by Anna Santos
“Oh, don’t look so mad,” he whispered, drawing a smile on his face and making Jade narrow her eyes at him. “If you wish, you can tell me all about your past in front of the cameras. There aren’t any cameras here right now, so you don’t need to appeal to the rest of the nation’s heartstrings. All you need to do is act nice and adorable until the end of the week, and you will be home in no time.”
“I would rather go home right now. I have no urge to share my story with the world,” Jade declared, crossing her arms over her chest.
The vampire stared at her cleavage.
“Hey, freak, stop staring at my breasts!”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I’ve seen better. I was thinking that we’ll need to get you a new wardrobe since you don’t seem to have anything good enough.”
His arrogance hit a nerve, and she snapped, “I wasn’t planning on being kidnapped by a vampire!”
He didn’t flinch at her accusation. “Not kidnapped, chosen.”
“It looks like kidnapping to me! I didn’t want to come, and you forced me.”
“The contract you signed forced you.”
“Tomato, tomahto!”
The vampire let out a sizzling laughter that Jade found puzzling. When he stopped, he leaned closer to her face. “You look hot when you stare at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Flustered.”
“Jerk!”
He edged closer with an amused expression. “Would it all be better if I kissed you?”
“Of course not!”
“Are you sure? You look like you are in need of a kiss, maybe more than one. What do you say? Let’s just get this sexual tension between us over with and get along.”
“If you even try, I’ll smack you.”
He smirked again; his eyes flickered with darkness. Jade gulped and moved back in an attempt to escape his unsettling gaze. “You are really fun to tease, Jade.”
“I’m not finding this situation funny. I want to go home. I have someone who needs me to be there.”
His expression suddenly became annoyed. “You said you were single in your contract application.”
“You didn’t even look at it,” she muttered.
“Maybe I did, even before picking you.”
Jade tensed. “What are you saying?”
“Maybe I wanted to pick you all along.”
“Maybe you’re mad.”
“I could be, but now you have to spend an entire week with me in my house, and you will eventually like me—possibly even more than like me.”
“You aren’t just mad, you’re deranged!”
The vampire drew back and fixed his hair. Then, with a cocky grin, he said, “You liked me when you first saw me.”
“What?”
“I could see it in your eyes.”
“You were a total jerk!”
With a shrug, he said, “Yes, well, normally I am.”
Jade stared deep into his eyes, confused by his words. Okay, that was odd. Is he admitting to being a jerk?
“Has the cat got your tongue?” After a moment, he added, “Do you like what you see?”
Jade sighed and rolled her eyes. “Are you always this annoying?”
He shrugged after a pondering moment. “Well, yes, I guess. I don’t really think that I need to please people. A bit like yourself.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You are not nice.”
“I’m extremely nice!” She was offended by his statement. “You know nothing about me.”
“Well, you know nothing about me either, and you’re assuming that I’m evil and arrogant. Besides, you aren’t being nice to me.” Jade growled, but he continued, “You should be nicer to me. After all, I’m a vampire, you are just a human and…you’re going to be spending a lot of time alone with me.”
“Is that a threat?”
“No, of course not. I don’t hurt women or humans in general.”
Jade arched an eyebrow. “Why should I believe you? You just said that… Never mind. I don’t have to talk to you either.”
“Why don’t you like me?”
She shifted uncomfortably on the seat. Jade didn’t expect his question. She sighed. “You are a vampire. I don’t like vampires.”
“You don’t need to like vampires. You just need to like me,” he whispered, scooping her face between his hands. He made her look into his eyes as his breath caressed her skin. “Because you see, Jade, you are mine now and there is no way to escape me for the next week.”
She drew back in panic, afraid of his words.
His voice came out husky, contradicting what Jade assumed to be a threat. “We are just skipping some steps, love. And, in my defense, I’ve tried to talk to you in the nightclub.”
Jade felt flustered once again because he was too close to her. “I wasn’t there to…”
“To what? Mingle with vampires?” He dared to finish her sentence.
“To mingle with people in general,” she corrected him.
He arched a brow. “Why not?”
Jade folded her arms and bit her lower lip with no intention of sharing her inner thoughts or secrets with him. It was a rather personal answer to that question. “It’s complicated.”
“You’re too young to see life as complicated,” he said.
She gazed at him, understanding that his words meant that he was a lot older than he appeared to be. “Not everybody lives an easy life.”
The vampire sneered. “Do you think my life is easy? You have no idea, sweetheart.”
He reclined in his seat.
“I’m not your sweetheart,” Jade mumbled as the vampire began to close his eyes.
His eyes flung wide open at her comment and his lips twisted into a curl.
“You can keep the pet names for someone who gives a damn,” she added.
“Then what should I call you?” he asked.
“I have a name. Why not use it?”
“Yes, you have a name. It’s a beautiful one, too. It suits you perfectly. A beautiful name for a gorgeous girl.”
Despite the corny pickup line, Jade felt her cheeks burning.
Clearing his throat, the vampire changed the subject. “What happened to your parents? Why do you need to look after your brother?”
“They died some time ago in a car accident,” she said, giving the standard and harmless explanation without going into details.
“Were they nice?”
Jade frowned at his words before answering with a shaky voice. “They were the best parents.”
After an awkward moment of silence, the vampire said, “It will be okay, Jade. I’ve found you. Nothing will ever hurt you again.”
Her eyes lingered on his. “You are seriously mistaken about me if you think that your money can change my mind about you.”
He moved swiftly to her side, hovering above her face. His voice came out sexy, weakening her defenses. “Not money, Jade. Love.” He claimed her lips with his.
Chapter Four: Welcome To Your New Life
At first, she wasn’t sure if his lips were really on hers or not. Then, when he pressed harder, she tried to deflect him. It was pointless. He gripped her waist, pulling her closer and leaning forward to chase down her mouth. Their lips touched again as his hand propped up her head and caressed her hair. She panicked for a while, thinking he was going to force his tongue inside her mouth, but he just waited for her to move her lips against his.
The vampire opened his eyes, and she closed hers, surrendering. She felt his smile against her lips. Her body turned boneless when he pressed harder. She relaxed into his embrace and the gentleness of his kiss as her lips replied to his.
Moments later, Jade moaned against his mouth. Heat spread down her body and attraction broke down her last defenses. His mouth was soft like that of any human. She was pressed against his ripped chest, and she perceived warmth coming from him. Vampires are supposed to be cold, aren’t they?
His kiss
es kept sending shivers down her spine, numbing her limbs and causing her heart to race inside her ribcage. She could barely hear herself think while her heartbeat pounded in her head. It had been years since she was kissed by a man. She had forgotten how good it was. But his kisses were more than good; they were addictive and overwhelming.
The vampire continued to move his mouth against hers. He softly nibbled and sucked on her lower lip until his tongue caressed her lips. Trailing kisses down her face, he prolonged his touch, pressing his lower lip against hers and nudging it downward. His tongue entered her mouth when she finally gave him permission to explore.
Their tongues touched and played. Her hands pulled him closer as she kneeled, so she could take control of their kiss. It was confusing how amazing he tasted and how good he felt against her body. It was insane what was going on, but she couldn’t stop kissing him. Her whole body craved his touch. Her hands tugged on his soft hair and their mouths together felt perfect. She was losing herself in his arms and didn’t give a damn about that. Feeling lost never felt so good!
They clung to each other as if their lives depended on it. Jade’s legs were wrapped around his waist. Her fingers were buried in his hair, forcing his mouth against hers. He had his hands on her back, pressing her against his chest. Neither realized that the limo had stopped.
The driver lowered the privacy screen and cleared his throat to make it known they had arrived.
It was the vampire who first evaded her mouth and tried to control her movements.
“We’ve arrived, honey,” he whispered, opening his eyes to meet hers.
Gasping and with her cheeks burning, she cleared her throat. “Where?”
“Home.”
Jade adjusted her eyes to the light, understanding that she was all over him. She blushed harder when she realized that she had lost her mind and had let him kiss her.
“Look at me.” He imprisoned her face between his fingers. “There will be cameras outside. Fix your hair and clean up your lipstick,” he said softly.
She nodded. His arms released her, and she moved back into her seat as her body complained about the lack of contact.
“Did you drug me or something?” she asked, feeling out of place. Feeling tired and dizzy, she realized her hair was a mess and the vampire’s lips were smeared with her lipstick. She had responded to his kiss. Not only that, she had almost ripped off his clothes. It was insane!
He smirked at her words. Then, he cleaned his lips with a white handkerchief and helped her remove the smeared lipstick off her face.
“No, I don’t need to drug you for you to kiss me like that. Now fix your hair. There are a lot of leeches with their cameras outside, and I don’t want them to photograph you like this.”
The vampire got out, leaving Jade to stare blankly at his back with wide eyes. Flashes from cameras hit him, and he just smiled as if he was born to be under their lenses and adored like a god.
Inside the limo, Jade combed her hair with her fingers and listened to him replying to their questions about her. He was being charming, but the photographers seemed eager to photograph her. The reporters were curious as to why she was taking so long.
“Come now. I won’t let them touch you,” he whispered, turning to Jade and offering his hand. “Just try to smile a bit to erase that conflicted look on your face and all will be well.”
Jade obeyed, offering him her hand and stepping out of the limo, only to be hit by the bright lights and the constant flood of questions. It was terrifying. The only thing that was making her feel safe was the vampire’s arm around her waist and his other hand gripping hers.
Jade had never been in a home like the one the vampire owned. It was gigantic and absurdly beautiful. The floors were made of white and black marble, and the walls were stark white and lavishly beautifully decorated with fancy paintings and golden columns. She took a deep breath when the photographers and cameras were left outside. Then, with mouth agape, she stared at the decor of the mansion.
The entrance had a circular foyer with a view of an upper landing and arched stairs descending into the center of the foyer. The foyer wall was white marble with a dark tiled floor. There was a crystal chandelier hanging down from the arched ceiling over the hallway, which led up to a landing overlooking the kitchen. There were other rooms downstairs, but she didn’t have time to see them since he led her upstairs, turned left, and went down a corridor without ever removing his arm from around her waist. He didn’t rush, though. He let her stare at everything, probably hoping to impress her with his money.
He pressed her closer to his side and spoke into her ear. “Do you like your new place?”
Sucking in a breath, she spared him a look. “This is not my new place. It’s yours.”
“If you are going to be mine, then this is going to be yours.”
“I think you have mistaken me for someone who gives a damn about the money you’ve got,” Jade stated with a serious face that she hoped would contradict the previous fire that had consumed her.
“Good. I don’t want someone who cares about my money.”
Jade squinted, not enticed by his words. He spun her around, and she found herself pinned to the wall next to a door. She gulped when she noticed his black eyes.
“I don’t want you being so close to me.” She tried to push him back with her hands but was incapable of moving him an inch. Vampires were strong and evil. Jade was once again faced with the proof of that. “You can’t do this to me. Humans are not to be harmed or abused. The contract is clear about that.”
“It’s not my intention to hurt you. Calm down and trust me,” he assured, entwining his fingers with hers. He was motionless, almost frozen with a blank face and captivating blue eyes. His eyes were back to normal and that reassured her. He was also softly pressing his fingers against hers. “See, I’m not harming you.”
“No, but you are creepily close,” she complained, feeling helpless for the first time in a while.
“No crying, Jade,” he hushed, pulling her against his body and using his hands to lift her hands up to his neck.
Subconsciously, she wound her arms around his neck and lost her breath with the intimacy of their contact.
“Honey, you should have understood by now that you belong to me. But since you are so unwilling to accept me, I have to do this a bit differently. I don’t want us to fight, and I don’t want you to be afraid of me. So, I’m not going to beat around the bush. I’m going to tell you the truth.”
“What truth?”
“That you are mine, Jade. I knew it the moment I laid my eyes on you. You are mine.”
“Are you crazy?” she asked, trying to keep her body from trembling. He couldn’t be serious. His words were making him sound like a complete psycho.
“No.” He smiled, brushing the hair away from her eyes and caressing it gently.
Jade was reluctant in letting her body relax against his. She mistrusted the creature, but she couldn’t help feeling good inside his hug. It didn’t help that he was so damn good-looking.
“Kiss me again and you’ll see,” he said.
“I won’t.”
“And if I kiss you?”
“I—just let me go!”
“One week, Jade. Give me one week to make you fall in love. If, by then, you won’t change your mind about me, I’ll let you go.”
“This is ridiculous! I want to go home,” she said, sobbing. What kind of a twisted game is he playing? He sounded deranged. She wanted him to stop touching her. Why couldn’t she just go home and forget all about tonight? “My brother needs me…”
“I need you more than him.”
“He is sick!”
“I know all about that,” he whispered and kissed her on the forehead.
She closed her eyes without thinking. Her legs turned to jelly as a shiver ran through her body. “How can you possibly know?”
“I know a lot of other things, too.”
“Then you know that I need
to get back to my brother.”
“I swear,” he mumbled, drawing her attention to him as his soft voice caressed her face, “he will be taken care of. So, just relax and trust me.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“Because I told you, Jade, you are mine, and I won’t let anything or anyone ever harm you again.”
“You are—” She sighed and looked away. Calling him crazy wouldn’t help.
“Trust me.”
“You’re freaking me out.”
He turned her face toward him. His eyes were shining, and she couldn’t help but feel completely enthralled. He looked nice, he smelled nice, and she knew he tasted nice, too. She wanted to slap herself for even thinking about kissing that being a second time. It was bad enough that she was letting him hug her. She needed to push him back.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“That you aren’t making any sense.”
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting to meet you?”
“You say the strangest things.”
“You need to understand this.”
Jade’s voice trembled. “You are scaring me.”
“Maybe, but you need to understand that I didn’t choose you randomly.”
Sighing deeply, she said, “You chose me because you probably thought it would be funny to tease and annoy me. Now you think I’m some kind of challenge and you feel the urge to prove to yourself that you are able to seduce me like all of the other stupid girls you date.”
“Interesting,” he said with a lopsided grin. Shaking his head, he clarified, “But no, I chose you because we are meant to be together.”
“I don’t believe in that bullshit of love at first sight,” she grumbled.
“You’re such a bad liar.” He sneered at her words, and she scowled. “Now, stop fighting and admit it. You feel the attraction, too.”
A frown formed on her brow. “Why would I say that? Why would I be attracted to you?”
“I’ve already told you why. You are mine.”