Then she turns to Sable, their newest member. Her eyes widen. “Don’t look at me like that. I never blamed you.” She marches toward the door, muttering, “This many friends is clearly not optimal.”
K8 can’t help but smile despite the crises they’ve been plunged into.
“I’m going to keep these two until morning, then add them to my first batch of decommissionings. I’ll message when it’s done,” Sable says, then hesitates, before turning to Oro1. “Thank you for collecting the manupartners. You drew less scrutiny than if I were to have been the one to get them.”
“No problem, darling.” Oro1 stands, offering to make sure Sable makes it back to her apartment safely.
She rebuffs his offer, adding a biting “Don’t call me that.”
K8 giggles at Sable’s response, feeling a short-lived lightness. But when the door closes, James turns to K8. The way he’s looking at her now, like he’s dissecting her . . . his stare feels heavy, prickly, but not in a way that makes her want him to remove it. Is he about to bring up her purchases? If so, that’s fine. Honestly, it would be a welcome distraction from tonight’s events, and now that the next two months are assured, she can explain to him that she trusted that he had itcovered. She only wanted to make sure he knew he could count on her. In fact, she hadn’t even selected every item she wanted. Something she could do now that she knew they had some cushion.
The sunny scene in the particle panes seems to match her resolve. She’ll wait for James to let her know that Sable messaged, and the threat has cleared, and then she’ll go out for a bit. Her eyes make a reluctant dance from the cheery screens to James’s decidedly darker face.
She’s almost a little afraid to ask, but she can’t help herself. “What?”
He smiles, but instead of making her feel better, it makes the anxious bees in her stomach swarm more furiously. He seems to sense her reaction. Is he enjoying it? He reaches forward to brush an errant strand from her temple. “K8, sweetheart. Tell me about Viper.”
31 – Never Is a Promise
James
James leans forward, waiting for her to answer.
“Who’s Viper?” Her voice cracks as she repeats his question. Then she coughs, pointedly avoiding eye contact. “I thought you would want to discuss my purchases.”
That is the least of his concern now. “You can’t avoid this conversation.”
Kate shifts on the couch like she’s ready to bolt. “I only thought since the fighting ring scheme had been going so well—”
“Your shopping isn’t what I asked you about.” By evading his question, she only makes him want to know the answer more. His smile broadens, and he leans forward. “Who’s Viper?”
Kate shoots the full packages a longing glance, as if they might save her, but they sit by the wall, conspicuous and unhelpful.
“Quit squirming.I’m not upset or jealous, but I’d really like to know what type of man we’re dealing with and what he has to do with you,” James explains. That’s mostly true. Everyone knows it’s impossible to be jealous of people with names like Viper, Glen, Braxton, or Frank—he’s getting distracted. “Kate?”
“Logically, it makes sense that you want to know. If our positions were reversed, I would likely feel the same,” she says, placating him.
“So you understand why I . . .needto know,” he says, coming narrowly close to sayingwant.
She shrugs, picking up the remote for the particle panes. A moment later, they illuminate the living room with a sparkling gray skyline scene. “This is nice. Would you like a glass of Vine?”
She starts to stand, but he catches her around the waist, surprising her by drawing her into his lap. “Not so fast, sweetheart—”
She sobs, and suddenly his skin prickles with his misstep.
“Oh no,” he says, adjusting her so he can see her face. “I just thought he was an old boyfriend, upset because you broke it off with him at his work or something. I didn’t realize . . .” That Viper meant so much to her? He can hardly bring himself to say the words aloud. “Kate, we don’t have to talk about it if you aren’t ready.”
Which isn’t ideal since he would really like to know what Viper is capable of, but it isn’t worth Kate’s tears. “Shh,” he says. He strokes her soft hair while she curls into him, nuzzling into his neck. Better than any deal he ever brokered, she feels fucking perfect in his arms.
“He wasn’t my boyfriend,” she finally says.
That’s right. How could he not have considered that? Everyone now had manupartners. His curiosity is nearing its breaking point. Still, for her, he keeps his mouth shut and waits.
“I’ve never had a boyfriend.” She groans, wiping her tears on his shirt. “This is mortifying. Even more so since I know how things wereduring your time.”
He adjusts her once more, partially because he senses she’s ready to talk, and partially because he’s enjoying holding her a little too much. “I promise, I’m not judging you for the manupartner thing anymore. I told you I understand, and I meant it.”
After an extended pause, she exhales. “It was stupid. I was young and still grieving for my parents. I had these ridiculous notions swirling around my head, and when Viper approached me in a bar, well, he promised me everything I wanted.”
