He must have seen the question forming, because he reached out and gently pinched her lips shut. “I can’t tell youyet, it’s top secret. Only Thorn and I know the details.” He sighed, pulling her into a hug. “I should’ve waited until you went back to class, but I thought sending Thorn up to keep you company in the afternoons would make up for it.”
She’d had to admit, at least to herself, that it mostly had. Thorn’s company filled the gaps, even if she didn’t want to give Tommy that satisfaction. Her days had settled into a comfortable rhythm: late mornings, long walks, and afternoons spent with Thorn working on his apartment or exploring the city. But since none of that fit her narrative, she’d only frowned at Tommy. “Still miss you, though.”
“Stop pouting.” He’d grinned as he let her go. “I’ll spend tomorrow evening with you before you head back.”
“You’d better.”
“I promise.”
The elevator doors had closed between them, leaving Evie and Thorn to clean up the dinner dishes and leaving her with a smile that lingered longer than she wanted to admit.
Thorn stretched out along the chaise, and Evie curled beside him, propping a pillow against his thigh so she could lie comfortably at his side. The sound of the movie filled the room, soft and steady.
Tommy, despite his promise, hadn’t come to dinner. When Evie texted to remind him, he replied that he had a meeting with Rupert and would see her later.
**********
Thorn
“Are you okay, Evie?” Thorn brushed her hair back from her face, frowning at the sadness in her expression. She’d been quiet since Tommy skipped dinner, and while he guessed thatwas the reason, he didn’t want to assume, especially with her leaving for her apartment in the morning.
“Yeah… Tommy promised to spend the evening with me, but I guess he forgot about his meeting with Rupert.” She shifted, stretching a little and forcing a small smile before turning her attention back to the movie.
Thorn shook his head, knowing why Tommy was meeting with Rupert and that he had set the appointment that afternoon as Thorn was leaving for the day.
“Why did you not say something to him?” he asked quietly. He knew how much Tommy loved Evie, but he also saw how often Tommy took advantage of her patience. It bothered him more than he liked to admit, and he made a mental note to bring it up later.
“When he’s caught up in a new idea or plan, it’s almost impossible to get his attention. I’m used to it.” She shrugged, ducking her head. Thorn could tell she was trying to seem unbothered, but the slump of her shoulders gave her away.
“Besides,” she murmured, almost to herself, “I shouldn’t have to remind him to keep his promises.”
The quiet hurt in her voice made something click in Thorn’s chest. Without a word, he nudged her gently upright and pulled her into his lap.
“You want to be remembered,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her close. He tried to focus on comforting her, not on how right it felt to have her in his arms.
She rested her head on his shoulder with a soft sigh. “It’s fine. I’m used to it. He’ll make up for it later.”
Evie reached for her blanket and pulled it over them, settling deeper against his chest. She wasn’t doing a great job of hiding how much Tommy’s absence hurt her. Thorn tightenedhis hold, silently promising himself he would always keep his promises to her, even the unspoken ones.
“Thorn,” she whispered after a minute, laughter threading through her voice. He looked down, puzzled by her tone. “You’re squeezing me too tight.”
He chuckled and loosened his grip, though a part of him hated letting her go. “I am sorry, Little One. I did not mean to hurt you.”
“Didn't hurt.” She twisted, straddling his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, hugging him back, tightly. “Just couldn't inhale.”
“That's not how I would want to take your breath away.” It came out before he realized what he was saying, and he silently cursed how the way she was sitting on him made him weak. He would have preferred that she never knew about his attraction to her so things wouldn’t become distant and awkward between them.
“You want to take my breath away?” Evie’s voice was soft and husky as she pulled back to look at him. Thorn met her eyes, felt his heart stumble, then forced himself to remember every reason he had to keep things platonic. He chose honesty instead of evasion.
“If I were younger,” he said quietly, sliding his hands to her waist and lifting her so she sat sideways across his thighs again, “and had less blood on my hands, I would happily take your breath away.” He smiled and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Every night, as often and for as long as you would let me.”
“You’re twenty-eight, not forty.”
He chuckled; she made the gap sound trivial. “And you are nineteen.” He brushed a strand of hair from her shoulder and leaned back against the pillows. “Even if my childhood hadbeen normal, there is a world of difference between a nineteen-year-old girl and a twenty-eight-year-old man.”
Disappointment flickered across her face, her lower lip jutting out just slightly. Thorn sighed, knowing he’d have to be blunter than he wanted. “Do you know how many people I had killed by the time I was your age?”
She shook her head.
