She leaned back in her chair as if I’d pushed her. Her hands dropped from the table, her entire posture closing off. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’m not.”
“You just happened to find a knife worth almost twenty grand lying around, decided to give it to the woman you traumatized in the woods, and you want to buy it back?That’syour story?”
“That’s what happened.”
“Right.” She shifted forward as if she might stand, her muscles tensing in preparation.
Our server appeared, setting down loaded fries in the center of the table and our meals in front of us with a bright smile. “Need anything else?” She glanced between us.
“We’re good,” I said, though that was a generous interpretation of our current situation.
The server disappeared, and Liz stared down at her chicken sandwich like it still had feathers.
I picked up a fry, attempting to project calm even though my dragon was clawing at my ribs. She was pulling away, shutting down, and every instinct I had screamed at me to fix it.
But I couldn’t explain the real reason for the knife. I couldn’t tell her about hoards or mates or the fact that my dragon had known she was ours the second I’d caught her scent. Not yet.
I picked up another fry, forcing myself to chew slowly. The silence stretched, and I could feel her coiling tighter with every second that passed.
“Liz.” I kept my voice steady. “I know this is a lot. I’m not asking you to trust me. At least eat.”
She didn’t look at me, and her jaw tightened. Her gaze stayed fixed on her sandwich. For a moment, I thought she would grab her bag and walk out anyway. Then she reached forward and picked up the sandwich, taking a bite with all the enthusiasm of someone chewing cardboard.
I took that as a win.
The noise of the restaurant filled the space between us as we ate, and I tried to focus on my burger.
She took small bites, her shoulders still locked, her posture screaming that she was only here because leaving would make a scene. Every few seconds, her gaze flicked toward the door like she was calculating the fastest exit route.
My dragon didn’t understand why she couldn’t see that I just wanted to take care of her. I forced myself to stay calm, because pushing her now would be disastrous.
When she set her sandwich down after eating maybe half, I knew the meal was over. I wiped my hands on a napkin, trying to figure out what to say next. Nothing came to mind that didn’t sound like I was lying out of my ass.
She folded her napkin carefully. “I should get going. Beck looks like he could use a break.”
“Liz.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out the cashier’s check, setting it on the table between us. “I know you don’t trust this. I don’t blame you. But the money’s real. It’s already been pulled from my account.”
Her eyes dropped to the check, then snapped to my face. “No.” The word was final.
“Just take it.” I resisted the urge to reach forward and push it toward her.
She stood, her chair scraping against the floor. “I’m not doing this.”
I remained seated, watching her. “Doing what?”
“Tying myself to another man.” There was anger threaded through her voice and hurt in her eyes. “I’ve already been burned once by someone I trusted. I’m not making that mistake again.”
I knew she had a history, and had probably been hurt, but hearing her say it out loud made my chest tighten. I wanted to tell her I wasn’t like that, that I wouldn’t hurt her, that she could trust me.
But I couldn’t. Not honestly. Because I was hiding something big from her, and that was exactly what would scare her off if she knew.
I held her gaze. “You’re not wrong. Trusting me would be a risk. I get that. You can hold on to the knife and take the check to the bank tomorrow and verify it yourself.”
She shook her head, the motion sharp and dismissive. “Keep it.”
“Liz.”
