But I didn’t.
Because if it was regret, I wasn’t sure I could stomach hearing it.
At a gas station stop, he got out to fill the tank. I watched him through the window, shoulders tense, scanning for danger like always.
“Next stop’s about an hour out,” he said.
“Okay.” I pretended to scroll through my phone.
In the reflection, I caught a flicker of something soft in his eyes before he masked it again.
I wanted to believe it meant something. But all I could hear was his voice from this morning.
Maybe it’s best if you send someone else.
I rested my head against the window and tried to sleep.
Chapter Fourteen
Hayes
The hotel ballroom buzzed like a kicked beehive when we arrived—laughter, chatter, and the soft rustle of paperbacks sliding across tables. The air was stuffy and hot until I was almost dizzy with it.
I’d been in louder, busier places. Concerts. Stadiums. Riot control. But this? This was chaos of a different breed. Or maybe every little thing felt like too much because I wanted to be back in that quiet hotel with her.
Luna was in her element. Despite the awkwardness in the truck, she smiled easily and talked with every fan, her laughter carrying over the noise. Every so often, she’d glance up at me, a flicker of warmth, confusion, maybe both, before turning back to the fan in front of her.
I stayed a few paces back, scanning the crowd, doing my job. At least, trying to.
I could list exits, ID security gaps, and spot a hidden weaponfrom a mile away, but none of that was what had my pulse out of rhythm. It was her. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear. The way her fingers brushed mine when I passed her a bottle of water. The way my chest still burned when I remembered the taste of her lips last night.
I’d told Gray I’d gone too far. I believed that.
But standing here, watching her, it didn’t feel like crossing a line. It felt like finally seeing one and realizing I’d been on the wrong side all along.
“Busy crowd,” one of the event organizers said, smiling as she passed.
“Yeah,” I answered automatically.
It was packed shoulder to shoulder now. Someone tripped near the signing table, spilling their drink. I was moving before I even thought about it, hand at Luna’s back, as if she needed my protection from a few drops of coffee. She looked up at me, startled, eyes locking on mine for a second too long.
“It’s fine,” she murmured.
I stepped away, mad at myself for reacting like it was a bomb threat.
Gray’s voice replayed in my head:Stop waiting for history to repeat itself.
But history had teeth. It had names and faces and memories that didn’t fade, no matter how many new ones I built on top.
She caught me watching her again. Her smile faltered, just a little, before she forced it back for the next reader.
She thought I regretted it. I could tell. The truth wasn’t that simple.
When the signing finally wrapped, she leaned back in her chair, rubbing her wrist. “That was insane,” she said,smiling tiredly.
“Yeah,” I managed. “You handled it well.”
What I didn’t say wasI can’t handle this.That I’d spent the entire event torn between wanting to protect her and wanting to be the one she didn’t need protection from.
