Mercy's Destiny: Montgomery's Vampires Trilogy (Book #3) (Montgomery's Vampires Series) by Sloan Archer Page A

was a kid to him, if you wanted to split hairs, though he and I appeared similar in age physically.
    “He was a teenager. You didn’t see him?”
    I shook my head. “No, not at all. What was he doing?”
    “He was watching you. All night long.”
    “Like in creepy way—checking me out? Or like he knew me?”
    Joseph thought a moment. “I wouldn’t say it was creepy, no. He was sort of . . . observing you. Like he was curious.”
    “Hmm, that’s weird.” Could Robert have sent a spy to see how well I was getting along without him? Now I was just being paranoid.
    “You can’t really fault him, can you?” Joseph purred. “You’re a very striking woman, Mercy. I couldn’t take my eyes off you all night, either.”
    I leaned forward to set my glass on the coffee table, just to have something to do, because I didn’t know what to say. At that precise moment, Joseph did the same thing, and our heads nearly butted.
    As I sat back, Joseph reached out and curled his cool fingers around my wrist, pulling me into him. I stiffened, frozen with indecision.
    Joseph’s face bore a mixture of wanting, displeasure, and surprise. No woman had ever spurned his advances, I presumed. His grip slackened and he sat back. Joseph began to speak, probably to apologize.
    But I didn’t wait to hear what he had to say.
    Instead, I sealed his lips closed with a kiss.

 
    8
     
    The passion didn’t last long.
    It was the shortest kiss of my entire life. I guessed it was the same for Joseph. We didn’t even need to come up for air—it was that short.
    I wiped a hand across my mouth. He did the same.
    I said, “Well, that was . . .”
    He finished for me: “Weird.”
    I nodded. “Yah.”
    “Do you, err, want to try again?” he asked.
    “Sure. Okay.”
    The kiss lasted longer this time, but the outcome was the same. When we finished, Joseph and I sat back and regarded each other. It started to pour outside, and the raindrops made pelting sounds against the windows.
    “Okay, don’t take this the wrong way,” I began. “But that was . . .”
    “Bloody awful.”
    Suddenly, we were cracking up, as if nothing had ever been so hilarious. We were laughing so hard that tears were springing from our eyes like a dam had burst under our lids. I snorted like a little piggy as I wheezed for breath, making us laugh harder.
    Joseph slapped a hand down on his thigh and then my knee. “I’ve had more passionate kisses with goats!”
    “What?” I cackled, swiping a tear from under my eye with a knuckle. My mascara was probably all over my face. I didn’t care.
    “I was a herder back in the day,” he explained.
    “Oh.”
    And then we were off again.
    “I don’t know why this is so funny!”
    “I don’t either!”
    Our merriment eventually died down to the point where we were making those soft uh-uh-uhh noises people do after they’ve had a good giggle. Joseph picked up my wine glass and handed it to me and then picked up his own tumbler of blood.
    He held his glass up and made a toast. “Here’s to us never, ever, ever kissing again.”
    I chinked his glass against mine. “Agreed.”
    We sipped on our drinks and then I said, “I mean, what in the hell was that?”
    Joseph grimaced. “I have no idea. It was like kissing . . .”
    “Like . . . a family member . . . or a random associate, like the mailman.”
    “Totally!” he exclaimed. “I don’t get it. You’re hot, I’m hot—” he laughed again. “Yikes. That kiss was just so appalling.”
    “So, where does that leave us?” I smiled.
    He asked, “Where do you want it to leave us?”
    “This is weird, because I don’t really know you, but I like you. Like as a friend?”
    “I completely agree,” Joseph said, nodding. “I feel close to you. But, uh, not sexually.” Apparently. “And I suspect we’re in agreement.”
    “So, maybe we can be friends, Joseph. If it’s allowed?”
    His brow crinkled. “Why wouldn’t it be allowed?”
    “Err . . . Because of