if she was lying?
“The kiss?”
Damn. Evren closed her eyes for a second. She hadn’t wanted to say it out loud.
“Yes. The kiss.” She couldn’t meet his gaze. It was too intense. His eyes were boring into her. “It won’t happen again. I don’t want you to feel as if I used you or anything. I knew what I was doing. I wasn’t drunk. So, don’t take it the wrong way.”
There was a long pause and she kept her gaze on the leaves of the plant.
“I won’t.”
That’s it?
Nothing else to say?
She didn’t know what she’d expected...didn’t know what she wanted even, but a part of her felt disappointed at the ease at which he agreed to what she was saying.
“Okay? That’s it?”
“Yes.” Kyro blinked and turned toward the door, but not before she caught it—it was there. A note of disappointment in his voice. “I will walk you home.”
13
They walked in silence on the way back to her apartment and Evren fought with the sinking feeling she had in her chest, as if she’d just done something wrong.
What she’d said felt so, so wrong and she wanted to take it back.
Her gaze was low as they walked, Kyro by her side, his eyes focused on something she couldn’t see. He was in his head again, far away.
And even though they weren’t speaking, the noise of the crowd of aliens heading to and from the market did nothing to pierce the dead silence between them.
They were almost to her apartment when she heard a voice that made her want to roll her eyes.
Not again.
Looking up before them, she saw M’Agunt standing with two yeti aliens in the middle of the street. She was just about to ask Kyro if they could walk another way when Kyro’s hand circled her arm almost protectively, his brow knit.
Eyes narrowed, he pulled her closer to his side just as M’Agunt turned and looked in their direction.
The way M’Agunt turned seemed so dramatic, it was almost as if he had been waiting in the street for their exact arrival and had only been pretending to have a conversation with the two aliens.
“Human!” he proclaimed, catching glances from some of the beings walking by them as he sauntered in their direction.
When the two aliens he’d been talking to seemed to blend into the crowd, it only furthered her suspicion that M’Agunt had been waiting for them to come by.
“Doesn’t he have wares to sell?” Kyro murmured, his tone reflecting such annoyance it made a bubble of laughter form within her just like that.
“I was thinking the same thing. I don’t know why he’s trying so hard to be my friend. It’s a bit unsettling, to be honest.”
“Maybe don’t walk around looking so mesmerizing and then the likes of him will keep away. I have seen countless males watching you as we walk. He is not the only one wanting to draw closer.” There was growing contempt in his tone and it took her aback.
She found herself looking up at him, his words repeating in her mind as she stared at him.
He didn’t look at her though, his frown was directed at M’Agunt who was still sauntering toward them, shimmering golden robe brushing just above the ground and a grin on his face.
Did Kyro just say she was mesmerizing?
“My dear human friend.” M’Agunt’s greeting scraped through her thoughts like a record scratch. “How great to meet you here?”
Pasting a smile on her face she turned to face the large alien. “It is nice to see you too, M’Agunt.”
At her greeting, Kyro’s arm tightened around her arm.
“And, nice to see you again, Borxclan Kyro.” M’Agunt’s grin slipped a little when he turned his attention to Kyro.
Kyro didn’t answer, he just narrowed his eyes some more and murmured something underneath his breath that Evren immediately caught.
“Can’t say I’m pleased to see you.”
Evren’s eyes widened.
“What was that?” M’Agunt gave him a side-eye.
Kyro opened his mouth, the corners of his lips curling, and she knew without a doubt that he was going to insult the merchant. She had to grab his hand and squeeze it.
“Is today your day off, M’Agunt? I thought you’d be in the market.” She switched the conversation quickly. She could almost feel the vitriol emanating from Kyro.
“Ah,” M’Agunt said. “Yes, but I had other...business to attend to.” His eyes focused on her with clarity and she felt as if the other business he was referring to was her.
She was reading a lot in people’s gazes today and the common