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Now there was a snap to his tone, which only served to fuel her curiosity. “Just making conversation, counselor.”
Sighing quietly, he reached out to brush a piece of hair away from her face. “I’m sorry. My family is a sensitive subject, but I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell me why it’s a sensitive subject?”
“Nice try, Ace.”
“Fine. But since youdidsnap at me, I feel it’s only fair I get something in return.”
His eyebrow arched up, but he didn’t immediately refuse her. “I suppose that depends on what you have in mind.”
“Tell me what was up with you this morning.”
“I was wondering when that might come up,” he mumbled. “Even I have bad days, you know.”
“Sure, but it seemed like more than that. Off the record, friend to friend. What’s going on with Cyrus Banks?”
“Is that what we are?” A smile tugged at his lips. “Friends?”
“Yes. Friends with benefits if you keep playing your cards right.”
“We could just skip straight to the benefits.”
Heat pooled low in her belly at the smoldering look he sent her way. “Talk now. Sex later.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Ace.”
“Yeah, but it’ll be worth it.”
“Oh, I have no doubts about that. But since you insist on waiting.” With a shrug, he dug back into his pasta. “I suppose the news of Zora’s death affected me a little more than I’d realized.”
“Did you know her well?”
“Not at all. But—” he paused, shooting her a look tinged with worry. “This is completely off the record, correct?”
“Of course.” Which she had a feeling she might regret in a minute. Every reporters’ instinct she possessed was on high alert. But her curiosity wouldn’t let her just walk away from this conversation because he wouldn’t let her report on it. “We’re just talking.”
“Not many people know this about me, and I would like to keep it that way.”
“Do you want me to cross my heart and hope to die?” She swiped a finger across her chest in an X formation. “Your secret is safe with me, Cyrus. I promise.”
“All right.” Setting his bowl on the coffee table in front of them, he took a deep breath. “I’m an empath. Normally I can keep it locked up, but for some reason, I’ve been far more sensitive today, is the only way I can think to phrase it.”
“Oh.” Disappointment pricked at her, and she instantly felt guilty for being disappointed that his secret wasn’t something juicier. “Is that all? You’re an empath? Newsflash, counselor, so is like thirty percent of the population.”
“I am aware.”
“Okay. So why the secrecy, then?”
“I don’t really know.” He frowned, as though he’d never actually considered it. “Emotions weren’t easily shared in my home, so I learned to hide mine at an early age. Which meant I learned to block out others’ emotions as well. It’s practically second nature at this point.”
“Except for this morning,” she said, her mind working furiously to fill in the blanks.
“Yes. As I said, I suppose the news of Zora’s passing affected me more than I cared to admit because I could feel…everything. Having the Fishers so close with my shields at a hundred percent is hard enough.”
All that pain, flooding him day after day? No wonder he’d finally cracked. “Wait, is that what happened at lunch yesterday? Their emotions got to you?”
“Yes. It’s not an excuse, but it’s like having someone poking you over and over and over again. You can ignore it at first, but eventually it wears you down. You didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end, though, and for that I am sorry.”
