spoon into a cup of strawberry shortcake concoction, and I wondered if he was the kind of guy who was okay with sharing food.
Glancing up, I found Zander watching me with a hooded smile. “What?”
“You have a little something just here,” he said, using his index finger to indicate a spot below his lip.
I rubbed at my mouth. “Better?”
“Not quite.” Smiling, he extended his arm, brushing the pad of his thumb at the corner of my lip. “Sprinkle.”
Heat crept across my face. “Thanks.” It was a different sensation having Zander touch me. There wasn’t the instant zap that happened with Zane. This was much, much more subdued, but enough to tell me he wasn’t human.
“We’ve never really gotten a chance to talk ,” he said between bites. “I know things have been crazy since you got here, and I imagine you must feel like your entire life has been shaken up in a cement mixer.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” I said, taking a lick off the side of my cone, although my appetite seemed to have vanished, thanks to my stomach being full of knots.
His back was pressed up against the tree trunk. “I don’t want things to be weird between us or for there to be any misconceptions.”
I could respect that and gave him props for being the kind of guy who was up-front. It was a quality I admired. “I don’t want that either.”
“Things are complicated for us. We never had a say in our future. Both of us are expected to do our duty. I’m not going to sugarcoat it and say it doesn’t suck that you have a bond with Zane. I want you to know that I understand what is between you and him.”
My lashes lowered, fanning over the tops of my cheeks. “At least one of us does, because it confuses the hell out of me.”
He gave a short laugh. “I can see how it would. Even without the link between your souls, Zane is not an easy person to understand.”
“Good, so it’s not just me.”
“No,” he said, smiling. “My brother is…complicated.”
I frowned. “That’s putting it nicely.”
He chuckled. “I guess it is. You’re much easier to talk to when you don’t have that wall up.”
My tongue darted over the rim of the cone, licking a dribble of ice cream before it ran down my hand. “It’s difficult to trust people. Lately, I never know who is going to stab me in the back. Literally.”
“Understandable, considering who you are. But I hope, over time, I will earn your trust. I can be an ally if you let me. And a friend.”
“I would like that.” Seeing as we would be spending the rest of our lives together, it seemed wise that Zander and I be friends at the very least. It would make the years to come easier on both of us, and maybe…we would find more. However unlikely it seemed at this moment.
“Good. Then I would like to make a promise to you, and I hope you will do the same.”
I was listening. I owed him that much.
“I won’t lie to you, and I ask you to do the same. Even if you think it might hurt me or make me angry, I’d rather us be open and honest.”
“I can do that.”
“There is a lot of pressure on both of us, pressure neither of us asked for. And before things go any further, I need you to know—”
“Oh God,” I interrupted. “You’re in love with someone else?” My mind was jumping all over the place.
He chuckled. “No, Piper. There is no one in my life right now. What I was going to say is that I won’t hold you to our engagement.”
Air stalled in my lungs. “Huh? I don’t think I understand.”
He twirled his spoon around in the cup. “I’ve been thinking about it, about us, about our future. And I can’t be the guy that you’re stuck with. The guy you’re forced to marry out of duty. I don’t think either of us wants to be the runner-up spouse.”
“Zander, I—”
“No lies, remember?” he interrupted.
I nodded, closing my mouth.
“Look, I’m not saying we call it all off and cause an outright panic or worse. I’m just
Glancing up, I found Zander watching me with a hooded smile. “What?”
“You have a little something just here,” he said, using his index finger to indicate a spot below his lip.
I rubbed at my mouth. “Better?”
“Not quite.” Smiling, he extended his arm, brushing the pad of his thumb at the corner of my lip. “Sprinkle.”
Heat crept across my face. “Thanks.” It was a different sensation having Zander touch me. There wasn’t the instant zap that happened with Zane. This was much, much more subdued, but enough to tell me he wasn’t human.
“We’ve never really gotten a chance to talk ,” he said between bites. “I know things have been crazy since you got here, and I imagine you must feel like your entire life has been shaken up in a cement mixer.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” I said, taking a lick off the side of my cone, although my appetite seemed to have vanished, thanks to my stomach being full of knots.
His back was pressed up against the tree trunk. “I don’t want things to be weird between us or for there to be any misconceptions.”
I could respect that and gave him props for being the kind of guy who was up-front. It was a quality I admired. “I don’t want that either.”
“Things are complicated for us. We never had a say in our future. Both of us are expected to do our duty. I’m not going to sugarcoat it and say it doesn’t suck that you have a bond with Zane. I want you to know that I understand what is between you and him.”
My lashes lowered, fanning over the tops of my cheeks. “At least one of us does, because it confuses the hell out of me.”
He gave a short laugh. “I can see how it would. Even without the link between your souls, Zane is not an easy person to understand.”
“Good, so it’s not just me.”
“No,” he said, smiling. “My brother is…complicated.”
I frowned. “That’s putting it nicely.”
He chuckled. “I guess it is. You’re much easier to talk to when you don’t have that wall up.”
My tongue darted over the rim of the cone, licking a dribble of ice cream before it ran down my hand. “It’s difficult to trust people. Lately, I never know who is going to stab me in the back. Literally.”
“Understandable, considering who you are. But I hope, over time, I will earn your trust. I can be an ally if you let me. And a friend.”
“I would like that.” Seeing as we would be spending the rest of our lives together, it seemed wise that Zander and I be friends at the very least. It would make the years to come easier on both of us, and maybe…we would find more. However unlikely it seemed at this moment.
“Good. Then I would like to make a promise to you, and I hope you will do the same.”
I was listening. I owed him that much.
“I won’t lie to you, and I ask you to do the same. Even if you think it might hurt me or make me angry, I’d rather us be open and honest.”
“I can do that.”
“There is a lot of pressure on both of us, pressure neither of us asked for. And before things go any further, I need you to know—”
“Oh God,” I interrupted. “You’re in love with someone else?” My mind was jumping all over the place.
He chuckled. “No, Piper. There is no one in my life right now. What I was going to say is that I won’t hold you to our engagement.”
Air stalled in my lungs. “Huh? I don’t think I understand.”
He twirled his spoon around in the cup. “I’ve been thinking about it, about us, about our future. And I can’t be the guy that you’re stuck with. The guy you’re forced to marry out of duty. I don’t think either of us wants to be the runner-up spouse.”
“Zander, I—”
“No lies, remember?” he interrupted.
I nodded, closing my mouth.
“Look, I’m not saying we call it all off and cause an outright panic or worse. I’m just
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