Page 66 of Embrace the Darkness

“Dean is my Brody in training.” Plus, I got a twisted pleasure from ruffling his feathers. He was too easy to rile, and it was highly entertaining. Was I being a bitch? Yup, but it was all in good fun. Mine, specifically.

“Maura, he already has a job and that is to protect you.”

“He can do both.” I brushed off Stefan’s protests with a wave of my hand. “Has anyone told him he’s been assigned to me yet?”

Stefan paused. “No. I haven’t passed on that news to Louie yet and I don’t think Jameson has either.”

“Good. I want to do it.” I turned back to Vincent, who had been quietly watching our exchange. “I guess we better get started.”

CHAPTER 28

Dean was not happy, especially after I told him about his new job responsibilities, which he doubted right away and called Louie. Stefan, I assumed, had informed Louie of Dean’s new position in between the time we'd left his office and when Dean showed up with my and Vincent’s lunch. Dean physically paled as Louie confirmed what I had already told him.

“I wouldn’t look at guarding me as a bad thing, Grumpy. It’s a promotion,” I tried to reassure him while fighting back the bubbling laughter in my chest.

Louie showed up soon after that to take Dean away to go over what his new position entailed. The following day, I found Dean standing outside my room looking like one of Stefan’s personal goons dressed in an all-black suit. Gone were his cargo pants and steel-toed boots. Hereluctantly got into the routine of watching over me and making sure I didn’t starve only after I told him that keeping me alive included feeding me.

Poor Jamie got neglected over the next couple of days. The first night he came to my room, it was late at night. The way he had reacted after seeing I was still up working and not alone had me biting my cheek to hold back from laughing. He didn’t even question what we were doing or why Vincent was there. Obviously, Stefan had told him. Instead, he looked from Vincent to me and grumbled, “It’s time for bed.” Then he pulled out his gun from the waistband of his pants, making sure Vincent got a good look at it, before placing it under his pillow in my bed.

Vincent took that as his cue to leave, scooped up his laptop, and scurried to his temporary room I had assigned him across the hall.

“Why’d you do that?” I asked. Jamie hadn't needed to intimidate the poor kid to get him to leave.

“It’s late,” he said curtly.Someone’s in a mood.He wasn’t even looking at me. He was focused on unbuttoning his shirt.

I was about to ask him what was wrong, but he took his shirt off. My attention was pulled to his naked chest and my mind seemed to short circuit because I’d forgotten what we were talking about.

My gaze roamed slowly as I took him in, inch by chiseled, tattooed inch.Man, he’s beautiful.Even with the two nasty scars that marred his velvety skin. I had noticed them in the shower yesterday while I'd washed him. As my soapy fingers had run over the jagged skin, I'd asked him, “Are they dead?” It was obvious they'd been inflicted by someone else, with the intent to kill. It had angered me—I'd felt downright murderous. I'd wanted to hunt down whoever had hurt him and make them suffer. I would take my time with them, drag it out, until their voices became so hoarse from begging for death and then, and only then, would I kill them.

The bigger of the two started on his side just below the ribs and curled around down to the top of the V shape at his hips. It was long, like someone had tried to slice him open. His other scar was smaller, maybe three inches long, and located just under his right collar bone.

As water had spilled down our bodies, he'd run his hands down my back, soothing my rage, and replied, “Yes.”Good.

He must have gotten the scars within the last six years. I’d seen him shirtless many times before I'd left to attend Trinity in Hartford, be it while swimming, working out, or playing sports, and I wasn’t ashamed to say I'd looked. It would've been impossible not to. He’d always been good looking. He'd been a lot leaner back then. Someone had definitely hit the gym while I'd been away. Maybe his scars were the reason for his drool worthy transformation.

Catching me staring, his irritation faded away and he gave me a cocky little smirk. I rolled my eyes at him because if his ego got any bigger, I’d be pushed out of the room.

I turned away and returned to my research. I felt him move through the room and come up behind me. It was crazy how in tune my body was with his. I'd never felt this with Tom. Maybe it was Jamie’s magical tongue? He'd reprogrammed me to be in sync with him while he'd been down in Lady Town. I wasn’t complaining, but it would explain why he'd driven me to madness with how many times he'd teased me, only to give me the most intense and earth-shattering orgasm I’ve ever had.

Great, now I’m turned on just remembering it.

I cleared my throat and adjusted how I was sitting, trying anything to bring down my lady boner. I was sitting on the floor with my arms resting on the coffee table with my laptop open in front of me.

He took a seat in the armchair behind me, positioning his legs at my sides, cocooning me from behind while trapping me between him and the table. His fingers brushed my hair away from my neck before his lips pressed where my neck met my shoulder, causing a shiver to rock through my body. “You look flushed,” he teased and began kissing up along my neck.

“You make me that way,” I mumbled and gasped when he bit down hard on my sensitive spot. “Are you trying to brand me?” I groaned from the mixture of pain and pleasure.

The next thing I knew, hands slid under my arms and I was being lifted. He shifted me to sit sideways across his lap, with his arm around my back for support and my legs dangling over the arm of the chair. His free hand went to my neck and his thumb rubbed over the spot he'd just marred. “I’m just marking what’s mine.” I sucked in a breath. His eyes traveled to mine, showing me he meant it.

“Are you mine?” I asked, barely breathing.

His hand moved up to cup my cheek and his thumb brushed over my lips, pulling them apart slightly. “What do you think?”

He kissed the hell out of me by nipping and sucking at my lips. He’d successfully turned me into a wanton mess. Running my fingers through his hair, I gave it a light tug in order to break away from him.

“You’re being mean. Lady Town is out of order for a few more days.”

He chuckled. “Then get your ass in bed. You need sleep and I need sleep. This shit will still be here tomorrow.”