Page 97 of Jingle Belle's Biker

The kind of sexy that’s so fucking Belle it’s utterly breathtaking. It floors a man.

“I’m not,” she says again, “a child. And I’m not about to break. I’m fine. Even if I wasn’t fine, in the grand scheme, I’m fine. Everyone’s happy. I guess this is where I should be saying thank you.”

“You should be mad.”

She nods and drops her hands to her sides.

“What do you want from me, Saint? Would me hating you or being so furious I can’t forgive you make it easier for you? Ease your soul?” she asks. “Because I don’t know what it is you want. And thing is, I’m really not in the mood to lead you through,offer you shallow waters and shore. I’m not here to ease your feelings.”

“I didn’t say I wanted that,” I mutter, aware she’s hit on something. “I just wanted to make sure you’re good.”

“And I told you, yet you’re still here.”

Yeah, I fucking am. “Belle?—”

“Feel bad, don’t feel bad, but I’m not helping you in your next move. I know you’re going, even if you won’t say it.”

“I don’t live here anymore.”

“Don’t you?” she asks. “Could you?”

I ignore the last part. “I made the lease null and void. And you know I’m not here forever. I’m not that guy. I’m not inclined to be forever in one place.”

“Then you answered me, didn’t you?” Belle skirts me and heads down her hall to the door. “You’re going.”

“Belle.”

“I’m not the bad guy,” she says. “And I’m not making it easy for you. That isn’t my job to take on whatever you think your burden is.”

“I never asked you to,” I say. This is spinning and I don’t know why.

I could, I know, stay.

Be here tonight and tomorrow and stay until New Year’s.

Fuck. Staying just delays and complicates. Staying makes it all harder.

“I guess there’s nothing left to say,” I mutter.

She nods, crushing something inside of me. “I guess there isn’t. But I’ll knock, anyway, tomorrow.”

That shocks me and I frown. “Why? Why would you do that?” I rub a hand over my head. “I don’t deserve that.”

“No, you don’t.”

“So, why?”

“It’s Christmas,” she whispers. “You shouldn’t be alone on Christmas.”

I look around for Nomad. He’s not here at all.

With a sigh, I leave his carrier inside the apartment and leave the door unlocked.

It’s for the best. I don’t need a cat. I certainly don’t need a woman like Belle.

Rather, she doesn’t need me, no matter how she looks at me.

She needs a good version of Lance. A man who’s got a boring future with a boring job. A man who isn’t a nomad. A man who’s regular and commonplace. Yeah, okay, I want to break all the bones in this mythical man’s body, but she deserves better than me.

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