Amanda Mackey [Instinctual 02 Instinctual 2 (epub)

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.He came up empty.He felt like he’d aged overnight, his shoulders sagging under the weight of his life.Placing the mug down on the table, he dialed Gary’s number to ask another favor.He knew he should do it himself but he just couldn’t be bothered dealing with anything else at that point.Chapter SevenJake caught up with Kate in Emergency as a medical team fussed over her and figured out the best course of action, which they quickly decided was surgery.He’d been touching her ever since, not wanting to leave for a second.He was grateful for his invisibility as he watched Robert get vetoed from proceeding into the elevator, anger clearly visible on the man’s face as he nodded in resignation after being told of the hospital protocol.Now that they were in the operating theater he was able to stand in between doctors and hold her hand.Before opening her up they’d scanned her body to find out where the internal bleeding was.Her abdominal cavity was distended and filled with blood and there was swelling in the brain.She had a punctured lung, broken femur, and three broken ribs.Lucky, considering.The surgeon made an incision into Kate’s abdominal cavity and was siphoning the excess blood out, having determined that her spleen was also ruptured, which was where the blood had come from.Hearing the extent of her injuries made Jake realize just how close Kate was to death.It would take a miracle to bring her back from the brink.She’d been outside in the elements, bleeding internally for way too long.If only he’d never gone to Vernazza.Kate had said it was an accident but it was an accident that would never have happened if only Jake had been strong enough to ignore the pull.He would always be responsible in his own mind.It didn’t matter what anyone said.He would spend forever making it up to her if given the chance.Come on, baby.Pull through.Stay with me.I can’t go on if you don’t make it.I want to make everything right again.I want us to be together.I love you.Always have.Always will.As he was squeezing her hand, he felt a gentle waft of air on his neck.He spun around, nearly bowling over Kate’s ethereal form.She was standing closely behind Jake, watching the surgery with a grim look on her face.“Kate! What are you doing? Where have you been?” He held her face in his hands, happy to at least have some part of her tangible that he could feel and see.He kissed her forehead and then stood back, soaking up her features.“I…” She looked confused.“I was at the jail.Carlos…”Jake put his arm around Kate’s shoulders and led her out of the operating theatre.“Come on.Let’s go somewhere quiet where we can talk.You don’t need to see this.”He didn’t know where they would go.Technically they could travel to any destination they wanted but he wasn’t sure Kate would want to be that far from her body.He led her out to a small garden on the hospital grounds where a bench sat under a tree.“I’m so sorry you had to find out about Carlos.” Jake hated seeing the pain in her eyes.“I guess after seeing him, I must have returned to my body.I could hear voices and feel such pain but I couldn’t move.How did I get here?”Jake explained as best he could, intentionally leaving out the part about her heart having to be restarted.She didn’t need to know that at this point.Kate looked bewildered.“You did this? You saved me?”“Yes.I told you I would stop at nothing to help you.I’m just glad your dad finally accepted the note as real.”Kate slumped with relief.She turned, grabbing Jake’s hand, looking him in the eyes.“Thank you.I really mean that.You’ve put your own situation aside to help me.I can’t tell you how much that means to me.I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here.”Jake laced their fingers and squeezed.“You’re very welcome.It’s always been you, Kate.As much of an ass as I was in the past, it was always you, whether it was your safety or well-being.I just hope you make it.You need to fight with everything you have.”The light breeze blew Kate’s hair over her face, so Jake reached out and pushed it away and tucked it behind her ear before grazing his knuckles down her cheek.Kate leaned in to his touch.“Where’s my dad?”“He’s in there somewhere, waiting anxiously.” Jake nodded towards the sterile building.“He’s taken it pretty bad.I’ve never seen him look so upset.”“I’m sorry I’ve put everyone through this.I swear, somehow I’m going to return the favor and help you, Jake.I don’t know how, but I will do it.”“I know.It’s not your fault, Kate.If anyone is to blame, it’s me.I never should have returned to Vernazza.”“No! Don’t say that! If you hadn’t returned, I never would have found out the truth.I never would have known about Carlos.”“Still.You wouldn’t be in critical condition in hospital, either.”Kate moved in to Jake, placing her hand around his shoulders and pulling him into a hug.She put her mouth close to his ear and spoke the words that appeased him only mildly.“I’m glad you’re here, Jake.I appreciate all that you’ve done since finding me again.It wasn’t your fault that I fell.You didn’t push me.You weren’t anywhere near me.It was an accident.Nothing more.A stupid accident.I shouldn’t have been standing so close to the edge.”He would still continue to blame himself.Jake’s choices in the past had ultimately led them here.That was a fact.He couldn’t help but take it upon himself to bear the weight of his actions.To man up and own it.Allowing his eyes to wander over Kate’s captivating features, knowing he didn’t deserve an ounce of her compassion, his ego cheered in victory that her forgiveness had been swift and that by some small miracle they may be able to move past the hurt, regret, and accusations into a new place of hope, understanding, and trust.It was no small task, but one he was up for if it meant spending time with this amazingly strong, courageous woman whose essence was a part of him.He ran his hands through her hair, reveling in the feel of her again, not knowing what the future held but happy to live in the moment.He pulled her head back so he could look into her hazel eyes.His love.His mate.His other half.He brushed both thumbs over her cheekbones before moving his gaze to her mouth.He needed to feel those lips more than anything.It wasn’t under his control anymore.His mouth claimed hers violently, opening to allow their tongues to join.The coolness of her lips surprised him, but after a minute of intense kissing they warmed somewhat and moved perfectly with his own [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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