Regina flinched away from the bite in his words. She'd gotten too used to being praised for openness and vulnerability. Forgotten that her blackened heart was still raw to the touch.

She pulled her hand away--tried, intending to go and put an end to the pointless masochism that was trying to engage with Dyson. But his gaze wouldn't let her get away. "We aren't anything. You...are an unmannerly pain in the ass."