Irritation buzzed inside me. I was finally emerging from the cocoon I'd wrapped myself in over the past year, only to be swatted down by the first man I found attractive in a long, long time.
I paced from one side of the room to the other, trying to think past the annoyance. Rejection sucked, even if it was dished out with kind words and sincere eyes.
The crux was that I hadn't thought Marcus would reject me. We were drawn to each other, like two magnets that came into close contact. I saw into his heart when he bound me to him. His emotions ran deep and he felt something for me. Something I'd never experienced before. It was more than appreciation or affection.
I had no frame of reference or ability to describe it because it wasn't a feeling I'd experienced before. He hadn't lied when he said he would do whatever it took to protect me. I'd sensed that grim determination through the brief connection.
Based on all of that, I never expected him to push me away when I reached for him.
I rubbed my sternum and realized that the irritation, the annoyance, was only a mask for my true emotions.
It hurt.
My throat tightened and I knew tears weren't too far behind, so I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I would not cry over this. He had just as much right to say no to me as I did to him.
I had to give him the same respect I would expect in return if our roles were reversed.
I reached up and ran a finger over the amulet Ava had given me and felt the metal warm beneath my touch, as though it were responding to my heightened emotions.
Maybe it was.
And at the very least, tonight I probably wouldn't have nightmares.
"That's one win for today," I murmured to myself as I got ready for bed.
By the time I stretched out beneath the sheet and blanket, exhaustion was mugging at me once again.
I'd sleep a few hours and then get back to work.
And I would not act weird around Marcus tomorrow. At this point, it was a matter of pride.
* * *
I should have expectedthe dream. Ava warned me it was likely.
The water in the pool was hot, steam rising from the surface in thin tendrils. The interior of the cavernous room was dim. There were torches and candles lit along with walls and on stone ledges, but the flickering lights didn't reach the ceiling or the end of the room.
Water swirled and sloshed in the far corner of the pool. I shifted on the shelf and peered into the darkness.
"Who's there?" I asked. My voice travelled in a hushed echo.
Marcus appeared out of the darkness, his eyes shadowed.
I laughed quietly before I sighed. "No escaping each other, is there?"
He moved to the opposite side of the pool and settled on the same underwater shelf I sat on. A good five or six feet separated us.
He lifted his arms as he settled into the corner, resting his elbows on the stone edge of the pool. His chest and arms were bare and the water came up to the top of his ribs.
I wondered if he was naked beneath the water. Because I was. The water was deep enough and dark enough to keep me covered, but the heated liquid lapped at my skin like a kiss.
I couldn't read his expression, but he was watching me. Everywhere his eyes touched, my skin tingled. His silence shouldn't have been disconcerting because I knew that he wasn't talkative by any means, but the air between us felt ripe, heavy with unspoken thoughts.
My mouth wanted to move and I wanted to ramble and fill that empty space, but I held back. If he wanted to sit here and stare at each other all night, I would freaking oblige him.
Okay, so maybe I was still hurt from his earlier rejection.
Marcus must have realized that I wasn't going to speak, because he asked, "Why did you kiss me?"
