“Yes, I did kiss him, but it was under duress. He threatened to kill Raphael if I didn’t.”
He sits very still, simply looking at me. After a moment, he exhales. “Okay.”
“Um. What do you mean, ‘okay’?”
“I mean I hate the thought of his mouth on you, and I hate that you had to go through all that you did—including giving that fucker a kiss—but it wasn’t like you wanted to. You did it because you thought it would help someone else. Thank you for telling me. I feel better that I know than if you’d kept it a secret. And I apologize that my feathers got ruffled and I startled you. I didn’t mean to do that. I’ll do better next time.”
“Next time?”
His chuckle is low and dark. “I’m sure this won’t be the last time I’ll get jealous. There are probably gonna be a lot of men in our future who’re
