Page 30 of The Secret Mate Society

“I know you said you don’t want to get romantically involved with people at the office,” he added quickly.“I get it.I really do.But I can’t… well, I can’t help the way I feel about you either.I’ll respect your space but I’m feeling very…protectiveof you.”

My heart hammered against my ribs as Jake's words washed over me.The way he was looking at me… intense, hungry, protective, it made every rational thought evaporate from my brain.This gorgeous, powerful man was standing inches away, telling me he cared about me, wanted to protect me.The warmth radiating from his body was intoxicating.

"Jake..."I breathed, my voice coming out softer than intended.

He stepped closer, close enough that I could smell his cologne.It was something woodsy and masculine that made my knees weak."I know the timing is terrible with everything that's happening, but I needed you to know."

For a moment, standing there in the conference room with his intense gaze fixed on me, I forgot all about Marcus Greer's mutilated body.Forgot about the message carved into his chest.Forgot about the box of evidence hidden under my bed that I swore I'd never open again.

All I could think about was how Jake's protective instincts made me feel safe in a way I hadn't felt since I was fourteen years old.How his broad shoulders and strong hands promised security I'd been craving my entire adult life.

"I like you too," I admitted, the words tumbling out before I could stop them."More than I should, considering we work together."

Relief flooded his features, followed immediately by something that looked like hunger."Yeah?"

I nodded, suddenly breathless."Yeah."

He reached up, his fingers ghosting along my jaw with surprising gentleness for such large hands."Then let me worry about you, Ethan.Let me keep you safe."

The rational part of my brain, the part that had spent years obsessing over supernatural murders, tried to whisper warnings.But Jake's touch, his presence, drowned out everything else.Here was someone offering to protect me from the very monsters I'd been chasing half my life.

Maybe it was time to let someone else do the hunting.

That same moment my phone buzzed against the table next to us, breaking the spell.

I glanced at the screen and my heart skipped for an entirely different reason.A text from Calder.

Calder: Had something come up and can’t do dinner tonight.Lunch tomorrow instead?

The timing couldn't have been worse.Here I was, having this intense moment with Jake, feeling his protective warmth washing over me, and suddenly Calder's name was lighting up my phone.The mysterious and gruff garage owner who'd given me a ride on his motorcycle and made my pulse race in ways I didn't entirely understand.

Jake's eyes flicked to the phone, then back to my face.Something shifted in his expression, a tightness around his eyes that hadn't been there moments before.

"Someone important?"he asked, his voice carefully neutral.

I fumbled with the phone, my fingers suddenly clumsy."Just...a friend.Someone I met at a coffee shop."

"A friend," Jake repeated, and there was something in his tone that made me look up.His protective intensity had taken on a sharper edge, almost possessive.

"Yeah," I said, tucking the phone into my pocket without responding to Calder's text."It's nothing."

But even as I said it, I could feel the weight of the phone against my leg, Calder's message burning like a brand.Why did he have to text meright this moment?And why did my heart race just seeing his name?He’d made it very clear he was straight and there couldn’t be anything between us.And yet, for some reason, he kept coming back.

Jake stepped closer again, his large frame blocking out the fluorescent lights."Good," he said, his voice dropping to that low rumble that made my knees weak."Because I don't like sharing."

The possessiveness in his voice should have been a red flag.Should have made me step back, question this sudden intensity.Instead, it sent heat flooding through my veins.After years of feeling alone, of chasing shadows and monsters, having someone want to claim me feltintoxicating.

"You don't have to worry about that," I heard myself saying automatically, even as Calder's text seemed to pulse in my pocket like a second heartbeat.

Jake's smile was devastating, all white teeth and masculine satisfaction."I'm glad to hear that, Ethan."He leaned down, placing a small kiss on my cheek before heading for the door.“Let me know when you’re ready for a real date and not just french fries on the way to a crime scene,” he smiled.“I’ll treat you right.”

The feel of Jake's lips lingered on my cheek as I watched him leave the conference room, his confident stride carrying him through the doorway without a backward glance.I stood frozen, my hand unconsciously rising to touch the spot where his lips had been.

"What the hell just happened?"I whispered to the empty room.

My phone felt like a lead weight in my pocket.Calder's text message still unanswered, Jake's confession still ringing in my ears, and the horrifying news about Marcus Greer spinning in my head.It was too much.All of it was too much.

My hands trembled as I pulled my phone out again, staring at Calder's message.Why did I feel this pull toward him?This strange connection that made no logical sense?And why was I suddenly caught between two men when romance was the absolute last thing I should be focusing on?