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“Are you there?”
His voice was low, a whisper, and I felt it all the way to my bones. I felt his desperation like I’d known him a lifetime, and I felt the sadness, too.
“Yes.” The word slipped from my lips and my eyes closed tightly. Had he heard me? Of course, he had—he was a werewolf. Unless that drug had messed with his super senses, too.
“I’m sorry.”
It was like he’d stuck a knife right into my gut. So many things I wanted to say to him, but I didn’t. I bit my tongue and kept my eyes closed, and I prayed again that he would leave now that he’d said what he wanted to say.
Sorry.
The wolf-ass. As if he had any right.
“I didn’t mean it the way I said it,” he said next with a sigh. “I’m not very good with words.”
“No kidding,” I mumbled so low, he probably didn’t even hear it.
“You came to my house to take care of me when you were wounded yourself. I appreciate it more than you know,” he said, and it was all I could do not to reach up and unlock the stupid door because I wanted to see his face so badly. I wanted to know that he meant those things he said.
But who was I kidding? I was never going to figure Dominic Dane out. He was the most unpredictable man in the world, and his body would constantly say one thing, while his words said something else. I would be an even bigger fool to count on ever understanding him.
“Why?” I asked. I was too weak to face him, and I knew I would cave if he pushed, but I could still ask him because I still wanted to know. “Why didn’t you even talk to me that day at the office? Why did you say that to me today?” If he knew that I had been wounded myself and had gone there to help him, why not saythatinstead of telling me I shouldn’t be there?
“Because it’s hard enough to resist you when I’m miles away from you. Having you there, in my bed…” His voice trailed off, but it was just as full —of desperation, sadness, a bit of anger, too.
“Having me there,what?” I pressed. Now that I couldn’t actually see him, I could be stubborn. I could demand he tell me without losing my mind at the sight of him.
“Having you there makes it impossible.”
The words hung in the air for a while before they made sense to me. And they did—they absolutely did in a way they had for a while now, but I didn’t want to admit it to myself.
Well, it was time I did, no matter how much it hurt. The truth was going to set me free. That’s what everybody and their mother said.
“It’s not impossible,” I said despite myself. “The wolf isn’t there, Dominic. I know. I can see it. I canfeelit.” Since he’d taken Crackdown, he was just him. No beast was inside him. The green of his eyes never turned gold. And he was much calmer when talking to me these past few days. He never growled and he never acted as if the scent of me was going to suffocate him. The wolf wasn’t there.
“No, he isn’t,” he finally said, and I nodded to myself.
“So, you’re free of me now. At least while you’re on Crackdown. You don’t need to be here. I don’t want an apology or an explanation. I just want to be left alone, okay?” I just wanted to have space and time—a lot of time—to force him out of my heart and mind for good.
“Teddy,” he said, and I could almost see him shaking his head.
“It’s okay, Dominic. I know it was your wolf. I know he’s different from you. It’s okay, I promise.” Back in San Francisco, his wolf had been there, and he’d propelled Dominic to act the way he did. Thewolfwanted me for whatever reason, not the man. And, yeah, it hurt, but I meant it when I said it was okay. Because it wasn’t going to hurt forever.
“I want to see you,” he said.
“You can’t.” Not just because my eyes were full of tears I was refusing to let loose.
“Teddy, let me see you.” His voice became a little louder, and my idiot body reacted immediately.
“No.”
“If you don’t open this door, I’m going to fucking break it down. I need to see you, Teddybear.”
“Why?” I snapped. “Don’t you dare break my door, Dominic.”
“Because you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” he said.
“Just let it go, Dominic,” I said, but I also heard it when he stood up behind the door, and so I did.
