Page 24 of Nightmares and Numerology

“If we’re dating, I need to do better,” he said quietly. “You’re right. If you’d kept the same thing from me, I would have been furious. We have to take care of each other. I’m sorry, Lydia.”

Despite my efforts, the stinging tears flowed freely. My eyes ached, my temples throbbed, and my cheeks were more salt than skin from all the crying. I couldn’t find the words to express the doubt, guilt, humiliation and fear that had fermented in my gut since the night before. It all overflowed the moment the emotions hit critical mass.

“It was Rodney,” he finally blurted.

“What?”

“In the office. I saw him and Andrea there when I tried to set up for our date. Seeing him pissed me off. I was going to tell you about it in the morning.”

“Did he attack you?”

He shook his head. “No. He looked too pathetic to be the one who hit me, and as far as I know, he can’t shapeshift. Whatever it was, it wasn’t recognizably human.”

“I don’t understand,” I said again.

I didn’t understand a lot about Angelo, specifically this non sequitur.

Angelo released me, one hand going to the back of his neck in an automatic motion, rubbing it sheepishly. If I hadn’t known him, I’d have accused him of putting on an 'aww shucks' act to avoid the doghouse. But the look wasn’t practiced. It was awkward. He looked almost as uncomfortable as I felt.

“Rodney was in the office,” he said with a sigh. “I wanted our date to be there, Lydia. I really did. But from the sounds of things, Andrea was in the middle of trying to make a sale with Fifi.” He paused. “So, I wasn’t able to set the scene for our date. I’m… sorry.”

A sigh escaped me, and I sagged back into his arms, all my anger gone. I felt a little silly. Of course, Angelo hadn’t wanted to risk his job. Sex in his office was a little transgressive but still fun. Not to mention what had happened to him after. And here I was, upset at him because I hadn’t gotten to jump his bones last night, and the doubt made me insecure?

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I asked.

Angelo winced. “I think Rodney or his girlfriend might be moving here.”

Well, damn it. This new community I’d surrounded myself with was one of the few positives I’d had since this whole mess began. I didn’t like the idea of my lousy ex creeping in to infect another thing in my life with his presence. I couldn’t exactly order Fifi not to sell to him or to Andrea, though. That was probably several shades of illegal, and the chief of police was nobody I wanted to cross.

“You should have texted me.”

“I know. But he’d already ruined your morning. I didn’t want him to spoil the evening, too.”

That was almost... sweet. Angelo hadn’t been ducking out because he thought I needed a few rounds in the gym before I was tolerable. He was trying to spare my feelings and failing spectacularly at it. Still, I had to ask.

“So it wasn’t because…”

I gestured down at myself. I thought I looked cute in the slacks and turquoise blouse. I’d even found a matching ribbon to tie my hair up with.

His eyes narrowed. “Because of what?”

“It’s not because I’m not… you know, not what you want?”

“You think I canceled because I didn’t want to have sex with you?” he asked in a low, deadly voice. He actually sounded offended.

I gestured down at myself. “I mean, I’m not the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, Angelo. You don’t have to lie to spare my feelings. You could have hotter. Younger.”

“I want you,” he insisted.

“And I don’t get that!” I raged, all the humiliation from the night before and my own tortured sense of self-esteem making themselves known. “Why? Is it the chase? Because at some point, you’ll get bored with me. I’m not a soulmates kind of girl, but I want... more than just some meaningless fling. More than just waiting for you to get tired of me.”

Angelo moved in one of those too-quick movements, pressing my back to the nearest shelf. The edges bit into my shoulders, but I didn’t care. The edge of pain, his proximity, the sheer presence of him filled my head with such a vengeance that my knees nearly buckled.

“Yes, I like chasing you,” he said. “I’m a predator. I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But I’m not going to get bored,Lydia. I can’t tell you why, and it sounds insane, even to me, but I...” Angelo hesitated. He didn’t say the word I was hoping for, but there was something there. “Icareabout you. It’s absurd to even say it, but it’s the truth. And if you ever imply that you’re unworthy again, I’m going to make sure you don’t stand straight for a week.”

My heart tried to pound right out of my ribcage, and I wouldn’t have been surprised to find that my underwear had evaporated on command. There were a lot of things I could have said to his statement. A lot of things I could have done.

But what actually came out of my mouth was a quiet, pleading, “Promise?”

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