by E. A. Weston
“What the hell is going on?” I ask, close to tears.
“You! You’re fired and you can get the hell out of my house,” she shouts at me, drawing a crowd on the street.
“What the hell did I do? I haven’t been here all day,” I shout back, not caring anymore.
Athena marches down the steps, stopping in front of me. Her face is red and angry. Reaching out, she grabs me by the neck of my shirt and rips off my necklace.
“This will be payment for what you took. You’re lucky I am not calling the cops!” My body goes rigid. Running after her, I try grabbing my chain back, but she holds it behind her back.
“I don’t know what you are talking about, Athena! But give that back now—it was a gift and you know it.”
Shaking her head, she walks into the house, slamming the door behind her. Killian takes my hand. Bringing me down the steps of the porch, we pick up all my stuff in silence. Tears fall from my eyes, not because I am homeless but because she stole my necklace. That was a gift and it means more to me than anything. Killian loads up his car, watching me as I call Jake. I leave a message for him to call me back. Calling Alex, she too doesn’t answer.
“Do you have somewhere to stay?” he asks, looking a little worried. I sit on the edge of the sidewalk, staring at nothing, wiping my eyes and nose on my sleeve.
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Can you drop me off somewhere?” I ask, running my hands through my hair. He gets down on his haunches in front of me, smoothing my tears away.
“If you want, you can stay with me. I’ll take the sofa.” Jesus, I barely know this guy and he is offering help, yet my own friend won’t answer her fucking phone.
“No, thanks. I have somewhere I can stay. I just need to get my necklace back from her.” Standing, I march through the gate and into the house. Athena is sitting at the kitchen table when I burst in. “Give me my chain now,” I demand.
“Reagan, get out of my house before I call the police. I took you in and looked after you and this is how you repay me?” Her words are said with sadness; my own voice shakes from anger and pain.
“It wasn’t me, Athena. I didn’t do anything to you.” Sitting down opposite her, I plead with her. She looks at me for the first time since I came in. Her hand holding my chain. Reaching out, she hands it back to me.
“Where did it go then, Reagan?” she asks. For a few minutes, I try to wrack my brain but I don’t know what is going on here. I didn’t take anything belonged to her and I pay for everything I use in the shop. Closing my eyes, I sigh. “The money. That’s what this is about.” Athena looks at me, holding my gaze. “It was Jake. I went looking for him.”
She shakes her head then leaves the room. Following, I leave the house, finding Killian waiting on the porch for me. He reaches out to me, taking my hand in his, and we walk to his car. Killian drives us to his house with a car full of my crap. Once we arrive, I tell him to leave it. I will get it tomorrow. He shows me to his room, pointing out the light switch and extra blankets.
“Thanks, I got it. I am just going to sleep,” I tell him.
Killian leaves me alone, smiling as he does. Once the door closes, I look around his room. It has a deep green carpet and tan walls; there are no curtains on the windows, so I have a perfect view of the stars.
Taking off my boots, I lay back against the pillows, the soft bed sucking me down. My life is total crap. I have nothing left. Perhaps I should have given up and ditched this place when my parents went missing. Opening my fist, I see the indents in my hand from the necklace Claudia gave me. I was holding it so tight it actually left an imprint on my palm. The chain is broken and my tools are in the shop. Running my thumb over the silver fairy, I smile, remembering when Claudia gifted it to me.
“Reagan, make sure you always keep it on. Promise me,” she begged.
“I promise, Claudia, I will never, ever take off this pendant.” I laughed as I fastened it around my neck.
“We will meet again Reagan and I can’t wait. You’re amazing and I love you.”
She left that day, went off to the east coast for college and I miss her terribly as well. I put the necklace into my boot and settle back onto the bed. I can hear Killian moving around the apartment. I’m not sure if he is trying to be quiet, because if he is, he’s failing miserably. Opening the door, I walk out of his room, following the short hallway to the sitting room. Just as I reach the open door, Killian pulls his shirt off. My mouth waters when I see him—his chest and abs are sculpted to that of a god, and his rather large arms are decorated with some kind of tattoos.
Killian sees me and quickly pulls back on the shirt.
“How are you?” he asks, running his hand down the front of the shirt. I wish that were my hand.
“Oh, I heard you moving around—I feel bad about taking your bed,” I say, pointing at the sofa which is tiny. “I can take the sofa. There’s no way you’ll fit on there.” Killian gives a small laugh, stepping around the coffee table.
“I wouldn’t dream of kicking a lady out of her bed,” he says, steering me back towards the bedroom.
“Killian, you confuse me.” He gives me a curious look. “You sound like a medieval knight and act like an old-fashioned gentleman, and let’s not forget your voice,” I say, turning to face him fully.
“My voice?” he questions, tracing his fingertips down my arm.
“Yes, it melodic like a beautiful song.” I shrug not really knowing how to describe his voice. He smiles at me then pulls me into a hug.
“I don’t know what to say about that, but as far as being a gentleman, it’s how I was raised. I am not going to pretend I don’t want you because I do. But I am also not going to force you to do anything you’re not ready for. I have time and I can wait. There is no other for me now that I have found you. I have no intention of letting you go.” He kisses my cheek and says goodnight.
I am stunned. Now that he found me? What am I supposed to say to that? Do I even want to be his? And in what way is he talking about? Flopping onto the bed, I pull my phone from my pocket and dial Alex.
“Hey, Reagan,” she groans when she answers. I quickly check the time just to make sure it’s not later than I thought.
“Hey, I’ve been calling you all day. Where were you?” I ask, letting my annoyance show in my voice.
“Oh, sorry. I never charged my phone and I spent the day in bed. I’m so tired. What are you doing?” Closing my eyes, I let out a long sigh, then re-live the whole sorry day all over again.
“What! You got kicked out? Jesus, Reagan, why didn’t you come here? You know you can crash anytime.” She sounds awake now.
“I know, thanks, but Killian brought me back to his place so I’ll crash tonight and figure it out tomorrow.” We say goodnight and I watch the stars through the window.
Chapter 13
I wake up to the noise of water running. Getting my bearings, I remember that I am in Killian’s place. I hear the shower, but it’s still dark outside. The bedroom door opens slowly and my body goes rigid. I hold my breath, waiting to see what is going to happen. Killian tiptoes into the room and over to the chest of drawers. I watch him open them slowly, making no sound. He pulls out a t-shirt and sweats, throwing them over his bare shoulder. Turning back to the door, I get a glimpse of his back. My heart stops when I see the red, angry raised welts that span the length of his back.
I want to go to him to see what happened, to find out just exactly what is going on here, but I don’t. I stay where I am, peeking from the corner of my eye as he leaves the room. Holy crap, they look terrible. He looks like he has been whipped. My body and brain are fighting against each other. One wanting to go to him while the other telling me to mind my own business. I listen to the water running for a long time. Eventually, it stops and I hear him groaning in pain. No wonder his back hurts! Jumping out of the bed, I open the door, stepping out of the room at the same time the bathroom door opens … revealing a very naked Killian.
My eyes take him all in within seconds. He closes the door quickly then re-emerges a few minutes later wearing a t-shirt and sweats.
“Sorry, I didn’t know you’d woken up,” he says, stepping out of the room. My eyes refuse to see anything but the magnificent form of the man standing in front of me.
“I heard the water and wanted to see if you were okay,” I mumble, trying to keep my eyes above the waistband of his pants.
Clearing his throat, he tells me the water helps with his back pain. Now I know why. Stepping out from the doorway, I reach out to give him a hug. I don’t know why, but it just feels right. He lowers his lips to my ear and kisses just beneath it, then slowly along my jaw to my lips. His kiss is slow and sensual, sending tingles to all the right places. I dip my tongue into his mouth, testing him to see if he likes it. I am rewarded with a slow roll of his tongue over mine. Right now, nothing else matters. This kiss is the most beautiful I have ever experienced. Killian pulls back slowly. Keeping his lips against my skin, he whispers into my ear. I don’t understand the words, but they sound exotic.
“What was that?” I whisper, wanting to know what he said. Stepping back away from me. He smiles as he looks into my eyes.
“I am yours and you are mine, forever.” His fingertips caress my face. “You need to sleep, princess,” he whispers, almost as if he never meant to say those words.
“Yeah and so do you,” I say, pulling him into the bedroom. I make him lie on top of the bed while I climb inside. “It’s way softer than that sofa,” I joke because I haven’t even sat on it. But after seeing those scars on his back, my conscience won’t allow me to let him go back there. We lie in silence. Killian reaches over to hold my hand, interlacing his fingers with mine. Turning my head, I look at him for a few minutes before he too turns to face me.
“Why do you wear a pearl?” I ask, remembering I saw it briefly when he was in all his naked glory. Reaching up to his throat, he pulls it out from beneath his shirt, rolling it between his thumb and finger.
“It was a gift from a good friend. She gave it to me before she had to leave.”
An unnatural bout of jealousy hits me like a swarm of horrid wasps. It buzzes in my ears. Killian lifts his head off the pillow to look at me.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” I ask, trying to rid myself of these feelings. He smiles as he lies back down.
“I said it was a long time ago when I was younger. She helped me through a difficult time.” He stares off into the distance, rubbing his thumb absentmindedly against the back of my hand. The soothing rhythm relaxes me and I yawn.
“Night, Killian,” I whisper, closing my eyes. He says something foreign again, then kisses my lips.
The sun shining on my face wakes me. Opening an eye, I notice that I am alone in the bed. Walking out of the room, I hear Killian humming away. Walking toward his voice, I smile when I see him cooking breakfast.
“Morning,” I say from the doorway chewing my lip and feeling a little embarrassed about last night.
“Good morning, Reagan.” He smiles at me. “I hope you like eggs, bacon, and toast. I have cereal if you’d prefer.” He quickly opens the cupboard, pulling out two boxes of cereal.
“Eggs. Eggs are fine, thank you.”
I sit on the stool at the small breakfast bar. Killian pours orange juice for me. I watch him dish out the food, the smell of it making my mouth water. It’s been a long time since I had a nice breakfast like this.
“Thank you,” I tell him, eating the food in record speed. I groan when I am done. Killian is watching me in stunned silence.
“Reagan, don’t you eat?” His voice is cautious as he asks. Finishing my juice, I nod at him.
“Yeah, usually I get a panini from Alex, or when I want to spoil myself like yesterday, I get a burger in the diner.” I grin at him, but he looks very upset.
Killian chews slowly as he looks at me then at my now empty plate. Reaching over he piles more bacon onto it from his own plate. “Eh, I’m full, Killian. I can’t eat another thing.” Lifting the plate, I slide the bacon back to his plate and take mine to the sink.
“I don’t like that you don’t eat,” he says, a little disturbed.
“I do eat, Killian, when I can afford to. So don’t worry yourself about it. Thank you for breakfast.”
I pat his shoulder and leave him alone, walking back to the bathroom. Once I am finished, I pack up the few things I brought in with me.
“Going somewhere?” he asks from the doorway. Looking over my shoulder at him, I nod then pull my necklace out of my boot, securing it into my shirt pocket. Sitting on the bed, I pull my boots on.
“I have to get all my stuff somewhere and then find another job … grab my tools from Athena’s … so I’ll end up missing class and running around all day.” Sighing, I stand up, pulling my bag with me. Killian frowns at me.
“Did you not hear me last night, Reagan? You’re mine forever, so where I live, you live.” Well, now. Just who the hell does this guy think he is? I mean, that type of shit gets said in the moment, but not for one minute does that mean I am somebody’s property.
“Yeah, I heard you and thanks for that, but I need to go now,” I say, shoving past him and walking to the door. “Can you drop me at home, please?” I ask again as I walk down to his car. Killian follows me. He looks like he wants to say something but changes his mind.
“Where do you want to go?” he asks, his voice quiet as he slides into the seat and starts the engine.
“Back to my parents house. I can put my stuff in there for now.” My voice is quiet too. For some reason, my emotions match his. It’s annoying actually—keeping my eyes trained out of the window, I inwardly deflate. Here I go again. I am homeless and penniless. Nothing new for me. I need to find a job and fast. Otherwise, that breakfast I had earlier is going to be my last for a while. Killian stops in front of my house and a touch of sadness falls over me. I wish I were bringing him home to meet my parents, instead of dropping me off to live in a house with no running water or electricity.
“Thanks, Killian, I appreciate the help.”
Opening the door, I let the seat forward and pull out a box. Walking through the gate, I spot Mr. Brenner on his porch and wave to him. Opening the front door, I drop the box onto the floor. When I turn around, Killian slips on the step, falling backward onto his butt. Laughing, I run down the steps to him. “Are you okay?” I ask, trying to control myself. Jumping up he brushes off his jeans.
“Yeah, great. I’ll just put the boxes on the steps.”
We move back and forth bringing boxes in for about ten minutes. Once we are done, I ask him to drop me off at Athena’s so I can grab my stuff. Killian rounds the car, opening my door for me. He takes my hand, helping me out.
“Thanks.” I smile at him.
“Will you be okay today?” he asks, taking both my hands in his and looking at me.
“Yeah, I guess,” I answer honestly, because for now, I am fine. Who knows about later.
“I have to work tonight. Can I see you before I go?”
I nod in response and he wraps his arms around me. This guy is far more touchy-feely than regular guys. Leaning down, he kisses me on the lips. “I’ll call you later.” He waits until I walk into the store before driving away. Going straight to my desk, I sigh and begin to pack up my tools. Wrapping my unfinished pieces in tissue paper, I put them into an old plastic container.
“Reagan, can we have a word?” Athena’s voice calls out to me from the back room. Turning, I nod and make my way over.
“I’m sorry, Reagan. I should have never done what I did. I made a promise to your mother to look after you if anything happened to them.” She shakes her head and sighs. “I would like it if you stayed working here and you can move back in with me if you like. I am truly sorry.” I can see she is genuine, but I am not ready for that again.
“I’d like to keep my job, but I think I should find somewhere else to stay,” I tell her.
; “But you can’t afford to rent somewhere; you have no money.” She talks at me rather than to me, but I let it slide for today.
“I know. I haven’t been paid for two weeks,” I tell her, hoping she gets the hint. She tells me Jake had my wages last Friday and I respond by informing her I never got it. Opening the safe, she hands me $200. “That’s too much; I missed some hours this week.” I try handing back some of the cash, but she waves me off.
“Take it. It’s the least I can do, and please reconsider coming home.”
I agree to think about it and organize some hours for tomorrow and Sunday, then leave the store. Walking down the street, I head over to the only bus stop in town. I can’t ask Jake for his car anymore. That fucker probably sold it to get high. When the bus arrives, I climb on and find a seat in the back, away from everyone. Sitting by the window, I see Killian’s car parked by the diner. When the bus stops for an elderly woman, my eyes find him sitting at a table, laughing and joking with Savannah. I should have known. He’s probably just another Levi. His head lifts as if he can sense me watching him. When his eyes find mine, he stands up watching as the bus pulls away. Fuck him. I’m over it now. Settling back in my seat, I look out of the window all the way into the next the town.
I take my time walking around the mall. It’s been months since I have been here. I walk in and out of stores with no intention of buying anything, but it’s nice to look.
I decide to stop into a real jeweler and get my necklace fixed. Once it’s securely back around my neck, I am able to relax a bit. I sit on the wall of the fountain and watch the water splash as it hits the side. Dipping my fingers inside, I smile at the coolness of it. I shouldn’t be surprised—it’s always cold here, but the sun is starting to heat up a bit. After a while, I walk back through the mall, heading into a candle store.
