But all she reallywanted?
It hit her harder than the ground had earlier that evening. Something she’d been missing since herparents died.
Home.
And she’d found it, hadn’t she? In the greenhouse and the work she did downstairs. In the warmth she felt when she woke, wrapped in an embrace. In the smiles and safety at Perennial Bloom, in the plants, in Attie, in…
“I don’t know,” she lied. Maybe she was a coward, but she didn’t want him thinking that the events of the evening were influencing what she really wanted to say.
Kizros’s features softened, unaware of the depth she’d found burning in her chest. “That’s okay. You don’t have to answer right away. But think on it, and I’ve got plenty of connections if you ever want to try?—”
Aofe wrapped a hand around his head, pulling him down to kiss him quickly. “Thank you,” she said against his lips. “What I want right now, though, is a snack and to sleep in tomorrow morning.”
He huffed a laugh. “Aofe, I don’t think either of us know what the definition of sleeping in is, but a midnight snack? That we can do.”
18
ERRANDS
Kizros
“Thank you for this, Rosalind,” Kizros said, nodding to the human. “And congratulations, again, on all your hard work. You ready for your presentation tomorrow?”
She blushed and tucked her chin. “I think so, just nervous.” Clearing her throat, she gestured behind her. “You’re sure about this? It’ll be a couple days if you change your mind.”
“I won’t.”
Rosalind studied him, her eyes narrowing. “Everything okay with Aofe?”
“Of course, why would you ask?” he scoffed a littletoo quickly.
She gave him a deadpan stare, then once again waved her hand pointedly behind her.
“Ah, yes.” Kizros scratched at the back of his head, cheeks burning. “It’s… yes.”
She raised a brow, then smirked. “Well, I guess I’ll see you in a couple days.”
He thanked her again, lingering at a nearby park bench for long enough that he started to feel guilty about lying to Aofe.
Well, more guilty.
Even if there really wasn’t anything to feel guilty about.
Except for taking advantage of her distraction this morning in the greenhouse as she tended the new seedlings. With luck, these would adjust to her hands and slowly grow accustomed to her attention over Kizros’s. With even more luck, the entire bed would follow suit, greeting her voice as many of the larger plants did for him after years of careful breeding.
That is, if she even wanted to be here longer.
Kizros had quickly tossed that thought into the depths of his mind earlier, particularly as one of the plants nearly uprooted itself in agitation at his uncertainty. He’d left soon after that, worried the plants might give away his inner turmoil by waving back and forth between himself and Aofe. She hadn’t seemed to notice his nervousness as he excused himself, nor his vague comment that he had errands to run.
There technically had been an errand—meeting Rosalind—but really, he was just stalling.
Running from himself. From his feelings. From his fears.
Last night with Aofe had… well, it had altered his brain chemistry. His entire life, he’d been deemedtoo much. He was too caring, too loud, too focused, and yet Aofe hadwantedthat. She’d asked him to take control in the most vulnerable way, let him care for her, trusted him to put her well-being in his hands, and it had both fulfilled and reignited that primal desire in his chest to protect her at all costs.
It was no longer enough to press his knot inside her, fill her, wrap himself around her to keep her warm. He’d been so wild with the need to consume her, claim her, he’d started to fabricate excuses for leaving the shop so as not to frighten her with his declarations.
Aofe was already dealing with the trauma of the previous evening; he didn’t need to go blathering on about how he wanted her to be his soulbonded. How he’d almost begged her in that vulnerable state to give in to him completely and let him take care of her for the rest of their lives.
