Page 70 of Retrograde

His gaze flashed shock. “You don’t like him?”

I didn’t say anything, not about to gossip about the other candidates with him. I opened the box and offered him one of my treats. “It’s like my favorite place.” I told him about the care packages from Maple and how much I used to look forward to a box of these gems.

“You’re so adorable that I can’t process it sometimes,” he whispered as he grabbed my wrist and ate the date out of my hand instead of getting his own. “Zev reminds me of me when I was younger. He says things because it’s what his family does—what hethinkshe believes but now is learning he can have opinions of his own. He doesn’t know how to manage it yet and—”

“Yeah, I saw that tonight,” I admitted, not really wanting to get all into it, but he didn’t answer the question. “But that doesn’t answer why he worries you.”

“Because he’s the non-jaded and less violent version of me. Most people would prefer that.” His eyes flashed something I couldn’t read along with shock.

I ignored it and ate at a date of my own but then decided to give him an inch since I would need it if the situation was reversed. “You shouldn’t worry about Zev of all people. Really, you shouldn’t.”

“Thank you, baby girl,” he whispered as he kissed along my neck. “I won’t wait for you after dates, but I hope you’ll invite me over to help you undress after them.”

It was hard not to laugh.

Right, because ifhewas undressing me,theywouldn’t be.

Fuck, he was too sexy even if overbearing.

17

Zevran

I was pumped after our date. Sure, I would have liked a goodnight kiss or even a real hug or… Anything, but she needed patience. That much was clear.

And this wasn’t like any other dating experience I’d had.

Her either.

Which is actually a good thing given how horrible Kole was.I shivered just thinking about the fucked texts he sent her. I really hoped he wasn’t the only man she’d been with. That would be horrible for him to have been her only experience or—you never forgot your first time having sex.

That person always had a piece of you.

ForKoleto have that piece of her would be traumatic all in itself.

I’d had to stop reading the texts a few times, and I was used to my dad being a bastard and saying gross things.

But threatening to rape Sagan’s daughters—women who could be Kole’scousinsif she mated with Onyx—was another level of horrible.

Sagan was really impressive though. She was completely unfazed by the attack the day before. I was honestly bummed we hadn’t talked about it at all. I’d hoped to… Well, yeah, talk about it.

I couldn’t with my friends, and the other candidates weren’t my friends before we were “battling” for Sagan. Now I wouldn’t tell them my thoughts on just about anything, much less how I couldn’t sleep after what I’d seen.

Checking my phone, I saw one of my friends send me video from the attack that someone they knew had taken personally. They’d been in Nerthus for a shopping trip and had been doing some tourist stuff. So they actually had more than their phone and a real camera that could take video.

And my buddy promised that the friend deleted the naked pictures of Sagan… Though I would have liked to have seen them.

Fine, I was a perv, but I was a man. Same thing really.

I’d seen the live version and fuck, she was hot. Like the queen washawt.

“Yes, but keep your hands to yourself. You saw her naked because of an attack and she was forced to date any of you. You won’t even get to know her acting like an idiot,”my dragon lectured and I nodded. That was fair.

It was just really hard. No one wanted to be on a date with someone who didn’t want to be there. Part of me wanted to remind her that no matter how it had happened, she’dagreedso… Act like it.

Fine, I was an asshole, but I also wasn’t wrong.

Maybe?