Without Limits: A BWWM Collection of Passion and Desire, page 44
Avery pulled up the Nav and the directions were clear, the blue line led straight ahead. It wasn’t so much a road as a walking trail barely wide enough for a car, but with the vehicle they had, still drivable. Avery punched her fist into the air and yelled, “Let’s roll.”
“Woot! Woot!” Bridget cried from the back, and Jax’s laughter rang out.
Serissa took off and the other Jeeps fell in single file behind them, but it wasn’t long before they reached an open area and a vehicle flew past them. At first she thought it was one of the Range Rovers carrying the cameramen, but as she glanced over she spied Karen behind the wheel. Karen waved at them as she took the lead. A camera truck followed, keeping pace with Karen for a while before falling back and getting some shots of them. Serissa frowned at the car now in front, not so much the machine, but the woman driving it.
“What a bitch,” Avery mumbled, but Serissa heard and couldn’t agree more.
Why Jax kept that bottled blond around she had no idea. Well, unless you like fake boobs, and that wasn’t the only thing fake on Karen. Even the color of the woman’s violet eyes were courtesy of contact lens. Aside from the surface stuff, the woman had murky black at the edges of her aura—selfish and vain, not to be trusted.
Glancing quickly over her shoulder, Serissa saw Jax grinning at her, even though he had just answered whatever question Bridget had asked him. Bridget and Avery had kept up most of the conversation. Serissa only answered when asked a direct question.
She had convinced herself Jax was a vampire but unsure what the hell he was up to. What the hell would a vampire be doing on a dating show? But she sensed no evil in him. She wondered how old he was. Maybe he was there like them to have fun or find the love of his life. For some reason, neither really sat well with her as she considered the other fourteen women left in this play.
The path led them across the open grassland and then narrowed, taking them back to a barely there trail. Serissa bounced in her seat, her rear having taken a serious workout. Where were the shock absorbers in the seat? She felt each bounce in her ass and it ricocheted throughout the rest of the body. She tightened her hold on the steering wheel and noticed from the GPS they were almost to their destination. There was maybe another hour left of light and she didn’t really want to drive on this rough terrain in the dark. At least the mountain loomed nearer.
The trail widened again into a more open area and ended right at the base of the mountain where there were three large tents already pitched, a smaller one, and a deluxe-sized camper off to the side. It must have arrived from the other direction. She could see a paved road not far away. They’d obviously been given the scenic and less traveled road to take. One of Kevin’s production assistants’ rode with the cameramen and directed them where to park.
Kevin came out of the camper and once they stopped, waved them over. For the next half hour they unloaded and claimed a tent. She and Avery had been smart. They choose the closest tent and took a spot near the opening so they’d get a nice breeze. Bridget, and Pamela were their other tent mates, thank the Goddess for small miracles.
As soon as the other producers arrived, Karen was in their faces complaining about the accommodations. They had to remind her of the contract she signed. No one forced her to do so, and she had two weeks to have an attorney go over it with her before signing. The woman had a set of lungs on her. Serissa was sure anyone on the other side of the mountain heard her, “FUCK!” While it wasn’t five or even four-star accommodations, the bathrooms were outside. To the left and several feet away from their tents, there was a metal box with the words women’s bathroom and another near the smaller tent that said men’s. The tents were also very spacious and had pretty nice amenities. Like portable charging ports for their phones. And the beds for one had actual mattresses and great pillows. Even though everything was beige, easier to hide dirt. At least they would not be roughing it, so that was something.
After they were all situated, the real fun began. They all sat around on cut logs that surrounded an unlit fire pit when Pamela asked, “What’s for dinner?”
“Well, ladies,” Jax said while folding his arms across his chest, “this first night’s easy.” He had a cooler at his feet and bent down to open it. “I’m going to show you how to build a fire and then we’ll cook this up.”
“What ya got there, Jax?” Avery asked as she got up and walked over to him. She grinned as she pulled out a package of fresh salmon wrapped in plastic. “Mmm…my favorite,” she said. Then she glanced in Serissa’s direction and winked. “Serissa cooks up a mean grilled salmon.”
Laughing, Serissa said, “Yeah, on my grill at home. Let’s see what all is in there.” Before she had taken two steps in their direction, Karen was there pulling some of the other things out of the cooler.
“Well, so can I. I’ll take care of the fish…” she glanced up and looked at Jax, “…if you build me the fire.”
Jax grinned and nodded. “Fair enough, we better hurry then, daylight’s burning.” Then he took Avery by the hand, wrapped his arm around Bridget, and called out, “Come on, Serissa, you’re not cooking tonight. We’ll be back with the wood.” Turning, he walked off and Serissa skipped after them.
“But....” Cathy and Karen blurted together, then Kevin stepped in. “Okay, ladies, here are the rest of your tools. There’s everything here you’ll need to make Clapshot, Jax’s favorite.”
Serissa didn’t bother to see what else Kevin had shown them. She was too busy laughing. They all were. They walked off into the bush and Jax explained to them to look for dried twigs or grass. For some reason, he seemed to end up searching right near her. Not that they were that spread out but he remained close. She kept glancing at him whenever she thought he wasn’t looking, yet somehow their eyes always managed to meet.
“Well, that was interesting,” Avery said as she zipped herself inside the sleeping bag.
They’d returned and ended up helping with dinner as well as the clean up. They sat around the fire and ate burnt salmon and mushy Clapshot, but the wine was excellent. Cathy and Karen managed to sit on either side of Jax. She sat across from him but their eyes kept meeting over the fire. Afterward, everyone was tired. It had been a long day and after Jax went off to his tent alone, everyone else did the same. Now she lay near Avery within the cozy tent.
“You could say so.” Bridget, their tent mate, laughed.
Serissa smiled as they all laughed and thought about the dinner. Karen once again tried to show off and ended up putting way too much nutmeg in the Clapshot. Most took one spoonful of the stuff and stuck with the salmon, scraping off the burnt parts.
But Serissa was the only one who noticed Jax didn’t really eat much of anything. He kept sipping from a silver flask he’d taken from the side of his pants. Something told her it was neither water nor wine. It only confirmed for her the color of his aura. Jax was of the type of vampire who didn’t take his substance directly from human flesh.
She found that interesting. Yes, she knew vampires existed and like everyone else, some were good, some bad, some assholes. So far, she found nothing sinister about this one. Just never thought she’d spend so much time around one, especially on a reality television show. Much less be so attracted to him. But what was not to like? Well over six feet of ripped, trim muscle.
She frowned.
Maybe that’s why he could be in the sun. He didn’t take human blood directly from a vein, and he’d have to be of a great age. She’d been told by one of the coven leaders who had studied the night creatures, the older ones might be able to tolerate a bit of sun. The only thing she knew for sure about Jax was vampire or not, he intrigued the hell out of her.
A sound that did not belong to the night interrupted her sleep. Opening her eyes, Serissa shifted so she could look through the open tent flap. They’d left it slightly ajar to catch a light breeze, but the bug screen over the covering they left in place. The night wasn’t too cold. The last remnants of the fire cast a soft glow across the tents surrounding it.
A shadow having the silhouette of a woman moved toward the smallest tent. Serissa sat up. Why, that bitch! Karen moved the flap back and snuck into Jax’s tent. She had half a mind to go drag her ass outta there. She noticed movement near the trailer and saw one of the cameramen moving toward the tent. Oh, the television viewers would love that; no sooner had that thought entered her mind when Karen left his place. She had to walk past Serissa’s to return to her own. Serissa frowned, wondering what had happened. The camera caught it all; she wondered if they got any audio too.
Something made her look again at Jax’s tent flap. She saw him standing at the entrance. His gaze resting on her and his aura blazed a deep red threaded with gold. Like she had no will of her own, she threw back her sheets, pulled on her boots, long pajama pants, and a short sleeve T-shirt, wasn’t sexy but it worked. She left her tent and went to him.
He spoke before she even realized she stood before him.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked.
She took a deep breath, inhaling his fragrance. Funny she always thought a vampire would smell like blood, but he didn’t. He smelled of the earth, of this land, and the heather around them. “No,” she said. “You?”
Jax shook his head slightly then glanced over her shoulder. Serissa turned to see what he was looking at just in time to see one of the cameramen standing there aiming his camera at them. Damn she’d forgotten about them. She turned back to Jax.
He frowned and his eyes seemed to glow a little in the dark. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Not bothering to wait for her answer, he took her hand and they walked around his tent. Serissa strained to hear the footfalls of the cameraman come after them. He was, after all, being paid to catch each and every minute of Jax’s courtship of the women. But she heard nothing but the sounds of insects and the crackling of the dying fire.
They continued to move farther from camp and away from the light. Only a quarter moon lit their path ahead, so shadows filled the night. Serissa stopped at a large rock about waist high. After examining by the feeble light to make sure no creepy crawlies rested there, she climbed up on it.
“What are you looking for?” Jax asked.
“Just making sure no bugs before I sit down.”
He chuckled and as soon as she settled, Jax crowded her. With his hands he parted her legs so he could fit in the V he’d created. He grabbed her around the waist and gently squeezed her, as though asking permission for what he wanted to do next. Serissa didn’t move her hands from the stone they rested upon. She merely stared at the man.
She parted her lips to ask about the cameramen, thinking they might show up at any time. Before she could get the words out, Jax’s mouth covered hers. Serissa forgot why she’d care about anything but the feel of him. Sliding her body farther to the edge, she wrapped her legs around his tight ass. His hard cock pressed against her, they both groaned while their tongues played. It was Jax who finally pulled his lips away from hers and rubbed his face against her hair. Both of them breathing hard.
“We should go back,” he said, stepping back a bit but still keeping his arms at her thighs. Serissa didn’t hear much conviction in the tone of his voice.
She wanted to respond after that kiss she wasn’t sure there was any going back. He’d awakened things within her she’d never really thought about until she’d seen him standing on the tarmac. Her mother, also a witch, had always warned her it could be like this for them. One look, one touch, one kiss, and they’d know if they met their forever one.
Serissa shook her head. It was just the show getting to her. This wasn’t for real—none of it. Besides, he was a vampire. Shouldn’t she be scared he’d only lured her out there to bite her?
All of those thoughts flashed through her mind as Jax stepped completely away and helped her off the rock. It suddenly occurred to her the older ones could read minds. Shit! She clamped down tight on her thoughts, just in case. She usually blocked but not always.
They walked back to camp without exchanging another word between them, but he never released his hold on her hand until they were in front of her tent. Then he merely raised her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers, before he pulled back the flap for her to go in. She sat on her mattress and watched him return to his tent.
Glancing around, she was a bit surprised to see no one seemed to be awake, not even the cameraman who’d first gotten up and begun to film them. After taking off her boots, she got into bed and fell asleep, but all she could think of was the way her heart fluttered like a butterfly held within the palm of her hand from his kiss.
The next morning they were awakened by the sound of a bell. A loud one. One of the production assistants rang it and already a cameraman entered the tent, ignoring their groans just to get those god-awful shots of them waking up without makeup.
“Oh God, no,” Bridget mumbled and turned her head away.
“Rise and shine, ladies,” Jax said, poking his head through the flap, his gaze unerringly finding hers before he moved off to the other tents.
Kevin came in behind him. “You have ten minutes to change and pack up before we move onto the next destination.”
“What about breakfast?” Avery asked.
“You’ll eat an energy bar along the way and have something to eat at the first rest stop, about an hour away,” Kevin answered her.
There were a lot more groans as the women assembled, but not as many as when they headed in the direction of the Jeeps and Kevin told them they were headed the wrong way.
“What!” cried Karen. “Aren’t we driving to the next stop?”
“Nope,” Jax replied. “We’ve a bit of a walk ahead of us. We’re doing a walking tour around Scotland.”
“Will we hitting any towns so we can stop in a bar or two?” Bridget asked.
Jax chuckled. “‘Fraid not.”
“How long?” Avery asked.
“‘Bout an hour,” Kevin answered.
Karen looked down at her stuffed backpack. “I can’t possibly carry this for an hour.” She shook her head. “I’m just going to have to drive or…” she turned to look at the cameramen and the production assistant. “…or one of them can take it in the SUV for me.”
“‘Fraid not,” Kevin interjected. “If it’s too heavy then you have five minutes to unpack some of the stuff and leave it with my production assistant. She’ll box it up, put it with the rest of your things and you’ll get it when you leave. Otherwise, you’re going to have to carry it.”
It took about five minutes of Karen pitching a fit while everyone else stood around, but eventually she took out a pair of four inch stilettos she had in there and an evening gown.
When that outfit came out, Avery and Serissa exchanged a grin. Like really, where did she think she’d wear that?
Other stupid unnecessary things got unpacked. By the time Karen finished her pack was only about half the size. Jax helped her strap it onto her back, handed her a walking stick Kevin provided for them, and off they all went with Jax in the lead.
Serissa was more confused than ever why she’d be so drawn to a vampire. They weren’t forbidden or any more evil than anything else human or otherwise, but they were dead or almost dead, at least that’s what she’d always been told. Jax was anything but.
Chapter Six
Jax groaned. “Kill me! Kill me now,” he whispered to Kevin after the last production meeting.
Kevin just grinned at him and shot back, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Heard it all before. There are lots of guys out there who would kill to be in your shoes right now so suck it up.”
Yeah, easy for a happily married Kevin to say. This was the longest two weeks of Jax’s some 500 years of existence and there was still that much plus more to go. Bloody hell! What had he been thinking? How he’d even made it this far was one of the great mysteries. After tonight there were two more cuts left and he’d just been told he still couldn’t get rid of that bitch Karen.
They aired the first two shows already and Karen was a huge favorite, the one everyone loved to hate, but Serissa was also showing up as an early favorite, the one the audience wanted him to end up with. And so did he.
Since their first kiss he’d known. God have mercy he was ready to cut everything and disappear with her. The only thing stopping him was the truth. She was human, she wouldn’t understand. He needed to woo her, give her time to want to be with him as he needed to be with her. Then, then he’d tell her the truth and offer her an eternity.
This entire show was built on the belief in romance, of falling in love given the right surroundings and circumstances. That two people meant to be together can find each other. Too bad others tried way too hard to create connections that just were not there. And whiny contestants aside he was enjoying himself and so was Serissa.
Almost every night for the last couple of weeks, Karen had snuck into his tent, and he’d had to send her away, except for that one night the producers insisted he let her stay. The audience would eat it up. He’d rather it had been Serissa, but they’d never been able to take any more midnight walks. Since he was reluctant to manipulate the crew or the women any more than he already had, he endured Karen’s sloppy kisses. Besides, while he could get the crew to believe they had a make out session, the camera would show otherwise when they reviewed the footage, and he’d be damned if he’d shoot anything in her presence again.
He didn’t care what the producers wanted. He wanted her gone. Vampire that he was, he’d only give so much before he got his way. Karen would be out at the elimination tonight. That would leave Avery, Bridget, and Serissa.
He’d be twice damned if he took Karen home to meet his Ma. Goddess alone knew what his hot-tempered mother would do with someone like Karen. She’d take one look at her and wouldn’t mince words. Besides, he’d much rather have Avery there. He liked her and their kisses were only of the friendly kind, the way you would greet a friend. They both knew they were merely playing to the camera. He also didn’t want to separate her from Serissa until he had to. The producers loved the fact that the only two women of color in the group were among the final four. Ratings had soared. They lived in an interesting modern age. In his earlier days he’d never been able to meet anyone like Serissa. Perhaps that’s why he’d had to wait so long. After the visit to the castle, then he’d eliminate Avery, leaving the final two Bridget and Serissa, and then he could finally focus on Serissa.
