Page 29 of Love is Trash in Hallow's Cove

Jake, please don’t have a dark secret that ruins things, because I’m so into you, it’s absurd, I beg mentally as he gestures for me to sit on the plush, dark green velvet sofa.

He stays standing, his long legs eating up the space as he paces back and forth across the textured rug, running a hand through his hair.

“Do you want something to drink?” he asks, turning to me with slightly frantic eyes.

“I’m fine,” I say, shaking my head.

A beat passes and the tension rises as I wait for him to speak.

“Did you kill someone?” I blurt, unable to stand the silence any longer.

Jake stops his pacing and turns to look at me, aghast. “What? No!”

“Then what is it? Why are you so worried? What could it possibly be? Are you married? Are you on the run from the law? Can you only get it up if someone makes dolphin sounds? Can you not get it—” My voice gets louder and louder as I speak, unable to contain my agitation, until he finally cuts me off.

“I’m your mate!” Jake exclaims.

I freeze, and he goes still at my reaction, his body practically vibrating as he waits to see what I do. Jake looks so tortured that it takes me a moment to process what he said.

When I do, a roiling storm of elation and confusion crashes over me. “You’re mywhat?”

Jake falls to his knees in front of me, reaching out to touch my thigh with a pleading, desperate expression. “I’m so sorry, Hayley. I know you wanted things to develop naturally and were worried about finding love that wasn’t compelled. I wanted to give you time to get toknow me before I said anything, and I’m not telling you this to pressure you. I just couldn’t keep lying to my mate.”

“Your mate,” I say, tasting the words in my mouth like they’re an entirely foreign concept. Like I didn’t spend my first few weeks in Hallow’s Cove begging the universe to send a monster mate my way.

I dreamed about it, but the reality is vastly different. It’s so much more potent. So much moreright.

This sexy, strange shifter kneeling at my feet like I have the power to destroy his world is my mate.

A bubble of laughter escapes me, and a clap a hand over my mouth, but more laughter rises.

Jake’s worried expression morphs to a pained one. “It’s not a joke, Hayley. If you don’t want me like that, you can tell me to leave you alone, but you don’t have to laugh at me.”

I reach out and cup his cheek, thumb stroking through his thick beard. God, he’s so handsome, even when he’s upset. I can’t believe he’s mine. “I’m not laughing at you, Jake. I’m overwhelmed.”

His gaze hones in on mine, searching me for more. “A bad overwhelmed?”

I shake my head. “No.”

A hopeful smile stretches his lips, and he rises so his face is level with mine. “A good overwhelmed?”

A tear slides down my cheek and I nod. “Y-yeah. I was kinda full of shit when I said I didn’t want a fated mate. But after not finding one, it was easier to not feel like there was something wrong with me if I pretended I didn’twant that sort of thing.” I smile sheepishly, stroking Jake’s cheek again. “Plus, I didn’t want to scare you away.”

He laughs and shakes his head gently. “I was trying not to scareyouaway.”

Affection swells inside me, and I lean in, ready to kiss Jake and drown myself in the feeling of mymate’smouth on mine. Ready to finally embrace the magic I feel when I’m with him, knowing it’s real.

Jake pulls back at the last second, wincing. “Fuck, I want to kiss you so bad, but that’s not everything.”

“It isn’t?” I ask feebly.

“No,” Jake sighs. “It has to do with being your mate. And how I realized you were mine. I, uh, I’ve never told you what I am. I was worried if you knew, you’d think I was a total freak.”

“I mean, you are kinda a freak, but I like that about you,” I joke, trying to break the tension.

He huffs in amusement. “Yeah, but this is something even I wouldn’t normally do. I couldn’t control Beans.”

My face twists in confusion, thinking maybe I misheard him. “Beans?”

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