Page 16 of November Reign
“You were?”
“Yeah, I wanted to apologize if I’d made you feel uncomfortable, with the flirting, I mean.”
I hadn’t expected him to lay it out there like that. “Uh, maybe a little.”
Perhaps he didn’t expect me to say that, because his face fell. Fuck. I truly hated hurting his feelings.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Damon and Mori thought you were interested in me and said flirting might…”
Thyme’s face was the reddest I’d ever seen it, making me feel even worse.
“Ah. Well, I am interested—“
“You are?”
“But we can’t do anything about it.”
“We can’t?”
“No.”
That single word hung in the air between us for a long moment.
“Thyme, you are…”
“Is this because of Basil? Because I can’t help that he’s my brother. I wish he wasn’t. Being related to him ruins everything!”
Yes, I wanted to say,just not for the reasons you think.
“It’s me. I’m not—“
“You’re doing the ‘it’s not you, it’s me,’ cliche? Really?” Thyme gave a bitter laugh.
“If you let me finish!” He flinched, my voice was too sharp. I sucked in a breath and let it out. “There’s too much in my past. Too many things I’ve done that I regret. You… you’re worth so much more than me. As soon as we’re not stuck here together, you’ll see that for yourself.”
I had to leave before I blurted out anything else and ruined everything between us forever.
Ignoring my buzzing phone, I stalked the halls of the mansion. Then, unable to take it anymore, I withdrew it from my pocket only to stare blankly for a moment.
Unknown number
Hey baby, miss me?
Unknown number
Come on baby, answer your phone
Unknown number
Oak, don’t make me come for you
Unknown number
I know where you are. Let me see you
Unknown number
Youwon’t like the consequences if you don’t answer me
