A Job From Hell (Ancient Legends #1)

to Kieran, laughing at
something he said. My gaze was drawn to the dark blond guy to her right.
Dallas, Amber’s brother, looked like the tanned version of her, but his heartbeat
was less frantic. The poor guy probably had no idea he was talking to a killing
machine that could snap his neck in an instant.
    Kieran noticed my entrance first and jumped
up, putting himself between Dallas and me. For the first time in years, my
brother didn’t have a cracking comment up his sleeve. My back was slick from
sweat as I forced air into my lungs. I pushed Kieran aside with more force than
intended and held out my hand. Amber glanced up at me, startled, as though she
didn’t expect me to join the party. Well, as far as I remembered it was still my
house. If she didn’t feel comfortable introducing me to her family, she shouldn’t
have called them over to visit.
    Amber pointed at me. “Dallas, this is my
boss, Aidan McAllister. Aidan, this is my brother Dallas.”
    Dallas seemed oblivious to the tension in
the room as he shook my hand with unnatural vigor. “You’re the guy who managed
to turn our Amber into a household goddess. Mum and Dad will never believe it.”
    I frowned. So, Dallas still thought Amber was
just the housekeeper. She hadn’t told her brother we were on the verge of
dating? I shot her an irritated glance. “I don’t know about the household
goddess part. Let’s face it. Amber’s no Kim Woodburn or Aggie MacKenzie , that’s for sure.”
    She scowled. “If you want a five-star menu
that you’re not going to eat anyway because you eat o ut most nights, why
don’t you just hire a cook?”
    “I sense trouble in paradise.” Kieran’s
smile was back in place as he said to Dallas, “Come on. I’ll show you the house
while they sort out their lovers’ spat? Could take a while.”
    “Did you say lovers’ spat ?” Dallas raised his brows. Kieran dragged him out the
door.
    “What’s wrong with you? Did you wake up on
the wrong side of the coffin?” Amber placed her hands on her hips, her gaze
throwing daggers. “Your brother couldn’t keep his mouth shut to save his life.
I’ll tell Dallas when I’m good and ready. He had no right to spill the beans.
And as for you—”
    I laughed, interrupting her. “Inviting your
brother over wasn’t the brightest idea, especially not when you’re hell-bent on
keeping us a big secret.” I grabbed her shoulders, ready to shake that
arrogance out of her. Clare was right, Cameron wasn’t forgotten yet, or why
else would she not make our dating official?
    Amber pushed my hands aside. “I didn’t
invite him. He came to visit because, with all the drama, I forgot to reply to
his last message and he was worried.” I knew she was lying from her racing
heart. But I let her continue. “Do you really think I’d put my brother’s life
at risk by introducing him to a bunch of vampires looking for their next dinner?”
    A
bunch of vampires? Was that all I was to her? I
cringed, ignoring my anger. “That’s okay. It’s not like I want to meet the
in-laws any time soon. We all know I only hired you because you’re hot.”
    Standing, she inched closer, barely
reaching my chin as she glared up at me. “Since you keep mentioning my cooking
and cleaning skills, is there something you’re trying to tell me?”
    Until now I had been the one to do the
chasing. Kieran was right, I was going at it the wrong way. Time to play it
cool. “Let’s put it this way—” I took a deep breath, considering my words
“—we fancy the pants off each other, but I’d rather not meet your family.”
    Her jaw dropped; her expression hardened. She
looked like she fought hard not to slap me. I sounded like my brother, but as
much as I wanted to hug her tight and admit my lie, I couldn’t. Judging from
her dating history, she didn’t fall for good guys. “Why would I even want a guy
with over five hundred years of emotional baggage?”
    I snorted. “Like you have room to talk.”
    “I didn’t spend hundreds of years with
Cameron,” Amber said.
    “You can’t move forward with your life. It’s
the same thing.”
    She glared at me. “Why don’t you go out on
the town and look for some fresh necks to bite? I’ll be sure to have the
bartender spike your Blood Light with garlic.”
    “My what?”
    “ Bud
light . A beer?” She waved her hand in my face. “Ah, never mind. Guess at
your age, keeping up with the youth is a tough task. I don’t see the point in
being