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But he hadn't been, had he?
“So, are we going to talk about it?” I wasn't good at beating around the bush.
He joined me at the table, straddling his chair backward as he nabbed a piece of bacon. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Last night, obviously.”
His icy blue gaze focused intently on me. “What about last night?”
I licked my lips nervously. Last night had been incredible, a moment of spine-tingling weakness, and a really bad idea. I still wasn't entirely sure how I felt about him being back.
You're focusing on a lot of things here.
What had happened last night? Was that just a matter of getting caught up in the moment? Hell, maybe he hadn't felt anything. Maybe hooking up with a client was a regular occurrence for him.
All I knew was I hadn't slept that well in months, and I had never experienced anything like that before in my life. And I wanted more.
Don't get ahead of yourself. It was just a one-night thing. And after everything you told him last night, there's no way he wants to be part of any of that.
“I think maybe it's better for me if we pull back a little.”
Again, his icy blue gaze was steady, no avoidance, just steadily watching me. It was almost more unnerving that way.
“Whatever you need, Beauty,” he said, his voice mellow and smooth.
I licked my lips nervously. “We just probably shouldn't complicate things. And honestly, I'm still not sure I can trust you.”
He nodded slowly. “You can trust that I will do everything in my power to protect you.” He said it so earnestly I had no choice but to believe him. I just wasn't sure I could trust him with my heart again.
The rest of breakfast was finished in companionable silence. Though every time I tried to stop eating, he'd shove another banger or more beans my way.
I finally had to beg off. "I swear I'm stuffed. I can't eat any more.”
“Okay, let's get you to class and then we'll swing by the flat later.”
Class? What bloody day was it? A quick glance down at his phone on the table and I realized it was Friday, which meant I still had classes today. My brain had just tried to go into shutdown mode and pretend I never had to go to class again.
Another glance at the clock had me groaning and running to the shower. Last night had been something else. And maybe it was a mistake letting him anywhere near my heart again. Maybe it was a mistake playing with fire.
Later that morning, Jamila marched by my side as we headed toward the flat with Westin several paces behind.
“Are you sure you're okay? You don't want me to come up?"
I shook my head. "No, I'm fine, honestly. Westin had someone clean everything up, so there's nothing to do."
"There's always something to do. Besides, maybe you need me to sit with you. You don't have to do everything by yourself, you know?"
That smarted. "I don't do everything by myself."
"Yes, you do. You're forever Nissa the Conqueror. You never seem to need any help."
I stopped short and frowned. "Is that how you see me?"
She laughed and wrapped her arms around me. "I see you as a completely capable and wise independent woman. You, my darling, are a badarse. You never ask for help. And when something scary happens, you always want to protect other people before you protect yourself.”
"I'm sorry that you see me that way."
She sighed. "My love, I just want you to know that I’ll be there for you for once, okay? But I get it, if you're processing, that's okay. Just know that I am here for you, and I love you."
