Page 109 of Riv's Sanctuary

"Well,” Riv let out a breath. “I can’t keep her, either."

"What? Why?"

It became all too clear at that moment exactly what was happening to him.

After all this time alone, after all this time without contact, he’d thought he was stronger. He’d thought he could remain unaffected.

It was clear he’d been wrong.

Possibly, all the time alone had made him weak. Lack of contact with others hadn’t strengthened his resolve—it had created a vulnerability within his defenses.

Had he forgotten already? Had it been so easy for him to forget?

Life wasn’t rosy for him.

It had never been and it never would be.

Without a word, he ended the comm link.

Whatever this was that was happening to him, was why he had to nip it in the bud.

No more.

* * *

Lauren leaned against the kitchen counter.

She'd heard Riv on the comm unit with Geblit. Heard him telling the four-eyed male that he should come get her. Heard Geblit begging him not to bring her back.

Folding her arms across her chest, she looked at the cup of water she’d woken up to get.

From investment banker to outcast.

In one year, her life had changed so much.

She was trying her best, though. She'd worked all day and if she hadn’t proven it to him, she sure as hell had proven it to herself—she wasn’t a deadweight.

What the hell did Riv have against her, anyway? Was she really that offensive?

And maybe she was an idiot or something, because his constant displeasure with her should make her hate him. But she harbored no ill-feelings at all.

Instead, whenever he wasn't wearing his shades and face-covering, she found it was difficult not staring at him. And even when he scowled, something told her the scowl was only a mask hiding something else.

He didn’t scare her.

If anything, he made her curious.

Tell her a year ago that she’d be thinking a big blue guy was attractive and she’d have been like “um, no.”

But the Scowlmaster was.

His piercing green eyes were like beacons against his blue skin.

When he wasn't glowering at her, which was scarce to be honest, he had that intensity in his eyes that made a girl think about being beneath him. Those eyes would render her motionless while he did what he wanted to do to her body.

Yea...she was obviously ill.

Had being without anyone’s touch for a year made her this...needy that she'd take the first male that had been even mildly nice to her?