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“God, no.”
“Then what constitutes a friend?”
He gave a shrug. “Honestly, I don’t know—as I have none.”
* * *
Cauldron drove me home, but when he turned the wrong direction, I realized he had different plans.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.”
“Well,myhome is the other way.”
“Come on, baby. I’m not letting you stay alone tonight.”
I still winced when I heard the endearment. It didn’t fit anymore, like a shirt that was too tight. “Karl and all his men are dead. Roan’s gone. What’s there to be afraid of, exactly?”
“You must be shaken up—”
“They just tied me up and put me in a chair. That was it.”
He kept driving. “I know you’re brave—”
“It’s not like they pointed a gun at me and pulled the trigger…”
Cauldron gave a quiet sigh. “Is this really how we’re going to do things?”
“I just want to go home, Cauldron.”
“Well, I’ve paid for your time, and I want you at my place.”
“Gonna pull that card, huh?”
“You’re giving me no choice.”
We sat in silence for the rest of the drive, the city quiet because it was an hour before sunrise. It was so cold there was frost across the gardens in front of the apartments. A few minutes later, we arrived at his apartment, sealed with warmth the second we were in the elevator. The parlor was dark, like his servants hadn’t been disturbed when he left hours ago.
Cauldron took his jacket and hung it on the coatrack.
I purposely avoided his look. “I’ll sleep in the guest room—”
“You’ll sleep with me.”
“I’m not screwing you—”
“Not asking you to.” He faced me, squaring his shoulders like I was an opponent. “So let me get this straight. You’re taken as a hostage, and the second you’re free, you run straight into my arms, but I mean nothing to you? We make love, but then it’s like it never happened? How can you hate methismuch? How can you hate me when I’ve told you how goddamn sorry I am?”
My arms crossed over my chest, and I looked away.
“I’m actually asking you.”
“How?” My head snapped back in his direction. “Because none of it means anything when I say I love you and you don’t say it—”
“I love you.”
The breath I sucked between my teeth was involuntary. It was like a hiss, like he hit me in the face rather than spoke a beautiful confession.
