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Sinead was torn. The easy option was to leave. She could pretend the last few days had never happened. She’d never met Talyn or accidentally signed to be his mate. And she’d never felt his touch on her skin, calming her frantic mind that now reeled at the possibility of having to leave.
“You know it makes sense, darling.”
“I guess so.”
“Good. Now, we’ve sorted your little situation. You can help with mine.”
“What’s your situation?”
“I’m a little short this month. I need you to send me a few thousand.”
“What for?” It wasn’t the first time her mom had asked for money. Sinead never minded sending it to her. She knew she’d do the same if ever she needed assistance.
“I’m in between current loves of my life. They always provide for me. I can’t be expected to live the life of a pauper while I wait for my new Mr. Right to show up. Five thousand should cover things. It’s mainly for food and rent, nothing fancy.”
“Sure, no problem.” Sinead didn’t have much more than that saved, but her mom needed it, so she’d give it to her.
“And darling, do something about how tired you look. No man will want you with those dark circles under your eyes.”
Sinead nodded as she listened to her mom discuss the latest beauty procedure she’d had on her face. Although she knew her mom was right, Sinead couldn’t ignore the defeat that rolled through her. She shouldn’t care about moving on. She should be excited about a new adventure. But the overwhelming feeling she had was sadness.
If Sinead left, she’d have to give up everything. Her job, her home, her friends, and the mind-blowing effect Talyn had on her.
She sucked in a breath. Her mom knew what was best for her. She knew the truth about guys and how badly they could treat you if you let them get the upper-hand. She had to get what she could and move on.
Move on without Talyn.
Chapter 14
“These corridors need to be longer.” Talyn turned and paced back along the corridor of his ship, returning to the cockpit and repeating the same route.
“My corridors are perfect. They were designed to your exacting specifications. I can’t change now,” Booby said.
Talyn sighed. His problem wasn’t the corridors he paced along. It was his unsettled thoughts. They kept churning through his memories of Sinead.
He’d missed the hell out of her since she’d fled from his bedroom, leaving behind a residual flutter of panic and fear. She had nothing to fear from him. He’d never treat her unkindly. He’d worship the ground she walked on if only she’d stay near him so his mind wouldn’t ricochet from one emotion to the other.
Talyn’s treacherous thoughts kept returning to the time they’d spent in bed together, her warm skin brushing against his and sending waves of calm over him. It wasn’t just the calm he missed. It was those lips and that soft hair that had stroked over his skin, igniting passion in him he’d never experienced.
He half-heartedly thumped his fist against the wall.
“That will leave a bruise,” Booby said.
Talyn leaned his head against the warm metal. “Sorry, Booby. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
“Believe in your new mate,” Booby said. “Sinead cares for you. She’s just having a hard time coming to terms with what’s going on.”
“As am I,” Talyn said. “I won’t push her into anything until she’s ready. I understand that we need to get to know each other. Human ways are different to ours. I’m willing to wait.”
“Perhaps it’s not you that’s the problem,” Booby said.
“What else can it be? I screwed this up, and she’s paying the price. Or rather, we both are.”
“Head to the cockpit. I’ll show you something.”
Talyn arched an eyebrow but did as instructed. “What have you been up to?”
“I get bored when we’re not flying. There’s nothing to do other than monitor my sensors and the external environment to make sure there are no threats. To keep myself occupied, I’ve been doing research.”
