AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Just some rest.”
Jesse nodded. “Adrenaline crash. It’s common and perfectly normal in a situation like this.”
“Normal? Nothing about this is normal, Jesse. Maybe to you because you do this for a living, but this isn’t what people go through in their everyday lives.”
Jesse poured two cups of tea. “Your life isn’t exactly like everyone else’s, Sam. Your father runs a billion-dollar company. There are a lot of lecherous people who wouldn’t think twice about using you as a pawn to gain some of that fortune.”
Sam knew that. This wasn’t his first time dealing with people who wanted to use him against Malcolm. Forty years ago Sam had actually been taken and ransomed. He never wanted to repeat that again. It had taken a solid decade for Sam to convince his father that he didn’t need a security detail anymore.
Now it was happening all over again, only this time it was different because it was Sam’s mate in charge of his safety.
He accepted the tea, taking a tentative sip as Jesse sat down next to him and placed his hand on Sam’s thigh. “I’m sorry this is happening to you. My firm is working diligently to find out who is behind this, and until they do, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
Sam heard the words, but now that he knew the truth about them being mates, all he could concentrate on was the strong hand lying on him.
Jesse tucked his fingers under Sam’s chin and lifted his head. “You’re flush, and your pupils are dilated. Clear signs of distress. Maybe you should lie down for a little while.”
Sam was in distress all right, but not because of what had happened earlier. His gaze swept over the swell of Jesse’s chest, his biceps, his firm jaw, and those damn kissable lips. Having his mate sit so close, the man’s scent so powerful, Sam couldn’t think clearly.
Jesse swore softly. “Let me help you upstairs.”
He took Sam’s arm and pulled him from the chair. Now they were standing close as Sam looked up into his mate’s gorgeous blue eyes. “It’s not about what happened in the store.”
Jesse frowned. “I know all the signs, Sam. You’re clearly in shock.”
“I’m not in shock.” Sam flattened his lips. “Yes, what those two did scared me, but I’m angrier with myself for being so helpless. I should have done more to get away from that guy, but when those women walked in, I didn’t want them hurt. All I could think about was their safety.”
“Sam, you don’t have to talk about it right now.” He rubbed his hands up and down Sam’s arms. “Get some rest first.”
“No.” Sam pulled away. “I know what I’m feeling and what I need. What I don’t need is another person deciding what’s best for me.”
“Goddamn it, Sam. I’m not trying to be a dick. I’m not. My only concern is your wellbeing, and right now, you look like you need to lie down.”
“And if I think I need something else other than rest?” Sam arched a brow. “What then?”
“Fine.” Jesse sighed. “Break out the crayons and draw me a map because I’m not following you.”
Wow, was his mate really that thickheaded? Maybe Sam did need to draw Jesse a map. To his bedroom. “You said we were mates, right?”
Jesse nodded. “I wouldn’t lie to you about something that important.”
“Then claim me.” Sam’s heart kicked up a notch, and he felt his face growing hotter, but he refused to shy away. Claiming a mate was a very intimate thing that involved sex. Malcolm’s rhetoric about savage shifters had died by the wayside. Sam had spent too much time around Jesse for that way of thinking to hold any merit.
He saw the moment understanding dawned in Jesse’s eyes. They became liquid pools of desire. “Are you sure about that?” he asked. “I thought you had an unflattering opinion about shifters.”
“My father has that opinion, not me.” They’d already had this conversation, but it seemed Jesse hadn’t been convinced that Sam didn’t hold those same prejudices.
“And what do you think daddy dearest will do when he finds out we’re mated?” Jesse’s hand had fallen away from Sam’s arm, and Sam missed the connection. He wanted to beg that Jesse touch him again but kept the plea from escaping.
“I’ve mostly played by his rules my entire life,” Sam said. “I hated it but thought I had no choice. But I’m putting my foot down when it comes to my mate. Either he accepts you or he loses me.”
Those were big words, which Sam wasn’t so certain about, but he wasn’t going to let Malcolm dictate to him about his mate. His brothers were mated to demons, and that was perfectly acceptable. If Sam had to once again be the black sheep of the family, so be it. He had his store, and he could always move into some place he could afford if his father decided he wanted to cut him off.
Living with financial security his entire life and now making a decision that he didn’t need the Whitlock money was truly scary, but Sam was willing to take that leap.
Jesse scrubbed a hand over his face. “Sam, maybe you should take some time to think about this. You just learned we were mates. I have no problem letting you mull things over.”
Right there in the kitchen Sam stripped. He stood naked before Jesse, unashamed of his nudity. He had to show his mate just how serious he was and that he didn’t need time to think about what he wanted. “I’ve already made up my mind.”
