Ridge reached for his hand, and Lucian pulled it away so the man wouldn’t hear. Apparently, he was bound to him psychically, and even on this plane, he was struggling not to move closer for comfort.
He needed time to think this through.
For Ridge, that lack of touching made him ache, and he wouldn’t lie.
It stung.
“I see,” he said, moving to stand up.
Lucian heard the hurt, and he was acutely aware of what the man was feeling.
Avalon! This sucks! I can feel his pain.
He heard her voice.
Don’t worry. It’s only with him. He’s your psychic mate in the static. You bonded to him when you called him to you and kissed him.
Undo it.
There was laughter.
It’s not undoable.
That made him panic even more.
“Ridge,” he called, only to be ignored.
He didn’t look at him.
“I’m sorry.”
Not as sorry as Ridge was. With each step away from him, it hurt.
That had never happened before.
“I’m worried about Wynter…”
He stopped him.
“My wife knows the nature of our connection, Lucian. She knows that we’re intimate on a different level. She wouldn’t be upset over this, just like Bishop wasn’t. That you’re not even willing to touch me…”
“Ridge.”
He put even space between them.
“I’ll be in the other room. I have some work that needs to be done.”
With that, Ridge walked away, closing the door between them.
Lucian needed to regroup.
He headed toward the bathroom, and inside, his wife was showering.
When she looked over, his face said it all.
“What happened?”
“He went to touch me, and I moved away from him,” he said. “Oracle said we bonded. I’ll never be able to not be connected to him in the static. I’ve done something bad wanting to keep us all safe,” he whispered.