Page 116 of Bruised MC Bear

“I am, but I am not sorry about that. I’m grateful,” she said, looking up into his face. He gazed back at her with his head tilted to one side, eyebrows furrowed. For a moment, his expression felt like pity. Why did that not sit well with her? “Do you mind if we change the subject?” she asked, looking away.

“Not at all.”

“What exactly are you inspecting on the walls?”

“I’m double-checking the craftsmen’s repairs. This is my second time around the Sector this month. Every time we fight the ravagers, we figure out new ways to keep them from breaching these walls. It’s rare for them to make it inside the Sector, but if any get past us, these barriers need to work. If there’s time, I’ll show you something new that we’ve been working on at the camp.”

“I would like to see.”

“Good. We’ll be near the camp soon.”

“Really?” Kiera turned to check how far they had gone, and then paused. They had been around almost the entire perimeter of the central village already. How was it possible? Something about being with Xander, talking with him—even when they were not speaking, or when they disagreed—made time fly by. She cut her eyes to the side, wondering if she should take the added risk of extending today’s visit. All it took was one person recognizing her out here, or one person in the fortress missing her, and the Regent would eventually know.

Kiera could either turn to the right and return to the village, or turn left and follow Xander to his camp.

“Not today,” she told him, already disappointed in herself. “I should get back.”

His mouth curved into a frown. Did he enjoy spending time with her too? So far, he was a man of a few words, except when it came to the oppression of shifters, the Regent’s heavy-handedness, and the inequity caused by the transformation spell. After that sweet kiss on her palm yesterday, he had not made another advance or said a word about anything personal. She had no way of knowing what he was thinking.

“Tomorrow can work,” she added. “I would like to see what your men are working on.”

“I’m looking forward to it already.”

Xander reached out to brush a stray strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. She shivered at his touch, suddenly felt warm inside, alive and buzzing like a swarm of bees in her head. It was how she imagined being struck by lightning would feel. That touch stirred her up, leaving her aching and breathless. Rather than try to respond over her tied tongue, she turned and practically ran back to the center of the village meet Coco.

Xander might not know it yet, but she was running for a reason. All she could think about was how badly she wanted to stay with him, and goodness, that notion was not just alarming, it was damn near terrifying.