Sunshine's Kiss (13 page)

Alone.

Jesse had gone up to check on Sam after giving everyone their orders. He had stood beside the bed for quite a while, just watching Sam’s fitful sleep. A part of him had wanted to wake Sam up so that they could talk. A bigger part knew he needed to get his head screwed on straight before he did.

Sam confused him. Jesse understood that Sam wasn’t Lycan and hadn’t grown up with all of the rules and expectations that Jesse had. Until really recently, Sam didn’t even know about Lycan. Jesse just couldn’t figure out how to explain it all without making Sam run away.

“Jesse.”

“Yes?” Jesse pulled his thoughts away from his problems with his mate and faced his brother, Cort. “What did you find?”

“There are signs that someone laid in the grass up on the hill behind the barn for a while, but the ground was cold. Whoever it was, he’s been gone for hours now.”

“I suspect it was Desmond Kent.”

“The man that came for Sam?” Cort asked.

Jesse clenched his hands as he nodded. “Yes.”

“But he knows that Sam is your mate.”

Jesse laughed roughly. “I don’t think he cares, Cort.”

“He’s Lycan. He knows the rules,” Cort said. “Once Sam has been claimed, no other Lycan can claim him.”

“Again, I don’t think Desmond cares.” Jesse rubbed at the tension in the back of his neck and tilted his head back to stare up at the ceiling. “Desmond Kent is obsessed with Sam for some reason. I don’t think he’s going to give up until he has Sam.”

“What are we going to do then?”

Jesse lowered his eyes to look at his brother, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know. Hell, at this point, I’m not even sure Sam is going to stay.”

“But he’s your mate.” Cort sounded outraged. “I saw the claiming mark on the back of his neck.”

“Sam is only my mate because I forced it on him.”

“Bullshit!” Cort snapped. “You’d no more hurt Sam than you’d chew off your arm. You love him. Even I know that.”

“I’m not sure that’s going to matter, Cort. Sam’s really angry at me right now.” Jesse sighed, his heart feeling heavy at that thought. He did love Sam, but he was also aware of the fact that Sam had never repeated the words back to him. He was
very
aware of it. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever hear those very important words from Sam.

“Look, Jesse,” Cort said. “Maybe you just need to give Sam some time. From what I understand, this has all been pretty world-altering for him. If you—”

A loud scream rent the air, stopping Cort’s words. Jesse recognized the scream and was off and running as fast as he could toward the stairs. He heard footsteps running up the stairs behind him but he didn’t care who it was. He was more concerned with what had scared Sam so much that he would scream.

The bedroom door was open when he reached it. Jesse knew that was wrong because he had closed it when he came downstairs, but he pushed that thought aside when he saw Sam sitting up in bed, shaking, the blankets clutched in his hands as his eyes darted wildly around the room.

Jesse knew a cornered animal when he saw one. He approached Sam cautiously, his hands held out in front of him. “Sam, it’s okay, baby. Everything is okay.”

Even as Jesse said the words, he knew he was lying. He could smell the scent of another Lycan in the room. Jesse could feel his beast roaring, demanding justice for the fear that had been put into their mate. His gums itched, his canines threatening to come down. And only by curling his fingers in was he able to keep his claws from extending.

Someone had threatened his mate.

Jesse sat down on the side of the bed slowly, carefully. Sam was shaking so bad he was moving the entire bed. His eyes were wild, the pupils dilated until they dominated his amber eyes. And the death grip he had on the blankets was turning his knuckles white.

“Sam,” Jesse said quietly.

Sam’s eyes snapped up to Jesse then widened, as if he had just then realized Jesse was in the room. With a desperate cry, Sam launched himself at Jesse. Jesse grunted when Sam’s body hit his but quickly enveloped Sam in his arms.

He heard a small cough behind him and was grateful that Cort was reminding him they were not alone in the room. Jesse reached over and grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around Sam’s naked body.

“Ssshhh, sunshine,” Jesse whispered against the top of Sam’s head as he began to rock the man. “I’ve got you.” Jesse’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline when Sam suddenly clutched at his shirt and said words Jesse never thought he would hear come out of Sam’s mouth.

“Shift, Jesse,” Sam cried out. “You have to shift.”

“Sam, wha—”

“He said he was going to kill you, that you had something that belonged to him. You have to shift and protect yourself.”

Jesse tensed, growling low in his throat as he instantly started scanning the room for whatever threat had shaken his mate so badly that Sam wanted Jesse to shift. He didn’t see anything out of place, but he could smell a foreign scent lingering in the air.

“I want the entire house searched.”

Cort nodded and left the room. Nate just stood by the door, his massive arms crossed over his chest. Jesse knew almost nothing he could say would make his brother leave if there was a threat to him or Sam.

“Gabe, go to the bunkhouse and inform the others that we have a trespasser on the property. I want the barn and all of the outbuildings searched.”

Gabe nodded and started for the door.

“And, Gabe, remember that whoever we are looking for is Lycan, so tell them to stay on alert for anything.”

Gabe nodded and headed out the door. Jesse turned his attention to his youngest brother, who stood near the door looking helpless. “Jake, I’d like you to bring Sarah to the main house. I don’t want her alone right now. And see if she can make Sam some tea or something.”

Jake seemed surprised at being given such an important assignment, but he nodded and headed out the door as well. Jesse gestured with his head for Nate to step outside. Nate frowned, and looked like he wanted to argue. Jesse arched an eyebrow at his brother. Nate rolled his eyes and stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

After the door closed, Jesse turned his attention to the man in his arms. Sam’s fingers were still wrapped tightly in Jesse’s shirt, but he had his head buried in Jesse’s chest, right between his clenched hands.

“Sam, baby, can you look at me?” Jesse tried to nudge Sam’s face up with a finger under his chin. He smiled when Sam slowly lifted his head and looked up. “Hi.”

Sam’s laugh was nervous, tension filled. “Hi.”

“Can you tell me what happened?” The smile instantly fell from Sam’s lips, and he started to shake again. Jesse quickly pulled Sam onto his lap. “It’s okay, baby. I’m here and Nate is right outside the door. No one is going to get to you.”

“He said he was going to kill you.”

Jesse clenched his jaw for a moment. The fear of what could have happened to his mate was riding him hard. He was holding on to his beast by a thread. “Was it Desmond?”

“No.” Sam shook his head. “He seemed familiar but not.” Sam raised his head and looked up at Jesse. “Does that make sense?”

“Not really.” Jesse chuckled. “But I know what you mean.”

“I was sleeping and…and…” Sam’s forehead wrinkled as he frowned. “I felt this presence, I guess. When I opened my eyes, there was this guy standing at the end of the bed just staring at me. He told me not to get comfortable, that he was going to kill you and I would be gone.”

“Can you describe him to me?” Jesse needed to know who to kill.

“Not really. The bedroom door was open to the hallway so the light was shining in from behind him. He was just kind of this dark figure. When I screamed, he ran from the room. And then you were here.”

“We’ll find him, Sam. I promise.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“I will keep you safe, Sam.”

“You can’t promise that either, Jesse.”

“I can promise that,” Jesse snapped. He grabbed Sam by his face and tilted it up more fully to his. “You are my mate, Sam. And I know that doesn’t mean a lot to you, but it does to me. I will keep you safe. I would do anything for you, Sam, even give up my pack to keep you alive. I will do whatever it takes.”

Jesse sighed softly when Sam pulled his face away. He knew he had probably said too much. Sam wasn’t ready to admit that they were mates. He might never be ready. And Jesse just had to live with that. But it didn’t mean he would shirk his responsibility toward Sam.

“It does mean something to me,” Sam whispered against his chest, so low that Jesse almost didn’t hear him. But he could feel Sam’s fingers plucking at the soft material of his shirt. It was a nervous gesture, and Jesse knew it. He just didn’t know what to do about it.

“Okay, I’m needed back downstairs, Sam. I still have people out searching the grounds for whoever was shooting at us earlier, and now for whoever was in the room.” Jesse gently brushed his hand over Sam’s head at the thought of how vulnerable his mate had been. “I don’t want to leave you alone, not while there is someone out there hunting for us. Will you come downstairs with me?”

Sam nodded almost immediately, much to Jesse’s relief. “Do you have any soft pajamas you can wear, sunshine?”

“Pajamas?” Sam asked as he tilted his head back to look up at Jesse.

“Yes, pajamas.” Jesse smiled so that Sam could see that he was calm. Sam really didn’t need to know how completely freaked out he was at the moment. “We’re going to wrap you up in a blanket and let you curl up on the love seat in my office where I can keep an eye on you. If you’re wearing pajamas, you’ll be more comfortable.”

Sam pushed himself up and glanced around the room. “Uh, yeah, I think I have some pajama bottoms in my bags, wherever they are.”

“I cleared out some drawers earlier. I think your mom put your stuff away.”

Sam’s perfectly manicured brown eyebrow arched. “That sure of me, were you?”

“No, sunshine.” Jesse chuckled nervously. “That hopeful.”

Sam couldn’t even begin to understand how hopeful Jesse was. And it was nerve-racking as hell feeling that way. He was the alpha of his pack, the top dog so to speak. His beast was one of the largest born into his family in over a century.

And yet, one five-foot-nine-inch-tall man held Jesse’s entire future in the palm of his hand. Jesse seriously doubted that Sam really understood exactly what kind of power he had. He held Jesse’s heart in his hands. He could lift it to elation or toss it into the depths of hell.

“Come on, Sam,” Jesse said as he set Sam on his feet and patted his rounded ass. “Go put your pajamas on and we’ll head downstairs for some of your mom’s tea.”

Jesse groaned when Sam dropped the blanket wrapped around his naked body and started searching through the dresser drawers. He reached down and tapped the growing bulge in his pants and prayed he could keep control long enough for Sam to cover his gloriously naked body.

And damn, he really was glorious.

It was all Jesse could do to stay sitting on the side of the bed as he watched Sam go through the drawers and pull out a pair of black pajama bottoms with small red hearts all over them.

Jesse smirked when Sam looked over at him and flushed. “Nice pajamas you have there, Sam.”

“Shut up,” Sam mumbled as he pulled a faded red T-shirt over his head.

Jesse laughed, feeling lighter than he had when he ran into the room. He wanted to tell Sam how cute he looked but the deep frown on the man’s face warned him against saying anything.

Instead, Jesse stood up and grabbed the blanket Sam had dropped on the floor and draped it over Sam’s shoulders. Once Sam was all bound up, Jesse swung the man up into his arms and carried him out of the bedroom.

“Uh, you know I can walk, right?”

“I know.” Jesse grinned. He had no intention of letting Sam walk at the moment. He was still feeling the fear of knowing how close to danger Sam had been. He felt better holding Sam in his arms, but only just. Besides, he just needed to hold his mate.

“Are you going to put me down?”

Jesse’s grin grew wider. “Nope.”

“Okay.” Sam seemed confused.

Jesse wasn’t. He knew exactly what he was doing as he carried Sam down the stairs and then to his office. Instead of setting Sam down on the love seat as he had said, Jesse sat down himself and then settled Sam on his lap, keeping the blanket wrapped firmly around him.

“So,” Sam said as he plucked at the edge of the blanket. “You know I look really silly on your lap, right?”

“I think you look perfect sitting on my lap.” Jesse growled low in his throat. “And since I’m the alpha, I dare anyone to argue with me.”

Sam looked shocked for a moment, his mouth hanging open. Then the most wonderful noise Jesse had ever heard filled the room. Joy bubbled in Sam’s laughter and shone in his golden amber eyes. It was the sweet sound Jesse had been craving since the first moment he heard it five years before.

And he had caused it.

Jesse’s mood seemed suddenly buoyant as a warm glow flowed through him. He hugged Sam to him, tucking the smaller man’s head under his chin so that Sam couldn’t see the tears gathering in his eyes. This was what he had wanted, what he had needed for so long. And it was suddenly his.