by Jamie Craig
Jesse nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate that." He looked around the room, confident John would be fine on his own. "You'll forgive me if I cut our visit short. Emma and Gideon are waiting for me."
John waved him off. "Go. Have fun. And please assure Ms. Coolidge she has a standing invitation to come visit whenever she would like. One can never have enough...friends."
Jesse smiled. "Don't leer at my girlfriend, John." He found the books John left--his heart leaping when he saw the titles--and added over his shoulder, "If you have any problems...call somebody else. I'm taking a few days off."
"As well you should." John's voice floated after him as he stepped out onto the porch. "And please do everything I would do!"
Jesse snorted and shut the door behind him. A part of him hoped Emma was still awake, but he also hoped she was getting the sleep she needed. He drove a little faster than was legal, but only as fast as the traffic would allow. The apartment was quiet when he got home, light spilling out of the bedroom. He paused long enough to put the books in a safe place, and check to see if there were any messages waiting for them, before quietly slipping into the bedroom.
He stopped in surprise when he saw the tableau. Gideon was stretched on his side along the foot of the bed, while Emma sat cross-legged near the pillows. Between them was a pile of Hershey's kisses, though each had their own stash closer to their bodies, and both held a handful of playing cards.
Gideon tossed his onto the blanket as soon as Jesse walked in. "It's about time," he complained. "Playing poker with an empath is not my idea of fun."
Emma grinned. "I let you win some."
"And now Jesse's home, so no more excuses to stall getting some sleep."
Jesse sent Gideon an accusing glance. "You let her stay up to play poker?"
"Be grateful I got her on the bed. She wanted to have food and coffee waiting for when you got home."
Jesse shifted his attention to Emma. "I told you to get some rest." His tone didn't match his actions as he crossed the room and brushed his lips across her forehead. "I thought you'd be asleep by now."
She tilted her head, catching his mouth with hers before he had the chance to pull away. "I couldn't sleep without knowing that everybody is all right." Her eyes were dark with worry. "How are John and Ethan?"
"John is looking and feeling well." Jesse hesitated. He didn't want to lie to her, but he did want her to sleep. "Ethan...is in the hospital." Her anxiety immediately spiked, and he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's probably just a concussion. Michelle is there. She'll call me when there's news."
Though it was clear she wanted to pursue the topic, after a quick glance at Gideon, she turned away from Jesse, scooping up the cards as she began to tidy their game. "I took tomorrow off, too. So I can stay as long as you'll let me."
"You can stay as long as you'd like," Jesse said, stealing a candy from Gideon's small pile. "Good thing you weren't playing for anything more than chocolate."
"That's because Gideon is a big chicken," Emma teased. She stifled a yawn, and her eyelids drooped, though she was quick to open them again. "Maybe I should go make that coffee now that Jesse is home."
Gideon caught her wrist when she tried to rise from the bed. "Or maybe you should get undressed and get into bed like you promised you would when he got back."
"I want to talk about what happened."
Jesse settled beside her on the bed, blocking her escape. He wasn't exactly in the mood to talk, but Emma could be stubborn. She'd resist sleep all night, if that's what it took. "What about it?"
With both men closing her in, Emma sighed and began undoing the buttons on her blouse. "I never expected Ethan to really get hurt," she admitted. "And now he's in the hospital. I guess I'm feeling responsible."
"You weren't expecting it because I told you he'd be safe," Jesse said softly. "And you weren't wrong to trust me. You made it through just fine. Hell, better than I expected, since you're still awake and coherent." He squeezed her knee gently. "Please don't feel responsible for this."
"He's going to blame me. He'll probably hate me even more because of it."
Jesse sighed. He couldn't assure her with any degree of confidence that both statements were wrong. He strongly suspected that the only person Ethan would blame was him, and he thought it would be impossible for anybody to hate Emma. "Do you want to go visit him tomorrow?"
Her eyes were luminous when she lifted them to meet his, the faintest sheen making them glisten. "Yes. But I'm afraid it'll just make things worse."
"You're not in any shape to be making that kind of decision tonight," Gideon interceded. He rolled off the bed and pulled his shirt off over his head. "We all need a good night's sleep. This kind of magic is always so fucking draining."
"He's right," Jesse said, kicking his shoes off. He swung his legs over the edge and began to strip. Lead weights hung from his hands and feet. Once his clothes were gone, he stretched on the bed again and wrapped his arms around Emma, pulling her against his chest. She rested her head on his shoulder, her breath fanning across his skin. "And why wouldn't we let you stay?"
Her lashes tickled as she closed her eyes. "I don't know," she murmured. "I guess I'm still trying to figure out how all this is supposed to work out."
The mattress bowed as Gideon laid down next to Jesse. His arm was heavy against Jesse's stomach as he reached across to stroke Emma's hip. "I thought things were already falling into place."
Things were falling in place, but Emma had a point. She probably didn't feel comfortable inviting herself over yet, and the obvious solution would be for the two of them to invite her to move in. He liked that option. It would nicely do away with any of the awkwardness she was feeling. But that didn't necessarily make it the best option.
"How would you like it work out?" Jesse asked.
"Well, for starters, I'd like it if I knew what you guys wanted from me." Her chin poked into his chest when she lifted her head to look at Gideon. "I know how you said it would be all or nothing, and I'm not backing away from that, but what about the time you two spend with each other? And the way Jesse spent the night with me after I went to Ethan's. Are you okay with that?"
A ghost of a smile curved Gideon's mouth. "You worry too much."
"You're not answering my question."
"Jess and I still get time together," Gideon said. "And I know that his feelings for you mean that sometimes he wants you all to himself. Trust me, Em. I'm a selfish bastard. If I'd thought for a second I was going to lose Jess by making you two admit to loving each other, I never would have done it."
"Are you okay with the time Gideon and I spend together?" Jesse asked. "You know the craziness of the past week is the rule, rather than the exception. We might not always have the time we'd like to spend with you."
"But that's because you have your job," she said. "Just like I have mine. And I don't think either of us would ever ask the other to give it up."
"No, nobody wants that. How about this? You're always welcome to come over." He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "You don't even have to ask if we'd let you stick around."
"And same for my place." Emma grinned. "For those times when you're driving each other crazy because Gideon's getting bossy or Jesse's spending all the money."
"And since when is it a bad thing for the boss to be bossy?" Gideon said dryly.
"Since you're not the boss," Jesse returned. "Partners here, remember?"
"Except this partner signs your paycheck."
"That's only because you won't put my name on the account," Jesse muttered.
"Because all you'd buy are books, and we'd be broke inside a month."
"And this is yet another good reason for me to have my own place," Emma interrupted with a smile.
Jesse chuckled. "You'd probably get sick of us within a week, otherwise. And that'd be a shame." He shifted, tightening his hold on Emma and moving closer to Gideon. "Feel like you're ready to sleep now?"
Her fing
ertips caressed his bare chest as she nestled back into his shoulder. "I'm so glad I can get this whenever I want it," she murmured. There was a beat filled only with her deepening breaths, and then, very soft, "Love you."
"Love you," he murmured, caressing her back. He turned his head, his lips brushing against Gideon's. "And you, too."
Though Gideon didn't say it back, the look in his eye said it for him. His hand came up and caught Jesse's jaw before he could turn away, forcing Jesse to deepen the kiss, albeit all too briefly.
"No making out without me when I'm still in the room," Emma muttered without lifting her head. "That's my new rule."
Gideon chuckled and bowed his head to skim a kiss across the top of her head. "Yes, ma'am."
Jesse felt them falling asleep. The remaining tension in Emma's body drained away, and she sagged against him. Gideon draped his leg over Jesse's, his face pressed against Jesse's arm. Gideon always naturally sought out the heat of Jesse's body in his sleep. He was utterly captive between them, and more than happy to be there. He drifted into peaceful dreams.
Jaime Craig
Jamie Craig is the collaborative efforts of Pepper Espinoza and Vivien Dean. Both successful authors on their own, they began working together in early 2006. Pepper lives with her husband and cats in Utah, where she attends graduate school, and Vivien resides in northern California with her husband and two children.
* * * *
Don't miss Seduction In Black And White, by Jaime Craig,
available Winter 2007, at Amber-Allure.com!
History doesn't always die. Sometimes, it lives on. Discovering it can be too seductive to resist.
A chance encounter on their first vacation in years introduces Jesse Madding to Marcus Brooker, a man who claims to have known the woman for whom vampire Gideon Keel abandoned his evil ways to fight for good. Though Jesse would rather get those answers from his lover, Gideon isn't nearly as forthcoming. So Jesse pursues the truth the only way he thinks he can.
Gideon agreed to the New York trip, hoping for three weeks of pure pleasure with his human lovers.
Pleasure is not all they found.
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