I balled my fingers into fists. “That’s all I talkedabout.”
“Taryn must have adress.”
“I don’t want Taryn’sdress.”
“I’ll take you shoppingtomorrow.”
I jerked back. “Noway.”
His gaze ground into mine, and my pulse skittered. I tried to breathe to calm myself. After the fourth not-even-remotely-close-to-soothing breath, I mumbled, “Stay locked in here with me any longer, and it’ll startrumors.”
“I don’t give a shit aboutrumors.”
“But Tamara will give ashit.”
“Please stop using Tamara as an excuse to push meaway.”
“I’m not using her as an excuse. She was groping you earlier! I sawher.”
His pupils expanded and bled darkness into his irises. “You were watchingme?”
Heat pulsed against my jaw. “I was looking around and happened to see herandyou.”
“You’re the first girl who’s turned medown.”
So this was what his strange behavior was about? No longer feeling threatened, I unclenched my fingers. “I’d say get used to it, but I doubt you’ll ever need to get used toit.”
He didn’t smile, didn’t even react to my indirectcompliment.
“Seriously, can you let me out now? This place reeks.” When he didn’t, I reached around him for thedoorknob.
He swiped my arm and spun me around so fast he had me pinned to the door with his forearms bracketing myhead.
I’d been wrong to relax. Liam wasunpredictable.
“Ness”—the way he spoke my name, all rough and low, had my stomach swishing—“I’m not like myfather.”
I’d expected him to say many things but not that. “Then don’t hold me against mywill.”
His breaths shuddered against my forehead. Slowly, almost painfully, he pushed himself off the door…offme.
And he let mego.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
At four the following afternoon,I entered a modern-looking building not too far away from the The Den. I checked my phone for Sarah’s floor number and pressed on the button that had a big six onit.
As the elevator rose, so did my nerves. What if her generosity was a ploy? What if she’d called up a bunch of other Pine shifters and they were going to ambushme?
I massaged my temples as the elevator doors swept open on the sixth floor. Where was all this anxiety comingfrom?
I hadn’t slept much last night, getting to bed way too late and getting woken up by Lucy way too early. It was as though she wanted to make me pay for going out. Or maybe she was making me pay for the missing bike—the one I’d left at Aidan’s house the night he shot Liam. I told her someone had stolen it while I’d gone into the DMV to get the sign-up forms. It beat explaining what had really happened toit.
I’d contemplated retrieving it, but I didn’t want to risk Aidan putting a bullet in my skull…if he was even home. Considering his injuries, he could be bandaged up like a mummy in a hospitalbed.
When I arrived in front of Sarah’s door, I pressed on the buzzer. A long minute later, there was grumbling followed by footsteps. Sarah opened the door, a pink silk sleep mask that readGo Awaywedged up on her forehead. Smudged crescents of makeup framed her squintyeyes.
“Shit. Is it noonalready?”
