Page 110 of Rogue's Path

“Fine, we can talk when I get there. Where are you? I’ll have the jet ready to go when I land.”

“Don’t,” I whisper. I’m so not good at these things. The very first day I should have said, let’s just be friends, even though he kind of said it himself.

“Why not?”

“Because friends don’t hop on a plane in the middle of the night for a visit.” Well, I would, but that’s another issue entirely.

“Friends?”

“You told me yourself that you weren’t ready for anything else the time we met up for lunch.”

There’s a long pause. He’s probably trying to remember what he said. “I did, didn’t I?”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t mean to lead you on.”

“You didn’t. I understood from the beginning that we’d be great friends and nothing else.” Rogue shrugs his body away from mine.

“Friends can still come out and help.” There’s not a shred of sadness or loss in Taylor’s voice.

“I’ve got it covered.”

“You do?” Taylor doesn’t believe me.

“I hired the Chaos Motorcycle Club to take care of it.”

“Which one? Which one of them is there with you?”

“Rogue.”

“Good choice. He’s level-headed and responsible. He’ll take good care of you, but if he needs help, tell him to call me.”

“Will do.” I know he’s about to hang up. “Taylor.”

“Yes?”

“Friends keep in touch.”

“That they do. I’ll talk to you soon.” He clicks off.

I’m afraid to look up at Rogue. That could have been handled so much better on my part. In a way that didn’t involve a call at two in the morning. “I'm sorry he woke you up.”

“Woke me up. You’re sorry your other boyfriend woke me up.”

Oh no, he didn’t. Rogue heard the whole conversation. He knows we weren’t dating. “That’s not fair, and you know it. Taylor and I were never dating. I met him before I met you.” Just barely, but it’s the truth. “We agreed to have lunch together. He offered me a job, and we became friends. That’s it. We talked.”

“People that just talked don’t call at two in the morning.”

“He was worried about me. Before, he always called in the middle of the day. I was going to have the same conversation the day I saw Rhys on the back of your motorcycle, but I didn’t.”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses, Dylan. Go back to sleep.”

Dylan? He hasn’t called me Dylan since he said he wasn’t going to tattoo that name on his chest.

Rogue nabs a blanket out of the closet and settles down on the floor with his back to me.

I will not cry.