Part 1 (1/2)
WINNING VIRGIN LOVE.
by Destiny Blaine.
Chapter 1
”So she's leaving?” Almonzo didn't face his brother. He held the composure of a man with influence and yet in that particular moment, he felt quite broken and anything but powerful.
”What did you expect?” Orlando demanded.
Almonzo realized his brother didn't need to crash into a brick wall because then there would be h.e.l.l to pay with the woman who shared his bed. Orlando kind of liked having his cute little bride keeping it warm for him.
Almonzo knew his brother would suffer his wife's temper tantrums if he didn't correct their pending problem and then it would ricochet from there. He didn't want unnecessary headaches. His sister-in-law, Natasha, was often a general pain in the a.s.s. Her sister, Tabitha, wasn't much better.
Before he allowed his mind to wander with thoughts of Tabitha and the fantasies she often inspired, Almonzo turned around in a blaze of fury. ”I knew she would be a little wench and she is. I antic.i.p.ated hard times and she didn't disappoint. I predicted she'd be the devil's twin and she's proven it to be a fact and I expected to...”
”Love her?” Orlando laughed. ”And you sure as h.e.l.l do.”
Almonzo closed a book with a loud bang and then tossed it across his desk. ”This is your fault!”
”Mine?” The laughter grew louder as the room spun out the tension between siblings. ”Do tell. I can't wait to see where this is headed.” Orlando crossed his arms and leaned against one of the magnificent walnut desks.
”None of this would've happened if you didn't tear through Las Vegas with your hips searching and chips falling wherever they may.” Almonzo's eyes pierced through his twin's identical pair.
With his chiseled jaw set, Orlando glared back at Almonzo. ”And then you wouldn't be able to drown in self pity because Tabitha didn't plant her lips and her hips in your bed.” He shot his twin a knowing head to toe glance before he turned away. ”She's under your skin and what little blood you have left to savor, you would willingly shed to save her.”
”Don't be so sure about that little brother.” Almonzo's condescending tone stood on its own but since Almonzo was the older twin, if by only a minute, he took a jab at his double.
”It's not like she doesn't know it. Since she's been here, you've pushed her away one minute and then followed her around like a blood-thirsty hound the very next.”
”A blood thirsty hound?” Almonzo didn't like the a.n.a.logy. He wrinkled his nose and then decided to give his carbon copy something to think about. ”You were in a similar situation not long ago.”
”Yes, but...”
”Yes, but of course it is different, isn't it? You were lucky enough to find your virgin bride and then lock her away in the desert until she saw things your way.” He let out a distorted sound, a cross between a grunt and a sigh. ”I don't have the same luxury. Tabitha has Natasha to protect her and never mind Mother and Father who seem to think the moon is only brighter with Tabitha under our roof.”
”You didn't grumble when I first arrived with her.”
”I never realized she would be this difficult. Even your wife didn't stir this much angst.” Almonzo paced a few steps and then turned back to his brother. ”Yes, you went too far when you provoked the elders into a sentence better imposed on a mortal man with a shorter lifespan.”
”Natasha keeps me well entertained. I'm rather pleased with the outcome.” Orlando grinned from ear to ear.
Almonzo's voice inflection changed. ”Of course you are. You have Natasha in your bed, who is happy to be there and her vixen sister who sticks around for one purpose-to drive me to the brink of lunacy. I imagine your life never tasted sweeter.”
The mirror images faced off. They were nose to nose with obvious sneering to remind each of the potential for battle wounds. Before sibling differences seared them both, the doors opened wide. The young men parted and separated but not fast enough. Their long, natural brown curls still swayed behind their shoulders as they tried to stand perfectly still.
Samuel Spenser joined his sons in the familiar office and if his facial expression was any indication, he disapproved of the argument he deliberately interrupted. ”Good evening, boys.” He took a seat in the center of the room. Stretching his long legs in front of him, he propped his feet up on a marble-top coffee table.
The three men worked from home most of the time and enjoyed the lavish surroundings of opulent furnis.h.i.+ngs. Walnut desks were in the three corners of the triangular pod and an oriental rug in the middle lured the naked eye before inviting guests to a most comfortable lounging area. Generally, when the patriarch of the Spenser family worked, it was from this center.
Orlando joined his father in the seating area. He lounged easily on the over-sized stuffed chair. ”Almonzo thinks Tabitha is the devil's twin.”
”I imagine you never felt the same about her sister?” Samuel's sarcasm oozed before he glanced up. Everyone in the family realized Orlando and Natasha went through their own trials before a new understanding of conquering tribulations ever began.
Almonzo joined them. ”The h.e.l.l he didn't. You're forgetting something, Father. I stayed with them. I saw firsthand what he went through and while it provided entertainment, it was not pretty but h.e.l.l's fury, Tabitha isn't her sister. She is more difficult and far more stubborn and ...”
”He loves her more every day, yes?” Samuel looked at Orlando, the younger of the two twin brothers, and stifled a chuckle. Nodding, he continued. ”It shows on you, Almonzo. Maybe there's the problem.”
His troubles required him to wear his heart on his sleeve and he sat down on the arm of his brother's chair ready to explain. ”No. You don't understand. She is h.e.l.l on earth. The devil is a saint beside her. I try to get to know her, she spits on the ground where I walk. She tells me thirty, no, forty times a day that she's not a virgin and if she were cursed with innocence then she certainly wouldn't give it up to me.” He rubbed his hand slowly over his face. ”Why the elders did not allow me the opportunity to find a mate in Las Vegas is something I will never understand. Orlando all but chose her for me.”
As quickly as he shared his sentiments, his father locked eyes with him. Of course, Orlando didn't choose Tabitha for him. Almonzo realized it because he saw her image long before he met her in the flesh. It was a fated union and one with a certain conclusion. Tabitha was his destiny.
”Ah, so she's not a virgin and this is where the problem lies?” Amused, Samuel gave his son his undivided attention.
”No, Father, the trouble is her blood is tainted never mind the other parts of her body.” Almonzo stopped more words from spilling out and he stood quickly. His breath hitched in his chest making it impossible to breathe. ”d.a.m.n it all!” His eyes turned a shade of lavender, only for a moment, and he turned toward the door. ”If you must listen, you might as well show your face!” His arm rose and fell as he waited for her to appear.
The other two Spenser men stood as Tabitha reluctantly peered around the door. ”What's wrong, love? Smell my blood, did ya?” Tabitha forced a thick Scottish accent. She managed it quite well.
Driven by pure s.p.u.n.k, the gorgeous siren trotted into the room with golden locks flowing behind her. If she didn't have the sinful body of a woman, age would've been difficult to determine because of her youthful appearance. The twinkle in her eye proved mischief fueled her twisted little brain and Almonzo provided motivation to ensure it worked overtime.
Almonzo growled. A low moan of pure dread and without a true hint of s.e.xual intent, it still held a masculine and perverse meaning all the same. ”Now do you see what I mean?” A sigh escaped his lips as his jaw and lips seemed to work against his inner animosities. He felt certain his expression displayed carnal hunger. It was an involuntary action, or more appropriately, reaction.
The young woman remained full of herself and she shot him a purpose driven smile before she looked straight at his c.o.c.k. She knew how to clear a room with sudden fits of anger or she became the center of attention just by entering one. Her confidence held Almonzo at bay while her beauty stripped him of any practical defenses and when she gazed at certain parts of his body, she shackled him to his own unbridled emotions.
Tabitha rushed around the area in a hurry. She patted Orlando on the shoulder and then slid a kiss on Samuel's cheek. ”I wanted to say goodbye.” She stared at Almonzo and invited the challenge whether she acknowledged it or not.
”Goodbye?” The eldest of the three vampires took her hand in his. ”We'll be most disappointed.” A dimple formed in his cheek and lingered just a second before he continued. ”If you choose to leave.”
She quickly released his hand and stared straight ahead before she began working her hair up on top of her head. She twisted it until it piled high into a fas.h.i.+onable little style. She suddenly looked much taller than her five-footfour frame with her new beauty-do and high heels too. Ocean blue eyes sparkled with defiance. They always held pure devilment.
”The hair becomes you, darling.” Almonzo started them off. He wanted his father to see precisely what he meant.
”I knew you'd think so. Of course, this is all for you.” Her hands moved over her hips in a prissy gesture and Almonzo's mouth watered as he watched. He really didn't care if everyone noticed.
The other Spenser men chuckled.
She continued. ”After all, everything I do, I do for you.” She shot him a devious little wink before she helped herself to a gla.s.s of water from the wet bar.
She returned to find her usual seat beside the head of the family. The young woman wormed her way into Samuel's heart soon after she walked through the imperial doors of the Spenser Edinburgh estate. It wasn't an easy task because he didn't typically show affection, but somehow Tabitha earned more and more of the patriarch's admiration. They bonded and Samuel Spenser treated her like family.
Almonzo studied her for a few quiet seconds. Her game was off. She continued to put on a show for the others but he knew something didn't seem quite right. Almonzo looked her up and down as he tried to figure it out.
She sat next to his father sipping her water. One leg crossed over the other and moved with an easy bounce. She didn't realize what a glorious image she offered. It wasn't the only thing providing a shake and, deliberately, his eyes dwelled just a little too long at her very full b.r.e.a.s.t.s. He knew his lingering gaze called out to the heart and soul of a vixen. His temptress all but felt the warmth of a vampire's stare. He wouldn't care to wager large amounts on the fact as he watched her cheeks turn pink.
”So...” She s.h.i.+fted her weight back on one palm, leaning slightly to the side with only her arm there to support her. ”I noticed there's a supplement out for you, Almonzo.” She flashed a wicked smile, criminal to the point of driving an immediate execution. ”You might want to ask Tate if he has various flavors in stock since you'll be sipping on a lot of those c.o.c.ktails in the near future.”