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His remorse is obvious, from the way he runs his fingers through his curls to the way his shoulders slump.
But it’s more than that, too.
“You’re still looking out for me, Aleks. Aren’t you?”
“Of course. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you.”
His words ring so true that I can’t help what I do next. I relax just a fraction, stepping toward him. With a sigh, I decide to be honest with him, too.
“I missed you, Aleks. I hated that you were gone so long, and I’m so fucking glad you’re back.”
It’s the truth. I missed him. I missed him so badly that, at night, when I didn’t have Ryker to distract me, I would sense Aleks’s empty room and feel an ache deep in my chest. He was the first best friend I ever had, and even if I never thought of him as a prospective mate, our friendship gave me the strong bond I thought I lost when I believed that Ryker had rejected me.
Luna damn it, I forgot about vampire speed.
Aleks is quick. Quicker than I’ve ever given him credit for. Or maybe I was too naive. I thought that I could tell him how I felt and he wouldn’t twist it into something more.
But I guess I couldn’t because he totally does. Before I can even react, he has his hands on my arms, pulling me close against his hard body. I can feel the chill of his skin against mine, and I shiver.
He leans down, but I purposely turn my head away.
His lips brush my cheek.
I jerk my shoulder, breaking free of his hold on that side. Slipping my hands between us, I shove him. He’s fucking lucky. If I used all of my shifter strength and he wasn’t expecting it, I could’ve cracked his sternum. Instead, I just force him to take a couple of hurried steps back.
I resist the urge to wipe his kiss off of my cheek. It would be childish and rude, but what the hell? If I hadn’t moved my head, it would’ve landed on my lips and I’m not sure even begging him would keep Ryker from going after Aleks if that happened and he found out.
“What are you doing?” I demand.
Aleks smiles at me. For a second, I’m even more ticked off that he thinks this is funny—but then I realize it’s a sad smile.
“I had to check, Gem. That’s all. I had to see if maybe… maybe, this time, you’d choose me.”
“Aleks—”
He glances down at his arm. On his wrist, he wears this expensive gold wristwatch that is probably older than my dad. It’s definitely an antique, in perfect condition, and I hate to think about how much it costs.
“It’s almost nine. I promised Roman I’d meet him at his headquarters for a quick conversation before I take up my post.”
Now, I know this is Aleks’s attempt to change the subject, to smooth over that near-kiss. And, Luna help me, I let him.
“You’re going back on patrol?” I ask.
He nods. “I’m back to stay. And whether my roommate wants me to protect her or not, I will because I have a duty to my people. I start patrolling again tonight, midnight to eight unless I find something. Otherwise, I’ll be back in the morning if you need me.”
Though there’s something in his tone that has my wolf bristling, I choose to let that go, too. Instead, I focus on what he referred to me as.
Roommate, huh?
Well. At least we’re stillsomething.
8
The next afternoon, Ryker joins me halfway through my mid-day shift down at Charlie’s.
I really expected him to show up last night. During our talk on the phone, he promised that he’d give me until tomorrow—the ‘please’ I tacked on to his name did miracles there—but as I tossed and turned, I couldn’t stop thinking about how he said we still needed to talk.
He was right, too. We need to talk about so many different things. If we’re gonna have any chance of making this work between us, I need to stop walking away from any serious conversations. And Ryker? He needs to stop making decisions for me that leave me feeling like I have no choice but to walk away.
