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“No.”

“Vero.”

“Okay, fine,” he whispers. “Brawley doesn’t accept many people, and you have no idea what it means that he is doing this. He actually likes you.”

I wrap my arm around him and hug him until he is done. “Let’s get some food.”

“Yes please—I’m starving.”

I get up and make my way toward the bathroom.

“The tattoo on your neck,” he blurts. “I would like to know the real reason one day, when you’re ready.”

I nod, not having the words to express how that particular story isn’t one I care to think about. Everything before Kyle is not a time I like to rehash. Kyle was simply a Band-Aid to fix my loneliness, and I can admit now that I used him. It might have bruised my ego a little that he cheated, but I really didn’t care. Not when I had a place to live. And by comparison, he didn’t treat me that badly. It was better than before.

After I pee and finger-brush my teeth, I head downstairs. The kitchen smells like coffee, and my mouth waters. There is nothing better than a good cup of coffee when you first wake up in the morning. Vero is seated on the counter near where Brawley is plating food, talking a million miles an hour, his hands moving at the same speed as his mouth.

I walk over and pour myself a cup of coffee, then stand at the counter with both hands wrapped around the mug.

Ares is at the other end of the kitchen, watching me. I hate when he does that—I can feel him dissecting me piece by piece, digging beneath the layers I want no one to see. He crosses the kitchen and stops a few feet away from me.

“I owe you an explanation,” he says, and I wait, not knowing how he wants me to reply to that. “What happened between us and the way I handled it afterward, that wasn’t fair to you. I told myself that it was a practical response to our situation, and it was unkind to do so.”

“Statistically likely,” I say. “Those were your words.”

“It sounds terrible when I hear it now.”

“So which is it? Was it a calculated response to the circumstances, or are you actually apologizing for being a dick and not accepting a one-night stand for what it was?”

He is quiet for a moment as he works through what I said. Everything Ares does is deliberate, and I have known that since the beginning, which means this is too. I want to understand why before I decide how to handle him.

“I would like to get to know you better, and I am aware that I have not given you a reason to want that. I wanted you to know that the door is open if you choose to walk through it, on your terms.” He holds my gaze and doesn’t look away.

“I appreciate the apology, and I will think about it.”

He nods once and moves to the table, taking a seat. I follow and sit beside him, then Vero jumps down from the counter and sits across from me, while Brawley places a plate in front of me. My stomach growls at the smell of the food, and I look up at him, but he has already turned away.

“Thank you,” I call out.

“Don’t make this weird,” Brawley responds. “I’m just doing what a good host should do.”

Vero beams at me from across the table and winks.

I’m halfway through my breakfast when Clay strolls in. He doesn’t say anything, just drops into the vacant seat on the other side of me. His leg presses against mine, but neither of us acknowledge it as he leans over and picks up a piece of bacon from my plate and shoves it in his mouth.

I turn and stare at him in disbelief. “Did you just steal my bacon?”

“There is more on the stove,” he says, unbothered by the fact that he stole food off my plate.

“That isn’t the point.”

“There’s a point?” he retorts between chews.

“Yes, there is! That was my breakfast. You have two arms and two legs that work perfectly fine, so you don’t need to be all up in my personal space. Go get your own.”

He reaches over and takes my cup and downs the rest of my coffee in one mouthful, then smirks as he sets it back down. He is enjoying this too much. I breathe and compose myself before changing the subject.

“Thank you for returning the truck.”