me and the rest of the team back here in an hour. And for god’s sake, lock that safe, and put everything back the way you found it!”
It was scary how quiet Asher could be. I barely heard a rustle as he moved the boxes back into place.
Chapter 9
I twisted the ring on my left thumb. An unconscious act, one I usually did when something worried me. I’d been so shocked at seeing another woman in Ty’s apartment, I failed to give a passing thought to our bond. Was it still intact? And if it was, how would Tyler feel about being bound to me if he no longer loved me? He might even expect me to break our bond. My fingers traced the carved outline of the bear with tender affection and I felt the unwelcome sting of tears at my eyes.
Damn it.
Damn him.
Damn
her
, whoever she was.
And
damn me
for being foolish enough to care.
As I approached the forma vze=fend
daml dining room, I became one with the light, opting to see the seated diners before they saw me. When I passed through the door, I let out a sigh of relief and regained my corporeal form. Empty.
Hallelujah
.
My absence hadn’t gone unnoticed, however. A silver dome covered a plate right at the place I sat for the couple of meals I’d attended. At least I wasn’t going to have to spend my morning hungry. Removing the dome, I inhaled the aroma of frittata, fried potatoes, and delicate fruit tarts. Xander sure as hell didn’t scrimp on the food budget. And he didn’t eat anything that didn’t look Food Network perfect. Which suited me just fine. The most elegant breakfast I’d ever made was a bowl of cereal.
“What happened last night?” Raif said from the doorway.
“Don’t you have anything better to do than follow me around?” Raif’s stalker act was totally unimpressive. “Shouldn’t you be walking through the house glowering at people?”
“I think you have me mistaken for my brother,” Raif replied, leaning against the jamb. His cool demeanor raised my hackles. “He’s in quite the mood this morning. It appears he’s readying himself to defend your honor for some reason. He thinks something very bad must have happened to you. You went out yesterday?”
I didn’t bother sitting down, just picked up a fork and started shoveling food into my mouth. “If you know I went out, why are you asking for confirmation?” I wasn’t in the mood to discuss what happened yesterday with Raif or anyone else. “Since when am I under house arrest, anyway? It’s Anya you have to worry about, not me.” Raif quirked a brow and I thought, for a second, about throwing my fork at him. “It’s none of your business.”
“True.” He folded his arms in front of his chest, hunkering down for a standoff.
“So, drop it.”
He answered me with silence, but his blue eyes looked straight into my soul. I hated that he knew me well enough to see through me. “What’s on the agenda for today? Anya said she has some kind of appointment.”
Silence. And that goddamned stare.
I shoved enough frittata into my mouth to choke a horse. I figured Raif wouldn’t expect me to talk if it was almost too full to actually chew. I managed to swallow without suffocating, and I met Raif’s stare head-on before popping in a few potatoes to join the frittata.
“Quit staring at me!” I didn’t quite yell, but I wanted to. I chugged a glass of orange juice and popped an entire tart into my mouth. I bet I looked just
fetching
, stuffing my face like I was. Ignoring my uncouth behavior, Raif only looked at me as if he already knew what had happened and just needed verbal confirmation.
I cleared my throat and tried to lend an apathetic air to my words. “Tyler’s back.” My gaze dropped to the polished surface of Xander’s antique table, and I fought like hell to keep the tears at bay. “He didn’t come home alone.”
“I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation. . . .” Even Raif didn’t sound convinced.
“Like what?” I snorted. “She’s his
It was scary how quiet Asher could be. I barely heard a rustle as he moved the boxes back into place.
Chapter 9
I twisted the ring on my left thumb. An unconscious act, one I usually did when something worried me. I’d been so shocked at seeing another woman in Ty’s apartment, I failed to give a passing thought to our bond. Was it still intact? And if it was, how would Tyler feel about being bound to me if he no longer loved me? He might even expect me to break our bond. My fingers traced the carved outline of the bear with tender affection and I felt the unwelcome sting of tears at my eyes.
Damn it.
Damn him.
Damn
her
, whoever she was.
And
damn me
for being foolish enough to care.
As I approached the forma vze=fend
daml dining room, I became one with the light, opting to see the seated diners before they saw me. When I passed through the door, I let out a sigh of relief and regained my corporeal form. Empty.
Hallelujah
.
My absence hadn’t gone unnoticed, however. A silver dome covered a plate right at the place I sat for the couple of meals I’d attended. At least I wasn’t going to have to spend my morning hungry. Removing the dome, I inhaled the aroma of frittata, fried potatoes, and delicate fruit tarts. Xander sure as hell didn’t scrimp on the food budget. And he didn’t eat anything that didn’t look Food Network perfect. Which suited me just fine. The most elegant breakfast I’d ever made was a bowl of cereal.
“What happened last night?” Raif said from the doorway.
“Don’t you have anything better to do than follow me around?” Raif’s stalker act was totally unimpressive. “Shouldn’t you be walking through the house glowering at people?”
“I think you have me mistaken for my brother,” Raif replied, leaning against the jamb. His cool demeanor raised my hackles. “He’s in quite the mood this morning. It appears he’s readying himself to defend your honor for some reason. He thinks something very bad must have happened to you. You went out yesterday?”
I didn’t bother sitting down, just picked up a fork and started shoveling food into my mouth. “If you know I went out, why are you asking for confirmation?” I wasn’t in the mood to discuss what happened yesterday with Raif or anyone else. “Since when am I under house arrest, anyway? It’s Anya you have to worry about, not me.” Raif quirked a brow and I thought, for a second, about throwing my fork at him. “It’s none of your business.”
“True.” He folded his arms in front of his chest, hunkering down for a standoff.
“So, drop it.”
He answered me with silence, but his blue eyes looked straight into my soul. I hated that he knew me well enough to see through me. “What’s on the agenda for today? Anya said she has some kind of appointment.”
Silence. And that goddamned stare.
I shoved enough frittata into my mouth to choke a horse. I figured Raif wouldn’t expect me to talk if it was almost too full to actually chew. I managed to swallow without suffocating, and I met Raif’s stare head-on before popping in a few potatoes to join the frittata.
“Quit staring at me!” I didn’t quite yell, but I wanted to. I chugged a glass of orange juice and popped an entire tart into my mouth. I bet I looked just
fetching
, stuffing my face like I was. Ignoring my uncouth behavior, Raif only looked at me as if he already knew what had happened and just needed verbal confirmation.
I cleared my throat and tried to lend an apathetic air to my words. “Tyler’s back.” My gaze dropped to the polished surface of Xander’s antique table, and I fought like hell to keep the tears at bay. “He didn’t come home alone.”
“I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation. . . .” Even Raif didn’t sound convinced.
“Like what?” I snorted. “She’s his
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