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to an old lady at the previous stop and was standing, holding one of
the rail straps when the truck hit. She was flung across the bus and hit
her head, knocking her out, dislocating her shoulder, and breaking her
arm and a couple of ribs. Mum and Dad were a mess when it first
72 Violet Joicey-Cowen
happened. The hospital had to ring me for them because neither of my
parents were capable of making the call. I had to be strong for them
while Debs was in an induced coma for several days to let the
swelling on her brain subside. After that it took another couple of
days for her to wake up. Mum and dad needed me, and I couldn t
leave Debs while she was hurt. She s just a baby still.
 Is she going to be okay?
 I m such an idiot. I should have called to let you all know what
happened!
 It s okay. You had enough to worry about.
 Yes I did, but you all love her, too. I should have rung. Christ, if
I had even put in the note why I was leaving then I wouldn t have
almost lost you! You would have known where I was. Daniel let out
a shuddering breath, trying to stop himself from getting worked up. It
all worked out, things are okay now.
 She s going to be fine. The doctors say it was a miracle she
wasn t hurt worse. A few hours after she woke up she had the entire
hospital wrapped around her little finger  Daniel let out a chuckle
 she even has them sneaking Bo in for visits.
At that Jake laughed, too. Bo was Debbie s dog, a truly enormous
Irish wolfhound, who was big enough for her to ride like a pony, not
that she did. Bo had been a rescue dog, several years old when they
got him. His previous owners had loved the fuzzy little puppy they
first bought but had been unable to cope with the enormous beast he
had grown into. Bo ate an awful lot of food, and though he took up a
large amount of space, he was the sweetest dog in the world and
totally devoted to Debbie. Daniel thought his sister s choice of dog a
few years before rather ironic, as he worked and lived with a bunch of
actual wolves.
 You can t sneak that dog anywhere, Jake commented.
Daniel glanced up, grinning at him. Then his grin faded.  I know I
should have rung, but why didn t you call me? Let me know what was
Another Way to Hide 73
happening to you. He straightened on the stool so he could see Jake
properly.
Jake looked away, setting his mug on the counter, and fiddled
with a loose thread where his jeans were ripping at the knee. The
larger man s awkwardness was strangely appealing.
 I thought you didn t want& us. I thought that s why you left.
 How could you think that, after that night? Daniel questioned,
disbelieving.
Jake shrugged and wouldn t look at him.  I wanted you for so
long, Dee, and then we were suddenly in bed together and it was
everything I wanted so much. You were everything. It was
unbelievable. But you had always been straight, and I woke up and
you were gone. I thought you regretted it, and that s why you left.
That you didn t want to be with me. I thought& I thought I must
have& hurt you. I didn t want you tied to me because you felt you had
to be, because fate did not give you the choice.
He finally looked up to meet Daniel s gaze and the pain and loss
in his eyes had Daniel throwing himself at the other man, nearly
knocking Jake off his swivel-top stool and wrapping his arms around
his neck. They held each other tightly, Daniel standing between
Jake s thighs as he sat.
 I wanted you from the first time I saw you, Daniel declared
fiercely, his face buried in Jake s neck,  and every moment of every
day since. It s been nearly eleven damn years, and it s never gone
away. I never knew how you felt, so I pushed my feelings away and
did my best to be only your friend. You never showed a flicker of
interest in me. Supposedly being straight was just another way to
hide. But I always wanted you. He drew away and glared rather
ferociously into Jake s eyes, framing the other man s face with his
hands.  I love you.
Jake curved a trembling hand around the back of Daniel s head,
and he damn near purred as he spoke.  I love you, too, he said,
before he pulled him in for the most emotion-filled kiss either man
74 Violet Joicey-Cowen
had ever experienced. Pouring everything they felt into the kiss, the
two men told each other all they needed to know without words.
Uncounted minutes later, a loud wolf whistle broke them apart.
They turned to see Davin, Seb, Cass and a couple of the others
collectively beaming at them from the doorway. Daniel felt his cheeks
grow hot, but he did not mind for once because he was too happy.
 Good to have you back, Jake.
 Glad you got here in time, Dee.
 Hey, Dee, so you were in time.
Ant, Brian, and Seb spoke together, jostling as they piled through
the door to hug and backslap both men at the breakfast bar.
 Hey, ease up!
Daniel was feeling protective. He knew his mate was a werewolf
and bounced back quickly from injury, but he had been so scared the
night before to see the state the man he loved had been in and still had
not quite recovered from. Even his werewolf constitution couldn t put
the weight back on his mate that quickly. The next couple of days and
a lot of food would take care of his recovery.
 Sorry about last night, Dee, Cass spoke.  I didn t know when
you came in why you were there. I did not want you to be there if [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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