Page 21 of Relentless Touch

They weren’t mates, which made it too easy for her to walk away, yet I caught the blame. Those are only three examples out of a hundred. I’m over a century old, yet I can’t recall a moment in my life where I’ve truly been at peace. You’re my mate, Rio.” Kevin yanked his wrists. “Do I need to say more?”

“No.” Rio shook his head, the movement almost imperceptible. “I’m supposed to be your safe landing. But I let the fear of losing you to the monsters circling overhead to slip out. I would die to protect you, but what if that isn’t enough?”

The fear in Rio’s eyes was so genuine, it nearly broke Kevin.

“You’re the first person to be that honest with me. But that doesn’t forgive that cheap shot at my expense.” He lowered his gaze. Rio was standing too close, and all Kevin wanted to do was fall into his mate’s arms. He wasn’t even sure if he was in the right, yet he couldn’t stop arguing.

“I looked up and you were gone,” Rio said. “What was I supposed to think, Kevin? You literally took off twelve hours ago. You’ve only been back an hour. Maybe I shouldn’t have joked about the window, but can you blame me for thinking you ran again? Stop running and I’ll stop assuming it’s your default setting.” He released Kevin’s wrists. “I’m not your enemy.”

“I didn’t leave,” Kevin pointed out. “I’m literally still in the building. In the bathroom. That’s not running, that’s… pacing. And who the hell was that guy?”

“Name’s Ameer Kingston. Sheriff says he’s got a record. Assault, harassment, the works. Most of it pled down. My guess is he’s Izan’s enforcement, but I haven’t confirmed it.”

Kevin gave a sharp bark of laughter. “You haven’t confirmed it? He’s not here for the garlic bread.”

Rio shrugged. “The timing fits.”

“There something you’re not telling me?”

“I’m telling you the truth. I don’t have reason to lie.”

“Sure you do,” Kevin shot back. “Everyone lies. Sometimes it’s just easier than caring.”

For a second, Rio’s expression flickered, but he didn’t blink.

“I care. That’s the damn point.”

“Bullshit. You don’t know me.”

“I know you better than you think.”

Kevin looked away. Nobody really knew him. They just tried to control him. His own father was nothing more than a stranger to him. Kevin hadn’t talked to him in over a decade. The last time he’d reached out, his dad had told Kevin to stop pretending he cared. He’d done his job raising Kevin to adulthood so leave him alone.

He closed his eyes, refusing to mourn a relationship that never existed. As shitty as it was, it existed for Kevin. How messed up was he that he cared about a man who never wanted him in the first place?

“I’m not any good at this,” he muttered.

“Neither am I,” Rio admitted. “I’ve been solo for too long.”

“It’s different for you.” His mate had chosen to be single. Kevin never had a choice.

“How is it different for me?”

Kevin paced the small bathroom, making it two steps before turning around. “I keep fucking up. Doesn’t matter where I go or who I’m with. I always find a way to ruin things.”

Rio leaned a shoulder against the wall. “Because you sabotage everything good. That’s easier than putting in the hard work. Fate might’ve given us the pull to find our mate, but left the rest for us to figure out on our own.”

“Then we are so screwed. I’ve got miles and miles of daddy issues you are not equipped to handle. I’m not even equipped to handle it, hence the running.”

Rio smiled. “We’ll tackle them one mile at a time.”

Kevin would rather run laps around the globe than face the damage his father had caused. He wasn’t ready to crack that door open, let alone step through it.

“No.” He shook his head as he stepped back. “I’m not digging through a graveyard of emotional destruction. Those memories are buried for a reason. I’m not trying to be difficult, but nothing on this earth will convince me to grab a shovel.”

“Then Plan B,” Rio said. “Destroy the shovels, cover the graveyard in concrete, and be disgustingly happy together.”

“Denial and suppression.” Kevin nodded. “That’s a much better plan. Unhealthy and a thousand percent chance of backfiring spectacularly, but still a much better plan.”