Sam and Bodie laughed.
“Hand me your phone.” Bodie held out his hand.
“What?”
“You heard me. Hand the phone over. Drunk dialing and drunk texting will not be happening on my watch.”
“You’re a dick. I’m fine.”
“That’s what you said last time, then I got a million texts from you about how great of a friend I was and how much you loved me. It wasn’t pretty. Though, the chick I was with at the time thought it was hot. She thought I was bi and wanted to see me and my guy in action.”
Sam rolled his eyes. He could feel his phone in his back pocket and that’s where it was going to stay. “Fuck you.”
“Yeah, that’s what she was hoping would happen.” Bodie laughed and sat back down on the couch. “Let’s see if there’s some craptastic movie on. I’m in the mood for a slasher flick full of scantily clad women and idiot dudes.”
A sound woke Sam from his sleep. He groaned as he tried to roll over, realizing he wasn’t in his bed. Shit, he fell asleep in the recliner. Not the first time that had happened. He heard the sound again, a long, low growl almost. Looking to couch he saw Bodie sitting up, head resting on the back cushion and snoring up a storm.
“Yo, Bodie. Shut the hell up,” Sam said into the semi dark room, the television providing the only light. When he didn’t respond, Sam just shrugged and changed positions in the recliner. Content to stay where he was, except for whatever was digging into his butt. He searched for the offending item and came up with his phone. It must have worked its way out of his pocket while he was asleep.
He brought the phone to life and stared at the screen. The alcohol that earlier numbed him was nowhere to be found. He was dying to call MJ and hear her voice. He would even be content listening to her breathe on the other end. He needed that connection to her, even if it was through a phone.
Instead, he brought up his messages and typed in her name. He sat for the longest time staring at the blinking little line.
What could he tell her that he hadn’t already? Words didn’t work. And that whole actions speak louder than them…they didn’t work either.
The blinking line taunted him. Dared him to type something in. Finally, he came up with the words that he hoped would ease her mind.
I love you. I’m setting you free. Please just be happy.
A snuffle and snort came out of Bodie. His head raised and he was looking around like he didn’t know where he was. After a minute his gaze landed on Sam and the phone in his hands. “Ah shit. You didn’t just do something stupid, did you?”
Sam’s heart landed in the pit of his stomach and rolled. “Probably, but I didn’t know what else to do.” He felt like throwing up and not because of the alcohol. He brushed the feeling aside. Wasn’t much he could do about it at this point. The text was out there, waiting for her to read it. “Thanks for staying up with me. Well, at least upright. I’m headed to bed.”
Sam and Bodie stood at the same time. Bodie studied him for a second. “Listen, I’m with Soren on this one. I don’t know what its like to not have your mate accept you. Shit, I can barely get a chick that I think is mine to talk to me, for us it’s still too early. But if it’s meant to be with you and MJ, like they say it is with true mates, then all of this is just one giant obstacle you’ll overcome. The pain, the fear, the not knowing if what you’re doing is what you should be doing—it is all going to make the a-ha moment that much sweeter. I have faith in you, Sam. You and MJ are meant to be together. She just needs time to figure it out. You’ll get your happily ever after with her. I know it.”
Sam couldn’t help but reach across and hug his friend. Bodie didn’t know how much Sam needed to hear those words. It was good knowing someone else believed in him and what he knew was the truth. MJ was his mate and they were meant to be. He just needed to give her the space to see it.
Sunday morning Sam rolled out of bed and stretched the kinks out of his body. After Friday night’s drinking and Saturday’s splitting headache that kept him hiding indoors, he was looking forward to the weekly get-together. Corrine reminded him of it before she and Jett took off to Garden early Friday afternoon. They said they would be back in time for the weekly event. Right now some great food, good company, a run in the woods, and, if it was warm enough, a dip in the lake sounded like a fantastic idea. It would shake the rest of this funk off of him. At least, that was the pipe dream he was telling himself.
He couldn’t help but hope to see MJ there, but deep down he knew she would be a no show. She would say things were too awkward and that Sam had more of a right to be at Corrine’s than she did. It pissed him off that she still didn’t see in herself what they all saw. Regardless of what was happening between them, MJ was a part of the family. She was like a sister to Corrine and would always be welcome wherever they were.
Sam got cleaned up and ambled out to the living room. Soren and Bodie, who both stuck close to him the previous day, were sitting on the couch talking quietly to each other. When he entered the room, Bodie was the first to notice. “You ready to hit the road to your sister’s? I got a text from Jett saying they needed us to pick up some potato salad and some soda.”
“Yeah, with MJ not coming…” Soren broke off his words when Bodie elbowed him in the side. “Uh, sorry man. I wasn’t thinking.”
Sam should have expected it but to hear it out loud was like a blow to the stomach. Damn. He shut his eyes and counted to ten. He was going to have to get used to hearing her name and not reacting.
He hadn’t heard back from her about the text he sent. Not that he really expected to. Damn, he desperately wanted to though. Just some acknowledgement that she felt something, that she didn’t want him setting her free. He’d kill to hear her say I love you, even if it was through text.
He tipped his head to the side and cracked his neck. A deep breath and roll of the shoulders and he felt he could open his eyes again. “I’m ready when you guys are, but I’m staying in the car. One of you can run in and grab the food. My ass is all about relaxing today.”
“I call shotgun then,” Soren said on their way out the door.
“Fuck. That means I’m driving.” Bodie grabbed his keys off the hook next to the front door.
“It is your turn,” Sam said drily.
“Stupid taking turns.”
Soren laughed, as Bodie locked the front door. “It was your idea. You don’t get to complain.”
“Yeah man, you don’t get to bitch about something you came up with.”
“I figured Sam would want to drive all of the time and show off his car. That is one bad ass piece of machinery.”
Sam snorted. “Well, it’s currently parked in front of the gym, so unless you want to walk there and get to the house even later, then it’s your car or try to find a place to sit in Soren’s fast food infested vehicle.”
Bodie made a show of his revulsion. His face screwed up and his body shook from head to toe.
“Fuck you.” Soren flipped them the bird and walked off.
They all piled into Bodie’s beater and were pulling up at Jett and Corrine’s place an hour later. As they got out of the car, Sam glanced around but didn’t see MJ’s car. He knew better, he just couldn’t help it.
Corrine burst through the front door and made a beeline for him. She wrapped her arms around him and started cooing and murmuring that it was going to be okay in his ear. Alarm instantly set in.
He tried to push his sister back, but she wouldn’t move.
Jett spoke from the front steps. He was leaning against one of the pillars shaking his head. “Corrine, you’re starting to freak him out. You might want to loosen your grip on him, I think you’re cutting off his oxygen supply.”
“Oh!” She stepped back, put her hands on his cheeks and searched his face.
Sam’s stomach rolled in that nauseating way again. “What’s wrong, Corrine? Is it Mom and Dad?”
“No, they’re fine. It’s just that…she’s gone
,” she whimpered and threw her arms around him again.
Sam heard cursing behind him, but it seemed so far away. Corrine really couldn’t mean what she said. “MJ’s gone? That can’t be right. She was supposed to stay here until Friday,” he mumbled. A part of him seemed to drift away. His head was light, and he felt detached from what was happening right then. If only he could stay like that.
Corrine let go of him and stepped back marginally. “I’m so sorry, Sam. She called me this morning. Said she couldn’t stay any longer. That she was hurting you too much.”
Sam grabbed his sister by the arms and shook her. “I had until Friday,” he screamed at her. “I thought I still had time!”
Corrine’s eyes opened wide and a tinge of fear seeped off of her. Sam knew he shouldn’t be blaming her. Taking out his anger on her, but he couldn’t let go. She was solid and in front of him. It was her best friend tearing him apart—inside and out. Hands grabbed him from behind and pulled him back, as Jett grabbed Corrine and shoved her behind his back.
“Get a grip, Sampson!” Jett yelled and let Blood Legacy rolled off him in heated waves. It pushed Sam back, even though he tried to resist. Sam heard Bodie and Soren both moan in pain, but they never let go of his arms. His legs started to buckle, and Sam was afraid they would all go down in a heap.
Sam could see Corrine tug on Jett. He watched her mouth move, but couldn’t make out any words due to the loud ringing in his ears. Nausea, real nausea this time, built in his stomach, which threatened to empty its contents on the ground. It seemed his friend really did have a handle on the primal power that surged through his system.
As suddenly as Jett’s Blood Legacy hit him, it stopped. Sam sagged in relief. Bodie and Soren thudded to the ground next to him…panting, trying to catch their breath.
Corrine rushed toward him but stopped a foot away. Shame swamped him. He would never intentionally hurt his sister. “I’m sorry, Corrine. I…I…” he trailed off. There was no excuse. He sat on the ground and hung his head.
“I know, Sam.” She moved that last foot toward him and kneeled. Gently, she cupped his face and lifted it. Kissing him on the forehead, she murmured against his heated skin. “I know.”
They were all silent. The adrenaline of the moment fading. Eventually, Corrine stood. She reached out to him and he took that lifeline. Of course she would forgive his being an ass. He hugged her and kissed the top of her head before letting her go to stand back with Jett.
In hindsight, Sam was happy to see Jett would do anything to protect Corrine. Even use his Blood Legacy against her own brother. Sam felt a smile begin to form. “Good to see you’ve finally got that under control.”
Jett rolled his eyes and snorted. He wrapped an arm around Corrine’s shoulders.
“Too bad you couldn’t have used that against that crazy bitch Macy,” Sam smirked.
Jett threw his head back and laughed. The deep sound rumbled through the air, dissipating the residual tension. “There wasn’t a damn thing my Blood Legacy could have done to that woman. Her crazy went way too deep to be affected by it.”
“Damn straight,” Corrine breathed out.
A couple of hours later, when everyone had been fed, Corrine came to sit next to him on the new porch swing. Jett, Bodie, Soren and Jamie were all lounging around on various pieces of furniture. Everyone too stuffed to even think about an after meal run.
She bumped into his shoulder with hers. “I’m sorry about MJ, Sam.”
Sam swallowed hard. It wasn’t easy to hear her name. “I’m sorry about earlier. I kinda lost my mind for a minute or two.”
“I get it. She’s your mate. You love her and she left. I still don’t know what happened to make her leave.” She looked at him beneath her lashes, a telling little smile on her face. He knew she had a clue. MJ would never just leave her best friend in the entire world without an explanation as to why.
“We both know it was me. I pushed too hard.”
“Nah, I think she’s scared.”
Sam snorted. Nothing scared Mary Jane Poppy.
“You don’t believe me.” Corrine paused and looked at him. “Think about this. Her love for you has been there for years. Now, all of a sudden, you’re telling her you’re her mate, you love her and you two were meant to be. She doesn’t know if she can trust what she has felt all this time.”
“She told me she was broken, Corrine.”
Corrine patted his arm. Her touch a small comfort to his roiling emotions. “I know about that, she said. “I know she doesn’t feel the way full-blooded Tigers do. I told her it makes her special, not defective. But she’s had her parents telling her for years she isn’t like the rest of us. That she shouldn’t expect the same connections and feelings.”
Sam growled deep in his throat. The beast in him was trying to get out. Like him, he didn’t appreciate anyone putting his mate down.
“Oh, calm down. They never meant it in a bad way.”
“Really? How do you know?”
“Seriously? I’ve known her forever. I’ve been to her house and been around her parents a lot more than you have. They only ever meant to prepare her for the worst-case scenario. What they forgot along the way, and began leaving out, was that she might feel the same but in a different way. They know only slightly more about Ligers than you and I. It never made sense to me that they wouldn’t look more into it. I asked her one time and all MJ would say was that they just wanted her to act like all the others.”
A shadow fell across them. Sam looked up to see Jett towering over them both. “I’m glad to see you two playing nice.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Sam stood and motioned for Jett to sit next to his wife.
“You know what you just said, honey, made me remember something.” Jett leaned in and kissed Corrine. It wasn’t a lingering kiss but one filled with love and devotion. Sam had to look away, unable to handle the affection between the two. Affection he should be having with MJ.
Sam cleared his throat and looked back at the couple. “What did you remember?”
“Well, when we saw Jessie yesterday, she was telling us about the new doctor that just transferred to the hospital up in Garden. She specializes in Hybrid Development and Studies and works in the office next to Jessie’s. You might want to take a trip up and drop in.”
“I’ve never heard of anyone specializing in hybrids. Maybe…” Sam paused. Could talking to this woman help him with MJ? He really didn’t know if he wanted to get his hopes up. He just didn’t know.
Bodie strode over then. “I’ll go up with you if you want. We can pop in on Jessie and see if she’ll introduce us to this new doctor.”
Sam studied his friend. A sliver of excitement came off of him. Sam was all for helping a buddy out, but he didn’t know if he would be excited about it enough that you could scent it. Weird but he’d take the moral support.
“Sure. That’s cool.” Sam looked back at Jett. “Do you think Jessie would introduce us?”
“She got to know MJ at the wedding and really liked her. She mentioned MJ being upset at the time and offering to listen anytime she needed. I’m sure she would arrange for you to meet the doctor to help out a friend.”
“Do you remember the doctor’s name? I want to check her out so I’ll know what I can expect.”
“It’s Dr. Carolline Greene. She came from a hospital out east in Pennsylvania.”
Soren joined the group, moving into place next to Bodie. “Is this a powwow or something? Only certain people invited?”
Sam shook his head. “Nope. Just talking about taking a trip.”
“Oh, a trip! Where are we going?” Jamie wedged herself between Bodie and Soren. Sam noticed Soren stiffen when Jamie brushed up against him.
Bodie looked down at the much cuter and smaller version of Jett and smiled indulgently. “We aren’t going anywhere. Sam and I are heading to Garden.”
Soren shifted slightly. “When you going? I don’t have much going on, so I’m down for a trip.
”
Sam silently chuckled when Jamie pouted and shuffled closer to Soren, who was doing his best not to touch the woman. Seemed he had an admirer. “Sorry man, probably not until Friday and you volunteered to work the gym over the weekend. Remember, you set up that kickboxing class?”
Soren cursed under his breath and turned away from them. “Fine. I’m heading out on a run. Anyone want to join me?”
“Me!” Jamie piped up and Sam swore he heard Soren groan in agony.
Jett stood and put a hand on his little sister’s shoulder, stopping her from moving. “Not you small fry. You said you would help Corrine with the pies that needed to be prepped for tomorrow.”
Jamie deflated. “Fine.” Her gaze flicked between Jett and Soren. Oh, she definitely had a crush on the guy. “But stop calling me small fry.” She turned and stomped into the house.
Corrine stood and rolled her eyes. “Have fun boys.” She got up on tiptoes and kissed Jett on the cheek. “You ruin all of her fun.”
Jett chuckled. “Hell yeah! That’s what big brothers are for.”
Jett and Bodie wandered over to where Soren stood. Both stripping as they went. Clothes landed on the ground and next thing Sam saw were three Tigers meandering off to the wood line.
Corrine turned her attention to him. “It’ll all work out, Sam. I know it will. You and MJ are totally meant for one another. You’re both stubborn as hell but softies at heart. Now go and run off some of your worries. We’re going to get this all worked out. I know you’ll find a way. I have faith you’ll get her in the end. You just need to keep believing.”
Corrine hugged him quickly, and then walked off into the house. Sam heard pots and pans bang and an upset young woman complaining about a certain older brother as he walked passed the screen door. Jett was going to have his hands full with that one.
A smile tipped Sam’s lips, as a fragment of hope bloomed in his chest. He just had to have faith that everything would work out in his favor; and now, he had one more tool to use to turn MJ to his favor.
Claiming More (Tiger Nip) Page 12