Modeling Death (7 page)

"Do they actually think they can replace you?"

He'd never heard the Stamsons were stupid, but they were downright idiotic if they thought they could separate Cash from his mate.

"The Stamsons don't believe in mates."

"What about Will? Does he believe in mates?" It would be catastrophic if Cash lost his mate. Cash was almost as powerful as Guy, and a bastard if crossed. If the Stamsons thought they could brush Cash aside, Guy hoped they were prepared for the fallout. Cash in a good mood was dangerous. Cash pissed off made for a good time to leave the country, maybe the continent.

"Will believes in me, and he's talked his mother around. His father is kind of a bastard, but he's willing to play nice to make up for Gil."

Guy could believe that. When Will's older brother, Gil, endangered Will's life, it shook up the entire Stamson family.

"I can't believe they let him off so lightly." After a great deal of debate, the council let Gil off with only a light wrist slap; three years of living without magic. "He didn't even get jail time for attempted murder."

"That was Will's fault. He refused to testify against his brother." He could hear the anger in Cash's voice.

"Well, to be fair, from what you told me, I think Gil was as shaken about the whole thing as William."

"The fact that he's sorry wouldn't have brought my mate back if he were killed."

"True. When's the big day?"

A low heartfelt sigh came over the phone. "There are two."

"Two?" Guy found it difficult to believe Cash got talked into one much less two ceremonies.

"One for family and friends, and one for the media circus."

"Which one do you want me at?"

"You want to come?"

"Not if you don't want me to."

Cash growled his frustration. "That's not it. I didn't think you'd want to come to this thing. You always avoided everyone else's commitment ceremonies."

"Ah, but now I've got a man of my own, and I know for a fact you don't want him there. It's a like double bonus."

Cash laughed. "I won't care now that he's attached to someone, but, hell, in this picture, he has his arm around my man and he's not wearing a shirt."

Guy's cock hardened as he remembered Jacob's naked body. "Listen, I'll go meet with Jacob's agent and find out what she knows. Maybe she'll have some leads she didn't think of before."

"Sounds good. Hey, does Jacob know you're his mate?"

"Not yet." Guy grinned. "But he'll learn soon enough I'm not so easy to get rid off."

"Well, let me know if you learn anything from his agent. Since I can't do active work anymore, they have me doing stuff behind the scenes."

"Does it bother you?" Guy wondered how Cash was really doing. After working as one of the best operatives for years, to suddenly stop going on missions and stay at home must be a hard transition. Guy wondered how he would cope. Soon he would have his answer. The Council didn't let mated wizards stay in active duty. It was a good rule because if one wizard died, so would his mate.

Cash laughed, a warm, relaxed sound he'd never heard from the other man before. "You let me know when you're sitting on the council seat sending operatives out on missions. The other council members are going to be excited when you tell them you've found your mate." The Wizard Council had held a spot open for Guy for the last hundred years.

"I'll let them know after this case. I can't let this go if the bastard is after models. Jacob could be in trouble."

"I won't mention it. Niles should get there tomorrow. If this bastard isn't afraid to take out two models at a time, he might be using magic. You shouldn't confront anyone by yourself."

"I'll be careful. I'll call you later with an update."

Disconnecting, he looked at the clock.

Shit!

"It's six-thirty. The alarm didn't go off," Guy shouted.

Jacob was going to be late for his shoot after Guy had assured him there wouldn't be a problem. He speed-dialed Joel and told him to wait for them downstairs. Rushing to his closet, he found a shirt he'd bought that was too tight on him but he was too lazy to return. He could take a shower later; besides, he liked smelling like Jacob and knowing others of the supernatural set could smell that he was mated too.

"How late am I?" Jacob asked, rushing back into the room. His hair was wet, attesting to the fact he'd taken a quick shower while Guy was on the phone. Jacob gave him a shy smile. "I hope you don't mind I used your shower. You were on the phone, and I didn't want to bother you."

"Honey, you can always bother me if it involves you naked in water."

Jacob laughed. "I'll remember that. What time is it?"

"You're not late yet," Guy replied, "but we're cutting it close. You can wear your pants from yesterday, but see if this shirt fits you." He tossed it over to Jacob and went back into his closet to find something to wear. Since they would redress Jacob at his shoot, he didn't think it mattered too much what the model wore, but he didn't want Jacob to look like something the cat dragged in either. After all, Pablo had seen Jacob yesterday.

"It's not too bad."

Guy turned around. "Oh fuck, you're fine," he blurted out. He immediately wished he hadn't when Jacob blushed and looked away. The guy probably was sick of people commenting on his looks. Guy cleared his throat. "Are you at the same location as yesterday?"

Jacob nodded. "Pablo is using a full day today and tomorrow to wrap up the shoot."

"Great, Joel is waiting for us. You won't be that late."

The men scrambled for their shoes and raced to the elevator. Minutes later, they were rushing to the limo.

Once they got seated, Jacob's stomach growled.

"Damn, I'm sorry we didn't have time to eat," Guy's heart ached. Jacob was going to work starving. Who knew when anyone would think to feed the poor man? Guy sucked at taking care of his mate.

"It's all right." Jacob patted Guy's knee. "I'll grab something. They usually have a table of food out."

The rush of relief Guy felt was ridiculous. He had it bad, and he still had no idea how the model felt about him.

Jacob leaned over and kissed Guy on the cheek, sending a wave of heat through his body. "Thanks for last night. I had a great time."

"Me too." Guy couldn't have stopped his smile if he wanted to, though breathing appeared to be optional.

His heart and entire future were in jeopardy, but he couldn't make himself care. As long as he could keep Jacob, everything would be fine.

* * * *

Joel pulled up outside the building of Jacob's shoot and came around to open the door. "Will you be all right?" Guy asked.

"Yes, Dad. I can even cross the street these days all alone," Jacob said, a teasing sparkle in his eyes.

"Funny." Guy resisted the urge to give Jacob money to make sure he got a proper lunch. The man was a successful model, not a stray Guy had picked up off the street. He was certain any money handed over would be taken in the worst possible light. Guy let Jacob go with a kiss and a wave, even though his instincts screamed to grab the gorgeous man tight and never let him out of his sight. He saw Joel give Jacob his card as the driver held the door for Jacob. He hoped the proud man would use it when he finished work for the day.

Shaking his head at his own foolishness, Guy waited until Jacob was out of sight before he signaled Joel to move on.

He wasn't going to become some crazy stalker.

He wasn't.

* * * *

Jacob all but danced up the stairs to the door. He really liked Guy, and he had a feeling Guy liked him back. There was no disguising the look of affection the other man gave him.

With a wide smile, Jacob glided through work. The tedious measuring, the makeup discussion, and the boring endless fittings didn't touch his good mood.

"How's the new guy?" Gregor popped up beside Jacob's chair, his blue eyes sparkling with an expression Jacob couldn't read.

"Wonderful. Don't think I didn't see you hitting on him."

Gregor shrugged. "I was just testing to see if he was only looking for a pretty face." He gave Jacob another weird look. "He wasn't. He's really into you."

"You think?" Jacob couldn't hide his eagerness, even though he doubted Gregor was being helpful for no reason.

The handsome model stared at Jacob. "Shit, what is it about you that everyone always likes? You aren't any better looking than I am, yet I only get booked for the jobs you're too busy for or if they want a second person. I probably make a fraction as much a year as you do, and now you have some rich guy who's all gaga over you. You didn't see him jump to your defense. I thought I was going to have to call security. One day you're going to fall on your ass, and I want to be there when it happens." Gregor stormed off, leaving Jacob to watch him wide-eyed.

Where the hell did that come from?

* * * *

It was late when Jacob made it back to David's apartment. The shoot had gone long, and he was bone tired.

"I see you weren't mugged and left at the side of the road," David said from his spot on the couch. His eyes remained glued to his television as he spoke. His feet were propped up on the coffee table, and he had a beer in one hand and a bowl of popcorn in his lap.

"What are you talking about? I texted you."

"Last night. I didn't know where you were all day."

"I was working. I had a shoot. I'm exhausted."

"Dinner is in the fridge."

Jacob stared at back of his cousin's head. "You didn't have to make me dinner."

"I didn't. Some guy in a uniform brought you food."

"Did you see what it was?"

"No. I just stuffed it in the refrigerator and ate my sandwich. We don't all have wealthy boyfriends panting to take care of us."

"Not you too?"

"What do you mean?" Dave stood up and joined him in the kitchen.

"Gregor was harping on how people always like me and how I have a rich boyfriend. Just for the record, Guy isn't my boyfriend. We had a one-night stand. The sex was great, but I'm gone too much to have a steady man in my life."

"Well, I think your one-night stand wants to become a permanent fixture." David leaned against the counter to watch Jacob open his dinner.

Jacob pulled out a huge platter covered in foil. Setting it on the kitchen island, he peeled back the aluminum and let out a laugh. An array of tropical fruits and slices of cooked chicken were arranged in the shape of a heart.

David's face turned serious. "You'd better give your mother a call. Since Milo didn't have you, she suspected you were with me."

Jacob piled some food on a plate. "Did she sound sober?"

"It's hard to say. She said she's coming to New York, but the background noise sounded like she was already on her way."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, she lives in a small town in the middle of nowhere, and when she called, the background noise was so loud I could barely hear her."

Jacob nibbled on a piece of fruit. "What kind of noise?"

"I would say train, but it sounded more muffled, maybe a subway. But why would she call and say she was coming if she was already here?"

"She told Milo she wanted to surprise me."

"Huh. Well, you know she freaks me out." David snagged a piece of fruit off Jacob's tray. "Warn me if you think she's going to show up."

Jacob nodded. "I'll call her now."

Dialing his mother's number, he was surprised when it went directly to voice mail. "Mother, it's Jacob. Call me. I hear you're coming for a visit." As he hung up, he hoped he'd hidden the dread in his voice.

"Not answering?"

"Nope. I'm hoping that's not a bad sign." Without talking to his mother, he didn't know where she might be. Although he sent money home to his mother every month, he only visited her at Christmas, and he was more than ready to leave her company after a few days.

David gave him a sympathetic look. "Let's hope she was only talking. Why don't you call your rich boyfriend and have him ease your worries?"

Smiling, Jacob pressed the speed dial button. Guy had programmed his number into Jacob's phone the night before.

"Did you finally get home, darling?" Guy purred over the speaker.

Jacob took a deep breath to calm the insane urge to track down the sexy man and have his wicked way.

"Yeah, thanks for the food. It was a long day."

"I'm glad you like it. My sister is looking forward to working with you. She was able to squeeze in some time through your agent."

"That's great. I look forward to working with her too." Jacob really did; she'd seemed like a sweet woman and a talented designer.

"Get some rest, Jacob. I'll call you tomorrow."

"'Night."

As he hung up, Jacob felt lonely, as if there were an aching whole in his chest. He missed Guy desperately, strange, since he barely knew the man.

Jacob's phone rang. Looking at the caller ID caused a big smile to cross his face. Here was someone who always made him smile.

"Hey, man."

"Jacob, it's so good to hear you," William Stamson said on the other end. Jacob had met Will when he was modeling in Paris for a charity event. Will had bought the designer's entire collection for his personal use. "I called to give you the good news."

"What news is that?"

"Cassius asked me to marry him."

Joy filled Jacob at the happiness in his friend's voice. "Congratulations."

Jacob hadn't ever met his old friend's lover. In fact, it had been a while since the two friends had a chance to connect. They hadn't seen each other since Will met his new man. From the happiness in William's voice and his constant praise, Jacob got the feeling that William and his partner were a very good match. Not everyone could take Will's approach to living. Last he'd heard, the man still hadn't learned how to wash his own clothes or cook a single thing, but Will still somehow ended up on the bestsellers list with every book he released. Will might be a trust fund baby, but he was a great guy too.

"I was hoping you could be my best man."

"What about your brothers?"

"Umm, we've had a disagreement of sorts." From his friend's tone, Jacob didn't think he wanted to know the details.