Page 59 of Change

Chapter Eleven

Bianca

Wall

Titus was sitting at his desk when we returned. Maria shut the door behind me, leaving the two of us alone without prompting. I didn’t have to say anything—I had no time—before he looked up in surprise and abandoned his work without hesitation.

“Bianca?” He was across the room in an instant, brushing his hand over my forehead. “Are you okay? Didn’t you have a good time with Maria?”

Sure. That wasn’t the problem.

“I like hanging out with Maria,” I told him. “We’re friends.”

His features tightened in confusion. “You’re upset.”

“Not with Maria,” I answered honestly. “Or about anything that we did.” Which was also true. After all, I had no reason to be upset—nor feel guilty—about going to illegal fighting rings, or even Ernesto. Although I wasn’t sure why I’d thought to feel guilty about the Unseelie fae anyway.

Titus frowned and his gaze turned suspicious. “What did you two do?”

My breath swallowed in panic. And this was why we should have talked about our cover story, darn it. I should have wallowed later.

There was only one response that would deter a man. “Girl stuff.”

He wasn’t convinced at my response—it was obvious in the way his eyes narrowed—but he didn’t press the subject or ask again. And somehow that was enough to cause the tension in my shoulders to let up, at least a little.

It was rather nice to not be treated like an infant.

I didn’t even have to bring up the second thing right now. Why should I ruin the moment?

But then, the thing I’d been trying to ignore stabbed at me, like the reopening of a barely healed wound.

I was going to go back.

“Bianca?” Titus was still frowning at me, and before I could pull away, he wrapped his hands around my waist, picked me up as he stepped across the room and sat me on his desk. “Tell me why you’re upset.”

I internally groaned—this was so frustrating. When it was just Finn and I, the mere mention of something remotely girlish saved me. But Titus—or any of the other men—had not been swayed at all.

Was Finn just really weird?

Titus leaned over the desk, hands pressing against the desk on either side of my knees as he lowered his face level with mine. “Something’s bothering you.”

Well, better now than never, I guess.

I touched my fingers together in my lap, trying to stop my hands from shaking, unable to look at him any longer. “I’ll go to the house.” I felt so small. “Will that help?”

His arms tensed and when he spoke, his voice was unreadable. “What house?”

My stomach knotted as frustration coursed through me. Why did I have to explain?

“Mr. R-R-Richards…” A shiver shot down my spine; even his name felt evil to say. “M-Maria said you might need h-help…”

Titus didn’t reply, and I remained unable to look at anything other than his torso, so I had no idea what sort of expression he might be sporting. The top two buttons of his white dress shirt were unbuttoned, and a thick gold chain hung around his neck. And it was the strangest thing. Despite having basically seen him naked, I must not have been paying attention. How could I not have noticed the light covering of fuzz over his chest. Dark brown stood stark against sun kissed skin. It was quite nice to look at: not too much hair, not entirely bare.

“You’re so confusing,” he said finally.

I did look up then. “Why?”

Wait, I’d forgotten—it could happen at any time. “Can you read my mindnow?” My skin grew uncomfortably warm at the thought.