117

Nerthus

“I don’t know what you mean.”

I try to avoid his gaze and keep my eyes glued to the floor while fumbling with my purse.

“You seem upset.” He tries to argue with me, but my subconscious has me reacting all wrong once again.

And I can’t seem to stop myself.

“I’m just tired. Can you leave me alone, please? I’m not in the mood to work tonight.”

Putting his finger under my chin, he gets me to raise my eyes to his. “I’m not here for your services. Tell me. What’s wrong?”

I sigh, taking a step back to free me from his hold. “I just had to identify a woman I worked with a few years ago. I don’t handle seeing dead bodies well, even if it’s not my first one.”

I throw my bag on my couch and turn around to face his intense gaze again.

“You are normally rather pragmatic, what perturbed you that much?” His question has my resolve crumbling further, and I hug myself as if it could help me hold the pieces together.

“I don’t know…” Sighing, I cross my arms in front of my chest. “At 19, I had