We were two grown adults.
It hadn’t even gone that far.
But I guess some part of me had been holding out hope that something more could come of it.
I was just… tired and overworked and, yeah, lonely.
I’d been trying to bury that under work, familial obligations, and chores. But it had been a really long time since I’d had someone to share my free time with, to cuddle with at night.
I missed it.
That was all it was.
I was overworked and under-loved. That was the reason for the waterworks. It wasn’t about Perish. It couldn’t be.
I dropped into my seat, discreetly wiped my eyes, and got the hell out of there before anyone saw me crying.
Especially Perish.
Who did not need to know I was crying just because he was laying down a damn boundary. One I wholly understood, given what he was risking by putting his hands on me. Or even just letting me put my hands on him.
The time in my apartment, that was one thing.
But I’d been selfish to climb up into the glass room and kiss him.
I wasn’tthatspecial that I was worth being kicked out of the club, losing his home, and losing his livelihood.
Did some secret, romantic part of me want to be like the heroines in all the books Luna was giving me? The ones who were so amazing that the hero would burn down the world for her? Sure.
But that wasn’t real life.
No matter how much I wanted to be chosen, wanted to be worth risking everything for.
“Get a grip,” I grumbled to myself before climbing out of my car and walking down the street toward She’s Bean Around.
Did I order myself two coffees and three different sweets because my heart ached and I wanted to soothe it with sugar?
Yes.
But that was my little secret.
Then I did what I knew always worked when I was feeling low.
I threw myself into making everyone else happy.
The only problem this time?
It wasn’t quite enough.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Perish
I slammed the head of the pick mattock into the ground with a lot more force than necessary. The impact ricocheted up my arms, rattling my shoulders.
And just for a second, my mind went blank.
So I pulled up the pick and slammed it down again, a little harder. The pain sliced up my neck and into my jaw this time.
