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A smile curved on her lips. “You’re quieter than usual today, and that’s saying something.”
I grunted.
“It’s a woman, isn’t it?” she asked, rolling her head toward me.
I stared into her eyes—a hazel so light it was almost amber. “I’m not here for that.”
“I know. You’re a protector, blah blah blah. But whoever she is, she’s gotten under your skin, so why are you here with me?”
“I’m checking in on you. I want to help.”
“I’m a lost cause, Zaqiel.”
“No one is.”
Lifting her head from the wall, Candy studied me. “Do you really believe that?”
I looked away.
I used to before I spent so much time with humanity and in places like this, with all the worst of society and some of the best people, just struggling to get by, overlooked by everyone and suffering. Now I knew there were many people beyond salvation, who deserved to be in Hell when their day came.
Many people whose day didn’t come quick enough.
Then there were people like Evie, thrust into a life that wasn’t good enough for them, shrouded in a blanket of scars, inside and out, that hid from the world a heart aching to be loved.
Not loved—protected, assisted, and helped.
I wasn’t here for love.
Candy’s smile dropped as I cursed under my breath. After a beat, I said, “I want to help you, Candy.”
“I know you do, and just knowing you want to help is enough for me.” She eyed me out of the corner of her eye, looking me up and down before smirking, mostly to herself, I suspect.
I had no idea what she was thinking.
“It’s not enough for me,” I said.
“You can’t save everyone.”
She was right.
I stood and held out my hand. She stared at me hard before taking it, letting it go the second she was on her feet. We were standing much too close, and even in the warmth of the afternoon sun fighting against the chill of the season, I could feel the heat from her body. A body that was made for things I hadn’t dared to dream of before Evie. I swear she pushed her chest out, so her breasts brushed my shirt, and I gritted my teeth.
Gripping her upper arm, probably harder than necessary, I tugged her down the street.
“Where are we going?”
“Come to my apartment. You can have a shower, get some sleep, have something to eat, and rest for a bit.”
“I have work tomorrow.”
I stopped walking and stared at her. She was biting her bottom lip, but it wasn’t concern for being late for work. Maybe before, I wouldn’t have noticed the way her gaze raked up and down my body, lingering on my arms and chest and longer on my groin. I stilled as I willed my body not to respond to the vibes she was clearly letting off.
How many women had fallen for me?
How many of them had assumed I had motives other than to help and care for them?
How many times had I not noticed because I simply didn’t see them that way?
