Xander could not believe the words that had slipped from his mouth. It was reckless, a dangerous admission that revealed too much of his heart. He had promised himself to stay guarded, to remain professional, and yet in a single moment he had betrayed that discipline. It was a relief that Erin had not pressed him, that she seemed to have let it go, but inside he knew he had set himself up for heartbreak.
No matter what they had shared, no matter how intoxicating the kiss beneath the moonlit trees had been, she would never be his. Her heart, broken as it was, still carried Will inside it like a scar that could not be erased. Xander cursed himself for forgetting that truth, even for a heartbeat.
“What did you say?” Erin’s soft voice pulled him back, and he silently thanked the sound of the
