"You gathered right."
I looked up and saw that laughter crinkled the corners of his ebony eyes. And I was reminded of the times we'd shared similar late-afternoon breakfasts, of the fun, and the loving that had followed.
I tore my gaze away from the screen and tried to concentrate on eating. Those times were gone. Remembering them would do nothing more than remind me just how empty my current love life was. Sex—no matter how fantastic—could never replace the intimacy of a real relationship. Not long term. And ultimately, that was what I really wanted.
Of course, that was exactly what I wasn't going to get from Lucian, or even Azriel. Although I guess Azriel did appear to have the capacity for emotions, which made him one step up the ladder from Lucian, but still not a great option. Hell, as much as part of me still hungered for what Jak and I had shared, he wasn't Mr. Long Term, either, no matter what I might have thought or how much I'd loved him when we'd been an item. He was married to his work, and everything and everyone else came second to that.
"Then tell me what you want."
"Risa," he chided softly, "you know I don't like talking over the phone. One never knows just who is listening in."
"Nice to see you're still paranoid about people stealing your scoops," I said. "Although I'd like to know when that has ever happened."
"Actually, it happened several months ago. You remember that piece the Age ran on the rat gangs running the old sewers?"
I scooped up several pieces of bacon and munched on them contemplatively, then eventually said, "No."
He snorted. "Nice to see you're still keeping up with world events."
"Hey, I don't get enough spare time these days to waste it reading newspapers." Especially since he was often featured in my favorite one.
"Well, take it from me, that scoop was mine—and the bastard only got it half right."
"Well, I doubt the half-right bit would have annoyed you too much."
"Sweetheart, you really need to get over this whole resentment thing and move on."
I did my best to ignore the ache that washed through me at his use of the endearment. "I have. I'm just having a little trouble resisting the urge to needle. Where do you want to meet, and when?"