“You can’t say that—any of that—unless you mean it,” she whispered.
“I mean it. Look, I don’t know where this mission is going or where it’ll end and, like I told you before, you might get hurt. I don’t want that to happen and I’ll do anything to keep you safe, but it’s always a possibility. But you need to know thatIwould never hurt you. Not ever. I swear it.”
Her eyes searched mine, then she blinked and looked at her hands.
“It’s me, not you. I know I’m not—” She sucked in a jerky breath and her bottom lip trembled. “I know I’m not …right… yet. There’s something broken inside me and I’m scared I won’tever heal. Truth is, I was broken long before the devil came along. But you don’t need to put up with me while I’m figuring it all out.”
“I don’tput upwith you. I want to help you figure it all out. And I want you to let me. Trust me, Mira. Can you do that?”
Her eyebrows scrunched up and she stared at her knees for a long moment. Then she nodded.
“I can do that. Okay, I’ll stay.”
“Why?” I repeated her earlier question.
“It didn’t sit right with me to leave while Gemma’s still MIA.” Her head swiveled up and irritation burned in her eyes. “And it’s nice to have a friend like Gigi. And because she and Jax are so… naive. That may be the right word. Plus Kerry needs some looking after. You can’t ride herd on all of them all the time by yourself.”
I straightened my shoulders. She certainly didn’t pull her punches, but then I hadn’t deluded myself into thinking she was into me. I knew I wasn’t the life of the party like Spin or charming like Chance. Most of my few dates had left with glazed looks after I’d slipped up and started talking history. Stood to reason that a cool, tough, smart chick like this wouldn’t want to get to know someone as boring as me.
“And.” She paused as her cheeks flushed a little, but her eyes never left mine as she repeatedmywords. “I feel good when I’m with you. Happy. You matter to me and I don’t want you to disappear from my life.”
I knew my face didn’t give anything away—I had too much practice in hiding behind a mask of calm—but my heart leapt like a runner off the starting blocks.
Before she could protest, I kissed her cheek, then moved us both out of the car and onto our feet. She did a double-take at the driver’s door where it lay on the concrete and I ducked myhead sheepishly when she turned to me, one eyebrow raised, and nudged the door with her toe.
“Sorry.” I scrubbed a hand through my hair.
“And you were up to a hundred points, too.” She gave me a snarky smile.
Ahh, there’s my girl.
“I was in a hurry,” I tried again. “And I should have earned a ton of points for holding you while you slimed up my shirt.”
“I wouldn’t haveslimed it upif you hadn’t hurt my feelings.”
Knowing I wasn’t going to win this round, nor did I want to, I let it go with good grace.
“You’re right.” I held her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Her eyes warmed to honey, and I knew I’d said the right thing.
“Well, at least I can fix it pretty quick.”
Her hands glowed gray and the door was back in place in less than a second. She frowned as she walked around the passenger side.
“Poor old girl,” she muttered. “Well, she may be battered and shattered, but she’s still solid.”
Could say the same about you, too, baby girl.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I watched as she touched a finger to the hood. Her power flowed through the metal and smoothed each ding and dent like a mason’s trowel over wet cement.
“Can’t do anything about the paint. Doesn’t have enough metal in it to listen to me. Still, looks a lot better, don’t you think?”
“Yes.” I eyed her as critically as she eyed her handiwork. “Much better.”
“Rome?”
Her face turned as serious as a heart attack, and wariness and dread made my eyes narrow.
