Page 18 of Incipient

His eyes searched mine. “Because you don’t trust me?”

I ignored that particular question on purpose. “Because it’s…too much. I wouldn’t know where to start even if I wanted to, which I don’t.” The last thing I wanted to do was talk about DominicwithTrace. I pushed the plate away again as the familiar sting of sorrow burned the corners of my eyes.

“Alright,” he said simply as he skimmed a French-fry from my plate. “I guess I’ll wait then.”

I looked up at him. “You’llwait?You know I’m not going to change my mind tonight, right?”

“Then I’ll wait longer,” he said with a wink. “Tomorrow morning good or do you need a little more time?”

“Tomorrow mor—” I burst out laughing. “Wow. Thanks…I really needed that,” I said as the tears that had been getting ready to fall retreated.

“I know.” He grinned triumphantly as he grabbed another French-fry and then met my eyes.

I shook my head. “You think you have me all figured out, huh?”

“Nah,” he said as he picked up my spoon and took a bite of my mac and cheese. “But I will.” The look of determination in his eyes made my stomach do a dropkick.

I snatched the spoon from him and scooped up some mac and cheese as he attacked the chicken wings. “How can you be so confident about us when you don’t even remember what happened between us in the first place?” Disappointment crept into his eyes and I instantly regretted my words. “Shit. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“I know you didn’t mean anything by it.” He pushed his hands through his hair and let out a frustrated breath. “Look, I wish I could remember everything that happened before my accident, but I can’t change what is. The only thing I can tell you is that I don’t need to know where I came from to know where I’m going. The past doesn’t matter to me even half as much as the future does, and Iknowyou’re my future, Jemma. I’ve alreadyseenit, and it doesn’t matter what—”

“Wait a minute,” I interjected, stopping him as he tried to bite into another chicken wing. “Did you just say you’veseenit? Like you saw us together in the future?”I know I didn’t hear that right.

His jaw muscle pulsed, as though he hadn’t realized what he’d said, and then a single, curt nod.

I stared back at him for a beat, waiting for him to tell me he was kidding. Only he never did. “How is that possible? Did you pick up some Seer abilities along with that amnesia of yours?” I asked semi-teasingly, wanting to lighten the mood but also in desperate need of more information.

Another deep chuckle sounded through the room. “Nah, I didn’t pick up any extra abilities.”

“Then how do you know we’re going to be together? What makes you so sure about it?” I asked, needing to know the full story behind his words. The truth was, this wasn’t the first time Trace had said something like this. It was the exact same thing he used to say to me all those months ago when we were first together.

It had been easy then to chalk it all up to Morgan sharing her visions with him, but there was no way she was still doing that now with the fragile state Trace was in.

“Let’s just say I have a gut instinct about it,” he answered offhandedly, giving nothing away as a mischievous grin formed across his perfectly defined lips.

I gave him a disapproving look. “You’re totally lying to me right now.”

He laughed again, the sound of it all deep and throaty and completely sexy. The more I heard it, the more my pulse responded to it. “What can I say? I guess you’re not the only one with secrets.”

My eyes lit up. “So, thereismore to it,” I surmised and then pushed forward into his space. “Tell me.”

He started to shake his head, but I quickly went on before he could finish his objection.

“Come on, Trace. You say we’re soulmates, but how can that be true if you can’t even be honest with me? Huh?”Yeah, that’s right. I said that. And sure, I wasn’t really one to talk abouthonesty, but I wasn’t about to miss the opportunity to use the soulmate card he held so dearly.

“Ooh, that’s playing dirty,” he said as he suppressed a smile, the gesture causing both dimples to press in.

I tried not to fluster as the sight of them. Those damn dimples of his had always been my undoing. “Well, if you were honest with me in the first place, I wouldn’t have had to go there.”

He thought about it for a second and then flashed a cunning smile. Judging by the look on his face, he’d just come up with an idea that I was most certainlynotgoing to like. “Alright,” he said as he tossed the half-eaten chicken wing back into the plate. “You show me yours and I’ll show you mine.”

“Excuse me?” I tried not to blush, but it sounded so dirty.

He licked his lips and smiled. “Tell me one of your secrets and I’ll tell you one of mine.”

“What is this? Truth or dare?” I asked, laughing at the absurdity of it.

He shrugged. “Sure. Why not.”

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