Blood Deep (Bound in Blood Book 1) (5 page)

“Why do you keep saying that?” He bit out. Patrick thought talking to other vampires was annoying with their love of riddles and talking around subjects, but trying to get a clear answer out of Jacob was proving to be far worse of a trial. “It’s quite annoying, not to mention extremely rude.”

Jacob’s calm shrug made Patrick’s hackles rise even higher. “Well that’s really helpful then,” he huffed out. “How about next time I ask a question, you try providing a real answer, sound good?”

“Whatever you say vamp boy,” Jacob answered with a one-handed salute.

“Jesus, what is wrong with you? I get that I seem like a pushover, but if you have this kind of an attitude with other vampire clients I would assume you had a death wish.”

Jacob chuckled. “Really? If I did, would you grant it for me?”

Patrick wasn’t expecting the seriousness of Jacob’s reaction. He hadn’t expected anything more than another smart ass answer. The man’s serious tone and rigid posture made Patrick pause and consider Jacob more closely. He would be lying if he said a small part of him wasn’t thrilled with the idea of being able to bite and claim Jacob until they both succumbed to the pleasure and collapsed in a vivid haze of red. Not for the first time warning bells went off in his mind; this man was dangerous.

“I don’t bite humans,” Patrick said quietly. He dropped his gaze until it was somewhere around Jacob’s clavicle. “In fact, I don’t drink human blood at all.”

Jacob’s slow smile didn’t make Patrick feel any more at ease.

“Is that so?”

“Of course it is. I’m not a liar, Jacob.”

“Didn’t say you were, but forgive me for not being a believer just yet. Maybe it has something to do with how often your gaze falls upon my neck.”

Patrick snapped his eyes up trying to ignore the truthfulness of Jacob’s statement. “I…” He trailed off. He couldn’t bring himself to lie about it. His gaze was drawn to Jacob’s unblemished neck. Wait… “What happened to the bite marks?”

“What?”

Patrick looked up at him. “Last night you had bite marks on your neck, that’s why I smelled your—“

“Don’t worry about that,” Jacob interrupted him gruffly. His muscles looked locked tight and Patrick knew he wouldn’t get any more information about the now absent marks today.  He could still hear Jacob’s sweet blood as it pulsed through the man’s veins. It was so shallow below the surface. It would be so easy for Patrick to push just one tooth in and sample—

“I’m sorry.” Patrick swore he could see some unnamed emotion flickering behind Jacob’s eyes, but it was gone too quickly for him to understand it.

“You keep saying that,” Jacob replied. He was standing a few feet away between Patrick and the living room sofa. Even with the distance, Patrick swore he could feel the heat radiating off of Jacob’s body. It was very disconcerting.

“I said what I meant,” Patrick shot back his voice wavering slightly. His words brought a quick smile to Jacob’s face. If Patrick hadn’t been paying attention, he would have sworn it never happened.

“Hm,” Jacob hummed crossing his arms and scrutinizing Patrick with a hard gaze. Patrick tried to keep his expression neutral as they stood gazing at one another, but it was like a switch had been flipped and he couldn’t keep his human reactions at bay.

“What?”

Jacob smiled at Patrick’s outburst. “Nothing.” He put his arms down and turned his piercing gaze to the hallway leading to the bedroom and office. “Like I said before, you’re surprising. That’s all.”

Patrick sighed. “I wish you would stop being cryptic and just explain how I’m surprising and whether it’s a good thing or not.”

“You’re just not…what I was expecting,” Jacob finally conceded. He ran a hand through his dark hair and Patrick couldn’t help but notice how tired the other man looked. Not for the first time, he wondered why and how Jacob found himself in this line of work; playing slave to the whims and desires of the very beings he seemed to hate. He didn’t dare ask though. He somehow knew that the story was inherently off limits.

Instead he asked, “Is that a good thing? Me being surprising, I mean?” The question didn’t seem to be what Jacob was expecting. Maybe he thought that Patrick would ask him about his past. Either way, he paused and gazed at Patrick as if really considering how to answer.

Patrick suddenly felt bad. The man hadn’t even been working for him a day and already he was grilling him with uncomfortable questions. No wonder he was alone. “You know what, never mind. You don’t have to answer all these questions.” He walked away from the kitchen doorframe passing Jacob and moving towards the front door. “We should, however, go grocery shopping because I have nothing edible for a human or a vampire in my fridge. I don’t typically have much company over. I mean, vampires yes, but usually the only humans here are those that Gabriel tries to parade under my nose so I’m completely out of—“

“I don’t know.”

The answer was so quiet that if not for Patrick’s enhanced hearing, he would never have heard it. His hand was already on the doorknob when a strong hand landed on his shoulder pulling him to a stop.

Jacob’s hand had acted almost as if it were possessed reaching out to land on Patrick’s shoulder before his brain had gotten the memo. Now he stood behind Patrick, mouth frozen with no words to say. The top of the vampire’s head came up to his chin and with each breath he could smell the pleasant scent of Patrick’s shampoo. He found himself wanting nothing more than to bury his face in it and let the aroma wrap around him. Instead, he forced himself to slow his breathing. This vamp, Patrick, was maddening. Jacob hadn’t been lying when he said he didn’t know whether or not it was a good thing that Patrick was surprising. Truthfully, Jacob was accustomed to dealing with a very specific manner of vampire clientele; the kind that didn’t think twice about taking advantage of the fact that he was essentially a kept meal.

It was part and parcel of the kept human experience when it came to vamps. They didn’t leave any lasting physical damage and he kept his mouth shut and his head down. Jacob wasn’t trying to be arrogant, but he knew he was great at what he did regardless of the vampire’s gender. He needed to be if he was going to keep getting the big paychecks he needed. It had taken a little time to get used to the coolness of a vamp’s touch, especially in terms of keeping the necessary parts at attention, but after a few weeks, he’d managed to essentially fuck that out of himself.

It was a necessary skill and one that helped him increase his own stamina in the face of a supernaturally enhanced bed partner that rarely grew tired.

“Jacob?”

Patrick’s soft voice pulled Jacob from his thoughts and he blinked to refocus his vision. He looked down at his hand, that traitorous appendage hadn’t moved from where it had initially landed curving around Patrick’s seemingly frail shoulder. He had to fight hard to peel his fingers away.

“It’s a thing,” he bit out alarmed by the rough quality of his own voice. “Let’s leave it at that for now.”

For a moment it looked as if Patrick wanted to press the issue and Jacob held his breath. Lying to a vampire was damn near impossible when they could hear every small blip of your heart, but he would have to try. He couldn’t give the man an answer he didn’t have.

Patrick shook his head, lips turning up slightly in a small smile. “Okay.”

Jacob nearly collapsed as he let out a relieved breath. He ran a hand through his dark hair. “Okay.”

They stood for a moment, awkwardly gazing at one another as if they both had unspoken words they wanted to say. It was the sound of Jacob’s stomach growling that broke the strange tension and Patrick motioned to the unopened door.

“I apologize for not being adequately prepared for your arrival. Like I mentioned before, I don’t often have guests over so I don’t have much of anything for you to eat.”

Patrick’s sheepish grin did strange things to Jacob’s insides. Jacob’s normal reaction would be to ask again why that mattered, to put them firmly back in the categories of client and pet. With all of his other clients, it was understood that he would be providing his own food and entertainment outside of what they wanted from him. He’d be lying though if he said it wasn’t a nice change. It was that thought that kept his default reaction at bay and he motioned for Patrick to open the door.

“Do you mind walking?” Patrick asked. He opened the door and stood to the side allowing Jacob to pass through. Jacob noted that the vampire didn’t bother to lock the door behind him. “I don’t own a car, but there is a small grocery store about three blocks down the road.”

The sound of their footsteps on the wooden stairs echoed through the hallway. A stray thought of how annoying it must be to hear everyone’s footsteps floated through Jacob’s head. He was used to clients living in upscale buildings with in your face gaudy flair. The building that Patrick lived in, while still relatively new, felt much smaller and cozier. It was a bit cool though and Jacob shivered slightly. He’d only put back on his light t-shirt before they left. He glanced over at Patrick to see the vampire looking at him with a frown on his face.

“What?” Jacob asked. He looked down at himself trying to find the source of Patrick’s displeasure. “Do you not like what I’m wearing?” Jacob was hoping Patrick wasn’t one of those assholes who liked to dress him up before even being seen in public. “You never said anything about needing a different wardrobe.”

“Oh, no. Nothing like that,” Patrick said quickly. “I just didn’t realize how cool it was in here. Feel free to change the thermostat. Most of the tenants here are also vampires so of course we can never tell if the temperature is too cold or too hot until someone complains.”

Jacob made a mental note of what the vampire said and tried not to let his surprise at Patrick’s concern show.

“It’s not that cold in here.”

“Okay…well, just change it if you need to.” Patrick smiled. When they reached the main door, he opened it again letting Jacob walk past him.

The brightness of the day was strange. The building hadn’t been dark or dreary, but the whole situation that Jacob now found himself in had had a dream like quality to it. He had assumed that it would be much darker outside than it was when he’d arrived. Everything so far had been so off the mark from what he was expecting that he needed a moment to wrap his head around it all.

“Won’t the other vamps in the building mind me just waltzing in and changing their shit without asking?” Jacob asked. He didn’t really care one way or another what the other vampires in the building might think, but he had to fill the silence somehow.

Silence meant dealing with his own thoughts, and he wasn’t ready to make sense of it all. He wasn’t quite sure what the outcome would be or whether it would be something he’d want.

Patrick shrugged. “The other human inhabitants might be a bit miffed about a big jump in the temperature of the corridor, but I doubt the other vampires will even notice.” They reached the crosswalk and he glanced up and down the street before stepping off the sidewalk. Jacob followed not bothering to take his eyes off Patrick.

“And besides,” Patrick continued as they wound themselves through the crowd of people. “I kind of…own the whole building.”

“How do you kind of own an entire building? Either you own the damn thing or you don’t.”

Patrick chuckled. “Fine then. I own the damn thing.” He turned to look at Jacob with a shy smile. Jacob could see his blue eyes sparkling with amusement and had to force himself to smirk instead of smiling in kind. 

“Color me impressed,” Jacob said with a whistle.

Patrick’s own smile turned into a smirk. “Indeed. So turn the thermostat to whatever you want. As my guest, you rank higher in importance than my other tenants. Plus, I charge the cheapest rent in the area. If someone decides to leave, another person will quickly and easily come in their place.”

The smugness in Patrick’s voice made Jacob laugh. “So the twinky little vamp does have some bite after a—“

The feeling of his back firmly hitting a brick wall made Jacob gasp. He wasn’t new to being manhandled by a vampire, but how swiftly Patrick had moved made something inside of his stomach clench. The feeling of being pressed tightly against the wall was familiar and yet world’s away from the times before. Nothing he had ever experienced could have prepared him for the shock of Patrick’s deceptively lithe and muscular body pressed tightly against his chest. Thin hands grasped Jacob’s upper arms in a tight hold as his own fingers scraped the wall behind him.