Jared (15 page)

“He’s a good kid.” Tessa turned to look at Jared.

“He’s a smartass.” Jared grumbled. Hell, he was really starting to like the damn kid and that always made killing someone so much harder.

Nodding
,
Tessa grabbed the dirty plates from the table. “Definitely a smartass.”

“I heard that.” Adam called from the front porch.

Jared watched as she stared after Adam with a sad smile, but fear was clearly evident on her face. “Hey, you okay?”

“What are the chances of him going….you know?” Tessa looked at Jared a silent plea in her eyes. “Rogue or raging or whatever you call it.”

Jared stared down at the beautiful woman hating the fear in her eyes, but hating more the fact that he may be the one who had to put her brother down. “I seriously don’t know.” Jared didn’t blink. “It differs from one to the other. He hasn’t reached his maximum potential as a
half-breed
yet, but should soon. Then we will know.”

“And if he does
,
you have to kill him? There is nothing he can do or take to make it not happen.” She knew she was grasping at
anything
, but she had to try. When he just shook his head not answering her she ask
ed
the question
she really didn’t want the answer to, but had to ask
. “Will he turn on me?”

“If he goes rogue….yes.” Jared frowned hoping that wasn’t the case. He really didn’t want to see this woman suffer in any capacity. “I’m sorry.”

A sob drew their attention. “Oh honey.” Tessa hurried over to Jill
,
whose
one golden eye leaked a red tear
,
grabbing her in a tight hug. “It’s going to be okay. Jared and the others are going to take care of you.”

“I don’t want to die.” Jill’s muffled voice tore through the room. Her eyes met Jared’s over Tessa’s shoulder. “Please help us.”

Her repeated plea sent rage surging through Jared
,
he was about to explode with it. When he caught the son of a bitch responsible for this tragedy he was going make him pay dearly.

Adam walked down the hill into town. The nights were getting cooler, but it didn’t bother him. His white plain t-shirt and faded blue jeans suited him fine.
Arriving at
the
Tasty Treat
he opened the door and walked in
feeling
the stares he was getting used to. With a nod to Fred, who owned the place, Adam headed to the back table, his table. With his back to the wall he sat facing the diner as everyone slowly went back to their own meals and conversation.
He knew most everyone in the place, but they all looked at him with fear, at least the ones who would look him in the eye.

“Hi Adam.” And there was the voice he would walk through
H
ell for. Slowly his gaze moved up to the biggest blue eyes he had ever seen and the stress of the past few days slipped away. The color of her eyes reminded him of a
r
obin’s egg. Her pale blonde hair was pulled back in a sloppy ponytail with a few stray wisps straying to tip her long eyelashes. God she was beautiful.

“How you doing
,
Angel?” He grinned when she blushed. Her name was Angelina, but he shortened it to Angel, his Angel.

“I’m good.” She held her pad and pencil close to her chest. “You want the regular tonight?”

“Nah, think I’ll change it up a bit.” He grabbed a menu
, even though he had just eaten,
glancing over
it
longer than he needed to just to keep her there for a while. “What do you suggest?”

“McDonalds.” She leaned down to whisper then laughed. “I’m kidding. The pulled pork sandwich is pretty good with a side of chips.”

Adam had to fight the urge to reach up and trace the soft pattern of her smiling lips. “Pulled pork it is.” He said with a nod. “If I don’t like it I’m cutting your tip in half though.”

“Deal.” She smiled at his teasing then left to fill his order.

Finishing his meal
quickly
Adam glanced at his watch. He noticed he was the only one left in the small diner. “So how was it?” Angelina grinned at his empty plate.
“Awesome. Thanks.” Adam grabbed his bill on the table and stood. She barely came to his shoulders. She looked so tiny and frail next to his large frame. “Can I walk you home?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” With a frown she picked up his empty plate and glass heading to the back. “Have a good night Adam.”

Watching her go he pulled out a twenty and laid it on the table. Walking to the register he paid his bill then headed into the night.

“Adam, wait.” Angelina ran outside behind him holding the twenty in her hand. “You dropped this.”

Looking at the twenty Adam didn’t move to grab it. “I didn’t drop it.”

Shock widened her eyes. “I can’t take this.” She gasped trying to shove it in his hand. “It’s too much.”

“You going to let me walk you home?” Adam didn’t even look at the twenty. When she shook her head no he shrugged. “I’ll see you on your next shift then and bring twenty-five for your tip.”

“I’ll refuse to wait on your table.” She put her hand on her hip with a frown making her forehead crease in a cute way.

“No you won’t.” Adam replied his tone deep and serious. “You’re too nice to do that.”

“I’m not that nice.” She looked away from his probing stare. “You don’t even know my schedule.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Adam turned to walk away.

“Why do you want to walk me home so bad?” She called out to his back.

He
turned,
leaning close to her. “Why don’t you want me to?”

She stared into his eyes before looking away. “It’s complicated.”

“Because I’m a
half-breed
vampire now
?” He didn’t budge. “A freak?”

“No.” She whispered shocked
, before
her voice
took on a pissed tone
. “It has nothing to do with you being a vampire in my ey
es Adam, but it does in your
s. Before you were turned you didn’t even know I was alive. Now that Beth Ann wants nothing to do with you since your change you finally notice
d
me. I refuse to be used as a runner up to Beth Ann Foltz.”
She slammed the twenty to his chest before running
into
the diner, her ponytail falling,
her
pale blonde hair flying out behind her.

After picking up the twenty
Adam walked over to the blue hair band that had fallen out of her hair and picked it up
slipping it around his wrist. He had never loved Beth Ann and there was no way in
H
ell his Angel could come second to anyone
. With one last look at the diner
he
headed back up the hill. He refused to look into her mind. He wanted to be a normal guy, a guy who didn’t lurk in the mind of the girl he
had fallen in love with
. He did however, on his walk back home,
open his mind to the person who turned him
. “Come on asswipe…make
your move. I’m ready for you.”

********

Tessa
sat at the kitchen table doing
the one eyed peek at her checkbook, her stomach in a nauseous twist. She needed to get food in the house, but after paying bills and now losing her job they all may be going on a diet
…a very strict diet.
Hell
,
she needed to lose weight anyway and vamp
ires
could live on blood…
right
?

It was still early for her. Working at the bar she usually didn’t hit her bed until after two or three in the morning. Adam had come back after his little stint of freedom grumbling a goodnight as he stomped through the house to his room. Jill had followed shortly after and she could hear the deep rumble of Jared’s voice in the living room.

Tessa took a deep breath giving herself a small pep talk before she had a full blown panic attack. That sure would put the icing on the shit cake she’d been served. She knew Adam had his college money left, at least most of it anyway, but she didn’t want to touch it. She still wanted him to go,
but since football had been taken off the table so had his full ride
and his interest
in
even going
wasn’t there anymore
. The money their mother had saved for their college was the only thing left, at least Adam’s. Hers was long gone.

Glancing up she watched
as
Jared t
ook
a seat across from her, still on the phone. She studied him under lowered lashes
,
her eyes traveling from his broad shoulders
down his
muscled arms to the large
strong manly hands which were holding a book. Squinting to see the title her shocked eyes shot to his. He tossed her
a
wink making his crooked grin more crooked. Oh.
My. God. How did he find that?

Tessa shot up from the table trying to reach across to grab her very used copy of ‘
My Vampire Master.’ Heat
slammed
into her body,
embarrassment
flooded her senses.

“Give me that.” She hissed practically laying across the table to make a grab
scattering bills and papers everywhere
, bu
t he held it just out of reach shaking his head as he flipped through the pages
as
his grin gr
ew
wider.

Struggling off the table she rushed around grabbing for the copy, but he managed to stay on the damn phone and still keep her from grabbing the book. Straddling his legs when he lifted it over and behind his head she finally got hold of it and was surprised when he let go easily. Glancing do
wn she realized why. Her breasts
were right smack in his face. Pushing off him she stumbled backwards
and wou
ld have f
allen
flat on her ass if not for his fast reflexes.

“Sid I’m going to have to get back to
ya
.” He clicked his phone closed on the last word with a snap.

Tessa held the book close to her chest. “It
’
s research.” She jiggled the book like he didn’t know what she was talking about.

One sexy eyebrow shot up
,
his eyes darken
ing
as they ran down her body before roaming back to her eyes. “
Research…huh?”

“
Yeah.” Tessa nodded totally lying. She was a big reader and loved the paranormal genre. She’d bet her last dollar those authors were pretty freakin shocked
at
how dead on some of their books were when vampires
actually
came out of the woodwork.
Yeah, would have definitely liked to have been a fly
on their wall
.

“Well honey
,
you can research me anytime you damn well please.” He smiled that sexy smile of his showing a dimple in his left cheek she never noticed before. She was a sucker for a dimple
….dammit.

“Not that kind of research.” She replied looking away as her mind screamed liar.

Those weren’t exactly the words he wanted to hear, but he didn’t let his disappointment show. “
W
hy don’t you tell me what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours.”

“What do you mean?” Tessa frowned.

“Why the sudden change of….” Jared paused with a cocked eyebrow. “mood.”

Tessa’s face flamed. “
I don’t know what you’re talking about.” When he cocked his eyebrow she came clean. She knew exactly what he was talking about.
“It was just a kiss.” Tessa huffed
the lie. If it was just a kiss why in the hell was her body still burning for him
?

His smile disappeared as
he
stood quickly stalking toward her. “Just a kiss?” His voice was low with warning as
he
slowly back
ed
her into the wall. “Sweetheart
,
if you could have crawled inside me you would have and I would have opened wide for you. That was not just a kiss.”

“Then what was it?”
Tessa’s head met the wall
stopping her instantly.

“It’s w
as a hot, sexy preview of what’
s to come.” Jared placed both hands on each side of her head as he leaned the side of his face next to her ear
deeply breathing her scent
. “I will taste those sweet lips again and I will see every inch of that lush body as I’m making love to it with my tongue.”