Haven 1: Caution: Contents Under Pressure by Gabrielle Evans Read Free Book Online Page A

get what we need right now.”
    Jory had wanted to help, but all he’d done was create more stress for his already overworked mate. Maybe he should just go back to not talking.

Chapter Five
    Jory paced his room. It seemed he did a lot of that lately. He felt like a caged animal, prowling across the carpet, restless and frustrated.
    He missed his mate. His friends had done their best to cheer him up, but he was hopeless. The man had asked him repeatedly over the weeks to accompany him on his trip. Why couldn’t he have just opened his mouth and told Stavion that he wanted to go to Georgia with him?
    And why did he have to be gone for so damn long? It had been three days since Stavion, Malakai, and the Enforcers had departed just after sunset. The wedding couldn’t have lasted for more than a few hours. What did he possibly have to do for longer than that?
    An absurd jealousy bubbled up inside him, and Jory growled to the empty room. He was being unreasonable and just a little ridiculous. He knew it, but it did nothing to calm him. What if Stavion found someone else while he was away? What if he was tired of putting up with Jory and his inability to so much as look at the vampire?
    “Fuck!” He screamed the word loud enough to shake the windows. Maybe he should just leave. He didn’t want to stick around and see Stavion with someone else. But what if Stavion didn’t return?
    What would happen to him then? Would he still be allowed to stay?
    With a defeated sigh, he flopped back on his bed and stared up at the white, textured ceiling. “What am I going to do?”
    “Well, you could eat, for starters,” Kendall said as he waltzed into the room carrying a tray laden with food. “Tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, and warm chocolate pudding. All of your favorites.”
    Jory pushed himself up on his elbows and gaped at his friend.
    “How did you know that?”
    Kendall stuck his tongue out and placed the tray on the bed beside him, then folded himself onto the floor beside the bed with his legs crossed in front of him. “Believe it or not, I actually listen when you talk.”
    Guilt swamped him, and Jory pushed up to a sitting position, careful to not upset his tray. “I didn’t mean it like that. Thank you, Kendall.”
    “So, do you want to talk about it?”
    “Not really.”
    “How about you tell me anyway? You’ve been avoiding everyone, and you stay cooped up in this room. Have you even showered since he left?”
    Jory pulled his tray to his lap and picked up half the sandwich. He took a bite and chewed slowly as he thought over what to tell his friend. “I miss him. And yes, I’ve showered, smart-ass.” He looked down into his soup and sighed. “I don’t know how to be with him. I don’t know what to say, and I’m afraid I’ll screw up and get sent away.”
    “You’re afraid of him,” Kendall said simply.
    “Yes and no. I mean, he’s so big, and we don’t exactly have great experiences with men his size. I don’t think he’d really hurt me, though. I guess I’m more scared that he won’t want me.”
    “That doesn’t make any sense.” Kendall shook his head, his blond curls bouncing around his face. “You’re scared that he wants you but scared that he doesn’t want you? I think he’s a nice guy.”
    Setting his tray aside, Jory rose from the bed and began pacing the room again. “He is a nice guy—almost too nice. That’s what worries me. It’s like he’s too good to be true. No one is ever nice to us unless they want something.”

    Kendall snorted. “Again, you’re not making any sense. As big as that man is, he doesn’t have to be nice to get what he wants.” He had a point. In the three weeks since meeting the man, Stavion had never once made any type of aggressive move toward him. He hadn’t raised his voice. He didn’t growl or demand things when Jory refused to look at him or speak to him. In fact, he seemed almost sad about it.
    He stopped pacing and stared at