Page 25 of Hero

“I’m not running away. I’m doing what I’ve done dozens of times before. What’s your problem this morning?”

He shakes his head, still giving me a sidelong look of close scrutiny. “Something feels off.”

“Well, the only thing off is you pestering me like this.”

“Which town are you going to hit?”

“I think Givens again. I’ve only got a couple more blocks to search through, so I’d like to get it done.”

“Those looters were there last time.”

“I know that. They won’t be there again. I killed them.”

“You shouldn’t have done that. If you see anyone else, you need to hide and get out of there.”

I bite my bottom lip, trying to control my rising exasperation. Why the hell is he being so bossy this morning? “I’ll do what I need to do.”

“No, you won’t. You’ll do what youwantto do.”

“What’s your point? I’m an adult. I make my own decision.”

“But your decisions don’t affect only you.”

I almost choke on a surge of indignation. “I’ve never put you or Rina in danger with my decisions. Not once!”

His whole body clenches up. Visibly. He mutters through his teeth, “That’s not what I was talking about.”

“I don’t know what the hell youaretalking about. Why are you being this way? I don’t need to suffer through an entire inquisition just to go out on a scavenging trip.”

He looks like he’s going to snap back a reply, but he manages to rein it in. He turns away from me in a quick move, his shoulders rising and falling with a few slow breaths.

For some reason, it makes me even angrier. That he needs to go through such lengths to control his temper with me. He’s never acted like this before.

Everything is different.

It’s the sex.

I know it’s the sex.

It changes everything.

“Why don’t you take the truck?” he says in a more natural tone, turning back around.

“Why would I take the truck?”

“Because you can get there and back a lot more quickly and safely.”

“I’ve always been safe, and being quick doesn’t matter. There’s no sense in wasting the gas.”

“That short trip won’t use very much gas. It will be a lot safe—”

“I’m not taking the truck. I’m not using the gas. I’m going to walk the way I always have. You’ve never had a problem with it before. If you have a problem with it now, you need to give me a good reason.”

Our gazes hold in an unspoken challenge. Until he finally rolls his eyes and lets out an impatient groan. “Fine. Take Buddy at least.”

Buddy came out of the house when I did and has been roaming around on his morning investigation. But he hears his name and comes trotting back, panting up at me happily.

“I’ll take Buddy.”

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