Sins of the Father

Chapter 2





My alarm went off at noon and I groaned, fumbled around, and finally managed to cut it off. Styvi Nix was sitting at the end of the bed, patiently waiting for me to wake up. “Well good morning, sunshine!” I cooed at her. “Are you hungry?” She wagged her tail furiously, barked once and turned around in a circle. I laughed and threw back the covers. “Okay, okay I’m up! Let’s go.”

I followed her down the stairs, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I went into the kitchen. I put out some fresh water and a cup of dry kibble and watched her happily attack it for a minute and before turning and putting a kettle of water on the stove to heat up.

I took out a coffee mug, added a bag of English Breakfast tea to it, and set it on the kitchen table. I felt like having cereal for breakfast and poured myself a small bowl of Raisin Nut brand. When the kettle whistled, I filled my cup and let the bag steep as I leisurely ate.

When I was done I went upstairs, threw on some running shorts and put my hair up in a ponytail, grabbed my iPod and my armband, and got ready to take Styvi for a walk. I whistled and she bolted through the doggy door and ran up to me. I helped her into her harness, attached the leash, grabbed my house keys, and stepped out, making sure to relock the door behind me. I quickly glanced around to be sure Jesse wasn’t sitting outside my house and took off jogging down the street.

Styvi Nix loved going for runs with me, but she couldn’t keep up for very long. I normally ran half a mile then walked half a mile and examined the pace so I would not tire her out too quickly. She loved yipping hi to Mrs. Tatum’s shitzu Dolly whenever we passed by and today was no exception. I watched as they happily barked back and forth as we turned the corner at the entrance of my neighborhood. I was jamming along to Guns n Roses, not paying attention to where I was stepping, when I crashed right into someone.

“Oh my goodness!” I said as I reached out and gripped the stranger’s arm. Styvi Nix had wound her leash around both of our legs and I quickly bent down, struggling to free us. “I’m so sorry, sir. I…I wasn’t paying attention.” I stumbled as I took the ear buds out of my ear and hung the cord around my neck.

The man laughed a deep, masculine purr. “It’s okay. It was my fault. I wasn’t watching either.”

His voice sounded really familiar and I glanced up from my work on the leash to look at the stranger’s face. It was Gavin, the guy that I met at the gym and the one who had saved me when Jesse tried to drag me out of Drop Kick Dan’s by my hair last week. He was wearing athletic shorts, a black tank top, and he had an mp3 player strapped to his bicep like me. It was obvious he was out for a run too.

“Gavin?” I asked confused. “What are you doing here?”

He turned around a few times, untangling his legs from the leash. “Me? I live here. What are you doing here?” he asked with a laugh, shaking his head.

“You live in East Wind Estates, too?” I asked cautiously. I sure was running into him a lot and I wanted to make sure he wasn’t following me. A single girl can never be too careful these days.

Gavin rubbed the back of his forearm across his brow and then put his hands on his hips, taking deep, even breaths. You could tell he had been running fast. “Yeah, I just moved in. I live over on Navajo Trail, toward the back of the neighborhood.”

“No kidding,” I said, my brow furrowed slightly. I lived just one street over on Comanche Cove. I had absolutely nothing against Gavin, I liked him; I guess I was just being extra cautious because of Jesse’s recent antics. Ease up, girl. It’s just a coincidence. He’s a good guy and you know it. “How do you like the neighborhood so far?”

Gavin smiled a genuine, heart stopping smile and began running in place. “I love it. I love it even more now that I know you live here.”

I couldn’t help the blush I felt spreading hot across my cheeks. Gavin was very handsome. He was my height, had tattoo covered skin, rippling muscles, gorgeous green eyes, and a buzz cut. He was definitely my cup of tea. I swallowed hard and looked down at Styvi Nix in an attempt to hide the blush.

“Well, don’t just stand there, babe,” Gavin said as he gently pulled my elbow. “Come on. Let’s get our run on.”

I smiled up at him as Styvi pulled on her leash, eager to start running again. “Alright,” I said and fell into a comfortable rhythm beside him.

We alternated running and walking around the neighborhood for the next two hours. At one point, Styvi Nix got too tired and Gavin picked her up and carried her in his arms the rest of the way. She was all too happy for the ride and snuggled contently down into his arms. My heart melted at Gavin’s thoughtfulness. Seeing a guy being so sweet to my Styvi gave me butterflies. Every girl likes a gentleman.

We comfortably conversed during the rest of the walk to his house on Navajo Trail. He offered to walk me the rest of the way home but I declined.

“It’s alright, Gavin,” I said with my thanks. “I’ve got to get ready for work anyway.” He gently handed me a sleeping Styvi Nix, took a card out of his wallet and gave me his number.

“Call me anytime, running buddy,” he said with a smile and walked to his door. I watched him unlock it and step inside. Hm. So he really DOES live there. I immediately chastised myself. Of course he does, Skye. Not everyone is a lying psycho. I shook my head, cuddled Styvi and walked the block home.

I quickly showered, put on my makeup, and did my hair. I didn’t have time to blow dry it so I put a ton of mousse in it, tossed it around a few times, and fixed it with my fingers. I was going for that sexily messy, bed-head look and hit the nail on the head. Tonight I was going to be working the main bar, so I wanted to wear something sexy but comfortable. I chose a black buckle PVC bustier, a matching PVC miniskirt, fishnet stockings and my black buckled, knee high gothic boots. I couldn’t stand the thought of being in high heels for ten hours again today. I added a black slave bracelet and choker combo and then looked into the full length mirror on the inside of my closet door. The outfit looked really awesome but I was momentarily concerned with the amount of cleavage that was hanging out of the top of my bustier. I stuffed, readjusted, jiggled, and nudged, but the cups were as full as I could get them. Oh well, I thought. As long as they don’t pop out, I’ll be okay. I should make us some awesome tips at least. I smiled at the thought, grabbed my bag, phone, and jacket and made my way downstairs.

Styvi Nix was tossing around her tug rope, so I spent the next few minutes playing with her before I finally had to leave for work. I kissed her goodbye, told her to be a good girl, and walked out the front door. I got into my ’88 Pontiac Fiero GT and jammed out to the Black Keys on the drive over to The Mausoleum. It was a damn shame I had to throw away the sold-out concert ticket because I would have loved to see them in concert, but there was no way in hell I was going to go with Jesse.

My purse started ringing, effectively interrupting my thoughts, and I reached over to the passenger seat and retrieved my cell phone from the inner pocket of my messenger bag. I quickly glanced at the caller ID, but didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello?” I asked uncertainly into the phone as I turned down the radio.

“Hey, baby girl! Long time, no talk. Did you like the gifts I left you?”

My whole body tensed as soon as I recognized the voice on the other end of the line. Jesse Prescott, ex-boyfriend/abusive stalker/total delusional a*shole, had just called me.

“Well, aren’t you going to say something?” Jesse asked with an amused chuckle.

I swallowed hard and took a deep breath to steady my nerves. “What the hell, Jesse? Why are you even calling me?”

“Now, now, baby. There’s no need to be rude,” he said with a tsk. “I just wanted to see how my favorite girl was, that’s all. Did you like the lingerie I picked out for us? When I saw it, I knew you’d like it. God I can’t wait to see you in it.”

“Why would you even think that it was okay to buy me something like that, Jesse?” I asked, my voice quivering with the anger I felt. “And, why in the hell do you think I’d ever wear it for you? We broke up almost three months ago! We are NOT getting back together!”

“Don’t say that,” he whined petulantly. “We love each other. We’ll get back together, Skye baby. You just need a little time to get used to the idea.”

My jaw hit the floor. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Are you delusional?” I scoffed. “I don’t love you, Jesse. You CHEATED on me. And worst of all, you put your hands on me in the middle of Drop Kick Dan’s last week. That is absolutely unforgiveable. How could you even do that to me? You really hurt me.”

“Man, you have a hard time letting go of things, don’t you Skye?” Jesse asked, anger tinting his voice.

“I’m not the one who has a hard time letting things go, Jesse!” I seethed, my voice rising. “Who’s stalking who here?”

Jesse chuckled softly. “Yeah, like I have time to stalk you. You always were silly.”

Lord, help me, I thought as I sighed. “No, I’m exasperated, not silly. And you sure as hell ARE stalking me. What do you call all of the phone calls, text messages, emails, and visits to my house and job? It seriously frustrates me whenever I pick up my phone and see messages from you or when I have to hear from my boss that you were in the bar AGAIN looking for me. You are unwelcome in my life, you KNOW this, and yet you still try to assert yourself into it. This behavior is not normal Jesse. You do realize that, don’t you? ” I asked, but then quickly added, “And please, spare me the pseudo witty ‘but-I’m-really-a-good-guy’ retort. I honestly don’t want to hear it. I’m so beyond tired of dealing with this shit. I’m not trying to be mean to you, Jesse, I’m just being honest. I can’t do this with you anymore. This is completely beyond ridiculous.”

Jesse was quiet for a long moment. Finally, a small sigh broke the silence. “All I wanted was to see how you liked the teddy…and to congratulate you on your new job. You really have no place to judge me on whether you think I’m normal or not, Skye. I’ll go now…for the sake of keeping my own energy positive, but this isn’t over.”

My jaw dropped again in shock. “How did you know I got a new job? Huh? Don’t you dare hang up on me, Jesse!” I spat quickly, but it was too late. Jesse had already hung up.

“Dammit!” I yelled in frustration, throwing my phone back down into my passenger seat. I took a couple of deep breaths and tried to calm my racing heartbeat. I shouldn’t have even talked to him; I should have just hung up the phone when I realized it was him. But, I thought that maybe I could reason with him. There is obviously no reasoning with him; not after that conversation. I realized that it didn’t matter what I said. He was going to hear what he wanted to hear. I should tell Archer and Jameson what’s going on, I thought and then shook my head. No, I can’t tell them. They’ll just freak out and they don’t need that. They have enough on their plates to deal with without my added drama. I sighed and tried hard to put the conversation out of my mind as I drove the rest of the way to work.

When I pulled down the back alley and into The Mausoleum’s employee parking lot, I was surprised to see only three cars and a big, white 16-person passenger van occupying the spaces. It was just now 5 o’clock, so I was a little early. I parked in the parking space closest to the alley, locked my car, and headed in the back door.

A cool blast of air-conditioned air greeted me as I opened the door and walked to the employee lounge. No one was around, so I quickly deposited my messenger bag in my locker and went off in search of the crew.

When I turned the corner, I was surprised to see Aoife standing behind the first floor bar. She was normally stationed at the second floor bar, so you can understand my confusion. I glanced up at the second floor; there was no one else in sight. I groaned inwardly, squared my shoulders, and walked up to Aoife.

“Good evening, Aoife,” I said with a smile, sitting down on one of the swivel barstools. She and I may not care for each other, but there was no cause to be rude. “How are you today?”

She slowly peeled her eyes away from the garnishes that she was preparing and glared at me. “What’s it to you?” she growled lowly.

I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest. “What’s your deal, Aoife?” I asked, irritated at her constant negative attitude toward me. “I’ve never done anything to you. Why do you hate me so much?”

She scoffed and slammed the sharp paring knife down on the cutting board. “What’s my deal, human?” she screeched with hatred. “You are my ‘deal’.” She put her hands down on the counter and splayed her fingers apart as she leaned in closer to me. “I don’t like you Skye. I see right through you and your pathetic little game. Archer is too dumb to see it, but I’m not. The way you have him wrapped around your finger is disgusting,” she spat. She lifted one long, manicured fingernail and jammed it in my direction. “You had better wise up, child, and stay the hell away from me and my man. I was around long before you and I’ll be around long after you’re dead.”

I stood up and put my hands on my hips. “What the hell are you even talking about?” I asked her angrily. “I’m not playing any games here, Aoife. And I’m not after your man.”

“I smelled you in his bed!” she yelled, her eyes immediately draining of their gorgeous crystal blue color.

I took a step back and shook my head. “You’ve got the wrong idea Aoife,” I said lowering my voice and calming my tone. She was obviously pissed and I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of her anger any longer. Vampires are positively terrifying when they’re angry. “I spent the night because Archer and Jameson made me. I was too drunk to drive home one night last week. Nothing happened.” Something did happen that night, but I wasn’t about to be the one to tell her that. Archer and I made out on the dance floor that night. It was the same night that I had found out they were vampires…and it was the same night I hurt Jameson.

“Lie!” she screeched louder. “You can’t lie to me, human. I can tell when you are being truthful and when you are being a filthy little liar!”

I backed up even further and put my hands up in surrender. Oh hell. I’m really in deep shit now. Where the hell is everyone, I thought in a panic and looked around quickly, not wanting to take my eyes off of Aoife for more than a couple of seconds at a time. I didn’t know how she knew I was lying, but she did. “Okay, I’m sorry I lied. Honestly. It was just a kiss earlier that night. It didn’t mean anything to me, I swear.”

Her eyes, aside from her tiny black pupils, had turned completely white. She jumped up to stand on top of the bar in one quick flash and stared down at me, her fingers arched like claws. “Lie!” she snarled as she hopped down over the barstools and took another step toward me.

My eyes were so wide I thought they’d pop out of my skull. I took a few more steps back and continued to hold my hands out in front of me. “Okay, Aoife, okay. It meant something to me at the time, but it doesn’t mean anything now,” I quickly explained. My chest heaved and I worried I was going to hyperventilate. I was good and panicked right at that moment. “I saw you kissing Archer the other day. I now know you’re together. I didn’t before. I swear to you Aoife, I won’t touch him again.”

She growled lowly and studied me for a few moments, her head cocked to the side. “Truth,” she finally said. I blew out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and clutched my chest with both hands. This bitch was going to give me a heart attack if she didn’t back up soon. She stared at me with her eerily colorless eyes a moment longer then smiled. “I’m glad we understand each other,” she said as she turned around and flashed to stand behind the bar. She picked up the silver paring knife and resumed slicing fruit while she softly hummed.

I stood there for a minute, unsure of whether it was safe to move or not. Aoife eventually took out two glasses and poured a shot of cold Jagermeister into each. “Sit,” she commanded as she poured.

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.

I looked passionately into his eyes as I slowly ran my soft, wet tongue over his rock hard, ripped chest. I took my time tasting every ripple, every inch. He threw his head back, shivered, and growled gutturally before looking back down at me and bringing his head to the mounds of my chest. I leaned my head back and let him have his turn on me. He licked and gently bit each mound before undoing the top two buckles of my bustier and freeing my needy, aching breasts.

Jameson lifted his head a moment and looked deeply into my eyes. “Tá mo chroí istigh ionat, Skye. A-chaoidh.” he whispered. Raw honestly and passion painted his beautiful words. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t understand them, I understood their intensity immediately. They caressed my heart like a lover’s hand and wrapped it in warm joy and promise. I reached up and gently grasped his face between each of my hands and pulled him down for a soft, slow, deep kiss.

I poured my sorrow and bliss, my life’s breath and my tears, my very being into that kiss. I kissed Jameson with every word I wanted to say and didn’t; with every word I wanted to say and couldn’t. I kissed him so completely that it brought tears to my eyes. I wanted to make love to him right this very moment. I wanted to show him how much he meant to me. I wanted to lose myself in this beautiful, perfect, caring man’s arms and never come back.

He briefly pulled away, gently laid me back down on the ground, and looked me deep in the eyes. His eyes full of the passion and heat we were both feeling. “I’ve wanted you for so long, Skye Morrison.”

I nodded my head in complete understanding. I had wanted him, too. “Make love to me, Jameson,” I whispered as I reached down between us and undid the button on his tight black pants. He rumbled with need and simultaneously worked my black PVC skirt up my thighs. I unzipped his pants and unabashedly plunged my hand inside while he captured my left nipple in his mouth, rolled it around on his tongue, and reached between my legs to lightly caress my warm, aching mound. I moaned with need and worked to free his hard, bulging, impressively large member as he slid his hand to my waist and started pulling my tights down my thighs. He reached between my legs, quickly pulled my thong to the side, and got ready to enter me. I took a deep, quivering breath, lifted my hips to meet his, and trembled in anxious, desperate anticipation.

Just then the stockroom door opened and Lochlan strolled in. Jameson immediately flattened his body over mine and growled loudly in warning as I let out a small, surprised scream and buried my face in his neck.

“Dhuine! Gabh mo leisgue!” Lochlan said in surprise and laughed, briefly covering his eyes. “Ifreann na Fola! Math thu-fhèin, Jameson. Math thu-fhèin. But, ya’ know our Archer’s going to kill ya’, right?”

Jameson growled savagely as I watched the color drain from his eyes. “Eist, Lochlan.” he said in a low, threatening voice. “If you mention this to Archer tonight, so help me God, I’ll kill you.” I looked up into his eyes and saw fierce determination in them.

I wrapped my one arm around Jameson’s neck and gently ran my ringers through his soft hair with the other, trying to calm him. “I think you need to leave, Lochlan.” I said, never taking my eyes off Jameson.

“Thoir do chasan leat!” Jameson yelled when Lochlan made no move to leave. “Bog!”

Lochlan shook his head and laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay, Jameson, damn. I was just tryin’ to see what all the fuss was about.” Jameson growled deeply again in warning and Lochlan took a step back. “Well, siuthadaibh, ya’ two. But don’t forget, Jameson. Archer and An Dílis are still waitin’ for their bottle o’ Connemara.” With that he turned around and closed the door.

Jameson sighed heavily and rested his forehead on my left shoulder. “Damnú air,” he swore against my skin. “I forgot.”

I took a deep breath and blew it out, steadying myself. “I didn’t know Archer was here today. I thought he said he was going to be busy with those guys tonight. He said you and I were running the club.”

Jameson lifted his head and looked into my eyes. The color was slowly returning to them as he spoke. “He is busy, but he is here…at least he will be for a little while longer. And you and I are running the club.” He leaned down and softly kissed my swollen mouth. I parted his lips with my tongue and kissed him for all I was worth. I knew we couldn’t stay in this stockroom any longer, but I wanted to give him something to remember me by. He growled hungrily and kissed me deeply.

“I don’t want to leave,” he said with a groan, pulling away and placing a small, lingering kiss on my forehead. “But, I have to.”

I nodded my head as he lifted himself off of me and gripped my hand tightly to pull me up after him. He quickly grabbed his shirt and righted himself using vampire speed. He turned to the wall of stored liquor bottles as I did the same, only not as quickly. He selected the bottle of Irish whiskey and turned back to me, setting it down on a box and helped me buckle the front of my bustier back up.

“Can I see you after work?” he asked sweetly.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and looked up into his beautiful green eyes. “Absolutely,” I said with a brush of my lips to his. “I can’t wait.”

We kissed each other one last time before we walked out of the stockroom.