Okay, have it his way. I let out a loud AO growl. He’s, of course, clueless about its true meaning, and fine by me, since it’s definitely not flattery. I walk toward the door, Salt follows me as we step into the hallway. He rushes ahead, fast, but I’m not letting this go.
I grab his arm and spin him around to face me.
"Can you look at me, Salt?"
Salt stops.
Our eyes meet.
SALT
What the hell did I just do? A mistake. A humongous one, given that I actually had a ‘plan’ and managed to blow it within minutes.
The ‘keeping my distance’ thing, hello!
Focus. Discipline. No distractions, and definitely not the kind that come in the form of a young, damn hot alpha.
So how exactly am I supposed to undo the damage now, when we have already crossed the line and tasted a sample of sex?
The only option left is to throw everything into reverse and pretend this never happened.
"What is it?" I ask, my voice stiff and guarded.
"Can we talk?" Eliano exhales.
"About what? Whatever just happened, we are not talking about it. It cannot happen again."
"What? It was fucking amazing… Wait." There is hesitation in his voice now. "You didn’t like it?"
Snorting, I squeeze my eyes shut.Salt, calm down!I might be an asshole, but I’m not that kind of asshole. That was his first blowjob, and I’m not gonna ruin the experience for him.
"That’s not it. It was amazing. I have no complaints. It’s just that I… I can’t do this. This whole thing. Case closed."
Something like a mix of relief and unease flickers across his face.
"But if it was good, then why…?"
"I don’t want to talk about it!" I snap, painfully aware of my body reacting to the fact that his hand is still wrapped around my bicep. What the hell is this? Why does he get to affect me like this?
"Why?"
"Can you just drop it?" I hiss.
My eyes flick to his fingers clenched around my arm. Silence stretches between us, broken only by the sound of our breathing.
When I look up, I meet Eliano’s intense golden eyes. His gaze drifts to my mouth, and for one reckless second I let myself imagine our lips meeting, but I can’t allow that. Nope.
And by now, it’s not about me anymore. I like to think I’m a decent judge of character, and I know Eliano isn’t a bad guy, not someone I’d ever want to hurt on purpose.
But it does not change anything. I can’t stay, I can’t be his, and this island will never be my home.
I have to avenge Senu. Honor demands it. The sheer weight of the sacrifice he made for me demands it. I am not some unprincipled bastard who would let his murderer walk free, the man who tortured, raped, and killed my beloved brother, someone good to his very core, kind, compassionate, and endlessly caring.
The thought of what Senu endured, of the sad shape his life took, and how brutally it ended snaps me out of the stupid pink haze I fall into whenever Eliano touches me.
Suddenly, I see his eyes slowly slide down to my forearm, to my tattoo, ‘Justice for Senu’.
I yank my arm out of his grip with a sharp motion.
