart still soared at the sight of him. His bright blue eyes were on her, and she tried like hell to keep her eyes on her father.
“I need to speak with my daughter,” her father said as he stood up. He walked to the front of his desk, and leaned against it, his arms crossed across his chest.
“Yes sir, and thank you for this,” Henry said with a bow of his head to her father.
Jamie's father shook his head. “There’s no need to thank me. You didn’t do anything other than get you and your date out of there safely.” His eyes never left Jamie’s as he spoke.
Henry walked toward her and he smiled at her, but she kept her face blank, her expression bland. “Miss Moore,” he said as he lowered his head in a bow of acknowledgement, but when he lifted his head, he winked at her.
As he walked past her, his amber cologne wrapped around her and Jamie wanted to lean into him. She wanted to feel his lips on hers, and his warm arms holding her to his hard body. But she kept her eyes on her father, her face not ever changing expression. She didn’t want to get Henry in trouble, and she had the feeling her father was testing her and Henry.
“Why didn’t you call me back last night?” he asked her when the door shut. Jamie had seen that he’d called over twenty times and left a hand full of voicemails.
“I knew you would be calling me, so I turned it off. I didn’t want to hear you yell at me or try to get the bodyguards to track me down.” She moved over to the chair in front of his desk and sat down.
“Next time you go out, I want to be able to contact you. That means you keep your phone on!”
Jamie looked up at her father and his face was bright red with anger. She knew the major reason he wanted her to keep her phone on was for the GPS. He wanted to be able to track her. “I'm sorry. I just wanted to be alone, and didn’t want to have your men following me around all night,” she said, but he just stared at her as if he knew she was lying. Guilt instantly sat in her heart, she hated that she was lying to him, but she wanted Henry and knew he wanted her too and she wasn’t going to jeopardize that.
Jamie's father moved away from the desk and to the bar. He poured himself a drink. “There is something you should know, and it will explain why I am being overly protective. There is a rumor of a revolution. The rebels would do anything to hurt me. That would be you. They would love to kidnaailove to p you and use you against me. I can't stop the revolution; the Blues want their freedom, and some Blacks believe it's time to break away from Black and Blue. It looks like we will be going to war again.” Fear sat in her father’s normally calm eyes. She knew he didn’t want to go to war again. The first war had killed nearly five-hundred-thousand people before it had ended.
Jamie didn’t know what to really say. She already knew about the revolution and she believed that it was time for a change. People should be able to do what they wanted and be with whomever they wanted, no matter what color was on their wrist. She’d never really thought about the different classes until she’d met Henry. “Maybe it's time for something to change.” She flinched as her father slammed his glass down and the liquid splashed out. Jamie had never seen her father get so angry before. Once in a while he would yell at her, but he’d never shown the violence that she knew he was capable of.
“If you were any other person, I would throw you in the tower for saying that! We have different classes for a reason and your grandfather made it possible.” He glared at her, and turned away from her. “Go get dressed. We have company coming over,” he said with his back to her.
Jamie arched one eyebrow at her father's back. “What kind of company?” she asked, but he didn’t say anything, he just shook his head. She walked out of his office and to her bedroom. Jamie could tell her father was planning something, and hoped it had nothing to do with Henry. She grabbed her favorite dark green dress. The hem was just above her knees and the halter top showed off her chest. Her father hated the dress and had tried to throw it away when she wasn't looking. Jamie grinned as she looked around for her three inch black and green high heels, she always wore them with the dress. She knew that taming her fiery red hair would be nearly impossible without a shower, so that is where she went.
After her scorching ten minute shower, she was walking down the stairs. She headed toward the male voices, frowning. She thought recognized one besides her father's, but she thought she must be mistaken. She walked into the large downstairs study, stopped in the doorway and glared at Ryan. He was her ex-boyfriend and the last time she’d seen him was when she’d walked in on his bare ass and another woman's moans.
That was seven months ago, and she didn’t want to see him now. He had his dark blonde hair slicked back away from his devilishly handsome face and his hazel blue eyes were smiling at her. Her glare deepened. She couldn’t believe that he could be a complete ass and still be that gorgeous. Jamie had never told her father why they really broke up. She hadn’t wanted to hurt him. She knew he thought of him as a son, and cared for Ryan.
Slowly Ryan walked toward her with his wicked smile pasted on his face as his hazel blue eyes lustfully roamed over her body. Now she wished she’d worn something not as revealing. When his eyes met hers again his smile widened. He stopped about a foot in front of her.
“I have missed seeing your gorgeous face.” He reached for her, to wrap her in an embrace, but she put her hands out to stop him from touching her.
“What ">se="+0">the hell are you doing here?” she asked with a quick glance at her father; Henry was standing next to him and he was watching her and Ryan.
Her father narrowed his eyes at Jamie. “Now that is no way to talk to a guest,” he said and frowned.
She moved away from Ryan and then pointed at him. “He isn't a guest he is my ex-boyfriend. The ass that cheated on me,” she said as she put her hands on her hips and glared at her father.
Ryan turned to face her father. “It was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.” He turned back to Jamie, and the look on his handsome face surprised her. His regret plainly showed on his face, but it didn’t make her feel any better about him. “I know I hurt you and I will never forgive myself for that. I lost the only person I have ever loved.”
Jamie's chest hurt and she flicked her eyes to her father and saw Henry out of the corner of her eye. She turned her attention to Henry and he was staring at her. “Would you please take Ryan to my room, I need to talk to my dad...alone?” She smiled kindly at him, and he nodded.
“Of course, Miss Moore,” he replied.
She didn’t miss the hurt in his eyes as he walked toward Ryan. She looked over her shoulder at her ex-boyfriend and shook her head. “Ryan we are not getting back together. Ever.” Jamie turned her attention back to her father and waited until she heard the door close before speaking again. “What are you up to?” she asked and he shrugged.
Her father narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t know he cheated on you. Why didn’t you tell me?” His face softened a little.
Jamie sighed and closed her eyes; she didn’t tell her father everything anymore. “Dad I don’t tell you everything that happens in my life. I do have some secrets.” She opened her eyes, and smiled at her father.
“You use to tell me everything.”
She could tell she’d hurt him, and she didn’t know what to do to fix it. She wasn’t a little kid anymore and she needed to keep some things to herself. Jamie knew she could never tell him about what she was feeling for Henry, not until something changed.
He shook his head. “You'll be seeing Ryan more. I just promoted him to my lead guard and I'm not going back on my word because of your broke up with him.”
Jamie knew her father was a man of his word, and she slightly raised one shoulder in response. She didn’t care if she had to see Ryan, because her mind was always on Henry now. “Dad I'm not a little girl anymore, and I won’t tell you everythin
g. Just know I will tell you what is significant. I’m fine with Ryan being here, but I don’t want him to be guarding me.”
He nodded. “I’ll make sure he isn’t on your detail.”
Jamie still hadn't asked about going out later and she needed to hae needeget it out while he was in an okay mood. “Emily wants to go out tonight, dinner and a movie again.”
He looked at her as if he knew she was lying, and arched an eyebrow. “I thought we could do something since we haven't done anything since you've been home.” He sighed. William Moore had never remarried after her mother had passed away and he never dated. Jamie was the center of his universe and he was fine with that.
Her father was very handsome and she’d seen the way women looked at him when they were out. He had salt and pepper hair with dark green eyes. He was six foot six and had a fit body. Any woman would be crazy not to think he was handsome.
“We can do something tomorrow. Are we still having the masquerade ball?” It was something she’d always wanted to do since she was a little kid, and her father had finally agreed to it for her eighteenth birthday party. It was supposed to take place in two days and the last thing she’d heard about it was that he’d hired some big party planner.
He nodded. “Yes your mask will be here sometime today. I’ll have Henry bring it to you and we’ll do something tomorrow. So don’t make any plans with Emily.”
Jamie nodded and walked over to her father. She wrapped her arms around his back. He laid his head on top of hers and wrapped his arms around her shoulders to hold her; she smiled. “I want you to be happy dad. I think you should start dating again.”
He tightened his arms around her shoulders. “I don’t know about that, I have only loved one woman and that was your mother.” He took a step back from her. “You look so much like her,” he said and a warm smile lifted his handsome face. Not many people saw her father like that. She knew people called him Wicked Moore. But to her, he was the man that scared the monsters from under her bed and from in here closet.
Jamie knew she looked like her mother. Her mother had long bright red hair, and a small round face with large blue eyes. Her father had given her a photo album when she was a child. The pictures were all of her beautiful mother from when she was a baby and throughout her childhood and up until she was pregnant with Jamie. Her favorite one though was the picture of her mother and father together. They looked so happy and so in love. Jamie knew that she wanted that in her life. She smirked at her father. “I am so thankful I look like her, she was a total knock out.” She winked at her father and he laughed.
“Me too, could you imagine if you looked like me? You mother was a total knock out, and so are you, my sweet daughter.” Whenever anyone mentioned Becca, her father's face went all soft, and you could always see the love in his eyes for her.
Jamie shook her head. “Okay I need to talk to Ryan.” She hugged her father one more time and squeezed him tightly. “I love you, Dad,” she said.
He squeezed her back. “I love you, too, tell Ryan I need to talk to him when you're done.”
Jamie nodded and moved away from him. She strolled out of the office and back up. < and ba the stairs to her bedroom. She glanced down at her feet and smiled. The stairs were a black marble with a stunning red carpet that led up the stairs. Her father had said it was like they were walking on a red carpet at a premiere. Her mother had decorated the house before Jamie was born and had done an amazing job. The only thing that had changed was her bedroom. When she was little it was all done in light pink, she’d liked it, but when she got older she wanted something that showed that she had, indeed, gotten older. Her bedroom was now a dark midnight blue except for a little corner that was by the bathroom. It had her mother’s signature on it with a message that said, “No matter what, you are loved.”
At the top of the stairs she saw Henry. He was standing outside her door. He looked up at her and her breath caught. He didn’t look too happy with her, and if she wasn’t mistaken she saw pain flash in his blue eyes. Jamie wanted to reach out to him and take him in her arms. She wanted to tell him she wanted him, not the loser in her bedroom. But most of all, she wanted to feel her lips tingle from his sweet addictive kisses.
When she walked past Henry, his sandalwood and amber cologne wrapped around her taking her back to the previous night. Jamie took a deep breath, savoring the smell of him. After a moment, she walked into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Ryan was lying on her bed with his arms behind his head. “Get out of my bed,” she said and narrowed her eyes.
His low warm laughter filled her bedroom. He sat up and looked down. “It's so nice to see you again.” He got off of her bed, and walked toward her. When he was in front of her, he reached for a strand of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers. “I have thought about you every single second since you broke up with me,” he whispered.
Jamie placed her hand on his chest above his heart and pushed him away from her. “I know you are my father's lead bodyguard, but I don’t want you to talk to me or bother me.”
He grinned at her and she remembered a time when she would have done anything to see him smile at her as if she was the only girl in the world. “Can you honestly say you don’t ever think about me?” He arched one perfect blonde eyebrow at her.
Jamie rolled her eyes at him and shook her head. She hadn't thought of Ryan in a long time. After she’d found his cheating ass, she was upset and then Emily told her to get over him he was the one screwing around on her. She stopped thinking about what could have been and about him cheating. When she felt sad and missed him, she would think about him with the other girl.
“I don’t think about you. Not anymore. You cheated on me and now I want you to get out of my bedroom.” She turned around to open the door for him. “My dad wants to talk to you and you know how he doesn’t like to wait.” Jamie quickly glanced in the hallway and saw it was empty. Her heart dropped when she didn’t see Henry. She’d hoped he would have stuck around.
“I'm not giving up on us,” Ryan said as he approached her and the opened door.
“You should, because I already have,” Jamie said I Jamie as he walked out of her room. She stared at him as he walked toward the stairs.
* * *
Henry walked into the kitchen and noticed Mrs. Hudson was making a sandwich. She smiled at him. He knew she had been with the Moore family for about twenty years. He was pretty sure she was the one who raised Jamie. Mrs. Hudson was an attractive lady with white hair that she kept in a tight bun, and light green eyes.
She looked up at him again and smiled. “How do you like working for Mr. Moore?” she asked as she put the butter knife down.
Henry nodded. “I like it here, but Mr. Moore scares the crap out of me.” She laughed and started to put the sandwich meat away.
Mrs. Hudson turned to face him and he couldn’t help but to think of his mother. She had the same look about her; maybe it was that they were both maids. “He is a sweetie as long as you follow the rules. That is the only time he can get scary. He has always treated me generously.” Henry wondered if William treated her like the Rich’s treated him and his mother, like family.
He grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes. “I am great at following rules.” His lie came easily, and looked over at Jamie as she walked in. His body automatically reacted to her, and he wanted to be next to her. Jamie’s dark green eyes found him and her smile lit up her face. He couldn’t help his own smile from spreading.
“That isn’t following the rules. That is a great way to get you killed, Henry,” Mrs. Hudson said as she looked between him and Jamie. She turned all of her attention to Jamie. “You know your father won’t think twice about killing Henry if he finds out.”
Jamie looked down at her feet, but he saw her flinch with the older woman’s words. “You don’t think I haven’t thought of that?” She brought her large green eyes up and looked directly at him. “But I will fight for what I want, and I
want him.”
Henry saw Mrs. Hudson shake her head. “I never thought you’d use that against me to date a Blue,” she said with a smile.
Jamie grinned and shrugged. “Can you watch for my dad? I want to talk to Henry for five minutes.”
Mrs. Hudson sighed loudly, but slowly nodded. “I was bringing him a sandwich anyway, so you have ten minutes. Don’t get use to this, because I’m not going to do it again. You can use my room, the sensors can’t detect you.”
Jamie ran to her and hugged her. “That you so much, Cynthia,” she said as she moved away from Mrs. Hudson and looked at Henry. “Follow me,” she said and walked to a closed door.
Henry was still a little mad at her for wanting to talk to her arrogant ex-boyfriend alone in her room. He wanted to beat Ryan’s charming smile off of his perfect face and he wasn’t normally a jealous guy, but something about Ryan pissed him off. It took everything in Henry not to dow hry not what he wanted to do. Jamie opened the door and walked down the dark stairs, and he followed right behind her.
“Down here no one will be able to hear or see us. When Cynthia moved in here she wanted to have somewhere to go without being bothered, and my dad gave it to her,” she said and moved down that last step.
Henry followed her into an opened room. The walls were a bright yellow and a large cream color couch sat in the middle of the room with a black blanket thrown on the back. Thick white carpet covered the floor and he was worried he would get it dirty somehow.
“I like it down here,” he said and smiled. Jamie turned around to look at him.
She nodded. “Me too, I spent more time down here than upstairs.”
He wanted to touch her, but she had a look on her face that said she wanted to talk. He crossed his arms across his chest to keep himself from reaching out for her. He waited patiently for her to say what she wanted to say.
Jamie sighed, and shook her head. “Ryan doesn’t mean anything to me.”
Black and Blue (Black and Blue Series) Page 5
