Cole had hacked into the city’s traffic monitoringsystem?
Why was Isurprised?
“Colorado license plates. CRK-590. Creek-owned, as I’m sure you got from the letters.” He sighed. “No apology will undo how quick I was to blame you, but I’ll say it again anyway.” He took a step toward me. “I’ll say it as many times as it takes for you to forgive me.” He tilted his face down and dropped his voice to a murmur. “I. Am.Sorry.”
And then he said it again through the mindlink.
Andagain.
And with each apology, he moved closer to me, chipping at the defensive wall I’d erected around myself. He must’ve sensed he was getting through to me, because he didn’t stop advancing until we were standing toe totoe.
I raised my hand and pressed my palm into his black T-shirt. “Stop.”
I wasn’t sure if he would, but hedid.
Hestopped.
Stoppedspeaking.
Stoppedmoving.
My hand tingled with his strong heartbeats, and my forehead prickled from his warm breaths. I lowered my gaze to his chin, smooth from a freshshave.
His lips moved to form myname.
A slow burn traveled through my blood, concentrated in my navel, ignitedthere.
“I need you,” hewhispered.
“Don’t say that. Please, don’t saythat.”
My words had the adverse effect onhim.
It untied his tongue, made him speak all the reasons he needed me—that I lent him strength, that I calmed him, that I made his life sweeter, brighter,better.
“Give me another chance, babe. Giveusanother chance. I won’t screw it up this time. I understand what I stand to lose.” His chocolate eyes glowed in the lines of sun spilling through the blinds.I swear it on thepack.
I hated his entire declaration, not because it was too little too late, but because it was too much too soon. “Don’t swear on the pack,” Iwhispered.
“On my life then. I swear it on mylife.”
Shaking my head, I let my palm drift off his T-shirt, off his heart. My eyesstung.
From Aidan’sscent.
FromLiam’s.
“Liam, Ican’t.”
For a moment, his expression shuttered up, turned into his firm Alpha mask, but a flush had risen to my cheeks. A chink in my armor. Even though he didn’t lay a single finger on my body, his gaze traced the contours of my face. His earlier remorse and tentativeness were gone, replaced by something that all at once sharpened and softened all of hisfeatures.
Hope.
Even though I realized my grudge had faded, I also realized that giving Liam hope wasunfair.
“Not now, Liam. Not until my mind and body clear of the mating link.” Even though I appeared collected on the outside, chaos reigned inside of me. I was a mess of jumbled emotions and peculiarthoughts.
“I’ll wait.” He gave me a look that was so bruisingly ardent my heart fired like a rifle. “The same wayyour. . . ”
