She frowned beneath the veil.
"He was just talking, Zar."
"He was not just talking." He said with a tightened chin.
"He didn't even finish."
"I did not need him to."
She stared at him.
"You embarrassed him."
Zarek leaned closer.
"I did what you refused to do."
Her brows pulled together.
"And what exactly did I refuse to do?"
He held her gaze.
"You refused to end it."
Her heart skipped.
"He was still imagining a future with you in it," Zarek continued. "Now he will not."
She opened her mouth, then closed it because part of her knew he wasn't entirely wrong.
"Still...you didn't have to kiss me like that in front of them."
A faint smirk tugged at his mouth.
"Like what?"
She flushed.
"You know exactly like what."
His eyes softened just slightly.
"If I let him continue," he said more quietly now, "he would have asked for something you cannot give."
Her voice dropped too.
"I could have handled it."
He studied her for a long second.
