After four hours of what I would consider comfortable silence with Talon as we drive back to NYC to get Cassian, those are the first words out of his mouth.
I glance over at him out of the corner of my eye, but his gaze is fixed on the road ahead.
“I guess it was too much to hope that she’d keep that private.”
Talon snorts. “Locklyn and I don’t have secrets.”
“Is that a married thing?”
He chuckles and then breaks eye contact with the road to give me a smug smile. “It’s a Locklyn and me thing.”
Shaking my head, I roll my eyes and then fix my gaze ahead on nothing in particular. The two of them couldn’t be more annoyingly perfect together, but as I wait for the pang in my chest that usually follows thoughts like that, it never comes.
Reaching up, I rub the spot in the middle of my chest, realizing the heaviness I’ve been carrying there for so long is absent. And I think I know why.
“Oh, before I forget,” he says, “I owe you a punch to the face.”
“For what?”
“Making my wife sad.”
My insides churn. I was annoyed at Locklyn, but I could have been gentler with my words. “Seems fair.”
“Glad you agree. So, are we going to address how what you told Locklyn is utter bullshit?” Talon asks, dragging my attention back to him.
“No,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Fantastic,” Talon says. “Because I’d honestly rather talk at you than listen to you spit lies at me as well. It’s obvious you’re really into her, and I get how that’s kinda weird and confusing because of the similarities to Locklyn, but I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt that that’s not why you’re into her. Right?” he asks with a pointed look. “Because if it was, that would be messed up.”
I groan, rubbing my temples.
“Great, I’m going to assume that means it’s more than just physical to you. What I don’t know, though, is whether you’re lying to yourself as well as everyone else.”
I give Talon a dark look he doesn’t even see because he’s staring straight ahead again.
Leaning over, I take a peek at the speedometer on the dash in front of him. We’re going fast, but if I jumped out of the car now, I think I’d still survive.
It would hurt like a bitch though.
“Because if you’re just lying to all of us,” Talon continues. “I’m cool with that. Don’t get me wrong, I stand behind Locklyn wanting to protect her sister and all that, but also, I get it if you wouldn’t want to open up to her about something like this. It’s a bit awkward, considering your history.”
“And so you’re offering an alternative?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
“Sure,” he says with a shrug.
“And you think talking to you would be less awkward?”
He shrugs again. “We don’t have the history you do with Locklyn, but I’m a dude and you’ve never been in love with me before.”
I shake my head in disbelief that this conversation is actually happening.
Talon has two sides. One’s dark and mysterious, the whole silent, broody type with that quiet confidence that makes people pay attention without him saying a word. The other? A cocky bastard who doesn’t know when to shut up. I haven’t seen that version in a while, but all this endless chatter is a painful reminder of why I couldn’t stand him back at Nightlark Academy.
Well, that, and he was trying to steal my girl.
When I don’t respond, Talon keeps talking, saying stuff about how I need to be honest with myself about how I truly feel and that it’s healthy to express my emotions. I do my best not to listen, but we’re trapped in a vehicle together.
“Okay, fine,” I say, a fresh headache pounding behind my eyes. “I lied to Locklyn. Are you happy now?”
