Rescue Inc Collection Vol 1: Mate of Mine & Forever Mine

by Pritchard, Megs

  Grinning, Jared closed his eyes. Sleep, shower, and sex. Just what he needed.

  Chapter Three

  Sacha absently rubbed his arm, the ache an uncomfortable distraction. He sat back in his chair and sighed. Glancing out of his office window, he watched the clouds slowly drift past.

  They’re like me, he thought. Drifting along aimlessly, appearing to have no destination in mind. Lost in the confusion that life brings.

  But Sacha did have a destination; he simply refused to go there.

  Sighing again, Sacha stood and left his office, heading towards his father’s. He needed to talk to him about Jared. His father knew the truth and had supported Sacha through all the years he’d hid the fact they were mates, but he needed Alessio’s honesty now.

  He smiled and said hello to everyone he passed as he walked towards his father’s office. They had a great team working for Marchesi and Sacha had known most of them for years. The company his father started years ago in a small office had flourished, and now they were situated on three floors of an office building. They dealt in law, and Sacha specialized in corporate. Not exactly exciting but he enjoyed it.

  When his father’s office came into view, Sacha glanced at the plaque on the door. A. Marchesi. Alessio to everyone. His father made sure all his employees called him by his first name because everyone was a part of his extended family.

  Seeing Bernadette, his father’s secretary, he waved and nodded his head towards the partially opened door. “He free?”

  Bernadette smiled when Sacha arrived at her desk. “Go in, love. He’s just finished up a call.”

  Sacha smiled and pushed the door open, stepped in and closed it behind him. He walked over and sat on the chair in front of the desk, waiting for his father to finish writing up some notes.

  Alessio still preferred pen and paper over his computer even though he would put his notes in later.

  Black hair, with a sprinkle of silver at the sides, Alessio smiled at Sacha, his eyes crinkling at the corners. His deep blue eyes still shone brightly, and his wedding ring gleamed in the light. They shared the olive complexion of their Greek and Italian heritage.

  Sacha was named after his Greek grandfather, a tradition started years ago as a way of honoring those who had passed and one Sacha intended to continue when he had children of his own. Being gay wasn’t going to stop him from a having a family.

  When Alessio finished his notes, he smiled at him, reaching across the desk to grip his hand. “Sacha.”

  “Father.”

  A frown marred his face. “What’s wrong, my son? I can see the stress on your face.”

  “Jared was injured.” As he spoke, Sacha rubbed his arm in the spot Jared had been hurt.

  Alessio sat back in alarm. “Not too bad, I hope.”

  “No, not according to Jared.”

  Alessio smiled, raising an eyebrow. “But we both know how that boy is. He could lose his leg, and it would be a minor inconvenience.”

  Sacha chuckled, nodding in agreement. When he stopped, he glanced down at the desk, then back at Alessio. “Can we talk?”

  “Always, Sacha.”

  He closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair. “Jared,” he muttered.

  “Jared,” Alessio murmured wearily.

  “Father, I’m just...” He trailed off, unable to find the words he needed to say.

  “You need to tell him, Sacha.”

  Sacha opened his eyes and looked at his father. “And lose him? You know how he’ll react.”

  Alessio sighed and stood. Walking around his desk, he sat in the chair next to Sacha. “You need to live your life. Tell him. If he leaves, as difficult as I know it will be for you, you can at least move forward with your life.” He reached out and palmed Sacha’s face. “You need to do this. For you. You can’t keep living like this. You keep waiting for him, yet nothing changes.”

  “Father-”

  “I remember how excited you were when you first met him all those years ago. It gave me hope.”

  Sacha swallowed, blinking his eyes as they filled with tears. “Yeah, I remember.”

  “I had hoped over time...”

  “Yeah, Father. Me too.”

  “His feelings for you haven’t changed in all the time you’ve known him, and it hurts you every time he is with a woman. I’ve sat back and given you both time to adjust and hoped that something would happen to make him see you.”

  “He does see me, father, just not the way I want.” Sacha blinked and a tear slipped over, rolling down his cheek. Alessio gently wiped it away, smiling sadly at him.

  “You can’t keep on existing like this, pining your life away, Sacha.”

  “What else can I do? He’s my mate. He’s the other half of me, and I don’t want to leave him. I don’t want to wake up knowing I’ll never see him again.”

  “Tell him, and we will face the outcome together.”

  Sacha breathed in sharply, the blood draining from his face. “What if he rejects me?” He bit his lip to stop it from trembling and blinked rapidly.

  “I don’t know, Sacha.” Alessio shook his head. “I haven’t met my mate. That doesn’t mean I don’t love your mother because I do, very much. But to have a mate, I’ve heard is indescribable. Don’t wait-”

  “What if I lose him?” Sacha blurted it out. “I’m supposed to just carry on without him?”

  “I don’t know, Sacha, but isn’t it about time you found out?”

  * * *

  As soon as he got home, Jared showered, taking time to wrap his wound in plastic to stop it getting wet. He groaned as the warm water cascaded over his skin, and he stared at it flowing down the drain.

  It wasn’t clean and clear when it rolled off his body. The pink in it was his blood, and Jared paused. A few inches further across and it would have been his chest and not his arm that the kid hit.

  He needed to be clean, and so he quickly washed his blond hair, wincing slightly when his finger caught on something tangled in it. When he pulled out a sliver of glass, he shook his head in confusion.

  “How the fuck did that get in my hair?”

  Placing it on the floor, he continued to wash away the grime and sweat that covered his body, groaning as the water eased his aching muscles. When he reached his dick, it perked up, and he grinned, giving it a few strokes and moaning at how good it felt.

  He had time to spare before Sacha came home, so he poured body wash into his hand and grasped his dick, biting his lip at the pleasure that zinged through him.

  “Fuck, yeah,” he muttered, stroking it hard and fast.

  He wasn’t going to stretch it out. He needed to come and release some of the pent tension that coiled in his body. He pulled on his dick, biting his lip, and leaned back on the shower wall, grunting harshly.

  When he came, it caught him off guard, and he slammed a hand on the wall next to him to keep upright as his come shot across the tiles. His legs shook, and he groaned, stroking more slowly now, letting his orgasm ebb.

  When he had more control of his legs, he stood and finished washing his body. Turning the water off, he stepped out, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around his waist.

  Wiping the condensation from the mirror, he stared at the scruff on his face. “Has to go,” he muttered, grabbing his razor.

  Once he’d finished, he took the towel from his waist and, rubbing his hair dry, walked into his bedroom.

  Pulling out his clothes for the night, Jared dressed in his favorite jeans and T-shirt. He needed to go out, get drunk and find someone to spend the night with.

  He still had so much tension coiling in his body. He needed to work it out, and a good fuck was the answer. Hopefully, Sacha would be home soon, and they could hit the clubs together.

  He threw his dirty clothes in the laundry basket and checked the time. Not long until Sacha got back, then they could go out and have some fun.

  He finished getting ready, splashing his favorite aftershave on, grumbling when it
stung his freshly shaved face, and then redressed his wound.

  Downstairs, he heard the front door close. Sacha was home. “Sacha. I’m in my room,” he shouted. “Wanna go out?”

  Grinning, he waited for a response and continued to dress. When there was no reply, Jared glanced over at his bedroom door, furrowing his brow. Why hadn’t Sacha answered? He always said something when he got home, especially if he knew Jared was already there.

  He walked over to his bedroom door, opened it, and stared out along the hallway. He couldn’t see Sacha, and his frown deepened as he went downstairs.

  When he didn’t find him in the living room, he strode over to the kitchen and stopped when he saw Sacha slumped on a chair by the table, head in his hands.

  “Sacha.”

  Sacha lifted his head and pierced him with an intense stare, red slivers appearing in his eyes. He swallowed and inhaled sharply, then uttered, “We need to talk.”

  Chapter Four

  Sacha stared at the red front door to their house, hesitant to leave the relative safety of his car and enter. He shouldn’t feel like this, but he knew that as soon as he told Jared the truth, there was no turning back. His revelation would forever alter their relationship, and Sacha was terrified.

  Jared would be angry, Sacha was under no illusions regarding the fact. He’d lied to him for years, well, not lied exactly, but he’d hidden the truth, and in Jared’s eyes, that would amount to the same thing.

  He knew Jared was home, his car sat in their driveway, but he could also feel the slight pull from their mating bond. It wasn’t as strong as it would be if they were fully mated, but it was there, present in the back of his mind. A depressing comfort. A reminder of what he didn’t have.

  Sacha looked at the car, the fading sun shining off the black metal. He knew he’d told his father that he would be honest with Jared and tell him the truth, but now that moment was finally here, Sacha was scared. Terrified.

  He broke out in a cold sweat, and the longer he remained in his car, the worse it became. His heart raced in his chest and he swallowed hard, trying not to vomit. He glanced in the mirror, seeing the ashen color of his skin, the tightness in his shoulders. He exhaled shakily. He needed to move or Jared would find him and he didn’t want to have the conversation outside.

  After ten minutes, he finally opened the car door and stood, slamming it shut behind him. Walking slowly up to the front door, he grabbed the handle and pushed it open, closing it quietly behind him. He could hear Jared moving around upstairs and smell his aftershave on the air.

  Closing his eyes, he leaned back on the door. Jared was getting ready to go out. For years now they’d gone together, and Sacha would watch him leave with some random woman, a little piece of him dying each time.

  Ten years they’d known each other, and for that same amount of time, Sacha had lived in the hope that one day, Jared would see him. Not as a friend but as his mate and that their friendship would deepen and become more.

  But how could that happen when Sacha hadn’t told Jared the truth about their relationship?

  Pushing away from the door, he dropped his briefcase and walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing a beer. He needed a drink if he was going to go through with the conversation.

  He sat at the table, staring at his hands, and ignored Jared when he called his name. He heard his footsteps coming down the stairs, and he dropped his head into his hands.

  His pulse quickened the nearer his mate got, and when Jared entered the kitchen, Sacha lifted his head and stared at him.

  “We need to talk,” he muttered, part of him hoping Jared didn’t hear him.

  Jared frowned, his head tilting to the side. He pulled up a chair and sat at the table opposite him. “What’s up, Sacha?”

  “How’s the arm?” Sacha swallowed. He didn’t want to ask him that question, but struggled to say the words he needed to.

  Jared’s frown deepened. “How did you know? You didn’t tell me.”

  Sacha sighed, exhaustion pulling at him. Exhaustion from the weight of the truth he’d kept hidden for all these years. “Look, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  “What?” Jared reached across the table, gripping Sacha’s arm. “What’s wrong?”

  Sacha opened his mouth but nothing came out, and he shook his head in disgust at his inability to speak. He didn’t want to ruin their friendship because, after he’d said those words, he knew it would change.

  “Sacha. Tell me. You can tell me anything. What’s going on? Has something happened-?”

  Sacha held a hand up, stopping Jared’s words. He looked him straight in the eyes and muttered, “We’re mates.” His heart rate shot up, and Sacha swore it was going to burst from his chest, it pounded so heavily.

  Shit, he couldn’t sit still. He fidgeted on the chair, fighting the impulse to run, but he had to stay and see this through. He owed Jared that much.

  Jared’s mouth opened and closed several times, his eyes widening in shock. “What?”

  “Mates. Us. Me and you.” Sacha spoke quietly, but he knew Jared heard him.

  “I don’t understand...”

  Sacha heard Jared trail off and understood his confusion. They’d been friends for ten years and not once had he mentioned the true nature of their relationship. Not once had he been honest and told Jared what he deserved to know.

  “I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner, but-”

  “We’re mates.”

  Sacha nodded slowly, watching Jared clench his jaw.

  “How long have you known?”

  Sacha swallowed, seeing Jared tighten his hands into fists. “Since we met,” he mumbled.

  Jared’s stare turned into a glare, his eyes narrowing. His jaw moved from side to side as he gritted his teeth. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded harshly. “All this fucking time, Sacha.”

  Sacha spread his hands across the table. “You were a Marine, and you had a girlfriend.”

  “You knew she meant nothing to me,” Jared exploded, standing so quickly the chair toppled back and fell to the floor.

  The thud it made caused Sacha to jump, and he looked up at Jared. “You’re not gay, Jared.”

  “I’m me.” Jared pointed at his chest. “You of all people should know that. We’ve been friends for over ten years. Fuck, we’ve lived together for nine of those, and it didn’t occur to you at any point during all those years to tell me the fucking truth?”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to lose you. You know how important mates are. Please don’t-”

  “Our whole friendship is based on a lie, Sacha. You lied to me for years. Fucking years, Sacha! How could you do that to me? How could you keep something so important a fucking secret?”

  “What would you have done if I’d told you?” Sacha cried. “Would you have stayed friends with me or would you have left?”

  “I’ll never know, will I?” Jared screamed in response. “You took that choice away from me.”

  “But I’m giving you a choice now,” Sacha begged. He desperately needed Jared to see why he’d kept it hidden for all these years.

  “But you lied to me. You’ve kept this huge fucking secret. All these years, Sacha. All these years I thought you were someone I could trust, and it was all a fucking lie!” Jared leaned over the table, inching closer to Sacha. His nostrils flared with every breath he took, his eyes protruded from his head, the stare cold, flinty and hard.

  Sacha stood, pushing his chair back. His chest tightened, afraid of Jared even though he knew his mate would never hurt him. “No, it wasn’t. You know me like no one else does. No one! This is the only thing, and I didn’t tell you because... because...”

  “Because what, Sacha?” Jared took a deep breath in, closing his eyes. When he opened them, he said in a quieter voice, “I had a right to know, and you took that right away from me.”

  Sacha shook his head. “I’m sorry-”

  “Is that how you knew I’d been
shot? Is it how you have always known when something has happened to me?”

  “Yes,” Sacha whispered.

  Frowning, Jared said, “I thought we had to be mated first.”

  “I think it’s because we live together that I can tune into you.” Sacha shrugged, glancing away. Even now, he couldn’t tell him everything.

  “Great,” Jared muttered. Running a hand through his hair, he said, “I’m leaving.”

  Sacha gasped, pain slicing through his chest at those words. He held out his hands towards Jared. “Please don’t leave-”

  “No, Sacha. It’s done.” Jared stared at him for a long time before finally shaking his head. “Sacha... How... Why?” Jared finally stopped talking and, shaking his head again, he left the kitchen.

  Sacha slumped to the floor, his legs unable to hold his weight and his head shaking in denial. His mouth fell open, but no sound came out. He wrapped his arms around his chest and hunched over, a whimper finally escaping.

  He stared at the floor, not really seeing it as their conversation bounced around his head. What could he have said differently to stop his mate leaving? What could he have done? He was losing him.

  His mate. His beautiful, wonderful, caring mate. Oh god, how could he manage without him? What was he going to do? Jared was his life, his everything. That missing piece of him. He’d been so very lucky to find him, and now he was leaving, and Sacha was lost, and he didn’t know what to do or say to keep Jared with him.

  Jared.

  Jared.

  What could he do? What? Who would help?

  He lifted his head when he heard the front door slam shut, and seconds later, a car engine rumbled. He keened, a high-pitched sound that turned into a full-throated scream. He jammed his fist into his mouth, tears streaming down his face, and he fell onto his side, his head thumping the floor, but he didn’t feel it. All Sacha knew was that his mate was gone, and he was all alone.

  Alone. Left behind.

  He screamed again and again, trying to scream the pain and loss away. Finally, he screamed one last time as darkness swept over him. One name. The one name that meant everything to him.