Page 122 of In Doubt

“But without an academic institution funding me–”

“Aren’t there private investors?” Dylan asks.

“I don’t know … I never …”

“I have money,” Jake says. I twist around to stare at him.

“What?”

“I have money.”

“He has fuck loads actually,” Aiden confirms.

“I’ll fund you.”

“It … you can’t … it would be a lot of money …”

I stare at him in disbelief. Is he serious? He looks it, his jaw set in that determined way.

“I have a lot. One advantage of having parents who are too busy with their new lives to care about me: they thrust a fuck load of money my way to alleviate their guilt.” He laughs bitterly.

“I couldn’t let you do that, though.”

He takes my hand in both of his. “You could, because there would be a condition.”

“What?” I ask him with a sudden dread.

“I’d want to work with you.” My mouth falls open, but he continues, my heart lifting. “I’m interested in this work too, you know I am. It aligns closely with my own interests.”

“And,” Levi says with a teasing grin, “you two work well together.”

“We don’t,” I say, rolling my eyes. “We argue all the time.”

“We do work well together,” Jake says, dragging my attention back to him, and stroking his fingers over mine. “We discovered this stuff together, Giorgie. And,” he smiles, one dimple forming in his cheek, “you’re the cleverest girl I know. The person who challenges me. The person who spears me on to work harder, be better. I’ve been trying to impress you this whole time. I’ve certainly never worked so hard in a class before. And I think I challenge you too.”

I stare down at our hands, at how his large ones engulf mine and that feeling of safety, of trusting him, blossoms through my chest once more. I don’t just trust him with my body. Or my heart. I trust him with my work too. I trust that he’ll tell me when I’m wrong. I trust that he’ll encourage me when I’m right. I trust that together our work will be more than the sum of its parts.

“Yes,” I say, laughing. “I’ve been trying to impress you too.”

“So it’s a deal, then?” Levi asks, leaning his head against Dylan’s chest. “You’re doing this?”

I want to show the world the truth and I know Jake Grantham is the man to help me do it.

“It’s a deal.” I tell them.

* * *

Levi is pretty adamant we have to toast the arrangement properly, not taking no for an answer and after several minutes discussion on the best beverage to toast with, Levi and Dylan disappear in search of champagne.

Aiden and Jake sit listening to me as I wheel through suggestions, proposals, and plans for our future research, Jake offering his own ideas, and finally kissing my shoulder and laughing.

“Slow down, Giorgie. There’s going to be plenty of time to work this all out.”

“I know,” I beam at him. “I’m just super excited.”

I bet my eyes are sparkling with it because his seem to do the same in response. Then he glances at his packmate and stands up, squeezing my shoulder this time.

“I’m going to see if Levi and Dylan got distracted.” He pats Aiden’s shoulder as he walks past and then it’s the two of us.