Page 25 of His Captor

That was not a usual post-heat feeling.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Ari asked, his voice firmer. “Did he do things to you that you hadn’t discussed? Did he not respect your safe word.”

“No, no!” I insisted. “If anything, it’s exactly the opposite of that. I….” I didn’t want to say what I’d already said, but it was too late. Ari was my best friend. He deserved the truth. “I really like him, Ari. It sucks dick that this is the end and I’ll never see him again.”

“Are you sure that’s not just the hormones talking?”

I sighed. Ari was probably right. A lot of things had happened in this heat that I’d never experienced before. Feelings of attachment could be another.

“It might be,” I said, rubbing my face with my free hand. It felt like a lie.

The bathroom door opened just then and Ace walked out in nothing but a towel. My body and mind ran riot. I wanted him and I wanted to stay away from him. The push and pull would drive me insane, I was certain.

Then Ace smiled as he turned the corner to walk back into the bedroom, and everything was okay again.

“Hayden?” Ari’s voice seemed worried.

“Yeah, sorry,” I said. “I just got distracted by a mostly naked alpha stepping out of the bathroom. Anyhow,” I continued before Ari could say anything else, “I just wanted to call to let you know it’s over and everything went well. I’m sure Ace will contact his second, and the two of you can do whatever you need to do and log it on the app.”

“Okay,” Ari said slowly. “But call me when you get back to Barrington, alright?”

“Will do.”

I ended the call, and by the time Ace stepped out of the bedroom, fully dressed and a little awkward, I had a passable breakfast ready for us both.

“I assumed you were on the phone with your second,” Ace said as he sat across the table from me. “I called my guy, too, while I was in there. We’re all done and dusted as far as Dark Fantasies Club protocol is concerned.”

“Good, good,” I nodded, feeling so brittle and awkward that I had to fight not to let my hands shake.

An even more awkward silence fell between us as we sat there, long after our breakfast was finished, saying nothing. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. I didn’t want Ace to touchme, not at all, but I absolutely detested the idea of leaving him. That weird, inner force within me didn’t want to be separated from him. It whispered things at me, things likeprotection, safety, nurturing.

“What time is your flight this evening?” Ace asked.

I swallowed the last, cold gulp of my coffee awkwardly and said, “Eight o’clock.”

Ace nodded, tense and slightly flushed. “I know your suitcase is in the back seat of my car, but do you need to go anywhere else or do anything else?”

“I’m technically still checked in at the conference hotel,” I said. “I thought I’d be back there by Saturday afternoon and that I’d do some sightseeing before now.”

Ace nodded mindlessly.

“Come to think of it, I should probably call the hotel and maybe check out remotely so I don’t get charged late check-out fees,” I said.

“If that’s what you need to do, then that’s what you should do,” Ace agreed.

It was all so polite…and so awkward. Both of us were acting like people who had just been plopped into existence that morning and who didn’t have a clue how to interact with each other.

I broke the awkwardness by reaching for my phone and calling the hotel. It was easy to explain to them that I’d met up with a friend the other day and that I’d been staying with them instead of in the room, and that I wouldn’t have time to head back in person to check out. They were fine with checking me out remotely. So much so that I realized I hadn’t actually needed the elaborate story, I’d just told it so that my mouth had something to do.

By the time I finished that call, Ace had gotten up to tidy the kitchen. The awkwardness between us was still there, but I could feel it morphing into distance.

And I felt sick.

“I don’t mind if you want to take me to the airport early instead of having me bum around here until later,” I said, carrying my dishes to the sink. “I’m flying business-class, and the lounge is pretty cool.”

“Alright,” Ace said with a strained smile. “We’ll do that. I need to clean up around here and reset some things anyhow, and that would be boring for you.”

“Okay.”

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