Chapter Fourteen

Jamie

My bladder woke me up from a deep sleep. At first, confusion swept over me. This wasn’t my room. The view and the furniture were different. The scent wasn’t mine but it kind of was…wait a damned minute.

I was in Eddie’s room. In his arms. And he was mine. My mate. My bear mate.

The entire night flooded my thoughts as I threw my legs over the side of the bed with a sigh. The run. The way we’d bonded through our run. Eddie had been an attentive lover. My body responded to every touch. Every kiss. Every stroke of his cock inside me.

It was like he’d brought something inside me to life.

I stood up and walked to the bathroom, careful not to wake him. His room was as comfortable and quaint as mine but with what we’d done in here a few hours ago, several times, this place had taken on a whole new light.

Despite not being marked, I had found my mate in this place.

While in the restroom, washing my hands, I found myself humming the tune stuck in my head since I’d switched over to the radio somewhere during the road trip. In my reflection, I saw several hickies on my chest and one on the lowest part of my stomach.

I stood there for a minute longer, thinking about what would happen now.

Of course, we would spend the weekend together, which promised to be amazing, but I couldn’t help but consider the what-ifs.

What if we were mates, but he didn’t want a life with me?

A thousand negative thoughts fluttered in my mind until I heard Eddie rustle in the bed. “Jamie?” he called out.

“In here,” I answered, opening the door, careful to turn the light out first. He had been so tired after our coupling and the run. Travel really did take it out of him.

“Come back to bed,” he grumbled, sounding like his beast.

I got back in bed, the tune from before still strumming in my mind. Once I curled up next to him, Eddie fell back to sleep in seconds. The bright moonlight from outside the huge window poured over his face, illuminating his features. Gods, he was breathtaking.

But there was something about him that seemed familiar. Earlier and through the night, I’d blamed it on the mating bond but now, looking at him—I’d seen this man before.

My gut wrung as I considered we might have met before. Passing on the streets of the city. On a subway ride. On one of my road trips.

I hadn’t thought about whether or not he had ever been to my city.

Hell, there was a chance I’d served my alpha coffee and never even knew it.

Eddie mumbled something in his sleep and turned his head just a bit.

That change of angle flipped my entire world on its axis.

No, I hadn’t served this man coffee before.

I turned slowly, trying not to wake him again, and reached for the phone still tucked in my pants pocket on the chair next to the bed. On the search engine, I typed in the name I thought of while my anxiety tied me up inside.

Van Galaxis.

A god in his own right.

The fucking rock star.

The singer of that song that grasped my mind and wouldn’t let go.

I flipped through some more pictures, making sure I hadn’t lost my mind and wasn’t grasping at something unreal. My doubts buzzed in my mind until I saw a picture from Van’s latest acoustic show. In the picture was my mate wearing almost the same outfit he had on when he arrived here at the inn. Bracelets. Piercings. Hair. Eyes.

I closed the browser app and turned off the phone, putting it on the side table.

My mate was a celebrity.

A world-famous musician.

I let out a sigh. While I was stupefied at the knowledge, none of it mattered.

Eddie or Van…they were now the most important person in my life.

“Why are you awake?” My mate stirred, reaching for me.

“Can’t sleep,” I said, stroking his hair from his face.

“Mmmm, I bet I can find a way to help.” He ran his hand down the length of my body before gripping my cock. I leaned over to kiss him, and he pulled me on top of his body. “Ride me, omega. Exhaust yourself. Take what you need.”