“We need to talk with Alia soon,” Jo said.
The businessman walked by us as Jo and I stepped up to the pretty brunette behind the counter. I pulled out my wallet and handed her my credit card.
“Do you have a reservation?” the clerk asked.
“Yes. Under London.”
The clerk smiled, her dark gaze lingering too long on me. Before Jo tensed up too much, the clerk’s fingers tapped on the keyboard.
I squeezed Jo tightly against me then opened up a telepathic connection. You can’t keep getting jealous every time a lady looks at me.
She giggled. Says the possessive vampire.
“Well, Mr. and Mrs. London, we have your suite ready for you. And as you instructed, Mr. London, the garment bags are in the bedroom closet. Your car should arrive within the hour. I’ll ring the room when the driver gets here.” She handed my credit card back to me along with a room key.
I collected the cards. “Thank you, Ms. Bliss.”
We made our way through the bright lobby, past guests who were lounging on couches and deeply immersed in their mobile devices.
Jo was beaming from ear to ear. “Mr. And Mrs., huh? That has a nice ring to it.”
I had also warmed at the sound of Mr. and Mrs. London.
My phone rang as Jo stabbed the up arrow for the elevator.
“Hey, George,” I said into my phone.
“I wanted to check in. I have some news on Edmund. You know that vampire Howell, who got burned up in the lab explosion? He’s been in contact with his uncle.”
I growled. The last thing I needed was any grief from Howell, even though Olivia and I had saved his life. “Well, he can’t be working for Bruno since Bruno is dead. But I sense you’re about to tell me Howell is working for Edmund again.”
The elevator dinged, but I pulled Jo away and found a quiet corner near the restrooms.
“No, he’s not. But he wants to repay you for saving his life. He wants to work for you. He feels he can get back into Edmund’s organization and help in some way.”
That was an interesting thought. Since Howell had worked for Edmund, he might have an easier time getting inside than us. “Let me think on it. Don’t say anything to his uncle until I make my decision.”
“Very well,” George said. “Are you at the hotel yet?”
“Jo and I just arrived. I’ll call you soon.” Then I hung up.
Jo and I found our way up to the suite on the top floor of the Waldorf. Once inside the luxury suite that was bigger than the first floor of my house in Maine, I snagged Jo to me.
“You and I will have a night to remember.” Before she could speak, I shoved my tongue in her mouth, something I’d been dying to do all day. I also didn’t want her to protest, ask too many questions, or read my mind—the latter being difficult. I couldn’t spoil the surprise. So as much as the visions of her and me naked tortured the fuck out of me, I had to distract her. It was the only way to keep her from getting in my head.
She mewled softly, and instantly my groin reacted. Images of me kissing my way down her naked body filled my head. All of a sudden, my hands were everywhere on her body, ripping her clothes off before carrying her into the bedroom.
With our lips fused together, she giggled on the way. When she was completely naked, lying on the bed with her stark black hair fanned out and wild, her cheeks rosy, and her nipples standing at attention, I almost fell to my knees. Instead, I climbed on top of her, careful not to touch her until I lowered my head and locked my eyes with hers. She batted those long lashes I so loved, then I captured a nipple into my mouth. She arched into me, noises falling from her beautiful lips. I abandoned one nipple to play with the other, sucking, tasting, teasing as I dropped into a deep lustful world where no sounds existed and no light shone in. The darkness around us was magical as I continued my assault on her satin-smooth skin. I kissed my way down her abs as I shaped her curves with one hand. She spewed soft groans, her body writhing, her hands pulling on my hair.
When I reached the apex of her legs, I lifted my head. Words couldn’t describe how beautiful she was. Her silver eyes glowed to a deep violet as her fangs dropped. Before I could make my next move, I was on my back and she was on top of me.
I grinned, showing my own fangs. The beauty of our vampire heritage was our strength, and I got harder just thinking about how she could give me a run for my money.
My phone rang, but the trilling and annoying sound didn’t stop Jo from tearing off my shirt. Her nails scored my bare chest, and I watched in quiet fascination how she took in every inch of me as though she was trying to memorize each muscle, dip, and valley on my upper torso.
The ringing stopped then restarted.
I grasped her hips. “Angel, I need to answer my phone. Someone needs me.”
She flopped on the bed, huffing. “I need you.”
I got up with an erection harder than a diamond. But I was getting used to the pain in my groin. I had willpower, but when it came to Jo, my restraint was waning at a rapid rate.
The ringing stopped again as I pulled my phone out of my cargo pants. “Why don’t you get dressed? Your garment bag is in the closet.” I stalked out into the living room and over to the window. Lights twinkled from the building across the street.
Before I had a chance to check who had called, the phone lit up once again. “What is it, Tripp?”
“Lieutenant.” Tripp’s voice sounded concerned, which was unusual for him or any SEAL. “The human that came in with Matthew Costner didn’t make it.”
“I know you didn’t make an urgent phone call to tell me that.”
“The human is the Secretary of the Navy’s son.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Are you certain?”
“Yep, DNA confirms that the human is Cory Andrews, age twenty-eight, born to Owen and Yvonne Andrews.”
I grabbed the back of my neck. “How come we haven’t heard of Cory’s disappearance? I would’ve thought that if he was missing, it would’ve been all over the news.”
“Not unless the government is keeping his disappearance under wraps,” Tripp said. “I wanted you to know in case you’re still with the commander.”
“I’m not. Find out more about Cory. Where was the last place he was seen? Who was he with? But do it discreetly. What I mean is don’t engage anyone in the control room. We still don’t know who the mole is. By the way, who else knows about this?”
Jo’s lavender scent filled the room before I caught a reflection of her in the window. I slowly turned as Tripp said something in my ear. But all I could focus on was the way the silver dress clung to Jo’s body, accentuating her supple breasts and sleek curves.
“Lieutenant, are you there?” Tripp kept asking.
I shook off the effects that Jo was having on my brain. “Sorry. Please repeat.”
Jo’s long bare legs carried her over to me. “What’s going on?”
I held up my finger.
“The only ones that know about this are Dr. Vieira, Dr. Case, Olivia, and me,” Tripp said. “When are you returning to base?”
“Jo and I will be there in the morning,” I said then hung up.
She smoothed her hand down the silky knee-length dress before she twirled around, showing me how the fabric dipped in a V down to her lower back.
I held in a growl.
“What do you think? Did you pick this out for me?”
I couldn’t take the credit. “George did.” I wasn’t a shopper in the least. “I did have a say in the color, though.” I always imagined her dressed in the color silver to bring out her eyes, even when they were violet or black.
“Well, I love it. And the silky fabric feels wonderful against my body.”
I traced a finger over the swell of her breasts. “I will feel better against your body.”
She eased back. “Tease. Get dressed, or else I will force you to make love to me against your wishes, gentleman London.”
I didn’t doubt that sh
e could make me do whatever she wanted. “If you can break my willpower,” I said playfully as I blew past her and into the bedroom.
She followed me in. “I’m very close to breaking you.” Her tone was so serious.
I chuckled. Thankfully, the driver was due to be there shortly. I couldn’t miss the small window I had to take her to the place I’d been planning for the last week.
“What did Tripp want?” she asked.
I changed into the suit that George had gotten for me. “The human we brought in with Matthew died. And that human was none other than the Secretary of the Navy’s son.”
“Really?” She slipped her feet into the gray pumps that George had also bought for her. “Then doesn’t that say that Edmund had something to do with both of their deaths?”
“For the son, yes. For the father, no. But Mr. Rose can argue otherwise. Right now, we can’t do much.”
The phone beside the bed rang. I finished buttoning my shirt then answered. “Hello.”
“Mr. London, your driver is here in the lobby,” the clerk said.
“We’ll be down in five minutes.” I hung up.
Jo grabbed a black fabric wrap and covered her bare shoulders. After one last quick kiss on her lips, we headed out.
The driver wound through the busy streets of Boston until he double-parked in front of a building that had no signs and no lights.
“We’ve dressed up to come to an abandoned building for dinner?” Jo asked.
I kept my expression as blank as I could while my insides were doing some kind of salsa dancing. I didn’t doubt that George had set up something spectacular based on the list I’d given him. Regardless, I began to sweat.
The driver got out then circled around to the passenger side and opened the back door. I slipped out first before nodding at the human man, who seemed nervous as he scanned the streets.
“Don’t worry,” I said to him. “The neighborhood is safe.” From what George had told me, the abandoned-looking brick buildings were home to a community of vampires who didn’t like living among the dense neighborhoods in Boston that were filled with humans. “Once we’re inside, find a coffee shop nearby. I’ll call you when we’re ready to leave.”
Jo scooted to the edge of the seat before she took my clammy hand. I kept reciting daggers, swords, and guns as she wrapped her arm around mine.
“You’re trying to keep me out of your mind,” she said with a huge smile.
We walked up to the dull-green door and rang the bell. As we waited, my heart beat like a rocket on liftoff.
A short, skinny vampire answered. “Mr. London?” He waved us in. “I’m Deacon. I’ll be your host this evening.”
Jo stayed tethered to me, and I continued to think of weapons as we followed Deacon down a long, narrow, darkened hall until we reached the arched doorway at the very end.
“Here you go, Mr. London.” Deacon handed me a blindfold. “I’ll meet you inside.” He disappeared.
With our vampire vision, it wasn’t hard to see that Deacon had handed me a red piece of cloth. I prayed Jo couldn’t see into the darkened room beyond the archway.
“What’s that for?” Jo’s tone was shaky as she let go of me.
“Do you trust me?” I asked.
“Of course.” Her eyes flashed vampire. “But you’re kind of scaring me.”
“I promise what’s about to happen will be something you’ll remember for the rest of your life.” And mine. I couldn’t wait to see her expression when I took off the blindfold. “Close your eyes.”
She obeyed, her chest rising and falling, her pulse beating rapidly in my ears.
I tied the soft fabric around her eyes, careful not to touch her too long in the event she did dip into my mind while I was thinking of what waited beyond the doorway. After the blindfold was secure, I turned her so that she was facing the open archway. “I want you to walk straight ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”
Her breathing became heavy as she tentatively took the first step.
“It’s okay. The floor is level, and there isn’t anything in your way.”
She laughed, albeit nervously. “I never took you for a kinky vampire.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. But I wasn’t about to think of sex. That would come after the wedding. Tonight was about starting our lives together. I wanted to give Jo the world and everything she ever wanted. She deserved happiness even if it was just for the moment, and I wanted to bask in her excitement when I took off that blindfold.
She walked slowly, and the lights overhead came on, a soft glow spraying down from the high ceilings above. Deacon had donned a white pair of gloves and was standing off to my left with his hands cupped in front of him. I smiled his way, nodding.
He couldn’t help but return the gesture. Anyone about to witness what was about to happen had to smile because the moment that Jo realized what surrounded her would be epic.
“Jo,” I said softly. “Stop.” I inched up so I was standing in front of her. “I’m going to take off the blindfold now. But before I do, I want you to know a couple of things.” My pulse sprinted in time with hers. “I am deeply and hopelessly in love with you. You make my world brighter, and I want to spend forever with you.”
“Why do you sound like there’s a but coming?” Her tone was taut.
I slowly untied the blindfold. “What I’m trying to say is tonight is the beginning of our lives together.” I dropped the red piece of fabric.
She blinked several times before she glanced around the room. Her eyes shuddered from silver to violet then back several times as her mouth hung open.
I held my breath, waiting for her to say something. She twirled, mesmerized by the six glass cases that were set up in a U-shape around us. She flicked her gaze to me, tears idling on the rim of her lashes.
“The choice is yours, angel,” I said at her ear. Then I kissed her lightly on the neck. “Go. Have fun.”
Her heels clicked on the wood floor as she ambled up to the glass case opposite the arched doorway. Deacon jumped into action and positioned himself behind the counter full of diamonds of all shapes and sizes. Each glass case housed gold, silver, and twinkling stones.
“Does one catch your eye?” Deacon asked, his high forehead shining.
Jo turned toward me, waving her hand around. “Webb, this is too much. I don’t need diamonds.”
I sauntered up to her. “Maybe not, but I’m a traditional guy, and I want you to wear an engagement ring. I proposed but not properly.”
She placed a trembling hand on my chest. “But I have you, and that’s all I need.”
I wrapped my fingers around her small wrist then brought her hand up to my lips and kissed her palm. “Please pick out one for me. I want to see a diamond on your finger.”
Her lashes swept down, and a tear fell. “I don’t want anything big or fancy, just simple.”
“I have the perfect ring,” Deacon said excitedly as he hurried over to a case that sat close to the entrance. He returned with a felt-lined tray that held a ring in the center. The square diamond was about a carat in weight with small amethyst stones set in the platinum band on each side of the diamond.
Jo’s eyes popped out of her head as she stared at the ring.
“Ms. Mason,” Deacon said. “You have your choice of any one of the two hundred rings we have in this room. So please look around. I just thought this one-point-five-carat diamond would be simple yet elegant on your finger. Plus, the amethyst stones will look exquisite on you with your eye color.”
Her violet eyes were on display at the moment, and I had to agree that the design and setting were both simple yet beautiful, just like my fiancée.
I picked up the ring. “Let’s try it on for size.” I got down on one knee.
Tears flowed down Jo’s cheeks as her hands trembled.
With the ring in between my shaky fingers, I glanced up at her. “Jo Mason, will you do me the honor of being by my side for eternity?”
She held out her left hand. “Eternity and beyond.”
“That’s a yes?” It wasn’t that I doubted her answer, I just had to hear the simple word.
“Yes!” she shouted.
I slipped the ring on her finger before she tackled me to the warehouse floor, peppering kisses all over my face.
Deacon chuckled. “I guess she likes the ring?”
I managed to get us on our feet.
She stared at the diamond. “I absolutely love it.” Then she set her gaze on Deacon. “You must know a woman’s taste as soon as she walks through the door.”
“I have been doing this for over a hundred years,” he said. “But I’ll leave you two alone for a few minutes while I get the paperwork.” Deacon’s heavy footsteps faded as he walked away.
I wasted no time in sealing our official engagement with a long, slow, body-humming kiss.
4
Jo
I practically glided down the hall alongside Webb on our way to see Dr. Vieira. As much as our lives were in turmoil, I felt nothing could stop me from smiling today, or at least I wasn’t about to let anything stop me from basking in my state of bliss. From Boston back to the base, I stared at the shiny stone on my finger. Last night with Webb had been amazing. After he’d officially proposed, we had a small quiet dinner at a quaint Italian restaurant in Boston. We chatted about the wedding mostly. After he’d given me the ring, I didn’t want to ask or discuss anything that had to do with Edmund, my dad, vampires, or enemies.
Fast-forward fifteen hours, and I still didn’t want to talk about our problems. On the drive back to the base, Webb had spoken to Tripp, but I ignored the conversation. I wanted to replay last night when he’d surprised me with a room full of expensive rings and when he’d said he wanted to get married on the beach outside his home in Maine. I didn’t care where we tied the knot as long as our lives were free of Edmund.
Before we went into the lab, Webb kissed my temple. “Why don’t you find your brother while I talk with Dr. Vieira?”
On the Edge of Infinity (A Vampire SEAL Novel Book 5) Page 3