I quirked an eyebrow. “Um. Did tonight’s gathering make you forget about the matinglink?”
“The mating link doesn’t bother me,Ness.”
“How can itnot?”
“Does it botheryou?”
“No, but I’ve sworn off men.” I raised a smile I wasn’t really feeling. Mom used to say that if you smiled in spite of being down, your emotions would eventually catch up with your face. “Anyway, August Watt, I promise I’ll write thistime.”
He stared fixedly ahead of him. I was tempted to lean over and plant a kiss on his cheek but chickened out. I got out of the car and shut the door, then climbed the steps. The pickup didn’t pull away. August was probably waiting for me to go inside. A gentleman till the veryend. . .
I rang the doorbell. Seconds passed. When a minute went by, I rang the doorbell again but heard no footsteps. Was my uncle nothome?
Frowning, I went back down the stairs and knuckled the passenger window. August powered it down. His phone was already ringing, and then my uncle’s voice came on thespeakerphone.
“Yes,August?”
“Ness was trying to get home, but she doesn’t have herkeys.”
“I’m at Headquarters, watching over our asset with Derek and his son. If you swing by, I can give you thekey.”
I bit my lip. “What time will you behome?”
“I won’t. I don’t want to risk those bastard Creeks freeing Everest’s murderer.” His desire for vengeance palpitated through thephone.
“Okay, we’ll figure something out,” Augustsaid.
When he hung up, I said, “I can—” I had been about to say drive myself there and back, but Jeb had taken the van.Shoot. I was stranded. “Actually, do you mind giving me aride?”
He nodded, and I got backinside.
Pulling away from the curb, he said, “I don’t like the idea of you sleeping here all by yourself. Not with the Creeks intown.”
“I lived six months on my own in a real crappyneighborhood.”
“You weren’t on my watchthen.”
“I’m not on your watch noweither.”
“Ness,” he sighed. “Please give me a breaktonight.”
I nibbled on my lip and relented. “What did you have inmind?”
“You can stay with metonight.”
“Um.” The seatbelt felt like it was cutting off my breath. I hooked my thumbs underneath the taut fabric andtugged.
“I’ll sleep on the couch,” hesaid.
Yeah. But his place was one big open space. Taking the couch wouldn’t give either of us much privacy. “I could go toFrank’s—”
“He might not get home until late.” He’d already started driving toward thewarehouse.
I sensed reminding him that Evelyn would be there would do little to change the course of my evening. “Fine, but I’ll take thecouch.”
“The bed’s morecomfortable.”
“It’s yourbed.”
