As I ate I told the men what had happened to me the previous night, including Red’s alarming plan for ridding himself of his obsession with me. I didn’t spare them the details of what I’d done and said, but it didn’t go down well with either of them.
Jake jumped off the bed and prowled around the room angrily. “ Goddamit! ” He punched out at the wall in fury.
I stopped chewing and watched him silently.
The Sarge swore under his breath and his lips compressed until they were colourless, his fists clenching in anger.
I put down my fork and switched my eyes to him.
Jake stopped prowling and stood over me, his nostrils flaring in fury. “How far would you have gone with Red?”
I blinked up at him, hugely upset, pushing the food away, my appetite now dead. I turned my head away from him and looked out of the window.
“How far, Tess?” he persisted fiercely, shaking my shoulder with an ungentle squeeze. I refused to look at him or to answer him. “Would you have gone all the way with him?”
“Back off, Bycraft!” snapped the Sarge, jumping to his feet. “For God’s sake, she’s just been through two very traumatic experiences and that’s all you care about? Sort out your priorities, mate.”
Jake turned on him. “Why don’t you just fuck off for once and give me some private time with Tessie? Go ring your pretend fiancee, you sad bastard, and let me talk to my very real girlfriend without you hanging around all the time.”
The Sarge’s icy glance in response would have frozen a waterfall. Jake had gone way too far with that nasty crack.
“Tess?” the Sarge barked at me.
I looked over to him, apologetic for Jake’s behaviour. “Do you mind giving Jake and me a chance to talk please, Sarge?”
He flicked his eyes between the both of us and my half-eaten meal, before spinning around and striding out, slamming the door again.
“Tessie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I didn’t mean to say that,” Jake said immediately, sitting on the bed next to me, stroking my hair with his hand. “I’m not angry at you, please believe me, baby doll. I know you’ve been to hell and back. I’m angry with Red, but . . . he’s my brother . I love you, Tessie, but I love my family too.” He stood up and paced around the room. “I just can’t handle all this shit! Do you know what it’s like being interrogated by Fiona? I almost confessed to attacking you myself just to get her to leave me alone.” He sat next to me again and started twisting the bed cover into knots. “She made me feel that it was wrong for us to be together, because I couldn’t be trusted for a second. Because I’m a Bycraft.”
I felt sorry for him, all thoughts of reproving him for his rudeness evaporating. He was a beautiful human being, but he wasn’t good at dealing with negative things. It was becoming increasingly difficult for us to be together with everything that kept happening to me, and I was sure we both realised it. But like him, I couldn’t deal with any of that right now. It would have to remain an uncomfortable discussion for another day. Yet again.
“Jakey, I don’t want to talk anymore. Please stay with me for a while. I’m so tired, but I’m scared too.”
“Of course I will, babe.” He laid next to me on the bed and pulled me up close against him, wrapping his arms around me and throwing one of his legs over mine protectively. Safe in his loving embrace with him telling me that he loved me over and over again and kissing me gently, I fell asleep.
Chapter 7
When I woke up, Jake was gone but the Sarge was sitting patiently on the visitor’s chair, flicking through the local paper, the Wattling Bay Messenger .
“Where’s Jakey?”
He glanced up at my voice. “He had to leave. He’s on duty this afternoon. He asked me to sit with you till you woke.” The tone of his voice made me think that the two men had come to some kind of rapprochement. Deep down,
Jake jumped off the bed and prowled around the room angrily. “ Goddamit! ” He punched out at the wall in fury.
I stopped chewing and watched him silently.
The Sarge swore under his breath and his lips compressed until they were colourless, his fists clenching in anger.
I put down my fork and switched my eyes to him.
Jake stopped prowling and stood over me, his nostrils flaring in fury. “How far would you have gone with Red?”
I blinked up at him, hugely upset, pushing the food away, my appetite now dead. I turned my head away from him and looked out of the window.
“How far, Tess?” he persisted fiercely, shaking my shoulder with an ungentle squeeze. I refused to look at him or to answer him. “Would you have gone all the way with him?”
“Back off, Bycraft!” snapped the Sarge, jumping to his feet. “For God’s sake, she’s just been through two very traumatic experiences and that’s all you care about? Sort out your priorities, mate.”
Jake turned on him. “Why don’t you just fuck off for once and give me some private time with Tessie? Go ring your pretend fiancee, you sad bastard, and let me talk to my very real girlfriend without you hanging around all the time.”
The Sarge’s icy glance in response would have frozen a waterfall. Jake had gone way too far with that nasty crack.
“Tess?” the Sarge barked at me.
I looked over to him, apologetic for Jake’s behaviour. “Do you mind giving Jake and me a chance to talk please, Sarge?”
He flicked his eyes between the both of us and my half-eaten meal, before spinning around and striding out, slamming the door again.
“Tessie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I didn’t mean to say that,” Jake said immediately, sitting on the bed next to me, stroking my hair with his hand. “I’m not angry at you, please believe me, baby doll. I know you’ve been to hell and back. I’m angry with Red, but . . . he’s my brother . I love you, Tessie, but I love my family too.” He stood up and paced around the room. “I just can’t handle all this shit! Do you know what it’s like being interrogated by Fiona? I almost confessed to attacking you myself just to get her to leave me alone.” He sat next to me again and started twisting the bed cover into knots. “She made me feel that it was wrong for us to be together, because I couldn’t be trusted for a second. Because I’m a Bycraft.”
I felt sorry for him, all thoughts of reproving him for his rudeness evaporating. He was a beautiful human being, but he wasn’t good at dealing with negative things. It was becoming increasingly difficult for us to be together with everything that kept happening to me, and I was sure we both realised it. But like him, I couldn’t deal with any of that right now. It would have to remain an uncomfortable discussion for another day. Yet again.
“Jakey, I don’t want to talk anymore. Please stay with me for a while. I’m so tired, but I’m scared too.”
“Of course I will, babe.” He laid next to me on the bed and pulled me up close against him, wrapping his arms around me and throwing one of his legs over mine protectively. Safe in his loving embrace with him telling me that he loved me over and over again and kissing me gently, I fell asleep.
Chapter 7
When I woke up, Jake was gone but the Sarge was sitting patiently on the visitor’s chair, flicking through the local paper, the Wattling Bay Messenger .
“Where’s Jakey?”
He glanced up at my voice. “He had to leave. He’s on duty this afternoon. He asked me to sit with you till you woke.” The tone of his voice made me think that the two men had come to some kind of rapprochement. Deep down,
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