He wished to experience this combination of emotionswithher.
The shelf hummed as it rose upward, then it jerked and clattered. Iax looked up in time to see one pot not quite in line with the others tip as it caught in the mechanism.
Crack. It splintered, and Iax moved before he could think twice.
His one hand on her stomach, his chest against her spine, he spun her out of the way of the falling debris.
And in that one second, that one breath, his cheek briefly touched the flesh of her forehead. He inhaled sharply, the sensation akin to the moments when his essence returned to his body. His skin tingled, and the feeling spread along his face and down his neck, reaching all the way to his fingertips. His heart thudded hard in his chest, once, twice.
Thwack, thud.Ceramicpieces and lumps of dirt landed on the countertop and the floor.
Wynn’s body curled inward, her heart beating rapidly against his chest, her emotions rising in a surge to crash over him, that fear, but something else too that he had not yet experienced, a shocking sensation that made him release her on a breath, their bodies disconnecting.
“Ah!” she cried out.
He thought her distress a reaction to their proximity, but she dove toward the mess of broken pot and dirt. She cradled the curved sapling, its bright green shoots contrasting with the dark of the soil.
He moved again. In a breath, he reached for the stack of pots on the countertop, then the container of fresh soil. On an exhale, he crouched beside her, new soil already in the pot and waiting to accept the bruised plant.
She jerked straight, her eyes widening at his appearance in front of her. A breath left her lips in a puff, and color rose high on her cheeks. Her eyes jumped between his, then landed on the pot in his hands.
“Thank you,” she murmured, her shoulders relaxing as she took the offering. She shook the dirt from the sapling’s roots, then gently settled it in the new bed of soil.
The middle bent in a depressed state after its fall. She brushed her fingers over its leaves, then stood to turn her back on him.Clack,it went on the counter, her hands now free to deal with the rest of the mess the incident left behind.
Iax stood too, watching her while a defeated sensation spread through him. Just as easily as the pot shattered, he had broken his promise of not touching her without her permission. He did not know how to fix the error.
So he spoke the only words that might help.
“I’m sorry.”
Chapter eleven
Wynn’s breath caught in her throat at the earnest expression on Iax’s face. Another sense of familiarity wove through her, but he’d said they’d never met, had even seemed regretful about it.
And how the hell could she tell that? His expression rarely changed.
I’m sorry.
She stared at the wilting sapling in her hands, then looked up at the confusing person in front of her.
“What are you apologizing for?” He’d helped her with a speed that had stolen her breath, both when he had plucked her out of the path of the pot, and when he’d assisted with saving the plant.
“For touching you without your permission.” His gravelly words made her shiver.
Her hand lifted toward where their skin had connected. The small spot on her forehead tingled, an electrifying sensation that traveled down to her throat.
“You were trying to help me. I get that.” His head tilted like he didn’t understand her words, so she added. “Apology accepted.”
And because she couldn’t bear to stare at those glinting, inquisitive eyes any longer, she turned away. Walking farther down the central work area, she stopped at a different cupboard, bent down, and pulled a robocleaner from beneath.
Iax remained in place as she knelt and placed the robocleaner on top of the broken pieces and dirt on the grated flooring. The beetle-like robot hummed and whirred as it did its job between her and her unpredictable guest.
She stood to tend the bruised sapling, hoping it lived despite its fall. After making sure it had enough soil and fertilizer, she set it on the opposite workspace to monitor it instead of returning it with the others of its age.
And through it all, Iax watched her.
It was confusing, the sensation of calm that slowly replaced the dread and fear she’d experienced over the past few hours. Like he’d promised, he hadn’t harmed or changed her. He’dhelpedher. He’d even apologized.
