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“I’ve handled worse.” Sanjay had never told Dario about Matt. He’d never told anyone, because, if Sanjay were being honest, he was ashamed he’d stayed in the relationship for so long. A part of him felt that it was his fault for not leaving sooner. That he could have avoided most of the bruises and threats if he’d bounced at the first sign of violence.
But like Dario had said, he’d been hit with the love-bomb before the abuse was even a hint. By the time Matt had shown his true colors, sadly, Sanjay had already been deeply in love with the jerk.
And that was why he was so fearful about Jake. What if Sanjay fell in love and Jake turned out to be toxic for him? It would be too late, and there wouldn’t be anything Sanjay could do about it because he would be fully mated to Jake.
“Sanjay?”
“I’m gonna go,” Sanjay said, wincing at how badly his head was pounding. “Remember, don’t answer the door.”
He hung up, tossed his phone aside, and locked the shop door. He was surprised no one had come in while he’d been unconscious.
Or that he hadn’t shifted to heal.
Sanjay took a deep breath and tried to steady his shaking hands. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. Trenton had always been aggressive, but Sanjay had never thought he would physically attack him. He wondered if he should call the police, but he didn’t want to put Dario in more danger.
Trenton would take out his anger on Dario. Sanjay had no doubt about that.
Instead, he decided to clean up the bakery and close up early for the day. He grabbed a broom and started sweeping the floor, trying to focus on the mundane task. But every time he closed his eyes, he saw Trenton’s face looming over him, filled with rage.
Sanjay tried his best to shake off the fear and anger that Trenton had left behind.
As he worked, his thoughts turned to Jake. He wished he could call him and tell him what had happened, but he didn’t want to burden him with his problems. Jake had enough going on in his life, and Sanjay didn’t want to be another source of stress.
But as much as he tried to push the thought away, he felt a deep sense of longing for Jake’s comforting presence. He wanted to feel Jake’s strong arms around him, to hear his soothing voice telling him that everything would be okay.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He picked up his phone and dialed Jake’s number, hoping that he wouldn’t be too busy to answer.
“Hey, Jake,” Sanjay said when he picked up. “I hope this isn’t a bad time.”
“It’s never a bad time when you call,” Jake replied, but Sanjay heard how noisy it was in the background. It seemed Fearless Fox was in full swing.
“I just called to…uh…see how things are going.”
“Hang on,” Jake said, and then a moment later, the noise died down. “Much better.”
Sanjay bit his lip. “I was wondering if it was okay if I stopped by.”
“Are you kidding?” There was a smile in Jake’s voice. “You never have to ask. I’d love to see you.”
Sanjay hung up the phone and put it in his pocket, feeling a little bit better. He finished sweeping up the bakery, locked up, and headed over to Fearless Fox.
When he arrived, Jake was waiting for him at the bar. He smiled as Sanjay approached, and Sanjay felt a rush of heat at the sight of him. Jake was wearing a tight black T-shirt that showed off tattoos Sanjay hadn’t seen before, but something about the way he looked at Sanjay made him feel like the most important person in the world.
“Hey,” Jake said, his voice low and sexy. “How are you doing?”
Sanjay hesitated for a moment then decided to tell Jake the truth. He didn’t want to keep anything from him, not when they were just starting to get to know each other.
At least he didn’t want to keep anything about Trenton a secret. Sanjay still didn’t want to talk about Matt.
“I’ve been better,” he admitted. “My friend Dario, the one I came with the other night…”
“I remember him,” Jake said with a nod.
“He’s been dealing with an abusive ex named Trenton, who can’t take a hint that it’s over. Trenton came by the bakery earlier and… Well, let’s just say we didn’t exactly see eye to eye.”
Jake’s eyes narrowed, and Sanjay could see the anger burning in them. “What happened?”
Sanjay told Jake everything, from the way Trenton had grabbed him to the way he’d slammed him against the wall and how Sanjay had passed out.
