Jameson found Charisma on the chaise in the solarium when he returned. She was asleep, he was happy to observe, and she looked so peaceful, so beautiful. With her hand tucked beneath her chin, she looked like a child. A surge of protectiveness washed over him. Jameson knew that he would die to keep her safe if he had to, and it wasn't only because she was his charge. Just another reason for him to ask himself why he was the one sent to find her. He barely knew anything about the woman, but somehow, he managed to figure out that he wanted more that just her safety. Why? Why her? Why now? And would getting involved with her be the smartest choice?
Even if the choice was a smart one, it wasn't as if a relationship could work. He was a half-god demon hunter. And she was a human freelance chef. She would always be in danger. She would always be a weakness.
With a sigh, Jameson gently lifted her into his arms and had to ignore the feeling that washed over him. She fit... so perfectly. And she smelled like berries.
Charisma opened her eyes slowly and smiled at Jameson. "I fell asleep," she said as a greeting.
"I know." He said nothing more as he carried her up the stairs and toher room. As he set her on the bed, he smoothed her soft hair back and found himself captivated by the whimsical look in her eyes. "I'll take you shopping for more stuff tomorrow."
"No, you already bought me so much."
"Yes, but you need clothes to train in."
"I have clothes at my..." Charisma trailed off as realization set in once more. She had no home. It burned down two days ago. Being at the manor served as a nice distraction from that fact. Her life was a mess, and she had no idea how to clean it up. The sense of control she lived for was gone.
The sudden onslaught of tears caught them both by surprise. "I'm sorry," she said, "I just... I don't usually..."
Jameson found himself frowning. He'd never been one to be comfortable around tears and because of that, did everything possible to get as far away from an overly emotional woman as possible. But he couldn't leave Charisma. Not like this. He murmured sweet words of encouragement as he pulled her close. Her tears were quick to end, but her devastation lingered. "It's going to be all right."
"How can you be so sure?" With everything going on in her life, there was no feasible way a positive outcome could be had.
"Because I just know."
"But how? How do you keep going everyday knowing the things that you do?"
"You don't think about the next day, or the next week is how," he replied. As he ran his hands over the expanse of her back, he continued, "All that matters is getting through the next five minutes without losing your mind. If you can do that, then the five after won't be so bad." It was hard to get her to understand because she'd only been part of his world for a few days. After centuries of fighting for his life and for the sake of mankind, he'd seen things no being should have, things that had the ability to break the minds of weaker men. Jameson had time to hone his skills of desensitizing, of considering everything part of the job. Because of that time, he was able to compartmentalize a little too well.
When Charisma pulled away from him, he wiped her tears away. She looked so vulnerable, so scared, so unlike the woman who'd cooked dinner for his family. "Charisma?"
"Yes?" She looked from his paralyzing grey eyes to his mouth and found herself leaning in to kiss him before she could stop herself. It was only a simple kiss, one meant to test the theory that his mouth was as delectable as it looked. His mouth was more than that, she realized, and the knowledge only made her look into his shocked eyes nervously. She'd never been so bold before and thus the fear of his rejection kept her from moving.
Jameson stared at Charisma for only a minute before he pulled her to him again and took full possession of her mouth. Her lips were sweet and soft; they molded to his perfectly. He found himself moaning in pleasure when her tongue timidly snaked out to caress his lips. In response to her move, he allowed her tongue entrance just as he used his to invade the sweet cavern of her mouth.
Heat and passion swirled through him as his lips slanted over hers. He could not control his need to touch her and found himself lifting the hem of her shirt. Her soft skin drove him mad and her whimpers of pleasure made him want more. Jameson trailed his hands up her taut stomach and groaned at the feel of her hardened nipples begging for attention through the lace of her bra. In the back of his head, he screamed at himself to stop because there would be no turning back once he took her. At the same time, he couldn't stop himself; with every touch, he craved more of her.
"Yes," she moaned as his fingertips brushed over the hard peaks of her breasts. A scant second later, she frowned in confusion as he pulled away and took a few steps back. "Jameson, what-"
"We can't."
"Why not?"
The more he looked at her, the more he asked himself the same question. He sighed as he said, "My life is complicated." It was unfair of him to act as if he lived a life that would keep her out of danger.
She understood what he meant and even agreed with what he was trying to say. But she wasn't asking for marriage. "That doesn't mean sex has to be." Charisma wasn't the type of person to casually offer herself to strange men, but there was no use in denying the fact that Jameson set her on fire. Casual sex with him would be just that; casual. No strings, no obligations, and no promises. They both remained in complete control of their lives.
Jameson looked away, knowing that he would not be able to tell her that though he'd only known her a handful of days, he wanted more than sex, the very reason he couldn't sleep with her. "Get some sleep. We'll be out early."
* * * * *
"I thought you said that this would be enjoyable." Liam rifled through the various racks of clothes in front of him, disgusted by the fact that he'd agreed to accompany his brother and the woman on their trip. For the past three hours, he'd stood back and watched as Jameson held up item after item for her to consider. Charisma has simple tastes, only choosing dark yoga pants and sports bras for training. Jameson had other ideas, especially when he noticed that many of the stores located in the mall were having sales. Liam, who originally thought that the trip would take an hour, grumbled when his brother reached for another item.
"Watching you grumble is amusing." Jameson laughed when Liam's eyes narrowed dangerously.
Charisma watched the pair curiously. From what she observed, none of the brothers, save Draco and Roman, looked like each other. Their personalities were eons apart, but yet, they all meshed easily. Maybe it was because they'd been brothers longer than... Well, she didn't know how long, but based on their relationship, it was a damned long time.
Watching them gave her another urge to contact her adoptive parents. She longed for a bond. With anyone. She was relatively new to town, and she wasn't close enough to her friends to call them family. There was Marie, who oddly knew her quiet well, but their relationship was more employer-employee than friendly. The men she lived with were suddenly her closest friends in the world. Would she be able to adjust to being alone again once she was no longer in danger of being kidnapped?
"You ok?"
Charisma blinked herself out of her thoughts and looked up into Jameson's concerned eyes. "I'm fine."
"Why are you blushing?"
She looked at Liam's exasperated face and felt her flush deepen. She'd only looked into Jameson's eyes and she was acting like a schoolgirl. In public. "Just got a mental image of you in that." She motioned to the pale yellow yoga pants he held. "Very sexy." At Jameson's loud laugh, she smiled, and watched as Liam angrily placed the item back on the rack. He was so hot-tempered.
"I think that's enough for today," Jameson said, "You two stay here while I pay for these."
"No." Charisma moved to block his path and ignored the shocked expression on his face. "I can't let you pay for these."
"Why the hell not?" Liam asked, "Most of you females jump at the chance to have all this shit bought for you."
