Standing in the hallway outside Cassidy’s apartment, Julian stood with his hand poised to knock on the door. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but Aida’s words about a part of her never escaping the island froze him before he knocked.
He shouldn’t be here. He was one more reminder of what happened to her, but then, she was living with two reminders now, so his family wasn’t upsetting to her. For four and a half years, he’d wondered about her every day. Countless times, he picked up his phone to call or text her, but every time, his hand froze. Just like it was frozen now.
No, he shouldn’t be here, but seeing her earlier broke something inside him. It was a lot easier to stay away from her when there were continents between them and he wasn’t fully matured. With every step he took toward this place, he’d told himself to stop, but his growing need to claim his mate propelled him onward.
And now he was standing outside her door like an idiot, and he had no idea what to do. She was with someone else; yet, he’d seen the hope in her eyes when she looked at him. Or had he imagined seeing it there because that was what he wanted to see?
If he discovered she was in love with Owen, he’d walk away again, but he couldn’t do that without knowing if there was hope for them. His time was running out; he’d stopped aging six months ago, and he’d felt the clock counting down the remaining days of his life ever since.
“I think there’s something else going on with him,” Cassidy said.
Before his sister could strike too close to the truth, Julian practically lunged forward to knock on the door. He wasn’t ready to walk away from Aida again, but he wouldn’t dump his problems on her either, and he couldn’t let Cassidy figure out the truth. If Aida decided she wanted him, she would come to him because of that, and not because she couldn’t condemn him to death or felt bad for him or his family.
The only problem was, along with hope, he’d also seen the fire in her eyes earlier. At one time, she was his closest friend; she was the only woman he’d ever loved, and he had a mountain to climb to earn her trust again. He didn’t know how he was going to do it, but he would.
“Who could that be?” Cassidy muttered as she approached the door.
The locks turned, and the door cracked open; Cassidy peered out of him before breaking into a grin and opening the door wider. “Speak of the devil. What are you doing here?”
“I lost my hotel key,” he lied, but he realized he hadn’t stopped to think of a reason for coming here so late.
Aida stiffened on the couch when she heard Julian’s voice. Her eyes darted to the hallway leading to her bedroom, and she rose as she prepared to bolt. She’d decided to become scarce while he was in town, but she hadn’t expected him to show up at their place now.
“How did you manage to do that?” Cassidy asked as she stepped aside. “Come on in.”
She shot Aida a sympathetic smile as she stepped aside to let in her brother. Aida gulped as she braced herself to see him again, but it was still a physical blow to her stomach when Julian entered the apartment. He’d always been handsome, but he could easily rival every model and TV star she’d ever seen.
“It must’ve fallen out of my pocket at the bar,” Julian said as he entered the apartment.
His eyes immediately found Aida standing by the couch. Her face hardened as she gazed at him. In her eyes, he saw the same fiery anger from earlier. Yep, it was definitely going to take a lot to get her to like him again, never mind love him.
“Aida,” he greeted.
“Julian.”
“Couldn’t the hotel clerk give you a new key?” Cassidy asked.
It took everything he had to tear his attention away from Aida and focus on his sister. “I rang the bell, but no one came out. I’m not exactly staying at the Ritz.”
He should have come up with a better excuse to come here, especially since the key card was burning a hole through his pocket and into his thigh while he lied to his sister.
“Kyle won’t be back tonight.” Cassidy glanced guiltily between Aida and Julian, and before she spoke, Aida knew what she would offer. Aida was her friend, but Cassidy wouldn’t toss her brother out on the street. “You can crash on the couch.”
Aida bit back a scream of frustration as she stared at the dogs on the wall. She could handle one night of having him in her apartment. She didn’t have a choice.
“I’m going to bed,” she said. “I have to be up early. Good night, Cassidy.”
“Good night,” Cassidy said.
Aida didn’t look at him before she stalked down the hallway and entered the second room on the left. Julian almost went after her but stopped himself. If the look on her face was any indication, she might try to kill him if he followed her in there.
“I’ll get you some sheets and a blanket,” Cassidy said. “The couch pulls out.”
Before he could reply, Cassidy strode down the hall and went into another room. She returned a minute later with a blanket, sheets, and a pillow. She shoved them into his hands, and he fumbled to catch them.
“Next time, come up with a better lie for coming here,” she said in a low voice.
Julian did a double take as he held the bedding against his chest. “You knew?”
“I’m not an idiot. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on between you two, I have my suspicions, but it’s between you guys. I will say you blew it last time. Don’t do it again; she deserves better.”
Before he could reply, Cassidy turned and walked away.