“You already sent it to me, remember?” Lucas remindedme.
Neither Dexter nor the other shifter asked what I was doing with the number of an escort agency, so I assumed they’dheard.
I supposed all of Boulder hadheard.
It didn’tmatter.
Just like Liam sleeping with another girl didn’tmatter.
Who was I kidding? Itdidmatter. So damnmuch.
After I’d managed the impossible task of putting away my phone, I told them about Megan’s wooden cross. “I know we’re not a complete secret around these parts, but I just thought you’d want a head’sup.”
“Were you alone when this happened?” Dexter asked, gaze running over mylegs.
I wished I’d had a pair of tights on. I felt so exposed in thisdress.
He winced suddenly, dropping his gaze to the poker chips. Liam was glaring at him. Had the Alpha barked at Dexter through the mindlink?
“I was with Sarah Matz. We were on our way to The Den.” I yanked on the hem of my dress. “She went to inform Julian about our run-in. Maybe you should call him,Liam.”
Liam just stared at me, seemingly lost in thought. Was he thinking about his father? About Everest? About Julian? Or was he thinking aboutme?
“Um, Lucas, can you give me a ride back to my place? I don’t really feel likewalking.”
“I’ll give you a ride home,” Dexter offered, alreadyrising.
“I’ll take her,” Liamsnapped.
“No,” I said softly but firmly. I couldn’t ride in a car with Liam. Not when he still smelled likeher. Not when I was feeling so emotional. “No.”
His Adam’s apple joggled in his throat. “Ness,please.”
“No. Lucas?” I blinked. My eyes felt so hot, but the rest of me felt cold. It was as though every ounce of heat in my body had converged into mylids.
Chair legs scraped, and then Lucas was next to me. “Let’sgo.”
I nodded and turned away from Liam, trailing Lucas out. I prayed my tears wouldn’t tumble out until I got home, but my prayers went unanswered, as my prayers usuallydid.
“I thought you guys were over,” Lucas said after a longbeat.
“We are,” I whispered raucously. “Stillhurts.”
He touched my forearm. Briefly, but long enough to make me blink. “It sucks to walk in onsomeone.”
My browfurrowed.
“That’s what happened with Taryn. I found her with a Pine.” His blue eyes flashed to mine. “Justin Summix of allpeople.”
My mouth rounded, and for a moment, I forgot how deeply my heart ached, because Liam and I, we hadn’t even been together when I caught him rolling out of bed. Lucas and Taryn though, they’d been a couple. I’d misjudged him, I realized. I’d thought he’d wrongedTaryn.
“I really hate those Pines,” Lucasmurmured.
I didn’t try to argue that they weren’t all bad, didn’t try to console him either. Silence grew between us, a quiet, easygoing silence that bonded us in ourmisery.
Once he slid the car in front of my house, I thanked him. He nodded but kept his eyes on the darkenedstreet.
“Just remember it takes half the time you were together to get over a person,” hesaid.
