He froze as if I’d just cracked a slap across his face. I saw his throat move. “Willow, I...I know I’ve been acting like a controlling jerk. You’re right to still be angry at me – if you never forgave me, I’d deserve it. But—” He glanced at Seb with a sudden frown, and gently put his hand on my shoulder. “Look, let’s go someplace private, where we can talk— ” He broke off as I shook away from his touch.

“No, don’t. I mean...thanks, but there’s no point.”

“No point?” he echoed, staring at me.

I tried to make my voice sound normal, as if I wasn’t dying inside. “No, there isn’t,” I said. “Alex, I’m really sorry, but...”

He looked from me to Seb. His eyes widened. “No,” he breathed. “No way.”

“I’m sorry,” I said again. “It just happened.” And the fact that something really had happened made my cheeks flush guiltily. I used it, hurrying on before I could weaken. “Last night we were hiding out, and...somehow we started kissing. One thing kind of led to another, and...” I trailed off; I couldn’t finish. The frozen look on Alex’s face – the stunned hurt, the anguished disbelief – was killing me.

“One thing led to another,” he repeated.

“Yeah,” I got out. “I still really care about you, but...I just can’t help what I feel for him. I’m sorry.”

He slowly shook his head, like a dazed animal. “What are you saying? Are you telling me you and he—” He moved so quickly I hardly saw it; suddenly he had Seb slammed up against the wall with a thud that echoed through the kitchen. He spat something in Spanish; the muscles in his arms were rock hard. Seb didn’t move, didn’t try to defend himself.

“Alex, no!” I tugged uselessly at his arm. “Please, stop – it’s just the way I feel; I can’t help it!”

He and Seb were inches apart; Alex’s jaw was rigid as he stared at him. Finally he let go of Seb with a shove.

“So let me get this straight,” he said. “While I was out all night in the middle of riots looking for you, going out of my mind, thinking maybe you were lying somewhere dead...you and Seb were—” He broke off as a muscle in his jaw leaped; turned away and raked a hand through his hair, breathing hard. When he spoke again his words were flat, dead. “Okay, got it. That’s really good to know. Thanks for coming here to tell me what a fool I’ve been.”

“Alex...” I was close to tears; Seb must have sensed I was wavering. He put his arms around me from behind, drawing me close. I leaned against his chest, and wrapped my arms around his to hide my trembling.