Mate Me, Keep Me by Angelique Voisen

Author:Angelique Voisen [Voisen, Angelique]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

Pat

The scream woke me, and roused my bear. Flinging the sheets aside, I heard it again, a raspy shrill sound. Jacob. Fury kindled in me. I barreled out of the room, ready to rip apart the fucker stupid enough to attack what was mine—except there was no one else in the apartment but us. Relaxing, my gaze focused on Jacob’s lean figure, curled up miserably into a ball on the living room couch. Part of me remained pissed at him for choosing the couch instead of being in my bed, but I understood his reasoning.

Seeing the wedding bands last night shook me to the core. Summoned a grief I thought I’d gotten over a long time ago. I saw it on Jacob’s face. He wanted to bolt, who wouldn’t?

But he stayed, and Christ, that meant more than he could fathom. I’ve placed that online ad every year and only Jacob had the balls to answer it. Nearly changed my mind too, but Jacob’s determination opened up new doors in me I thought I’d long slammed shut. After Jack died, I thought I had nothing left to give, but Jacob proved me wrong. How could I let Jacob go, when he possessed the uncanny ability to resuscitate the dead pieces of my soul?

It was easy to become addicted to Jacob. He tastes like life, like fire hot enough to burn. A decent bastard would let him go. He’s young, with so much promise and I’m just an old recluse, a bear meant to rot away in his den, but I can’t let go. Jacob decided to stay and I swore the night before I’d do better. Calling him Jack was a grave error, I knew that. Jacob’s right, sometimes I do see glimpses of Jack in him, but I’m not crazy. Jacob isn’t Jack’s ghost or shadow, he is a treasure, and I intend to prove that to him.

“No,” Jacob moaned.

Frowning, I approached his sleeping form. Sweat coated his hair and back. I pried the blanket away from him, surprised he held onto my fingers so tight, as if my touch could save him from whatever monster hunted him in his sleep.

“Don’t kill him. Die fucker.”

“Jacob, wake up.”

Alarmed, I give him a little shake, but it doesn’t do any good. His breathing turns erratic. More words tumbled out of his lips. I knew everything about Jacob. Did his dreams transport him back to the desert the way mine bring me to my last memory of Jack smiling, before the truck ran him over?

“Baby, it’s just a dream.”

Baby. A term of endearment I never used before with Jacob, but I liked how it sounded on his lips the night before. Jacob’s eyes flew open, fists coming at me, probably still stuck in that place. I grabbed his wrists, waiting for Jacob to calm down.

“Jacob.”

He blinked at the sound of his name, looked around the apartment, then back at me. “Pat,” he whispered my name with relief. “You’re real.”

Reluctantly, I let him go, but he wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his face into my chest.

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