Jordan's Desires [Brac Village 9] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove), Lynn Hagen [sight word books .TXT] 📗

Bailey dipped his head. “I’m starting to.” And that was the honest truth. Yes, it scared him. But Bailey was starting to realize that what he felt for Jordan was nothing like what he had felt for Harley.

With Harley, it had been fast-paced, out of control, and almost felt like an obsession. With Jordan, it was slow stirring, on a much deeper level, intense, and Bailey felt like he still maintained who he was. Bailey felt as though this was what love should really feel like. His emotions were still erratic, but he didn’t feel as if he was suffocating under the weight.

His feelings toward Jordan were light, sweet, and refreshing. Bailey felt as if he could build something off of this. With Harley he felt like everything was crashing down around him.

Jordan winced as he tried to sit up. Bailey gently held the man down to the couch. “What do you need? I can get it for you.”

The panther gave him a soul-stirring smile. “A simple kiss, that’s all. I just need to touch you to remind myself how lucky I am.”

Bailey damn near swooned at Jordan’s words. He reached out until his fingers ran along Jordan’s jaw before he leaned in and gave the guy the simple kiss he had asked for. It wasn’t heated or intense, but the simple touching of lips still had Bailey panting for breath.

He was starting to see forever in Jordan and the thought didn’t terrify Bailey as it once had. “You need to rest.”

Jordan’s eyes fluttered closed and then snapped back open. “Promise you won’t leave my side.”

Bailey tugged on a few strands of Jordan’s hair. “I’m not going anywhere, Jordan.” Surprisingly, Bailey meant it. He wasn’t just talking about the situation. He could feel it in his bones, Jordan was the one.

The man gave a slight nod before letting his eyes close again. “Good. That’s real good.” Jordan’s head gently thrashed from side to side for a moment before he spoke again. “I love you, Bailey.”

Jordan finally settled into a restful sleep as Bailey knelt there, stunned. Jordan’s words touched him deeply. No one had ever declared their love for him, not even that cheating harlot.

As Jordan slept, Bailey felt the need to stay close. He ran his fingers through Jordan’s sweat-soaked hair and ran his knuckles along the man’s strong jaw. What would it be like to have someone as strong and powerful as Jordan to love him and only him?

Could he trust Jordan? Could he trust the man’s words and take them at face value? Bailey finally stood and took the washcloth to the bathroom, soaking it in cold water again. He placed it on Jordan’s forehead and made sure the man was comfortable before heading into the kitchen for something to drink.

He knew he had a long night ahead of him. Bailey wasn’t going anywhere. He was going to make sure that Jordan was comfortable and well taken care of. There was no way he could leave the man vulnerable, not after Jordan had saved his life.

Not from the vampire, but from himself. Bailey had been in a downward spiral, life no longer holding any happiness for him. Jordan had changed all that. Bailey was beginning to see that he could have a man’s love with no strings attached, no trickery involved.

He smiled to himself, feeling as if he finally knew what falling in love truly meant. Bailey wanted to shout to the world that Jordan was his and his alone. He almost felt…giddy.

Bailey scowled at himself. He was starting to fear that he fell in love too easily, gave his heart too freely, but knew that Jordan was different. Something inside of him told Bailey that he wasn’t going to make a fool of himself this time. But there was still a minute part of him that was skeptical, hesitant, and mistrusting.

How could anyone be this happy without paying a price? It was a scary feeling to let go and give his heart once more. He wasn’t sure he was ready for that, but he knew walking away from Jordan was no longer an option.

Bailey answered the front door when someone knocked. He rolled his eyes when he saw that it was Travis. He loved his friend, but sometimes Travis was a pain in the ass. “What?” he asked as he let Travis in.

“I just came by to check on Jordan.” Travis slid through the door and glanced over at the couch. “I heard what happened.”

“Does anything stay a secret around here?”

Travis cut his eyes at Bailey and shook his head. “Not really. The paranormal community is pretty tight knit. We look out for one another. I may not know Jordan, but it pissed me off that someone tried to poison him.”

Bailey closed the front door and led Travis to the kitchen so they wouldn’t disturb Jordan. “The doctor said it was something called wolfsbane.”

Grim lines formed around Travis’s mouth. “That stuff is very rare and very nasty. I’ve never met anyone who was poisoned by it. How is he doing?”

Bailey grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator and handed one to Travis. Instead of drinking his, he held it close to his chest. Now that he was talking about it, Bailey realized just how scared he had been for Jordan.

“He’s resting. The doctor said he wasn’t sure if there were going to be any long-term effects.”

Travis gazed intently at him. “You know if there’s anything you need, all you have to do is ask. Bear gave you a few days off to take care of Jordan. Mark, Jordan’s boss, said that Jordan’s job is waiting for him when he recovers.”

Bailey was stunned at the support he and Jordan were receiving. “It really is a tight-knit community, isn’t it?”

“We look out for ours. The alpha has shut the Lucky Clover down and is having all the food and drinks