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“He’s not there? Okay, I’ll call him—Shit!”

The front door flew open and James barreled into the house. The crack of the door handle hitting the wall could be heard a neighborhood away.

Shi spoke first. “Please tell me that’s not a serial killer showing up to murder you.”

“Just my boyfriend trying to scare the life out of me.”

“Already? I swear he just left…”

“I got to go,” I said quickly. “See you soon.” I disconnected the call and turned to James. “Sorry,” I said, returning my phone to the charger. “Carlos chewed through my charger, my phone died, and I slept through my alarm.”

“You didn’t think to check your phone before you fell asleep?”

“Carlos has never been a chewer before,” I shot back, irritated. The perpetrator was digging in the corner of the backyard and paying zero attention to my calls. “And why would I have any reason to suspect my charger wasn’t working when it was working just fine yesterday?”

Stepping outside, it wasn’t until I threatened to drag Carlos in for him to abandon his dirt masterpiece and flee inside.

“You had me worried sick,” James said. “Your phone is never off.”

“I know. I already said I was sorry. What more do you want me to do?”

“Don’t get snippy with me.”

“I’m not snippy.” I secured Carlos behind his gate. “What the hell’s gotten into you lately?”

“What are you talking about?”

I snatched my phone and keys from the table. “You’ve been so far up my ass lately that I should start wearing a plug.”

“Classy,” James scoffed.

“I thought my maturity was one of the things you liked about me.” I made my way to the front door, but James stood in my way. I tried to move around him, but he anticipated my every step. “I’m late.”

James stopped me as I made another attempt to step around him. “Shiloh assured me they were fine, so tell me what you meant.”

I wrenched out of his grip, grateful he didn’t use his vampire strength. “The last thing I want to do is talk right now.” I nearly faltered under his stare, but I stood my ground and crossed my arms over my chest. “You storm in here, acting like all of this is my fault, and accuse me of getting snippy. I’m not a child, and I won’t have you treating me like one.”

“I’m not treating you like a child!”

“Tell that to your tone. Shit happens, James. Phones die, alarms get missed. I know you don’t like Carlos, but this is something that animals do. I asked you a simple question and you accused me of getting an attitude. I’m sorry I worried you. Now please, let me leave.”

“I thought you’d earned the day off. I was going to cover for you.”

“Thanks, but I made a promise to Shi.” I stepped around him but froze with my hand on the doorknob at his next words.

“So Shiloh’s more important than me?”

“Oh my God.” The sheer absurdity of James’s jealousy made me laugh. “Do you hear how ridiculous you sound? I’m not going to entertain this argument anymore.” I yanked the door open, pretending I didn’t see the hurt in his eyes. “When you decide you’re ready to talk like adults, you know where to find me.”

Even I flinched when that door slammed shut, cutting off his response.

Chapter 16

I walkedinto work more wound up than I’d ever been—and for once, I didn’t mean sexually. I hated how tense things were with James. I didn’t like tiptoeing around someone, and I didn’t like being tiptoedaroundeither. Especially when the culprit was clinging to me like a koala.

Don’t get me wrong, he’d always been the clingy one out of the two of us, but since accepting the bond, he had gotten much worse.

It was the middle of the week and had been an uncharacteristically slow one, so Shiloh was more than capable of closing the bar on their own, but I was desperate for anything that didn’t require talking to my boyfriend.