“What?” I asked. “Did you decide it’s time to tell me our dog Champ didn’t actually go to doggy heaven? Because guess what, I know thattoo.”
He rolled his eyes and propped his elbows on the counter top. “Stop being sodramatic.”
“I’m the dramatic one?” Anger threatened to turn the volume of my next tirade up a notch until I met his eyes. “Damn it, Jake. That’s not all, is it? You did more stupid crap you’re afraid to tell meabout.”
He swallowed and stared down at his clasped hands. Avoiding eye contact, even better. “I sort of tased your boyfriend and then kidnapped him forquestioning.”
If he’d told me that he spent his weekends skinny-dipping in the Baltic Ocean, I wouldn’t have been more shocked. Every time he’d threatened to kidnap and murder the men in my life, I’d taken it as a joke. Never had I ever considered he’d actually hurt one of them. Outside of the situation in which they hurt mefirst.
“Are you joking?” I asked, trying to remain calm. Voice steady and low. Just like when the actors were being fussy diva four-year-olds.
“No. I wish I was because I know how angry you are right now. I promise it wasn’t the plan at all. It sort ofhappened.”
I lurched around the counter and grabbed his shoulders tight, shaking him. He finally met my eyes. “You sort of brought a taser with you one day and sort of just kidnappedhim?”
He slid his gaze away. “It was the morning you were sleeping at his place. I knocked on the door, we talked, and then he was in the trunk of my car passedout.”
I let him go and stepped back. “I don’t even know what to say to you right now. Where ishe?”
He shrugged. “After we talked, I gave him some clothes and let him go. I presume he went to speak to the scientists he works with for his…problem. Or maybe he went to find proof of thatgirl.”
“Sibyl? What do you know abouther?”
Sensing that he was gaining traction on safer ground, he kept going. “Like I said before. This girl he thinks was you in a past life, she is nothing like you, she doesn’t look like you or anything. Something is going on with his memories. They’re overlapping like seismic plates trying to create room. The resulting earthquakes are messing with his perception of hisreality.”
I blinked. “How didyou…”
He shrugged. “I made some calls and got the information. I didn’t want to risk leaving you alone withhim.”
“So obviously, kidnapping is the way to go.” I went to my mug and turned my back to him while I sipped it. If Dorian wasn’t being held hostage, why didn’t he call? It took two full seconds for the rational part of my brain to catch up. Obviously, he was going through something serious right now. He didn’t need to call me while he handled something like that. In fact, I might have found it worse if hedid.
“Iz?” Jakebroached.
I didn’t turn. “I am not talking to you right now. Sit there and be quiet for a minute while Ithink.”
The smart man did as he wastold.
I wished I had a way to get a hold of him to let him know I was here if he needed me. Sex or no sex, I did want to be friends with him. We had incredible chemistry, but also, he made me laugh and feel things that weren’t everyday life sort of feelings. Joy, lust that melted your bones. Everything with him felt deeper and more meaningful. I didn’t want to lose that, even if it went the platonicroute.
I don’t know how long I stood facing my refrigerator, but eventually I turned to catch Jake leaning on his elbow on top of thecounter.
“Is that it? Any other revelations to deliver? Are you undergoing a sex change next week oranything?”
He chuckled, and even mad at him, I reveled in the comfort of hislaugh.
He said, “Not that I’m aware of, but if I do, I’ll be back to borrow your clothes.” He stood, and I let him hug me, wrapping his arms tight around myshoulders.
It seemed like both of the men I wanted in my life might drive me slowly insane. I thought back to Gray. If it was true and I’m not anything like Sibyl, would he still want me? Or did he only want me because he thought I was a second chance forhim?
Jake felt the shift in my body. “What is it?” heasked.
I pulled back. “Nope. We aren’t talking about any of this, or I’m going to get pissed all over again. For now, you’re here, and we are going to spend an enjoyable evening before you head to some unidentifiable sandbox in God-knows-where.”
He jerked me in for another hug, my coffee sloshed down the side of my hand, and I didn’tcare.
“Oh, he asked me to give you aletter.”
Jake pulled a folded envelope from his other pants pocket and handed it tome.
