Page 12 of Chasing Secrets
Jalen paused in the hallway and stared into the figurative void for a full five seconds, trying his best to find his sanity. Unfortunately, it wasn’t in there.
His brain was fried, his heart was sprinting laps in his chest, and he didn’t even know where to file a complaint about how screwed up his life was right now.
He would not fall for a guy he’d met less than six hours ago.
He would not date a man who wasn’t even human.
He would not mate a guy he didn’t even know.
And Jalen most certainly would not want to knock on Chase’s door just to see his stupidly handsome face.
“I am so screwed,” he muttered before he continued down the hallway. No matter how much he yearned to see Chase, to beg the man to smile—because his grin made him ten times more gorgeous—Jalen’s mother had taught him better.
“Never give up the goods until you’ve gotten to know the young fella.”
Okay, so she was hopelessly old-fashioned. But Jalen just bet she never had this scenario in mind when she’d given him that pearl of wisdom.
The really messed-up part? She wasn’t someone he would take advice from anyway. Not when she didn’t even know who Jalen’s father was.
“Hey!” Preston panted as he caught up to Jalen. “Hang on.” He held his side, giving Jalen the finger that meant “one moment.”
“Do you need to sit down? Or maybe need an oxygen mask?” He’d never seen anyone so winded from jogging down a hallway before.
Granted, it was a long hallway, but still.
Jalen could run his ass off for a long stretch before he needed to catch his breath. That wasn’t a brag. It was from life experience. The only way to get away from his uncle.
While Jalen’s mom thought her brother was simply disciplining his nephew—with a belt, no less, because that’s how they’d been raised—Uncle Derek had been a little too handsy when—
Jalen forced those memories back down into the dark abyss where they belonged, even if they never stayed buried like he wanted them to.
Not when Derek was still an active part of Jalen’s life.
Though not by choice.
“I was wondering if you wanted to hit up the ice cream parlor later this afternoon,” Preston said, interrupting Jalen’s spiraling thoughts, thank god. “It’ll give us a chance to get to know each other better and feel some sun on our faces.”
“What about the vampire who wants to drain me like a cherry Bomb Pop?” As amazing as ice cream sounded, because Jalen rarely treated himself to the simple pleasures in life, a strawberry soft cone wasn’t worth his life.
“Vampires can’t come out during daylight,” Preston informed him. “Besides, Zeppelin and Chase will be with us.”
An afternoon with Chase?
An hour at most, maybe? You can do it.
Stop lying. No you can’t.
Preston’s green eyes were filled with so much pleading, it would be like kicking a puppy if Jalen said no. Being the only human in this ginormous house, Preston had to be desperate for human companionship.
Or maybe I’m just projecting.
“Sure,” he grumbled, knowing damn well he would be fighting his thirst for Chase the entire time.
Fan-fucking-tastic.
At least you’ve got something that’ll make this afternoon smooth sailing.
Jalen hated himself for that thought. But what else was new?
