Haven 3: Forgotten Sins by Gabrielle Evans Read Free Book Online Page B

and forth. “Jo, we really don’t have time for this. Now, give me my damn phone so we can get the hell out of here. I don’t know who took the others or why they left us, but I think it’s fair to say that they’ll be back. I don’t want to be here when that happens.”
    “How many times have I told you not to call me that ridiculous name?” Jonas huffed and poked Nicholas in the chest.
    Nicholas smirked and leaned closer, causing Jonas’s finger to press more firmly into his sternum. “I’d guess as many times as I’ve told you not to call me Nicky.” Then he did the most amazing thing.
    He dipped his head and pressed their lips together.
    It was short and chaste, but Jonas’s heart kicked hard against his ribs, and his frame vibrated in a full-body shiver. He grabbed Nicholas’s face in both hands, preventing the vampire’s escape, and stared into his eyes, searching for that special Nicky spark. “You’re back.”
    One side of Nicholas’s mouth arched up in a half-smile. “Yeah, I’m back.”
    “How? I don’t understand. I’ve been telling you the same shit for months now. It wasn’t supposed to be this easy.” He was babbling, but he couldn’t stop. He’d done it. He didn’t know how the hell he’d done it, but all that mattered was that Nicholas wouldn’t be facing the firing squad.
    “Are you complaining?” Nicholas pecked him on the nose and chuckled before pulling away. “Yes, you have been telling me, but you never showed me. Up until the other day, you just kept telling me how I was wrong, but you never gave me a reason to believe it. By forcing me to realize that whole parts of my life were missing, you planted a seed of doubt.”
    For the last few months, Jonas had spent all of his time feeling sorry for himself because Nicholas didn’t want him, being pissed off because the witch had tricked him, or trying to control his jealousy over his mate’s obsession with another man. So, basically, he’d been a selfish asshole, making it all about him and doing very little to force Nicholas to see the truth.
    Over and over, he’d yelled, growled, and demanded that Nicholas snap the hell out of it. Never once had he given the man any reason to believe him or trust him. He hadn’t asked questions. He hadn’t probed any further than to realize that Nicholas didn’t want him.
    That had been the same merry-go-round for years, so it had never occurred to him that his mate honestly didn’t remember him at all beyond his guard and casual acquaintance. That still didn’t excuse him from not manning up and trying to find answers sooner, though.
    Jonas couldn’t stop himself from grabbing Nicholas and crushing the man to him. Oh, the leader was definitely back. No one could talk like Nicky or make him feel like such an ass with a few well-chosen words. The man could describe the crushing of a bug and make it sound like poetry. It was just one of the many things he loved about the guy.
    Love. If Nicholas had regained his memory, that meant…
    Jonas jerked away but kept a hold on Nicholas’s upper arms. Did he dare ask? Maybe he should just celebrate the return of his mate and worry about the catalyst later. He couldn’t do it, though. For hundreds of years he’d agonized over what Nicholas found lacking in him. He needed answers.
    “You love me.” Okay, that wasn’t a question, and probably not the best way to coax Nicholas into the conversation. He was tired of subtleties and avoidance. For too long he’d put their relationship on the back burner, too afraid of the answer to push the subject.

    Well, he wasn’t afraid any longer. He was pissed. This was proof of Nicholas’s love for him, and one way or another, he would force the truth from his mate. “Tell me, Nicky. Say it.” Nicholas sighed as though he found Jonas completely exasperating. “Of course I love you, jackass.” That wasn’t the answer Jonas had been expecting. Nicholas wouldn’t lie to him, but he’d