Page 43 of Guarded
But I think we should stick to once a month.
I’m sorry.
It’s easier for me. I don’t want to rush this.
That’s fine, Noah.
I want to do whatever you’re most comfortable with.
They broke the mould when they made you.
They had to. Any more of me running around and it’d be chaos.
Chapter 12
Noah
Jeremiah was in charge of today’s date and he’d been remarkably tight-lipped about what he had planned. All I’d been told was to dress comfortably and that he’d pick me up.
An hour before our arranged time to meet up, I felt him cross our wards. I dashed for the front door, catching a glimpse of my face in a mirror on the way there, complete with the goofy grin I was wearing.
Fool. You’re asking to get hurt.
Maybe I was, but it was getting harder and harder to remember why I had to keep Jeremiah at a distance. Especially after our last date. And how he’d opened up to me about his nightmares. It had me wanting to fly to wherever he was just to give him a hug. I didn’t, of course.
But fuck, had I been tempted to.
My grin fell as I opened the front door. He wasn’t there.
“Everything okay?”
I jumped at the sound of Nox’s voice behind me. “Yeah. Just thought I felt Jeremiah cross the wards.”
“He did.” Nox leaned around me to peer out the front door. “Huh, that’s odd.”
“He’s parked his car at the end of the drive,” Benji said as he came down the stairs and breezed past us. “Saw it just now on Nate’s cameras.”
I frowned at Benji. “Why would he do that?”
He shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I don’t understand why people behave the way they do at the best of times.”
He disappeared down the hall, leaving me with Nox. “Any idea what he’s up to?”
“Nope. But if I had to guess? He’s early because he’s excited.”
Just like the other times.The butterflies were back with a vengeance. “Then why doesn’t he just come to the front door?”
Nox crossed his arms over his chest. “Have you made him feel like he can see you outside of these dates? Has there been any flexibility in what you’ve agreed?”
I thought about how he’d asked to meet earlier. How I’d brushed him off. How the bond had tortured me for the next three days straight. The fucking agony that had dogged me around the clock, knowing I’d missed out on seeing him.
“No,” I admitted, scuffing the floor with my foot. “I’ve set very clear boundaries.”
“Then I imagine Jeremiah is respecting them.” Nox sighed. “Maybe consider relaxing things up a bit? It can’t hurt to let him close, Noah. Letting others in can make you happy.”
My eyes narrowed. “You know better than most that that isn’t true. Not for me.”
Pity shone in Nox’s eyes. If it wouldn’t have upset Micah and cost me a walk with Sam, I might’ve punchedhim for it. “Jeremiah isn’t Lyle. I get why you’re keeping him at arm’s length, but give the bloke a chance.”
