Blood Diamond (18 page)

“You’re both being all responsible,” Zachary complained. “Stop it. We are going to enjoy this film without any sign of seriousness at all. Captain’s orders.”

“I can’t believe you sent Max over just for this. I thought you needed something important.” I shook my finger at Zachary.

“It was Max’s idea.”

“Bullshit,” I muttered. “Hey, is there any chance you can get me a replacement phone, by the way?”

“We are not discussing business during movie time. There will be a new phone for you in Yellowknife. You’ll live until then. You can thank me later, but I already asked someone to set you up with a laptop. You’ll have it in the morning. Is there anything else?” Before I had a chance to reply, he snapped his fingers. “Didn’t think so. Movie time! What are we watching, gentlemen?”

“
The Poseidon Adventure
,” I grumbled.

“How about
Ghost Ship
?” my brother suggested.

I heard a bowl hit the counter in the adjacent kitchenette. “That movie is so nasty,” Max complained.

“All the more reason to watch it,” I replied, pointing at the television. “Make it so, Zachary! Maybe it doesn’t technically sink, but it’ll do.”

“This should be fun.” Zachary turned on the TV and selected
Ghost Ship
from his digital library. “Someone turn off the lights. This one is even creepier that way.”

“Don’t you mean disgusting?”

“Creepy, disgusting—close enough.”

Chapter Nine

Much to my amusement, I was the only one awake when the movie ended. Leaving my brother and friends to sleep sprawled on the couch in a haphazard pile, I turned the television off. When I made a quiet escape from Zachary’s quarters, one of Derek’s men was standing outside on guard.

“Do you know which room is mine?” I asked wryly, making a sour expression. “And I don’t suppose you happen to have a key, do you?”

A soft chuckle answered me, accompanied by a nod. “Follow me, sir.” It wasn’t far, and the guard opened the door to let me in. “Sleep well.”

“Thanks,” I replied, pausing halfway into the room. “Could you call the staff and let them know that someone is going to have to peel Zachary, my brother, and a few others off the couch?”

“I’ll take care of it.”

With a nod, I slipped inside and shut the door, heaving a relieved sigh at successfully ensuring some privacy. I slipped the door’s chain into place.

I flicked on the light. The stateroom proved to be one of the nicer ones on board, complete with a sitting area stolen directly from the Victorian era. There was a kitchenette, a bathroom, and a single bedroom. Evelyn was sprawled across the king-sized bed, still wearing her sleek satin dress. Her hair spilled around her, offsetting her tanned, freckled skin.

For a long time, I stood frozen in the doorway, admiring her as she quietly slept. When I finally managed to tear my gaze away, I was in dire need of a cold shower or a long soak. I found the promised jacuzzi tucked into a corner of the bedroom, a marble and gold gilded monstrosity capable of holding four comfortably. It looked deep enough to drown in. I shook my head, wondering why anyone would put such a thing in the bedroom.

As I explored the stateroom, I discovered that the bathroom also had a shower and a large claw-footed tub.

“This is insanity,” I muttered, tossing my jacket across the back of a chair in the sitting room. If I wanted to use the jacuzzi, I’d risk waking Evelyn—and end up in an easily compromised position.

I stared at her, fighting with myself yet again. I wanted her—I wanted her like I hadn’t wanted anyone since Suzanne. Guilt tainted my desire, as the realization sank in that I wanted Evelyn more than I had Suzanne.

Evelyn was a brightly burning fire, threatening to consume me if I stared at her for too long or got too close. Suzanne had been a colder woman, less vocal and forthcoming when it came to sharing my bed. I closed my eyes, sighing.

Maybe Zachary was right, and that bothered me most of all. He’d never doubted my love for Suzanne, but he had always doubted her affections for me.

In Evelyn, I couldn’t find any doubt, just need, desire, and comfortable companionship.

Part of me wanted to have a long, angry talk with Zachary about the impracticality of the room and his shamelessness in throwing Evelyn and me together. The other part of me wanted to thank him for it.

I wanted a lot of things, and most of them I wanted to do with Evelyn. Stifling a groan, I headed towards the privacy of the bathroom.

“Enjoy the movie?” Evelyn murmured sleepily. I froze. When I returned to the doorway, she was rubbing her eyes, yawning.

“Go back to bed,” I said in a soft voice, loosening my tie and dumping the scarf on top of my jacket. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“The movie?”

I chuckled. “I was the sole survivor, I’m afraid. They fell asleep halfway through it.”

She looked at me, nodded, and snuggled into the blanket, revealing a lot of leg as she squirmed on the bed. I flushed, staring at her despite knowing I should look away. “Come to bed,” she murmured.

I wanted to obey her so much it hurt. I sighed and shook my head. “I need a cold shower followed by a long soak.”

Evelyn pointed at the jacuzzi. “Plenty of room for two.”

“That’s true,” I replied, wondering how I was going to emerge from my predicament intact and doubting whether or not I wanted to escape her in the first place. She sat up, her hair spilling over her shoulders in a tangled mess, which only made me want to run my fingers through her locks and restore them to order. The dress, which was rumpled from her sleeping, wasn’t helping matters any. It clung to her in all the right places, showing off the curve of her side and hips, as well as offering a glimpse of her muscular legs.

It was even worse than when she’d been crawling all over me in the nude. The satin teased me with just enough of a peek to make me want more.

“What’s bothering you?” she asked, staring at me with wide eyes, the jade tinged with the faintest ring of wolf gold.

“You’re too beautiful,” I blurted.

Groaning at my graceless compliment, I banged my forehead against the doorway. I was rewarded with her laughter.

“Thank you,” she murmured, the yellow in her eyes intensifying. “But something is actually bothering you. What is it?”

“Can I plead the fifth?”

“No, you may not plead the fifth,” she replied, her smile turning predatory as she slid her way off the bed. I held my breath as she closed the distance between us. “You’re trembling.”

It was entirely her fault, but I was powerless to say a word. She loosened my tie and untied the knot before tossing it aside. It landed on the floor behind her. I drew a deep breath to steady my nerves. “The proper order is for me to buy you a ring, get on my knees, beg and plead for you to marry me, and then have a ceremony,” I choked out. “That’s when you’re supposed to wear the white dress.”

What happened after didn’t involve her wearing the white dress for very long.

“I must test your restraint so much,” she murmured, dragging a finger along my jawline down to my neck. I winced when she touched the bruises circling my throat. “She hurt you.”

“She did,” I confirmed. “It’ll heal.”

“It better. I don’t require a ring, and there are better things you could be doing than getting on your knees. You can beg and plead as part of your proposal, if that pleases you. Ceremonies are for courts, not for Fenerec—or their mates.” She smiled at me, tapping my nose with her finger. “I’d be happy wearing a white dress for you whenever you want, if you like them so much.”

“I like you in that dress,” I replied.

“So why are you bothered, Jackson? They’re needless symbols. I know what sort of man you are. You won’t leave me. I will not leave you. I’m a Fenerec; that is who we are. I won’t change my mind. You won’t change yours. The rest isn’t important. I’ll let you hunt me to your heart’s content, if that’s what you want. You can give me a ring if you’d like, and I’ll give you one if you’d like. In the meantime, we’ll be very close friends with many, many benefits,” she whispered into my ear.

I closed my eyes and shivered at the feel of her breath on my skin. “You deserve better than that.”

“I think I’m the only one qualified to determine what I deserve. Maybe I deserve you ripping me out of this dress right here and now,” she growled, nipping my ear. “I deserve your loyalty in all things. You’re mine. Mine, Jackson. Get used to the idea.”

“Don’t I get a say in it?”

“We were discussing what I deserve, sir—and I deserve a man who will be as loyal to me as I am to him. That man happens to be you; therefore, no, you don’t get a say in it.” There was laughter in her voice. She nipped my ear again. “I suppose you can have a say in things.”

My worries warred with my immediate desires. “When I’m fifty, sixty, or older, you’ll still be young, beautiful, and spry. That’s part of who you are. I’ll age. You won’t.”

Evelyn sighed and rested her forehead against my shoulder. “I know. That isn’t going to change my mind. You’re an earth witch. You’ll age slowly enough yourself, sir. That is, of course, if you keep out of trouble and stop trying to get yourself killed.” She pinched my arm in rebuke.

“I don’t need another bruise,” I complained half-heartedly.

“We’re only guaranteed today. Being a Fenerec doesn’t mean I’m immortal; we die. It’s just a little harder to kill us. I’ll be yours for as long as we live.” She rubbed my arm where she had pinched me. “You’ll be mine, too. That’s how it works.”

“What if—”

Evelyn pressed her fingers to my lips, silencing me. “You don’t want to lose someone close to you again, not like you lost Suzanne. I understand. That’s what’s so beautiful about you—and it’s why you’re perfect for me. You understand commitment the way we Fenerec do. I can’t promise how long we’ll live. No one can. But as far as gambles in life go, I’m the safest bet you’ll ever make.”

She was right, and my crumbling resistance bothered me almost as much as the feel of her pressed so close to me. “How are you so certain?”

With a laugh, she pinched my arm again, just hard enough to hurt. “I asked Richard at dinner.”

I groaned from despair at the thought of what he had said to her. “Dare I ask?”

“You’re like another brother to him, Jackson. You scared him—you scared me, too. I can’t protect you if you escape from me now.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s my job to protect you,” I protested.

“From all the unwanted males? Certainly. Just as it’s my job to guard you against the unwanted females.” She sniffled, flicking my nose with her fingers. “Open your eyes and look at me.”

I obeyed. Her jade eyes were rimmed in gold, and I held my breath. She smiled at me, stroking my cheek. “I’ll hunt you until the day you die, if I must.”

“I thought I was supposed to hunt you.”

“It’s mutual, just as it should be. You’re chasing my tail. I’m chasing yours. That’s how these things work.” She tugged at my shirt, fiddling with the top button. “That’s how it
should
be, and if Suzanne wasn’t chasing after you as hard as you chased after her, her loss. Neither Richard nor Elliot liked her. They said you deserved better.”

I scowled, torn between anger at their belittling Suzanne and my growing unease. I had harbored many doubts after Suzanne’s death, but I hadn’t considered another woman in my life until Evelyn had come along. She was a tornado, ripping away all of my defenses, leaving me raw and torn up in her wake. She was volatile and drew me to her flame. A shiver ran through me at the realization that I wanted her to burn me, if only to prove I was capable of the emotions I had smothered over the years. Suzanne was gone, and there was nothing I could do to change that.

It didn’t make it any easier for me to accept what Evelyn was offering. I wanted to feel alive, with her skin against mine. I wanted to please her.

I sighed.

“She hurt you,” Evelyn whispered.

“No, I hurt me,” I replied, wincing at the truth of my words. In too many things, Zachary had been right—as had my brother and Richard. It didn’t change my love for Suzanne. Unfortunately, all that remained were my memories of her, which were dulled by the passage of time.

I was running out of reasons to deny Evelyn what she wanted, but I feared what would happen if I gave in to what we both desired.

I shuddered at the thought of what I would do if Evelyn vanished out of my life.

“Jackson,” she murmured.

Why was being honest so difficult? What I needed to say stuck in my throat. Evelyn waited for me with patience I didn’t feel I deserved. When I managed to speak, it was in a broken whisper, “I’m afraid.”

“Of what?” The concern in her voice was reflected in her eyes.

“I won’t be able to handle losing you,” I said, unable to keep looking her in the eye. When I had lost Suzanne, I had lost so much. If I lost Evelyn, there’d be nothing left for me, and that frightened me most of all. When had she become so important to me? How had she worked her way under my skin so quickly?

“You’re so much like a Fenerec, Jackson. You will do everything you can to protect what is yours. I’ll be careful if you promise to do the same.”

“I’m careful.” It was a part of my job; mistakes risked the lives of those working for me, which was unacceptable.

“Then there is absolutely no problem, is there? We’ll be fine.” She ran her thumb over my lower lip. “The only thing you’ll have to worry about is keeping away the other males.”

“Have you looked in a mirror recently?” I said, groaning at the thought of trying to keep other men from admiring her as much as I did. “I’ll have a lot to worry about.”

Lacing her fingers together behind my head, she pulled me down. “Tough luck for you,” she said, pressing her lips to mine. Pulling away, she released her hold on my head, trailing her hands down my neck. “I don’t like that she hurt you.”

Her touch on my bruised throat hurt enough I couldn’t hide my wince. “I don’t like it either.”

“How are you feeling?”

Certain that ‘aroused’ wasn’t the answer she was looking for, I replied, “I’m tired, sore, and ache in places I shouldn’t.”