Page 37

“I thought it was best if you didn’t know. I don’t want to put you in any danger.”

“You’ve lost me. You’re my partner specifically so you can help me when problems arise. Now you’re saying there’s a plan in place to remove you from the Apocalypse without telling me because of some danger.”

“I would have said goodbye.”

Sloane growled out a noise he’d never heard her make before.

“It’s better this way. Before long, I’ll become too unstable. I’ll no longer be able to protect you.”

“You just did. What’s going to change?”

“Things can overwhelm me, and I can’t always control myself.”

“You mean your brain freezes? Is that you losing control?”

He nodded. “At the moment, that behavior is just me being unable to process things as quickly as I need to. But sometimes, my primitive urges take over. I go into fight-or-flight mode. And if you were ever around when that happened and my fight mode activated, I would kill you.”

“No, you wouldn’t. And if you think that’s making me back off, you’re wrong. Besides, that’s old news.” Sloane turned away, her hands clenched.

He grasped her shoulder and turned her back to face him. “Old news? What does that mean?”

“It means, you’ve already gone primitive cave alien on me a few times. You get all moody and your eyes glaze over. Then you grunt and sway about.”

A cold horror hit him. “No, I don’t.”

Her expression softened. “You do. I’ve talked you down every time. It only lasts for a few seconds, and as long as I stay calm, you come back to me. The same old gorgeous, geeky alien.”

Dallin shuddered. Things had already gotten out of his control. “I wasn’t aware of that. It would destroy me if anything bad happened to you because of me.”

Sloane was silent for several seconds. “You mean, this plan you set up is to protect me from you? You’re worried I’ll get hurt by being your partner?”

“That’s right. I’m doing this for you.”

“And what about you? Is this what you want?” The tears that flooded her eyes almost undid him.

Dallin reached for her face and gently cupped her cheek. “Sloane, you must know, this has always been about you.”

“Is that why you turn me down every time I approach you? You don’t think you can control yourself when you’re with me?” Her words sounded shaky.

“I can think of nothing I’d like more than to be with you. And you don’t make it easy. You’re very tempting.”

“I have to be. You usually look right through me. You sure know how to make a girl feel lousy. If I didn’t have my mantras, I’d be lost.”

“Mantras?”

She arched an eyebrow. “Yes! It’s a desperate attempt to make sure I don’t forget how awesome I am.”

“You are. And it was never my intention to make you feel bad about yourself. It was always about making sure you stay safe. I want to be with you, to touch you, and taste you, and fill you with my cock. But it can never happen. Not while I’m a danger to you.”

“Why don’t you let me decide if I feel safe around you? Let me decide if you get to fill me with your cock.” Her gaze dipped to his groin as her teeth dug into her bottom lip.

Dallin repressed a groan. Sloane didn’t understand, she never would. Every day was a struggle to hold himself together and not lose himself inside his head.

“It’s not that simple,” he finally said.

“Then explain it to me. Make me see sense. Because right now, all I’m seeing is an alien holding back from the one thing that could make him truly happy. Dallin, I want to be with you, too. I’ve told you and shown you in so many ways.” She wriggled closer to him. “And I’m not scared of you. The only thing that terrifies me, is the thought of you leaving me and the Apocalypse.”

He moved his hand down her back. “You’re running a temperature. Let me give you something to make you more comfortable.”