"Of course. I helped save his life tonight, didn"t I? Something I won"t share with my brother. I don"t know what Campbell said to Douglas but it was almost enough for Dougie to call off the truce. Seems this amnesia made your lover into even more of a b.a.s.t.a.r.d than usual." He shook his head. "Care to share, Gloriana?"
"No. Jerry wasn"t himself. When he has his mind back in the present, he"ll realize the truce was for the best. Both of you know it was a ridiculous waste of energy." I sighed. This was taking too long! "And thank you for what you did. Send Jerry a bill. I a.s.sured him this was a business transaction, not a favor."
"It"s not that simple. I"ll explain it to him when he comes to his senses." Ian ignored my suspicious look. Then I noticed the cell phone he was holding.
"Are you taking video of this? Right now?"
"It"s for science, Glory. Of course I am. Look at his face. Makes you wonder what"s going on inside his head, doesn"t it?" He"d been surrept.i.tious; now he held it up for a better shot. "I wish Cornelius would share his formula."
"This is an invasion of Jerry"s privacy, Ian. He didn"t give you permission to take all these pictures."
"He was awake when we taped him before and didn"t object. I"m taking that as a tacit agreement. This is priceless. I need this film for my archives. No one will see it except fellow scientists." He stood. "Look! I think he"s coming out of it. Get ready, Glory. Old Jeremiah or new Jeremy? I hope you know which one you want."
I hoped I did too. Whichever one I got, I had to be ready to deal with him.
Jerry opened his eyes and looked around. "Where the h.e.l.l am I?"
Uh-oh. Was this a new onset of amnesia? Had he forgotten what had just happened?
"You"re at Ian MacDonald"s, Jerry. Don"t you remember? You were under a spell. Ian"s a doctor and arranged for a sorcerer to cure you." I was close by Jerry"s side in an instant. The shield was down and I could touch him.
"Of course." He rubbed his forehead. "What a night. And, G.o.d save me, I"m lying here in Ian"s underwear." He frowned at the doctor who stood behind me, taking this all in with his camera phone. "What the h.e.l.l? Put that phone down. What"s that for? Planning to put my picture on the Internet? Make me a laughingstock?"
"No, it"s for my archives." Ian put the phone away. "Internet? What do you remember, Campbell? Did the new spell work? Are you cured?"
"Wouldn"t you like to know?" Jerry smiled grimly. "Can we get the h.e.l.l out of here, Gloriana?"
"No! I mean, please answer Ian, Jerry. I have to know the answer too." I put out my hand when he stood but he shrugged off the help. "What do you remember?"
"Let"s see. I remember you arriving at Castle Campbell, determined to make things up with me." He pulled me to him. "I was more than ready to let bygones be bygones since I"d missed the h.e.l.l out of you." He dropped a kiss on my lips. "Then I was stabbed. By Mara of all people. I"ve got a bit of a blur there but seems to me you told me your mother arranged that. So I"d forget you. And it worked for a while."
"G.o.d, Jerry!" I threw my arms around him. "You remember. Cornelius!" I looked around for him but both he and Waldo had vanished. "Oh, he"s gone. Anyway, a sorcerer Ian summoned found the cure. For a h.e.l.lfire curse and your memory loss." I couldn"t quit smiling. "Really, you remember everything?"
He suddenly put me from him. "Indeed. What"s she doing here?" He stalked over to where my mother stood just inside the terrace doors. "She-devil! How dare you show your face here! Where are my weapons?" Jerry looked around and picked up a heavy metal ashtray.
"Not a wise idea." My mother lifted her hand and Jerry was frozen. "Gloriana and I have arranged a truce, just as your clan and the MacDonald clan have. I"d advise you to rein in your temper, Jeremiah, before you lose more than your memory this time. I can make your manhood vanish like that vase over there." She flicked her wrist and a blue and white vase disappeared. We all gasped, even Ian. "How will Gloriana like you then?"
"Mother, release him. And stop with the threats!" I grabbed her arm, sick to my stomach at the thought of what she was capable of. "Give him time to adjust to things."
"You promised we could have a relationship, Gloriana. If he and I are both to be in your life, then he must learn to respect me." She threw back her shoulders, not wise when you only have a single b.u.t.ton on a jacket. I didn"t bother to tell her she was exposing one of her b.o.o.bs. Let her embarra.s.s herself. Or not. She still wouldn"t let Jerry move, though the ashtray he"d been holding vanished.
Ian and Melanie just watched. They weren"t stupid, and she was clearly not in a mood to be messed with. I sent them both a mental message that their best move right now was to stay quiet and observe like the good scientists they were.
"Mother, you didn"t cure Jerry, Ian did. I"m not sure there"s a reason you could give me that would allow you a place in my life." I glared at her. "Now let him go."
"Not until we work this out." She smiled at Ian. "I must say thank you, Doctor. I know how these sorcerers conduct their business. You had to promise a future favor to Cornelius for him to work that last spell. I"m sure he doesn"t come cheap."
"No, he doesn"t." Ian moved closer. Which showed how much he listened to me. He touched Jerry on the shoulder. "Let the poor b.a.s.t.a.r.d go. Hasn"t he suffered enough tonight? Gloriana, I think you"re going to have to let your mother see you occasionally. Can"t you see that she only wants to share in her daughter"s life?" He bowed to her. "Beautiful lady, I"d be more than happy to make my home available if you need a place to stay while in Austin."
My mother"s eyes sparkled with interest. Great. Now she and Ian were setting up a flirtation. I wasn"t going to bother to warn him anymore. He was a big boy and partied at his own risk.
"Ian, you have no idea what my mother"s idea of sharing is." I really didn"t need his advice. I was so over this whole scene though and knew Jerry had to be sick of standing there in Ian"s underwear like a d.a.m.ned statue. "Mother, thaw Jerry out and disappear at the same time. I want to take him home. Now. I"ll text you when we can meet again. Is that enough for you?"
"Fine." Mother smiled at Ian. "I"ll be seeing you, Doctor. I can tell we might have a few things in common. An appreciation for the beautiful and rare." A priceless antique table appeared where his other one had been burned, the pieces obviously swept away by a servant earlier. "Gloriana, I expect to hear from you soon, very soon. Or I will be dropping by. And it might not be at a time convenient for you. Are we clear?"
"Yes, now go!" I suffered through one of her hugs. She vanished just as Jerry began to move.
"Where are my clothes?"
"In the bathroom." Ian smiled at Melanie. "Show him."
"No, I"ll find them myself." Jerry charged down the hall. In moments we heard a roar. "Where the h.e.l.l are my knives?"
Ian laughed. "Did he really think I would let him keep a weapon around me? Old Jeremiah Campbell or new Jeremy Blade, I was taking no chances."
Jerry stormed into the living room, fully dressed. "Well, are you giving them back?"
"They are in your car, Blade. That is what you go by these days." Ian smiled.
"And you"ll send me a bill for tonight. I have no desire to owe you, MacDonald." Jerry held out his hand, surprisingly steady considering what he"d been through. "Car keys, Gloriana. I am itching to drive again. I can"t believe I was so d.a.m.ned helpless for so long."
"You hated it." I dropped the keys in his hand.
"Just a minute." Ian stepped in front of us when we headed for the door. "You will get a bill, but that"s not all you"ll owe me, Blade. Sorcerers deal in favors as Gloriana"s mother pointed out. Cornelius required a promise of one in order to come here. Then a second one for the restoration of your memory." Ian"s smile was wolfish. "So you see you"ll still owe me, Blade. When I need a favor, I"ll be calling on you. Never doubt it."
I saw Jerry"s jaw tighten. This was a matter of honor and, old or new, he always paid his debts. "Very well. I won"t deny the amnesia was driving me mad." He nodded at Melanie. "Thank you both. Good night."
At the car he held the door for me but stopped me before I could slide into the seat.
"Gloriana." He pulled me against him and breathed into my hair.
"Yes, Jerry?" My heart pounded. What was this? The kiss-off as all those memories of my transgressions plus the fact that I had a mother who could make his life disappear added up to reason enough to let me go?
"I know I wasn"t easy to live with these past weeks."
"Well, I"ll not deny I won"t miss the ancient warrior." I touched his dark brow with a fingertip. "Over the years, you"d turned into a modern man I admired. A clever businessman, a brilliant lover, I could go on."
"And wasn"t ancient Jeremiah a brilliant lover as well?"
"I"ll never tell." I couldn"t stop smiling. This teasing meant all was well, didn"t it? Then he got solemn.
"I will never be able to thank you enough for what you"ve done for me. I remember how difficult I was. How I hurt you. My only excuse is that I lashed out at the person closest to me. The woman I love." He ran a hand through his hair. "s.h.i.t. That"s no excuse. Just please know how sorry I am. You deserve better." He leaned down and kissed me then. I sighed into his mouth, held on and tried to absorb him into my own skin. He was back. No matter what happened, I had all of him with me now. We would deal with what came next together.
Thirteen.
"Your place or mine?" he asked as he started the car.
"Well, Lily is at yours. She wasn"t too happy the last time we saw her. Remember?" I fastened my seat belt.
"Surprisingly I remember almost everything. Except for when I was shooting fire out of my hands. Did I blast it out of my eyes too or was that a nightmare?" He drove down Ian"s driveway then stopped to wait for the iron gates to open. A pair of guards eyed us but waved us through.
"Nightmare. Mouth and fingers, that"s all. Like some kind of unwilling superhero. FireMan. PyroBlaster. Has a certain ring to it, don"t you think?" I reached over and squeezed his hand.
He laughed and shook his head. "Keep it up, Gloriana, and I just might have to pull over and make you pay for mocking me."
I smiled, loving his teasing. "If it wasn"t so close to dawn, I"d beg you to." I sighed and leaned my head against his shoulder. "It"s good to see you driving again, Jerry. You sure you"re up to it? Not that long ago you were laid out in a tub, incoherent."
"Nice picture." He hit the accelerator and drove onto the highway. "I"m fine. Your place. I"ll face Lily tomorrow night. She needs some tough love. That temper tantrum at the airport wasn"t necessary. I do remember that. I think a job would be good for her. If Lily will listen to you, it"s a good idea for you to talk to her. If you"re willing." He glanced at me.
"I can try." I settled back in the leather seat, the cool wind blowing my hair, my worries safely tucked away for tomorrow too. Tonight, since Jerry was feeling so chipper, I was going to make him very happy when I took him to bed.
"Only have a half hour until dawn." I looked up at the dark cloudless sky. My plans for a big night were slipping away with the ticktock of the clock.
"Let"s make the most of it." He stopped at a light and pulled me to him for a kiss. His mouth on mine sent a different kind of flame licking through me. I could tell he was having the same reaction. He seemed desperate to get closer to me. When he finally drew back, his eyes were dark and shining. "G.o.d, but I didn"t think I"d survive tonight. Now...I need you, Gloriana."
"I need you too. I"m so glad you"re back, really back, Jerry." I ran my hand over the bulge in his jeans. "Hurry." I glanced around. We were the only car on the road, even as we neared downtown. I slid down his zipper and eased my fingers inside to find him hard. His c.o.c.k sprang free with a nudge and I bent down to run my tongue across the bead of moisture that had collected on the tip.
"G.o.d, Gloriana." He stepped on the gas. "What are you doing?"
"Testing your recovery. Can you mult.i.task, Jeremiah? Drive and play at the same time?" This car had automatic transmission and I pulled his right hand over to plunge it into my dress"s gaping neckline. Then I went back to work, taking his c.o.c.k into my mouth and rolling my tongue around it. He pinched my nipple, his breath hitching when I squeezed his sac.
"Temptress. You realize there are traffic cams getting all this action."
"Hmm. Giving some poor bored sap a thrill, aren"t we?" I went back to pleasing him until he slowed to make the turn into my alley. Then I sat up. Someone had replaced the lightbulbs and it was almost as bright as day. I pushed my dress back into place and zipped him closed. "I"m going to have to check on my shop sometime."
"Not tonight." He leaped out of the car and jerked open my car door, rushing me to the back of the building while I fumbled in my purse. "Hurry or I"ll break the b.u.g.g.e.r down."
I laughed and held up the key. He grabbed it and made quick work of the lock while I punched in the security code. We ran up the stairs and I gasped when Jerry pushed against me from behind, unzipping my dress and opening my bra while I unlocked the apartment door with shaking hands.
As soon as we were inside he ripped off my panties, pushed up my skirt and leaned me over the couch, taking me from behind before I could do more than drop my purse on the floor. My landline was ringing. No way was I going to answer it now. Jerry pushed my dress and bra forward to bare me to the waist as he pounded into me, his hands clamped onto my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, two joysticks on his ride toward release.
I just held on, my fingers gripping the fabric while pleasure spiraled through me. I panted his name over and over again wanting more, more, more. I didn"t mind his rough, take-charge lovemaking. I knew I could turn the tables anytime and make Jerry mine the same way he was claiming me now. The answering machine clicked on.
"Glory girl. I just heard you"re back in town. Call me, babe. Tell me what happened with the hardheaded Scot. If he didn"t take you back, you know where to find me. Love ya." Ray. Israel Caine. His voice was unmistakable. And just in case I didn"t recognize it, he ended the message with a chorus from his latest hit, a love song with an erotic message. "Oh, baby, do you remember what we did last night? Let me do you again."
Jerry stopped moving. "Caine. What the h.e.l.l was that about?" He pulled away, his hands sliding off my b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
"Tomorrow. We"ll talk about it tomorrow." I turned, refusing to give Jerry time to think, and pushed him down to the floor before I climbed on top of him. He still wore all of his clothes, only his zipper was open. I wrestled off his shirt then bit one of his nipples before I sucked it into my mouth. He growled, definitely distracted.
"Yes, we will talk about it." He grabbed my a.s.s and pushed into me, hard. "But right now I need to feed again, Gloriana, before this ends too quickly. Are you up to it?" He bared his fangs.
"Of course." I leaned down, meeting his thrusts eagerly. All my senses were alive as I touched his face, felt the press of his belt buckle into my stomach, my b.r.e.a.s.t.s bouncing against his chest. It was wonderful to know he was actually seeing me, his longtime lover, remembering everything we"d been through together and yet still wanting me. "You need me, take me."
He didn"t misunderstand, just brought my throat down to his lips. "I love you, Gloriana. I hope to G.o.d you haven"t made a fool of me again." Then he sank his fangs into my vein.
Made a fool of him again? I woke at sunset lying in my bed with Jerry"s words ringing in my ears. He rolled over and took his time making love to me. No words. No explanations. Neither of us seemed ready to get into it. Instead we celebrated Jerry"s return to mental health with the kind of slow, sweet loving that left me limp and barely able to stagger into the shower. There he washed my back, ma.s.saged shampoo into my hair and then pleasured me one more time.
Of course I realized Ray was the elephant in the room. I wanted to say something. Open the conversation. But how much should I tell Jerry? I couldn"t just dump my betrayal into his lap. He"d been through so much and I really didn"t want that to be the first thing he had to deal with. Ray and I had slept together right before I"d headed for Scotland. At a low point for both of us we"d offered each other comfort. It had been easy for me to rationalize that Jerry taking off for his homeland had left me free to finally give into my fantasies about Ray.
But I"d discovered that my infatuation with a rock star was just that. Something that had no real future. Ray was kind, generous and exciting. But he was simply not Jerry and Ray"s history with loving "em and leaving "em didn"t recommend him as a keeper anyway. Unfortunately Ray still had hopes that he and I could work things out between us. I needed to see him to set him straight on that. I was with Jerry as long as he wanted me to be. It was that simple.
Lucky for me, unlucky for Jerry, his phone rang and all the business problems that had been put off when he"d been out of commission began to catch up with him. I had to jump in the shower again by myself when he frowned, booted up his laptop and began to scroll through what looked like a thousand unanswered e-mails. I hoped my business was in better shape as I blew my hair dry, threw on makeup and headed downstairs wearing one of the dresses my mother had given me. As I could have predicted, the expensive wrap dress got an appreciative audience in the shop. If I ever decided to sell it, I could get big bucks.
"Glory, we heard you were back." Lacy Devereau, the were-cat who was my day manager, had hung around after her shift was over so she could meet with me. She"d been running the store while I was gone.
"Who is telling everyone that?" I led Lacy to the back room. I was dying to see the books, to see how my finances stood. I had payroll, rent, merchandise to pay for. My mind was getting an overloaded feeling when I thought of how much I had to handle.
"Jerry"s daughter, Lily, has been by on a regular basis. She kept us updated since you haven"t exactly touched base." Lacy smiled. "Not that we expected you to. Anyway, Lily left a few of her vintage pieces here. She wasn"t too happy with our consignment policy. Actually thought she"d get the money up front, like at a p.a.w.nshop." Lacy sat on the worktable while I pulled out a stack of receipts. "Seems she was short of cash. Her daddy didn"t send her a check this month. What"s that about?"
"Jerry had amnesia for a while. Guess Lily didn"t share that tidbit. He"s upstairs right now trying to catch up on his business. Nice to know Lily was smart enough to come here. Did she bring anything good?" I started piles of shop bills versus income. It was going to be a tough month.
"You bet. And she goes for the Goth look so we"ve sold quite of bit of her stuff already. Corsets, vintage leather. You"ll love it. If you see her, tell her to clean out her closet again." Lacy put her hand on mine. "Amnesia! Wow, that had to have been rough. Megan said Jerry was in here last night and looked confused. Is he okay now?"
"Yes, thank G.o.d. His memory is back and he"s good as new." I laughed, still not sure I believed it.
"Good." Lacy pushed a ledger closer. "Hate to bug you, boss, but here are the time cards. All of the clerks really need to be paid as soon as you can manage it. I know I have rent, car note. Living expenses."
"Sure. I"m sorry. I had no idea I"d be gone so long or I would have put you on the checking account. If there"s a next time, you can stick to the schedule and take care of payroll yourself." I pulled out a calculator. I"d start with Lacy"s hours.
"Good idea. You can trust me, Glory. I"d never take advantage of you." She smiled and pointed. "These extra hours are because Becky quit. Graduated and took a job in Oklahoma. Can you believe it?"
"Good for her. But what"s she going to do with a fashion degree in Oklahoma?" I didn"t want to show her how that total was. .h.i.tting me. Lacy was getting a big check. I needed to run some numbers, check my balance, before I paid my other bills.
"She"s going to work for a big retailer up there. She was all excited about it." Lacy chattered on about the other clerks, a new one she wanted to hire, her family, even a boyfriend she was thinking of breaking up with. I wrote her check then started in on the rest of the payroll checks. It had to be done. Fortunately there was a large deposit to be made too. I should have left better instructions. Lacy could have made these deposits sooner.
"Great." I had no idea what she"d said. I hoped she hadn"t just called her boyfriend a loser. "Here are all the checks for the clerks. I"m going to drop this cash into the night deposit. The bank lobby is open late on Thursday nights. I"ll get things set up for you then and from now on you can deposit our cash daily." I handed her the envelopes for the staff then zipped the bank bag closed. "We should have done this years ago."
"Well, yeah. I didn"t want to say anything but you are a bit of a micromanager, Glo." Lacy smiled and hopped down from the table. "No offense."
"No, you"re right." I picked up the bag. "I had a serious wake-up call in Scotland. My priorities have shifted now. Jerry didn"t know me and I had to start over with him. It made me realize that I wanted to put my relationship with him first. This business supports me but it"s not the center of my existence."
Lacy hugged me. "Wow. That"s major." She pulled open the door into the shop. "We handled things here for you. That"s why we didn"t call while you were over there."
"And I appreciated it. My mind just wasn"t on this place." I glanced around the store and realized that, except for that front window display, everything looked fine-stock straight and new things out for customers to see. "The store looks great, Lacy. As soon as I balance my checkbook, I"ll see if I can squeeze out a bonus for you and the rest of the staff."
Lacy flushed. "Thanks, Glo." She hugged me again, unusual in a were-cat. "If you"re going to the bank now, be careful. There have been some ATM robberies lately."
"I"m a vampire, Lacy. I think I can take care of myself against some mortal thief." I held the bag against my chest. "No one is getting this money. It"s all that"s keeping this store afloat right now."