She looked up as he approached. That same sad look was still there.
Her friends noticed his approach and the way they looked at him made his stomach twist.
Boaz swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry, his tongue feeling too big for his mouth.
“Hey, Lyla,” he said.
“Hey,” Lyla replied quietly, barely meeting his eyes.
“Can we talk outside?” he asked, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it might come out of his chest. He held his breath, silently begging she wouldn’t say they should talk right there in front of everyone. He needed privacy if he was going to do this. If he was going to swallow his pride and beg her to forgive him.
“Sure,” Lyla said, pushing her chair back as she got to her feet.
Relief washed over Boaz as he turned and followed her out of the barn, his pulse still racing. He dragged in a deep breath, letting it calm him as his eyes lifted briefly to the stars scattered across the dark sky.
The flyer in his hand suddenly felt heavy, like it weighed a ton.
“I’m sorry about what I said, I….” he begun but stopped when footsteps sounded behind him.
Boaz didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. He knew.
Did he really have to show up now? It was like he could sense it when Boaz was about to make a move.
Boaz turned around, ready to give the bastard a piece of his mind but the words died in his throat.
Alexander stood there, hands tucked into the pockets of cream slacks that hugged his thighs, a loose shirt hanging open at the collar, dipping just enough to reveal the strong line of his collarbones. His long hair fell freely over his shoulders, the dark strands catching the light as they framed his face.
Fuck.
He had no right to look that good.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Alexander said smoothly, his eyes flicking between them.
Boaz swallowed hard, his heart pounding heavily against his ribs. He forced his gaze away from the vampire, trying to focuson Lyla. But then Alexander stepped closer, bringing his scent with him.
And it hit Boaz, scrambling his brains, making it hard to think straight.
“Are you ready?” Alexander asked as he reached for Lyla’s hand.
“Yeah,” Lyla said, turning back to Boaz. “What did you want to tell me?”
Boaz’s gaze flicked between them.
He wanted to pull her away. To drag her back, say what he needed to say before it was too late. But he’d already hurt her once. He couldn’t do it again.
“It’s not important,” he said finally, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Then he turned and walked back into the barn, the noise inside drowning out the negative thoughts in his mind.
Hansel looked up the moment he got close, one brow lifting as Boaz dropped back into his seat.
“What happened?” Hansel asked.
“Alexander showed up and she left with him. Looks like they had plans,” Boaz said, picking up his fork. Each bite was completely tasteless, but he kept going anyway just to give himself something to do, something to focus on so he wouldn’t get up and go after Lyla… and the vampire.
Hansel stared at him, disbelief flashing across his face as he pushed himself to his feet. “And you just let her leave with him?”
Boaz reached out and grabbed Hansel’s arm, pulling him back down onto the bench. “Don’t,” he said. “If she wants to go with the vampire, she can go.”
“But—”