by Ryan Michele
“I’m not going to lie to you. I was there for work. Outside of that, well, can’t tell you about my work.”
“Can’t tell me, or won’t?” I challenged.
He didn’t flinch or even hesitate in his reply, “Both.”
Lord only knew what he did, but every television show I’d watched gave me a new suggestion. The rumors spread in so many different ways. Some on the good side of the law, while others not so much. I’d guess with the police involvement tonight, it was on the good side. Then again, there was that saying about assuming, and I was absolutely making assumptions here.
Realizing I was going to get nowhere on the work topic, I changed tactics. “Okay, why did you haul Bri and me to your car?”
“Because you needed out.”
I had to give it to the man. He may not say a lot of words, but what he did say made sense, especially with the cops showing up. He obviously knew that was going to happen. Hopefully we were going to get somewhere here. And hopefully, it meant he was on the right side of the law in all of this too.
“Where did you take Landon?”
He didn’t answer. I waited a few beats, and he still didn’t answer.
I took his lack of response as the mean it had to do with his work, so I moved on. “Why did you bring me here?” Maybe that would get me somewhere.
“Because you’re safe here.”
“I’m safe at my bar,” I retorted, hating that I was all fired up, and he was calm as could be.
“You’re safer with me.”
That was interesting. “Why do you think that?”
“Because I’d never let anything happen to you.”
Those words seared into my brain, making all the warm and fuzzy feelings come to life. I wasn’t a warm and fuzzy kind of a woman. I was a kickass, take names, and get the job done kind of woman. So where in the hell did these feelings come from? And why did they hit me so hard?
I wouldn’t be detoured. Feelings or not, I wanted answers. I wanted to go back to my bar, back to my life.
“I’m not staying, Killian. I need you to take me back.”
“It’s not happening. May as well come in and get comfortable.”
Smooth talker. Something I saw in my bar on a nightly basis with men and women. And they always got what they wanted at the end of the night. Too bad I was immune to it. “No. Tell me why you were there.”
“Business.”
My eyes rolled to the sky. “I got that part.” Time to change tactics again because I was getting nowhere fast with Killian right now.
“Do you own this place?” Looking around the house, I thought I knew that answer considering it looked like it cost a ton of money and appeared to have been here a while. The pieces of the puzzle were not fitting together. It was another plus on his side because I always loved a good riddle and had a hard time backing down from it. Fuck.
He shrugged. “Yep.”
“Cryptic much?”
Killian’s face softened, the lines and angles appeared to thin out. Wow. It was a beautiful look. For a handsome man with such rugged features to look beautiful was a feat, but he did it with no effort at all. “Yeah. For now.”
“Fine.” I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my phone, scrolling to the number I needed. He was at work, but he’d come and pick me up, getting me out of here and away from Killian. I hit the green button, put it to my ear, and it was swiped from my hand. “Hey!” I cried out as Killian held the phone up to his ear like he knew who I was calling and wanted to have a chat.
Fuck that.
I lunged for the phone, and with practiced ease Killian wrapped his arm around my stomach and held me at arm’s length. We sort of wrestled on the swing, making it rock this way and that, giving way to a few creaks and groans from the chains. It wasn’t one of my finest moments because I lost, horribly.
“No, it’s Killian,” he said into my phone. “I’ve got Ellie here with me.”
“Elliot! Come and get me!” I shouted. Killian might have been able to subdue my body, but he couldn’t shut my mouth up with only one hand. No matter how much he wanted to try it. My brother would hear me and come. That I had no doubt. My brother and I were close. He wouldn’t let me down.
Killian chuckled. Actually chuckled. What was going on here?
“She’s fine.” He paused. “I’ve got her.”
“He does not! Elliot!”
“Right. Later.” Killian tossed my phone on the swing, and I stilled, staring at the disconnected phone like my brother would pop out of it at any second.
“What just happened?”
Killian’s other arm came around me, and I was plastered to his front, our faces entirely too close. The smell of outdoor woods invaded me and part of me—a small part—locked it away inside my memory banks, wanting to remember. Pathetic. I know, but the truth.
“Your brother knows you’re here with me. The end.”
I pulled back just a bit to try to shake off whatever Killian was doing to my body. Spoiler, it didn’t work.
My body was raring to roar. Good thing my brain was screwed on tight tonight. Or, at least, I hoped it was. “This is not ‘the end’. And he doesn’t even know you!” While I knew they were friends in school, that was a long damn time ago.
He leaned forward and brushed his nose along my jaw. The move stunned me still. It was sweet and felt strange coming from this rugged man. “He’s known me for more than two decades, Ellie.”
“No, he hasn’t.” My brother never talked about Killian. Never once brought him up in a random conversation. Never talked about meeting up with him or hanging out. Elliot had a ton of friends, and I knew most of them because he’d brought them into the bar when he was off duty. Killian never came to the bar.
“Yeah. Clue in, babe. Never lost touch with him, Ellie.”
“What? Wait? How? This is all confusing.” Killian rolled us so I was now on my back, and he was hovering on top of me. It was a very dominating position, and a prickle came to the back of my neck. “What’s going on here?” I was obviously missing something big. Huge.
“Talking.”
He was so close. His lips right there, plump and ready. What was I thinking? No. No. No! “You need to give me some space.” He didn’t and grinned.
A cell started to ring, and since it wasn’t my tone, it had to be Killian’s. He shifted just a bit, grabbed his phone, and answered with a, “Yeah,” all the while pinning me to the swing. The more I moved, the more jostled we became. I loved swinging, but these jerky movements weren’t fun. The chains rattled noisily, so I settled a bit. I didn’t want to add crashing down to the deck on my list of fun things I did tonight.
“Fuck,” he said, and I wanted so badly to know what that meant, but Killian gave nothing away. He listened, his brows furrowing. Then he was up, I was up, and he pulled me to the house and pushed through the door before I could even register what was happening.
I didn’t protest. I blamed it on the shock of the night, and Killian looked hacked off already. No need to poke the tiger, at least not in the moment. Killian shut the door, then locked it. He moved to a security panel and punched in a code, then another.
“Right. Keep me updated.” He flipped on lights as he made his way to the kitchen where he tossed his phone on the island. This kitchen sucked the breath out of me.
The walls and cabinets were made from the same logs the cabins was made of. They went together seamlessly. Stainless steel appliances and a marble countertop set it off beautifully. The island had two high-backed chairs along one side, and it opened up into the spacious living room.
If the kitchen took my breath away, the living room was even better. A stone fireplace and the most comfortable looking furniture made for relaxing. It was the perfect place for reading or just sitting and thinking.
Hands came to my arms, and I jumped. Killian stood there, his face blank. I did not take this as a good sign. I wasn’t wrong.
“We need to hole up ins
ide and get some sleep.”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
He stood there, and it appeared as though he was coming to some conclusion. It took a few moments, but what he said next freaked me right the hell out.
“A major player we were looking for tonight wasn’t at the party. We’re taking precautions.”
I looked to the walls seeing gorgeous large windows that probably allowed the sun to warm up the entire place and gave great views of the trees. “Um … can’t they just break the windows?”
“Custom-made bulletproof glass. Then there’s this.” Killian moved to the far wall and hit a switch. Suddenly a clanking noise filled the room, and steel came down and covered all the windows.
“Why the hell do you need this? Do you get attacked a lot or something?”
It was starting to feel like Fort Knox. This only made my curiosity about Killian Graham rise more.
“No. It’s just a fail-safe.” He reached out and grabbed my hand. “Come on. We need to get some sleep.”
“Wait.” He didn’t. He pulled me through the house, down a hall, and into a large bedroom. More like mammoth. One wall was solid steel, probably covering windows. The bed was across from it, and it could probably fit four people comfortably. The thought of him having that many in it didn’t sit right with me, so I shook it from my brain.
He let go of my hand and went to a dresser, pulling out a t-shirt then tossing it to me. I caught it reflexively.
“Hold up, Killian. This is going too fast. We need to slow this down.” He couldn’t expect me to go to bed with him. I didn’t even know him anymore.
He pulled off his shirt in that sexy way with one hand over his shoulder and boom—it was off. Yeah, that way. The way that had every inch of my body coming alive. Why was that so damn sexy? Sigh, it sure was.
His body caught my undying attention, though. The lines of his muscles and the angles of his torso as he twisted was mesmerizing.
My brother was thirty-five, so that was around Killian’s age; maybe a year older. He did not look like a man who sat around eating cupcakes and playing video games. No, he looked like a man who worked out on a regular basis and kept himself tight. Then there were the tattoos, so many tattoos—another weakness of mine. If I were thinking clearly, I’d have been able to smash the urge to look at every single one of them. Except, I had no willpower, so I was lost to the view in front of me. Shit.
He started to unbuckle his belt while talking, and I wasn’t able to take my eyes off of him. “We’re both tired. Let’s sleep, and we’ll talk in the morning.”
“I can sleep on the couch,” I replied, tearing my gaze from him and looking to the bed. The big bed. The one he wanted to sleep with me in. The bed that was personally inviting me to slide beneath its sheets and fall into a blissful slumber. I could only imagine the intoxicating scent of the linens. I wouldn't have any issue if this were a hotel or somewhere impersonal. But this bed was not in a hotel or any other place where I could retreat from the energy radiating off Killian Graham.
“No. You’re with me.”
“What? Why?”
His belt hung open through the loops of his jeans as he came to me. “Because I can’t keep you safe when you’re away from me. I need you next to me.”
Something about his tone and demeanor hit me, and fear actually crept up inside me. “Are we really in that much danger?”
“Could be.” His hands came to my arms and rubbed them up and down. “I’m gonna close up the house.” He pointed to a door across the room. “Bathroom. Go in and get changed.”
Then I shit you not, he leaned in, kissed the top of my forehead, rubbed his nose along my jaw and was gone. Like a ninja, in and out.
“What’s happening?” I whispered to the room, feeling off-kilter. The room didn’t answer.
Changing didn’t take but a second, but Killian was gone for a while. A long enough while that I’d thought about the sleeping arrangements. Then I thought about what I could do to convey to him that we were not sleeping together. Along with the rumors about his occupation, there were a ton more about the women he’d slept with. None of that I wanted to be a part of.
A smile crept across my lips.
The comforter was a deep blue and super soft. It was a shame I wouldn’t be using it. Maybe I could sneak just a little bit considering how huge it was. Killian had to have had this entire place custom made.
I rolled it back and set it in the middle of the bed, dividing it into two separate spaces. One for me, and one for Killian. That would work. Right? I considered this a compromise.
Killian still hadn’t come back, and I felt the fatigue of the day set deep inside my bones. My body was used to staying up late and working behind a bar. But a scared friend, police raid, and being kidnapped had taken its toll on me.
I crawled into the left side of the bed, slipping between the sheets that felt like heaven and smelled of Killian. The mattress was so soft, I felt my body sinking into it. With only two bedside lamps on, the room felt calm and peaceful. If you didn’t count the metal on the windows, that was.
It didn’t take long for my eyes to start drooping. The warmth of the bed cocooned my body, and I began to drift into sleep.
A bark of laughter had me bolting upright, hand to my chest, eyes crazed and panting. Killian stood in the doorframe, laughing. Yes. Laughing all the while giving me a damn heart attack. I lived alone and hadn’t had an overnight guest in so long it was embarrassing. Getting woken up like this wasn’t anything I enjoyed or found entertaining.
“What’s so funny? You made my heart stop,” I accused, watching him move into the bedroom. He now had on gunmetal gray pajama pants that hung low on his hips, no shirt, and no socks. There was something about a man walking around the house barefoot that was a huge turn-on for me.
It was lame. Most women would say abs or bare chest. Don’t get me wrong—I loved those too, but bare feet got me every damn time. He was racking up too many points in my Is a guy hot playbook.
He put a knee against the mattress and pulled my barrier away as I tried to grab it to keep it in place. Damn man was stronger and faster than me, though, and yanked it clear away.
“You think a piece of fabric is gonna keep me at bay?” He had a light in his eyes, like he was teasing me. This guy, one who grew way the hell up, was now teasing me. What was up with that?
“I just think we need boundaries,” I started, but was interrupted by him spreading the comforter on the bed.
“I won’t fuck you in your sleep, Ellie. Not that kind of man.”
That wasn’t what I meant. “No. That wasn’t… Fuck. I just thought it was for the best.”
Killian climbed into bed and laid his head on the pillow. I followed suit, our eyes connecting from across the bed. My body was all shades of warm and hot. Yes, we really needed a barrier for both of our own good.
“Can’t keep your hands off me, huh?” he joked, but he had no idea what my body was screaming at me to do to him. It was lit up and ready to roll. An attraction this strong was a serious problem.
“Oh, I can,” I argued back and tucked the fabric under my cheek. “I’m just afraid you can’t.”
“Good. Because I can’t.” He reached over and flipped a switch, bathing the entire room into darkness. The only light was from the alarm clock on the bedside table, which wasn’t much. Everything else—pitch black.
Killian didn’t make me wait for any explanation to his words as he reached out and maneuvered us both in the middle of the bed. He placed my head on his shoulder and his arms around me. It happened so fast that I didn’t even have a moment to protest.
“Killian …”
He didn’t let me finish. “Go to sleep.”
“I can’t just…”
“You can.”
“This was not what we agreed on,” I retorted, loving the smell of him so close and the warmth of his chest. Trying to move away wasn’t an option because he had his arms around me tig
ht like he knew what my plan was. Escape.
“There was no agreement. You’re in my bed. Not really a place for negotiations, babe. You’re here. I’m here. End of discussion.”
I tried getting up on an elbow, but couldn’t. Damn man. “This is too fast, Killian, and it isn’t something I do.”
“While I’m glad to hear that. You are with me.”
I was speechless for a few moments, and I felt Killian’s breaths start to even out. Even as tense as I was the rhythm caught me, tempting me into sleep.
“Tomorrow we’re having a big conversation,” I said, the night taking its toll on me. I drifted off to sleep, hoping he’d forget about talking. I knew whatever came out of his mouth wouldn’t be good for me.
3
Ellie
My body jolted awake, and I knew instantly I wasn’t in my bed. I thought back to last night. The room was pitch black, but I could feel him. His warmth, his hard body, his even breathing; there was no denying his presence. Our legs were tangled, and I was half on top of him with my arms wrapped around his torso. Could you believe I wrapped my body around him like a damn octopus? Like I couldn’t get close enough to him. I was not a cuddler, always liking my own space.
But it was true. I did. And damn, it felt nice. He felt nice. Too damn nice.
Trying to move, Killian’s grip tightened in a way that felt instinctive. I guessed he knew I was trying to get away because his eyes were certainly still closed. The clock read nine thirty-eight. It was too early for all of this, but I needed to get up and moving so I could get to the bar, get everything ready for the night, and put this craziness behind me. While I normally started my day around ten and got to the bar at noon, I needed space from Killian.
“Mornin’.” Killian’s gravelly voice was damn sexy with sleep still intermingled with it. What in the hell was wrong with me? No, Ellie. Just no. Even though I would never admit it, I swore his voice was better than any cup of coffee I’d ever had.
