CHAPTER THIRTEEN
She was exquisite. She was a dream that threatened to haunt him, and the sheer shock of it was what had Jake slipping out of the room when she finally fell asleep on his shoulder.
His mind reeled at the thought that he was her first—charming, beautiful Gabby’s first—and she wanted it to be him. Then lust had taken over, and he found he couldn’t let her go yet until he had a second time with her, making her scream out her pleasure that she had to bite her tongue to stop the sound. He pushed her to the edge, then dove in with her as they both found their release once more in an earth-shattering climax.
Jake still wanted more, but shame had seeped in and wrapped around him like a cold blanket. He strolled the mansion trying to clear his head, even while his thoughts still returned from time to time to the warm woman sleeping in the bedroom.
He shouldn’t have done it—shouldn’t have been tempted on the job so easily. But they were both feeling vulnerable, and the tension between them had been building up too much to ignore anymore. Now, Jake couldn’t really bring himself to regret the decision, particularly when that moment between them had him realizing that whatever he had for Lucy had been a torch that had long burned out.
And it was time to drop it.
He did so, letting the bitterness leave along with it. It had been a long time coming, and he should not have been so petty about it when it shouldn’t have mattered in the first place. He thought of Gabby again, her blue-green eyes filling his mind and making him think of bottomless oceans he wanted to drown in. Then he shut it off, aware that this time, he was older and wiser—aware that this was just a sexual moment for her and he shouldn’t be reading too much into it.
The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her, and attaching himself to her and lashing out when it was time to let go was one surefire way of doing that.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
The familiar voice had Jake looking up, his body tensing immediately. The tension disappeared when he saw Olivia approaching him, her face the friendliest one he’d seen in days. She was holding a clipboard and eyeing him curiously, and her silver-rimmed glasses slipped down her nose before she pushed them back up almost absentmindedly.
“Hey,” Jake said once she stopped in front of him. “So you live here, too?”
Olivia laughed, shaking her head. “I just got called in. Raz is stressed out because Lucinda’s coming for some sort of questioning, so I’m here to alleviate the worries and take care of the little things like any devoted assistant would.”
He nodded in understanding, absorbing the part about Lucinda’s visit with a frown. It looked like there was no stopping that visit now, and he and Gabby had some things to answer for killing old vampires in their own territory. But some things couldn’t be helped.
“I take it you’re not pleased with all this,” Olivia observed. “Want a tour of the place in the meantime?”
There was nothing better to do, really, other than worrying over matters that he had no control over. So he shrugged and followed her, thinking that her kind of cheerfulness was what he needed to keep his mind off things.
Particularly one person.
“Any chance I can call headquarters and report to my boss, too?”
Olivia shot him a look. “Sorry. A tour is all I can give at the moment. This place is secret, and only Lucinda and Vladimir can know.”
Jake sighed. “Fine. I’ll take the tour, then.”
*****
The vampire’s assistant was a pleasant enough companion, but Jake found his mind still drifting from time to time towards the woman his body was screaming at him to approach. He stifled the instinct and tried to be pleasant back, considering Olivia had been nothing but kind and was the only human in this place. How she stomached it, he really couldn’t tell, but the way she talked about Raz highlighted how much she respected the man’s professionalism and consideration when it came to her kind.
“He’s a stickler for rules,” Olivia explained. “But he means well. That’s just how he is.”
Trying to kidnap Gabby in some elaborate scheme? his mind supplied. But he didn’t voice it out, instead observing the rooms she toured him around. Raz seemed to like ancient furniture.
“How’s your master holding up?” Olivia asked.
“She’s doing fine. Sleeping,” he said, trying to dismiss the subject. He really didn’t want to be thinking of her now.
But Olivia pushed on, stopping at one of the hallways and facing him. “It’s really good she’s been sleeping lately. I heard she hasn’t been sleeping well and wasn’t even able to shift during a fight. Is it true it almost cost her life?”
Jake nodded. “That’s why we need to get back home as soon as we can. I just want her to recuperate.”
The assistant looked at him with understanding, and he wished it was as easy to explain to her boss. But they both had completely different genetic makeup, so he didn’t try to argue his case and decided to just follow her to the back kitchen. This area was apparently used for the staff, and the modern setting made him considerably more comfortable as he sat in front of the kitchen island and watched her make some coffee. He was about to say that he didn’t need it, but then again, why not? He wasn’t even sure what time he was going to get another sleep in, considering they might have to make a run for it at any minute.
The taste hit him in the back of the throat and slid down smoothly, hot and thick. Jake complimented her on the brew, to which she flashed him a smile and said coffee was her knack that even her master started to drink it. They chatted casually, never really delving into personal matters that would jeopardize their work. Jake found himself relaxing in her presence, especially when she sat beside him companionably.
“What would you have been had you not been Miss Gabby’s protector?” Olivia asked.
The question threw him off, but her expression told him she was genuinely curious. “I’d have continued with missions. You?”
“I would be more powerful,” she said. “Not political-wise, because I’m not interested in that. I prefer to be strong in the sense that I could take down anyone in my way.”
“Hmm. Who do you want to take down?”
She flashed him an amused look. “No one in particular. Just those who underestimate my kind and think we’re weak.”
“No one weak can ever work here,” Jake intoned, making Olivia brighten.
“That’s right! I’m so glad you understand.”
They chatted some more until Jake could feel sleepiness seeping in. That puzzled him, considering the coffee he just took, but it was perhaps a testament to just how tired he was. He stifled a yawn and bid Olivia goodnight, then stood up to go back to the bedroom and check on Gabby again. It was pointless to avoid her when he still kept thinking about her.
So he might as well confront it.
A thought crossed his mind, and he turned back to look at Olivia, who was quietly watching him.
“Can we really trust Raz?”
“Are you asking as a bodyguard?” Olivia asked.
Jake shook his head. “I’m asking as a fellow non-vampire.”
The assistant smiled. “If that’s the case, then yes. He can be trusted. He will never experiment with your master.”
The words had Jake freezing. He kept looking at Olivia, whose smile only grew wider.
Gabby had never mentioned experiments to anyone—and she’d certainly never talked about it to anyone.
The puzzle clicked into place, but his vision blurred. Dimly, Jake realized that he was getting dizzy, not just sleepy, and the smile on Olivia’s face had turned smug.
Then darkness was taking over.