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All her defensive anger fell away, leaving a heart that began beating wildly She reminded herself that he was just a very protective man with a ferocious sense of responsibility This wasn’t personal

“Aleksy, I grew up here Right here” She pointed to the ceiling where two floors up she had shared an attic bedrooet a workspace in this building, where wards of the state live, I had to pass about a round checks That’s how serious they are about security I’reets s Where do you want me to live that you think I’d be safer?”

He had his unmarked cheek to her and she sa utterly beautiful he would have been if both sides of his facehis face around, she was almost relieved to see the scar It made him human and reachable Mortal

His jaorked as though he wanted to say soher nerves taut

“You’re happy, then?” he finally asked, cheek ticking

She hugged her coat around her as she shrugged “It’s a little like I’ve co for the words “I feel good because I know I’ll es for the children here, but it’s still a place that ether to keep theo to”

He nodded and the empathy in his expression was ed in her chest and she looked away

After a h it was the last thing she felt like doing “I’ in with anyone, you know that I should have at least told Lazlo not to pay the rent on an empty flat Sorry about that”

“The money doesn’t matter” Aleksy seeoal, so she wondered why he didn’t leave She was safe here, but the longer he lingered, the er she felt She ached to touch hiain

Sucking in a breath, he asked a question that shocked her “Are you seeing anyone?”

“A man? No!”

Aleksy’s chuckle rasped her nerves “Why do you say it like that?”

“Because—” Clair’s heart clenched She felt her eyebrows pull together in a pained frown and turned to the sill to hide it, tracing soo child’s initials carved into the wood She couldn’t find her voice to continue