Page 123 of Dominion
“I get too attached,” she said finally, with a sigh. “I don’t do casual relationships. I’m all in and I never know when to quit.”
Somehow he thought she might be talking about her ex-boyfriend, too.
She heaved another sigh. “I can’t believe I missed her birthday date. I’m such a fuck-up.”
His eyebrows shot up. That was his line. Did Melissa really see herself that way? If so, she’d been looking in the wrong mirror. “How are you a fuck-up?”
“Always have been,” she said softly.
He hated the dullness in her voice, in her blank stare out the window. “I keep trying to better myself, but I just don’t ever seem to get it right.”
“I thought I said no more crying,” he said, hoping to lighten the mood. It didn’t work. She didn’t even seem to hear him.
“Hey… I’m sure you’re an amazing big sister. Margot’s going to be thrilled.”
“Ashley wouldn’t have forgotten.”
Ashley. Was that her twin?
“Melissa, you’re being too hard on yourself.”
“Ashley was the good twin. The one with perfect grades and high test scores. The one who got everything right.”
His lip curled. He knew something about not measuring up to siblings. Quite a lot, in fact. “So what does that make you?”
She gave a harsh chuff of laughter. “I was the one cutting classes in high school. Trying drugs in the lower parking lot with the rough crowd. Dating assholes like Jeremy.”
Ah. He hated that her asshole ex took up so much brain space for her, but at least she knew it had been a mistake.
He pulled up at the address for a low-income apartment building she’d given him and turned the truck off, twisting to face her. “Comparisons will fuck you every time, my friend,” he said, trying to make his voice light. “Next to me, you were probably the golden child.”
He watched her return to him then, blinking and losing the faraway stare. Her eyes searched his face with curiosity and it was his turn to sound bitter. “I have some perfect brothers, too. I hate the motherfuckers.”
She laughed, sending relief flapping through his belly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” She shoved open her door and took the cake from her lap before they stepped out. The darted glance she sent from under her lashes seemed shy, as if she hadn’t expected him to be a gentleman. Well, why in the hell should she? He’d practically gone out of his way to shock her with his basest manners.
They climbed the stairs—apparently there was no elevator in the place—to the third floor. The stained hallway walls and filthy laminate tile screamed volumes about the care the landlord took of the place. Yeah, he didn’t keep his place spic and span, but that was because it washisand he didn’t care. The houses he rented out or sold to others reflected the pride he took in restoring them, bringing them up to a higher code than people expected. That was what had made him successful.
Melissa knocked on one of the doors and shifted from foot to foot. He dropped a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. Seeing this vulnerable side of her brought out furious protective instincts. He wanted to repair every broken piece of her, sand down every surface of her life, to prevent her from ever getting another splinter.
And the urge terrified the shit out of him. Mad lust for her he at least understood. She was smoking hot, human or not. But this other instinct—the one that didn’t seem to understand they weren’t in a relationship, weren’t attached in any way, didn’t even like each other much—screamedmate.Screamed it even louder than the urge to mark her.
The door swung open and a lanky, sullen teen with blue-tipped hair that hung in her eyes peered out. She scowled at Melissa, although he thought he saw a glimmer of interest at the cake.
“Margot, I’m so sorry I missed our date. My house got broken into and I had to move out and… things just went haywire.”
The girl stared over Melissa’s shoulder at him. “Who’s that?”
Melissa bit her lip. “This is Cody. He’s, uh…” She darted an uncertain glance in his direction.
“I’m her bodyguard,” he filled in. “Until we figure out who broke into her place and why.” Stick close to the truth when dealing with humans. That’s the way he’d always played it.
The teenager nodded, absorbing his position as if most people in her life walked around with beefy tattooed bodyguards. She looked down at the cake, then over her shoulder, where a television blared. A pair of feet hung off the edge of a ratty tartan couch. “You can’t come in right now.”
“That’s okay. I just wanted to bring this over.” Melissa handed her ‘little sister’ the cake, then took the gift card they’d picked up at the grocery store on the way over.
The teen switched the cake to one arm and reached for the gift card, finally cracking her first smile. “Thanks.”
“Hopefully we can meet next week.” She shot another glance at him. “But I’ll let you know either way. I have a new number—I’ll text it so you have it.”