Page 107 of Legacy of Chaos

He had no freaking clue, and it left him unsettled. He hadn’t had time to process the last few days, let alone his feelings about them.

“What doyouwant it to be?” he asked, hoping she was better at this than he was. Which made him realize he knew nothing about her past relationships. Now, he wanted to. What kind of males was she attracted to? How many had she been with? Had she ever been in love?

Had she slept with Parker?

The idea made his jaw clench and his blood steam. Maybe he didn’t want to know about her past after all.

Bracing one hand on the counter, she appeared to consider his question. “I don’t know. My feelings about you have changed, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

They were so alike in that way.

“Maybe,” she continued, “we should just play it by ear. You know, see how things go for the next couple of weeks. I’ve got a lot of work to do in the lab, and I’m sure you have a mess to deal with between the Gehennaportal, the WCSG’s investigation, and your company. Let’s wing it.”

“Wing it?” Fuckingwing it? He was wrong about her. They weren’t alike at all. “I don’twinganything.”

“You did today,” she pointed out. “You played hooky from work and went on a last-minute boondoggle. It was all very spontaneous.”

Sure, he’d give her that. But he was willing to adapt to changes under certain conditions. Like the fact that it was Sunday, and he didn’thaveto go into work.

And he’d wanted to spend time with Cyan.

“But I get it,” she said. “You need some structure.”

“And rules.”

Her skeptical expression amused him. “I didn’t think you followed rules.”

He grinned. “I don’t. But I need to know them, at least.”

“I can respect that.” She folded her arms across her chest and settled in for what looked like a negotiation. Those, he was comfortable with. “Okay, how about we agree to meet at least once a day?”

Sounded reasonable. “Agreed. Are we exclusive?”

“That would make us an official couple. Are you ready for that? Because I don’t think I am.”

He didn’t see himself being with any other female, but the idea of being in an official relationship was too much. “Agreed.”

She nodded. “Good, because I’m supposed to meet Parker for dinner sometime this week.”

Jealousy burned a hole in Stryke’s chest, and when he spoke his voice sounded warped. “Are you dating him?”

“Nah.” She waved her hand in dismissal. “We’re just meeting to discuss a few aspects of our project over a pizza. I owe him for bringing me food the night I got back from theSea Storm.”

The male had beenhere? Inside her apartment? Sudden, possessive anger flared hot, and Stryke had to tamp it down before he did something stupid. Like fire the guy. Or have Behvyn blow some bad luck his way. That was always amusing.

“So, are we good to go?” she asked.

Stryke could live with the agreement. But her dinner with Parker had better be her last. “We are.”

“Good.” A slow, naughty smile made his groin tighten as she stripped off her shirt. “Now, let’s make it official.”

Chapter 26

Stryke paced anxiously in his office, the way he did before every meeting with Cyan.

After over two weeks, he’d have thought his physical and emotional reactions to her would have eased, but nope. If anything, what he felt for her was becoming more intense. He couldn’t wait to see her every day, and when it was time for one of them to leave, he felt like his world was being watered down.

Sex with her was amazing, the most incredible experience. But so was just being with her. They enjoyed the same movies and books—science fiction, mostly. She also liked romcoms, which she said Shanea had introduced her to. Neither of them was fond of outdoorsy things like camping or hiking, and they would both happily spend their lives locked inside a library or research facility.

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