Instinctual (17 page)

“What is it?”

“Put me down!”

Jake looked lost for a second but then he nodded and complied with the request.

As he gently eased her down, losing contact with her, he ran both hands through his hair before stepping back, obviously realizing just how close they had both come to throwing caution to the wind. Shit. They had to pull themselves together. Fight these uncontrollable urges. They’d nearly been at the point of no return.

“Jake. We can’t. This isn’t right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have led you on. ” Kate was agonizing over the words, trying to distance herself from him but it was no use. He wasn’t giving her enough room.

The loss of contact was severed. She felt lonely. Her libido was screaming out at him to pin her against the tree and just take her any way he could but she knew it would not be a wise move. She knew she had almost lost control. She hadn’t meant to. Her head was screaming at her to back off and do the right thing. Be sensible for once.

Jake stood back but still in her personal space, breathing in and out, eyes closed to help ease him back from the brink. “Where were you when you disappeared?”

It was a question that she barely heard as a flash of memory stole her focus.

Absentmindedly Kate went back to retracing the initials on the tree as she remembered. It was almost as if she hadn’t heard his question as she was transported back in time.

“Remember the day we carved these?”

For a moment Jake’s previous question was ignored.

“I’ve never forgotten. I’ve pictured that day so many times in my head wishing I could go back to that time.”

The pizza smelled divine as they gorged on piece after piece, sauce dripping down their chins until they felt like they’d both burst. Lying on their stomachs, propped up on their elbows, spread out on a blanket, they enjoyed the starry, peaceful night. A half empty bottle of costly wine sat close by.

Jake lifted Kate’s face around so he could sensuously lick the pizza sauce off her chin before moving to her mouth, nibbling her bottom lip.

“I didn’t want to waste any of that tasty sauce,” he whispered against her lips.

Kate smiled, knowing full well that the sauce didn’t play a part in it as she let Jake savor her. She was blissfully happy in that moment. Her heart was full. She needed nothing more. Jake satisfied every ounce of her being, and when he rolled onto his back, bringing her on top of him, his hands almost painfully kneading her buttocks as he tried to get more of her, a firestorm exploded inside her as she cried out with need and arched her body into his so they were pressed together from chest to toes.

“I need more,” he growled. “I can’t get you close enough. It’s like touching you, kissing you and making love to you still doesn’t satisfy me.”

Kate knew exactly what he meant. She felt the same. The more they gave to each other, like some addictive drug, the more she craved.

As she savagely pulled on his wild mane of tangled hair, Jake’s pained cry heightened her desire. It was as if pain and pleasure were one and the same. He moved his mouth from Kate’s engorged lips and sucked on her neck just below the ear, marking her as his with a love bite that would turn into a bruise the next morning.

“Jake, let go of me!”

“What?”

As Kate’s senses brought her back to the present moment, standing beside the olive tree she found that he’d grabbed her and was digging his fingers into her arms, as if remembering his own version of events. Kate hadn’t felt him move an inch. His eyes were a mixture of obsessive thirst and confusion.

“Jake! Let me go! What’s wrong with you?” She tried to shrug him off.

He faltered for a second and then dropped his hands to his side. “I’m sorry. I…” He took a step back and shook his head.

“Save it, Jake. Just get away! Give me some room, for God’s sake!” There still wasn’t enough space between them. Kate pushed on Jake’s chest, needing more room. She’d barely been able to suppress herself when she’d looked at his face moments ago. His eyes, even though they’d looked right through her, had been filled with a manic need that nearly brought her to her knees. If his grip on her hadn’t been so strong she would have fallen.

Jake’s jawline sharpened as his eyes bored into hers. “Fine. If that’s what you need.”

“It is. Besides, I could use your help.” She turned and walked over to the concrete ledge and sat down.

Jake followed, standing near Kate but not sitting down beside her. “Kate. Do you know what’s happened to you?”

Sadness washed over Kate’s features as she pushed some hair out of her face and then fiddled with her fingers after placing them on her thigh. “I fell.” Her eyes stared at the ground.

“What? Where?” Jake asked a little too loudly as he kneeled in front of Kate.

She pointed towards the cliff where her lifeless body lay. Her fingers trembled.

“I need you to show me, Kate. Can you do that?”

Her eyes met Jake’s and for a second she couldn’t get the words out.

“Kate?”

“I’m dying.”

He brought his hand up to cup her jaw. “Shhh. Baby, I need you to show me where your body is. We need to go, urgently. Please. I want to help you. Everyone is out looking for you. Your father—”

“What? Wait. You’ve seen my father?” It was like a slap in the face.

“Yes. He’s here. He’s looking for you. He’s beside himself with worry. We all are.”

Kate stood up at the mention of her father. She knew he was here but didn’t have a clue as to where exactly. “Where is he? Take me to him!” She walked a few steps away then turned back to Jake to await his answer.

“Kate you need to take me to your body first.”

“No!” She grabbed her head. “I need to see my father.”

“We don’t have much time.”

“Jake! I. Need. To. See. Him. Now!” She wasn’t taking no for an answer. If Jake wouldn’t take her to him she would go searching herself. She watched him deliberate for a minute, hand clasping the back of his neck, muscles bulging with the strength of his grip. Kate thought he was going to deny her the request but at the last minute Jake mumbled a curse.

“Okay. Okay! We need to make it quick. Take my hand and just trust me, okay?”

Gingerly, she clasped his hand and their fingers linked as if on auto-pilot. Kate hissed a noise out at the sparks that were flying between them. She could feel the pull through his vibrating fingers and it rivaled her own.

“Hurry, Jake.”

“Close your eyes.”

‘What? Why?” She let out a snicker. “It’s not as if these eyes are real, Jake.”

“Just do it!” The frustration in his voice was evident. “You still have your human form and I can still see your eyes, so just humor me, Kate.”

“All right, already! Jeez, keep your shirt on!” Kate looked at Jake to see his serious face, eyebrows slashed, mouth pressed tight before closing her eyes and letting him take her to her father.

In the blink of an eye they were standing near a short wall, facing away from the tower.

Jake leaned in to Kate so that he was almost touching her and whispered in her ear, “Are you okay, baby?”

Kate fought the urge to lean her face into his soft mouth. She couldn’t manage anything more than, “Mmm.”

Trying to stifle the excited buzz soaring through her, partly from Jake standing too close and partly because she was about to see her father for the first time in three years, she slowly focused on her surroundings.

Kate’s eyes were wide like saucers. They were standing near the edge of a very high point near the ocean. Only a second ago they had been on the other side of town.

“Jake! What the hell just happened? How were you able to zap us over here?” She was the only one that could teleport and it was because she didn’t inhabit her body.

“I’ll explain everything soon, I promise. There’s so much I need to discuss with you but you insisted on seeing your father.” Jake spun Kate around to face Robert. That was the end of the discussion for now.

A delighted cry escaped her as she spotted her dad straight away. She shone the most dazzling smile at Jake and then dashed over to her father, calling out to him over and over, lost to his presence.

“Dad! Dad! It’s me, Kate. Oh my God! I can’t believe you’re here!”

She sprinted at full pelt’ not stopping in time, coursing right through him, almost losing her balance on the other side as her father’s energy jerked her body as it passed through.

Robert appeared to have felt something too as he spun around, touching his body, looking at the Gladiator’ stunned. “What the fuck was that?”

“What, sir?”

“That power surge. Didn’t you feel it just then?”

“No, sir.”

Robert stared vacantly at The Gladiator while Kate regained her composure and glared at her father, remembering why he was ignoring her.

“Daddy?”

Jake was beside her instantly. “He can’t see you, remember?”

The horror of the situation was finally starting to sink in as she whispered quietly as if she hadn’t heard Jake speak. “He can’t see me! I forgot—”

“Kate.” Jake’s arm came around her shoulder as she gave in to her grief and shuddered mercilessly, unable to cry but feeling deep sorrow.

“I’m so sorry. For everything. I know you and your dad are close.” His mouth was pressed to the top of her head as he kissed it and then pressed his cheek into her hair. “He’s looking for you. He won’t stop until he finds you.”

Kate looked up into Jake’s eyes as he brushed her cheek with his thumb.

Robert walked right past Jake and Kate without glancing sideways, causing Kate to tremble further at her father’s snub.

“Oh my God! My own father can’t see me. I’m invisible.” She shook Jake off and raced over to her father, patting him on the shoulder to try and get his attention.

“Hey! Dad! I’m here. It’s Kate. Please! I know you can feel me.”

Her hand seemed to disappear into Robert’s body again and again as the patting started to become pounding. “Dad! Dad! Look at me!”

For a second, Robert stopped and Kate hoped that finally she had got through to him but when he motioned for The Gladiator to keep walking straight ahead while he eyed a map in his hand, she knew that it had all been wishful thinking.

She howled out towards the moon like some animal in pain, devastated. “Aaarrrrrgh! I hate this! I hate this! He can’t see me! I’m nothing! I’m going to be stuck like this forever!” Her high pitched screaming caused Jake to grimace. He rushed forward.

His warm hands gently pulled at her waist so that she stood flush against him with her back against his rock hard chest.

“Shh. Hush now. It’s okay, Kate. We’re going to fix this. I’m here to help you. You’re not in this alone.”

“Fix this? Just how do you plan on fixing this, Mister Brainiac? You think you’ve got all the answers? Hah! Tell me, Jake! How is this ludicrous situation ever going to be fixed?” She was almost hysterical as she fought against him, lashing bucket-loads of anger towards him.

She was flailing her arms around, trying to free herself from Jake’s strong hold but it was like trying to pry free from steel shackles.

“The first thing we need to do is find your body and get you help. Can we just do that first, please, and then we’ll figure the rest out? Let’s just take one step at a time.” His arms were vise-like around her, keeping her in place so she didn’t run again.

It took a moment of struggling against Jake before she realized it was useless to fight against him. He wasn’t letting her go. Maybe it was a good thing. Maybe she needed him more than she thought. After all, there was no one else that could see her. It was all just so crazy. She let her body settle into Jake before something dawned on her. “He didn’t acknowledge you either, Jake. Why?” Kate’s question took Jake off guard as he momentarily eased his hold on her and then tensed again. Kate could feel his energy change. She knew he was struggling to answer her. He was keeping something from her.

“We need to talk but first you need to show me where your body is. We’ve taken too long as it is.” Jake released Kate from his stronghold, letting her move forward.

Something suddenly hit Kate. She stopped and turned to Jake, blanching. “That man!”

“Your dad?”

“No, the other man. Who is he?”

“He works for the military. He’s helping look for you.”

“But he was following me.”

“What? When?” Jake looked alarmed.

“The night before festival day I was having dinner and he was watching me.” Kate frowned.

“Maybe your dad had him watching out for you.”

“Why? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“I’m not sure but he’s one of the good guys, Kate. He wasn’t going to hurt you.”

Kate pushed some hair out of her face and pursed her lips. She had known that, but still. “Whatever. It’s just another account of my fucked up life.”

Resignedly, Kate started walking away without another word, hoping Jake would follow. The sooner she showed him where her body lay, the sooner all this insanity would be over.