I shudder at the memory of her fear. Even now, it makes my heart twist painfully in my chest.
I read her unanswered messages again.
I want to know what she thinks of Rand. She’s too guarded to open up to her professor so easily, but she might tell Bones about it.
Any information I can glean will help me win her heart.
Acting before I can change my mind, I find my skull mask and gloves. I tug on my long-sleeved black shirt so she won’t be able to see my tattoos.
Once I’m covered, I request the video call.
A warm glow suffuses my chest when she answers seconds later.
“Bones.” She sighs my name in relief. Then her delicate features sharpen with annoyance. “You’ve been ignoring me.”
I make my voice gravelly and fall back into my authentic American accent. “I wasn’t ready to talk.”
She sighs again, the aggression draining out of her. “I understand. Things didn’t go the way I thought they would, and I freaked out.”
It’s not an apology, but at least it’s an admission that she was too scared of our connection to stay with me.
“Don’t worry about it,” I reassure her.
I don’t feel like reliving the painful encounter with her. All I want is to find out how she feels about Rand.
She presses her lips together, as though she’s considering what to say next.
She must decide that she doesn’t want to hash it out either because she says, “Okay. Everything is normal between us, then?”
My teeth clench, but I force myself to relax. There’s no going back to our relationship as it was before. I will never service her again. Not like that. Not when she won’t offer me more than her sexual submission while she keeps walls around her heart.
“I don’t want to fight,” I say instead.
She blows out a relieved breath. “Good. I don’t want to, either.”
Of course she doesn’t. That would mean confronting her feelings and being vulnerable with me.
I’ve always known Karolina has trust issues. I just didn’t realize that she didn’t trustme.
I resist the urge to rub away the ache at the center of my chest.
“I’ve missed you,” she admits, and my heart squeezes.
“I’ve missed you too, kitten.”
A sly smile curves her lips. “So, why did you finally call me?”
I grit my teeth. She thinks I’m here for a sexy chat, and nothing more.
As though I only want to talk to her to get myself off.
“I know what you want from me,” I grumble. “But I want something from you first.”
She smirks and cups her breast through her powder blue nightgown. “Oh? What could you possibly want from me, Bones?”
“No games, Karolina. I want something real.”
She tenses. “I thought we were on the same page.”
