Page 64 of The Price of Forever

“Do I need to go have a talk with him?” His voice held an edge that suggested exactly what “a talk” might mean.

I laughed weakly. “No. He’s fine. It was innocent. It just…sparked something in me that I…struggle with.”

The words clattered inside my head. Why didn’t I write it off as something else? Being too tired? Working too late the night before? I looked up and found Seven’s gaze. The tenderness there nearly cracked me in two.

“You need anything?” He squeezed my arm gently, heat spreading through me. It might as well have been a hug for how intimate it felt.

“I’m fine.” Emotion swelled inside me like a tidal wave, and my chin trembled as I tried to shove all the feelings back down. Seven must have seen right through it because he gripped my chin between his thumb and forefinger.

“You need to go have a good cry in the corner?”

The suggestion prompted a big burst of laughter, which helped my insides stabilize a little. The corner of his mouth turned up.

“I’ll be fine. I promise.” I took a deep breath, turning to the sani-bucket. “They should call you Mother Hen instead of Seven.”

“Who are ‘they’?” he asked, a genuine smile covering his face. It stunned me in the way sudden sunlight during a thunderstorm can stop someone in their tracks. My heart plummeted to my feet, tingles swarming my limbs.

“You know, anyone who has to refer to you,” I teased.

“Be sure to put out a memo.” He laughed as he said it. I tried not to sigh and stare dreamily as he retreated. Mitchell leaned across the counter near the registers, sending me a dramatically loud Psst.

“Just talking, am I right?” He sent me a stage wink.

If me humping Seven in the VIP room made things murky and strange, then his offer to let me cry with him in a corner was something of a balance.

I didn’t want to fuck things up again, but the more emotionally open I was with him, the more desperate I was to see his cock. There was a distinct correlation. Who was I to challenge it?

When we returned to his apartment after my coffee shop shift that afternoon, we each went our separate ways. I took a quick nap in my room, and when I emerged just before dinnertime, Seven rushed around the kitchen like he was in a hurry.

I had to blink a few times, unsure if I was really seeing things correctly.

He wasn’t in his standard attire. He wore charcoal gray slacks, which fit in such a way that looked like he planned to attend a men’s fashion show, paired with a white, short sleeve polo that hugged his pecs and strained to encompass his biceps. I could only stare as he pulled out a pre-mixed protein shake and took a quick chug.

“What are you doing?” I asked, without even realizing.

He turned to look at me, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He placed the shake back in the fridge and then cleared his throat. “Just getting ready.”

“Getting ready?” I challenged. “I thought you’d been brought into the world that way.”

He didn’t take the bait, another sign something was off.

“I mean…this.” I gestured to his outfit as I drifted toward the kitchen island. He was wearing different clothes for God’s sake. When I got closer, I caught a faint whiff of his manly cologne. All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around his chest and settle into the warmth there. My knees nearly buckled.

“My clothes?” His brow arched. “I have plans tonight.”

My brows drew together and confusion settled on top of me like a storm cloud descends before a tornado. “What?”

“Yeah. I do things on occasion, Jordan. It may surprise you, but I do have a life.” He flashed a humorless smile. “I have a different protection officer coming over to fill in for tonight. He’ll be here shortly so you can get to know him a little before I leave.”

Everything that he’d just said felt like steel wool against my skin. Different officer? Plans tonight? No and no.

“Were you planning on informing me of any of this?” I spat out. The way my heart thudded against my ribcage told me my reaction was on the dramatic side.

“I’m informing you now,” he said coolly.

I tried to think of some good reason why his plan didn’t—couldn’t—work, but I came up with nothing. He was allowed to do things away from me. I just hated that it bothered me so much. Why does this bother you? Aren’t you supposed to be moving out and moving on from Seven and your brothers? This is what you want!

Except it wasn’t what I wanted. Because as a knock sounded on the door and Seven said, “There he is now,” I realized what was actually bothering me.

---