“What kind of abilities?”
“Psychic abilities.”
Claire looked up at him with wide eyes. She was completely surprised by the fact that he had somehow figured out that she had some kind of ability. She shook her head slowly.
“My brother Luke’s wife Melanie has the ability to see the future,” he continued softly. “Our friend John was gifted with a vision of his future mate when he had gone on a vision quest with his father when he was fourteen years old.”
Claire nodded. She hadn’t known about John’s vision, but she did know about Melanie’s ability. The kids in school used to tease her all the time about it. She also knew that Melanie’s sister Gracie caused boys pain when she touched them. The boys in school had been pretty cruel to her because of it. She wondered if Jake knew about that. If he didn’t, she wasn’t going to be the one to tell him. That was Gracie’s secret to tell.
“You have an ability, don’t you, Claire?” Jake asked her, his voice tender.
Claire was quiet for so long, she knew he probably thought she wouldn’t answer. But if what she thought was true, and Jake McKade was destined to be her mate, he had a right to know about her.
“You can’t tell,” she whispered finally, glad when he tightened his hold on her slightly at her plea.
“I promise to keep your secret, darlin’,” he told her, smiling at her encouragingly. “I would like to tell my brother Deuce, though. He’ll understand. I know he’ll value your gift just as I do. Maybe someday you’ll trust others to protect your secret, too.”
Claire hesitated. Deuce McKade had been very welcoming to her. He had been kind and gentle. She felt his goodness and his deep caring for his brothers. On some level, she knew that telling Deuce about her ability was probably a good thing. It would help him to understand better when she told him what Jake might be feeling during his recovery process.
“Okay,” she said finally.
She looked at her right hand as he tucked it against his chest and smiled when she saw the way he had wrapped his hand around hers. He was such a kind man. It would be so very easy to love him.
“When I was four, I was able to tell when my mother and father were angry,” she said finally. “It wasn’t that they were yelling or showing me that they were angry. I woke up one morning and felt the anger in the house. I was so upset by it that I threw up. My mother kept me home from school, but it didn’t get better. I was sick most of the day.”
“Did your mother take you to see a doctor?”
“No. She told me I was an actress. She said I just wanted attention because my sister was smarter and prettier.”
Jake snorted in disbelief. “I doubt that. You’re beautiful, Claire,” he told her honestly.
“So are you,” Claire told him, smiling when his bark of laughter filled the room.
“Don’t let my brothers hear you say that,” he warned her. “I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Claire squeezed his hand lightly and pulled it toward her chest. “Jake, when you touch me, I can sense your goodness.”
“I’m not good,” he denied immediately.
“Yeah, you are,” Claire insisted. “Don’t argue with me.”
Jake’s eyebrows rose at her words. Had anyone ever dared to defy him before? He couldn’t remember it if they had. Only this little slip of a woman dared to argue with him. A slow smile crossed his lips as he looked at her. He was going to enjoy this woman very much.
“I’ve never been able to completely close myself off from the emotions of people around me,” Claire continued. “I’ve been able to put up mental shields that kind of dull the emotions, but I’ve never been able to completely close them out.” She hesitated a moment then took a cleansing breath to say what she needed to say. “Until now.”
“Until now?”
“When I touch you, or you touch me, everything is silent,” Claire told him, her voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t believe how peaceful it is. You do that for me, Jake McKade.”
“Claire,” Jake said firmly. “You must always touch me.”
Claire laughed and tugged on his hand. “That would be a little difficult, Jake.”
Jake nodded to acknowledge her words, but he was thinking furiously about how he could actually make that happen so that he could always shield her from pain. Seeing Claire so relaxed and at peace, he knew that he had to do what he could to keep her that way.
“Do you still live with your family?” he asked suddenly, determined to figure out a way to keep her from as much pain as possible.
“I do,” she said softly.
“You can’t live there anymore, Claire,” Jake told her firmly.
Claire nodded. “I’m working on it.”
“How?”
Claire laughed softly. Jake was already exerting his dominance. It was sweet.
“I’m going to school to become a massage therapist,” she told him, smiling at the way his gaze never left hers. She could feel his pride and happiness for her. “I used to volunteer here at the hospital, but I started as a paid employee one month ago. You’re my first assignment. It’s nice to finally have a paycheck. I’m hoping to be able to get an apartment close by within the next few days.”
“That’s good,” he said finally. “I don’t want you to live with people who don’t appreciate you.”
Claire laughed as she eased away from him and stood at the side of his bed. She tried to pull her hand free from his, but he tightened his hold on her and tugged her back to sit beside him. She smiled and reached out to touch his cheek gently, loving the fact that he leaned in to her touch. She would bet that he wasn’t even aware that he was doing it.
“Jake, I have to go. My shift is over.”
“Stay with me,” he told her firmly.
“I can’t. I have class tonight.”
Jake sighed tiredly, reaching up to touch his forehead. He realized that the throbbing in his forehead was easing with each moment that Claire was with him.
“I understand,” he said after a moment. “What time will you be here tomorrow?”
“I’m scheduled for seven,” she told him, running her fingertips across his forehead to pull his pain from him. It was the first time she was able to do that without actually feeling the pain that she drew from someone else filling her body. “I don’t have class tomorrow so I can stay later with you if you need me to.”
Jake nodded, closing his eyes and accepting her gentle ministrations. He sighed deeply and found himself relaxing completely. He could tell that Claire’s touch had the same soothing effect on him as his did on her.
“I have to go, Jake,” she said softly. “I’m sorry.”
Opening his eyes, he stared up at her, searching the gentle brown of her eyes to look deep into her soul. The understanding of who Claire was to him settled deep within his heart. This woman was his. Did he have the courage to accept this gift? No. Did she deserve a life filled with love and tenderness? Yes. Could he provide that life for her? He didn’t think that he could.
“Go to your class. I’ll be fine. But I expect you to be here at seven tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, sir!” she answered firmly, laughing at the surprised look he gave her before it morphed into an expression of complete satisfaction. She had to keep herself from chuckling. She now knew exactly how to push Jake McKade’s buttons.
She lifted his hand to her mouth and kissed the back of his knuckles lightly, drawing his attention to her once again. She could feel his worry. She could sense his emotions and knew that he believed he wasn’t what she needed.
“You’re too hard on yourself, Jake,” she told him finally, standing once again and removing her hand from his.
The peace and silence was immediately gone. She concentrated on putting up her shields and protecting herself as best she could. Going to the chair beside his hospital bed, she picked up her sweater and backpack before turning back to face him.
“Do you need anything before I go?” she
asked him, making sure that the call button was within easy reach and a fresh cup of ice chips was poured into the empty cup on the rolling tray beside his bed.
Jake shook his head and watched as the beautiful woman pulled on her pink sweater and shrugged her backpack over one shoulder. He had to admit to himself that her curves made his mouth water and his cock harden with need. He loved the softness of the color of her sweater. It complemented her coloring nicely. The darkness of her hair and the tanned complexion of her skin looked good against the feminine color.
“Have a good night. Try and get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning,” she said gently, smiling at him and dong her best to send him calming thoughts. She wanted him to relax and get some rest.
Jake watched silently as Claire walked to the door, pulled it open, and left. He felt the loss of her immediately. He knew that Claire thought she was the only one who benefited from touching him, but she was wrong. When she touched him, he felt her goodness. She pulled his pain from him. She eased the torment in his soul.
In that moment he admitted to himself that he not only wanted Claire Hamilton—he needed her.
Chapter 4
Jake looked at the time display on the television that was perched high on the far wall of the hospital room. It was nearly four in the afternoon. Where the hell was Claire?
She had promised him that she would be there at seven that morning. He couldn’t get an answer from any of the hospital employees. It was frustrating as fuck!
The door to his room opened and he turned in expectation. He was going to have a word with his woman. Damn it! She had promised him. She was soon going to realize that she was never to go back on any promise that she made to him. If he had to tie her to his bed until she learned that lesson, then that’s what it was going to take. Claire would soon know that she was never allowed to defy him!
Ready to call her out for her behavior, his anger left him and real fear filled him as he saw his brothers Deuce, Luke, Rafe, and Spence, and their friends John and Tim walk into his room. The machine that monitored his heart rate started beeping furiously.
“What’s wrong, Jake?” Deuce asked him as he stepped forward and looked him over worriedly.
“Where the hell is Claire?” Jake demanded.
“She’s not here?” Spence asked, looking at Rafe in concern.
“Do you see her here?” Jake snapped. He pulled himself up and reached for the side bar of the bed.
“Whoa, wait a minute, little brother,” Rafe said as he leaned forward and placed a restraining hand on Jake’s shoulder.
“Get the fuck off of me!” Jake snarled. “Something’s wrong. Claire said she would be here this morning and stay with me until tonight. She wouldn’t go back on her promise.”
“Jake, you’ve just met her,” Deuce reasoned gently. “You don’t know what she would do.”
“Yes. I do,” Jake insisted. “Deuce, find out where she is. Something must have happened to her.”
At his brothers’ lack of movement, the anger within Jake roared to life. Damn it! If his brothers weren’t going to get their asses in gear and go and find out where Claire was, he was going to do it himself. Twisting his body, he reached for the side bar of the bed and pulled on it to drag his hips to the edge of the bed.
“This is bullshit!” he yelled. “I’ll do it myself.”
It took both Rafe and Spence to hold Jake down in his bed. Luke braced his left leg, concerned when he saw the way Jake was twisting it as he tried to get out of the bed.
“Jake, you have to stop,” Luke told him firmly. “You’re gonna do more damage to your leg.”
“I don’t give a shit about my leg!” Jake roared. “Find Claire!”
“Deuce,” John said from his place at the foot of the bed. “We need to get him to calm down.”
Deuce nodded. Before he could reach out and press the call button that was clipped to the side bar of Jake’s bed, the door of Jake’s room opened and a nurse rushed in.
“Get Doctor Walters,” Deuce said firmly. The nurse nodded and hurried from the room. “Jake, we’ll find out what happened to Claire, but you need to calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down! Go and find Claire!”
“Why are you so upset?” Luke asked, worry filling him as he saw how agitated his brother was.
“Claire promised me she would be here this morning at seven, Luke,” Jake told him firmly. “Something had to have happened to her.”
“We’ll find out,” Luke promised. “Just try to keep yourself under control, Jake.”
The door to the room opened and Brody Walters came in quickly. He assessed the situation and walked over to Jake immediately. Grabbing for the IV lead, he lined up the syringe he had in his right hand, inserted it, and depressed the plunger. In a matter of seconds, Jake’s thrashing stopped and the room was filled with his angry growls.
“You fucker!” he muttered before his eyes closed and he lost his fight to remain conscious.
“Sorry, Jake,” Brody apologized. He turned to face Deuce and saw the concern on his cousin’s face. “That should knock him out for about six hours.” He watched as Spence and Rafe slowly released their hold on Jake’s shoulders. He didn’t want to be them when Jake woke up.
“Thanks, Brody,” Deuce said softly, stepping toward the bed and touching his brother’s hand lightly as he lay unconscious. “He was pretty upset that Claire wasn’t here. Do you know where she is?”
“She called in sick,” Brody said. “I don’t believe her, though.”
“Why not?” Rafe asked for all of them.
“Claire has been dedicated to helping Jake these last four weeks,” he told them. “She came to me after she spoke with him yesterday to tell me Jake was in some pain but wouldn’t admit it. She was worried about him. She told me he was a stubborn man who would work hard to get better. She’s happy being a part of his rehabilitation and care. She’s a very determined woman.”
“Then what the hell happened?” Deuce asked, reaching out to brush Jake’s hair away from his forehead. He looked down at his sleeping brother and saw that his face held lines of tension.
“I don’t know, Deuce,” Brody said honestly. “But I can tell you one thing. If Claire could have been here, she would have been.”
“I don’t think Jake is going to take kindly to being held down by you two while Brody put him out,” Tim said, looking at Spence and Rafe and shaking his head. “You guys are screwed.”
Deuce smiled, knowing that Tim was right. But what made him smile even harder was knowing that his little brother finally had his fire back. Claire had done that for him.
“I think we need to find Claire,” John offered. “She may be the only one who will be able to save your hides when Jake wakes up.”
Deuce nodded and faced his cousin, brothers, and friends. “I think you’re right, John. We need to find out what happened to her. Jake’s just shown us that she’s important to him. She’s a part of our family now.”
Claire walked into the hospital just before ten that night. She kept her head down and walked directly toward Jake’s room. She was relieved that there weren’t many people around to bombard her with feelings. She wasn’t completely oblivious to the feelings of the small amount of people populating the area, but it was greatly reduced. Her shields were helping, too.
Pushing the door open with her right shoulder, she whimpered slightly at the pressure it put on her body. Stepping inside the room, she walked over to the far wall and set down her suitcase and backpack then turned to walk over to the hospital bed.
“Hi, Jake,” she whispered, reaching out and touching his hand lightly. The peace and contentment that filled her was immediate. She sighed with relief.
She saw Jake’s forehead scrunch up as he fought to wake up. She didn’t want to interrupt his healing sleep. According to Brody, Jake had experienced too many nights of pain and restlessness. She was not about to pull him out of his peaceful sleep. Removing her hand
from his warmth, she walked over to the far wall, turned to rest her back against it, and slid down it slowly to sit on the floor below the windows.
Resting her head in her hands, she fought to control her emotions. Everything in her hurt. Her body was one big bruise. She blamed herself. Her argument with her mother had been expected. Claire knew that she would not be able to walk out of her mother’s house without the confrontation, but she had been ready. Her clothes and her few items of sentimental value were packed in her suitcase. She had filled her backpack with her school books and notebooks.
She didn’t have much, but what she had was going with her. Besides, having few belongings made it easier for her. The walk into town had been a long one, and she ached from the weight of her bags. Now that she was in Jake’s hospital room, she could finally relax.
She had a job. She was going to school. She would finally have a future where she could take care of herself. It was all good.
Jake pushed through the haze of sedation. Turning his head to the right, he saw the small figure sitting on the floor beneath the windows. He blinked to clear his eyes and focus. What he saw before him soothed him and made him smile.
Claire was sitting there with her knees pulled up close to her chest. Her forehead was resting on them. There was a soft white glow around her. What was even more amazing was the iridescent wings that stretched out from behind her and wrapped around her body protectively. She was truly his guardian angel. He knew it was the drugs causing him to hallucinate, but it was a pretty great hallucination.
“Angel,” he called out to her softly, smiling when she looked up at him immediately. He saw the strain on her face and worried immediately. “What’s wrong, Claire?”
“Nothing,” she whispered.
“Come here, angel,” he told her firmly, smiling when she stood and walked over to his bed without hesitation. When she was close enough to touch, he did exactly that, taking her hand in his and drawing it to his mouth to kiss the back of her knuckles softly.
Claire smiled down at Jake, loving his gentleness. She reached out with her free hand and touched his head lightly, carefully threading her fingers through the length of his black hair.
Jake's Angel [Cowboy Mates, Psychic Connections 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 4
