by Zoey Parker
Killian opened the door and smiled, then immediately his face fell.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
The question opened a floodgate inside of me. What wasn’t wrong? Everything felt unfamiliar and wrong and overwhelming. I collapsed into his arms, and he closed the door behind me and walked with me to the couch, his arms holding me up.
“Heather? What’s going on? Talk to me.”
I took a deep breath, and the truth spilled out of me. Everything I’d seen in Caleb’s room, from the mini-fridge to the dirty sketches to the planner. Killian listened, his expression never changing as I told him my story. When I was finished, out of breath and drenched in tears, he leaned forward and put his hands on my knees.
“Do you think he knows you’re pregnant?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I have no idea. He didn’t mention it in the journal, but I don’t know.”
Killian leaned back again, his face twisted in deep thought.
After unburdening myself of all of the information, I felt like my insides had been scraped clean. My brain, my heart, my stomach, everything felt empty.
“Why would he do this?”
I shrugged.
“How did he impersonate me?”
I shrugged again.
“Was your dad in on it?”
I shrugged a third time.
Killian leaned in, grabbed my chin, and forced me to look into his face. “Talk to me. What are you thinking?”
If I hadn’t been so empty, I would have cried. Instead, I stared into his face and told the last secret I had. “It’s all my fault.”
Killian immediately began shaking his head, but I ignored him and continued. “If I hadn’t slept with Niall, none of this ever would have happened. I knew how my dad felt about you and your brother, but I slept with him anyway. And now I’m sleeping with you. If Caleb killed Niall, what is stopping him from killing you? Caleb was tracking me for over a month, and I had no idea. How blind could I have been?”
Killian wrapped me in his arms. “No, none of this is your fault. You don’t get to take the blame for a crazy person. This is Caleb’s fault, and only Caleb’s fault.” He pulled away from me and looked into my face. “Are you hearing me? This is not your fault.”
I nodded slowly, hoping that one day I could believe him. “What about you?”
“What about me?” he asked, tucking me into his side and resting his chin on top of my head.
“If Caleb finds out about me and you, you could be in danger.”
“I’m working on that,” Killian said, not giving away any emotion.
I reluctantly extracted myself from his arms. “Maybe I should go. It isn’t safe here anymore.”
Killian grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me back to him until I fell into his lap. All at once, he was kissing me. His lips tasted sweet, and they gnawed at my lips, pleading them to kiss him back.
I pushed on his chest. “Killian, maybe we should stop this. I should just go home.”
“No!” he shouted, wrapping his arms around me and burying his face in my chest. “We aren’t going to live in fear because of your brother. We’re going to figure out what to do together. Giving into his craziness won’t solve anything.”
“But he killed your brother—”
“I know he did. And he’ll pay for that. But he already took my brother from me. I’m not going to let him take you away, too.”
“I’m not worth your life, Killian.”
He grabbed my face and kissed me again. This time I didn’t resist. I slid my arms around his neck and melted into him until my worries didn’t seem so big, until the stress and the tension fell away.
He pulled away, and I grabbed at his face, not wanting him to stop. He pressed his lips to my chin, each of my cheeks, my forehead, and leaned back until I could see into his eyes.
“Don’t ever say that, Heather. You’re worth everything. Absolutely everything.”
I slid off his lap to the floor until I was between his legs, massaging my hands up his thighs. I could feel the bulge through his jeans, and when I undid his pants, he practically sprung out of the zipper. Slowly, I pulled on the waist of his jeans and slid them down around his ankles. Then, I did the same with his boxers.
Killian lifted his hips to help me both times, but his eyes stayed trained on mine. His mouth fell open, and his breath was coming out in short, quick bursts. When I planted the first kiss, his whole body seemed to sink into the couch. When I finally took him into my mouth, he groaned. I would have thought he was in pain if not for the smile stretched across his face.
As I moved up and down, my hand working at the base, he began to move his hips up to meet me. Then, his hands were on either side of my head, and he was thrusting shallowly, moans escaping from his lips.
Suddenly, he lifted my head and before I had time to think, he was removing my clothes. First, he lifted my shirt above my head as he trailed kisses up the center of my stomach. Then, my jeans and underwear slid down my legs in unison as he kissed my most sensitive area, making my knees quake so hard it was difficult to stay standing. Before I could climax, though, he lowered me to the floor and crawled over me, his body wrapping around me like a protective blanket.
One by one he picked up my legs and laid them over his shoulders. Then, he was inside of me. I moaned as he thrust in, partly because of the size of him, but also because I realized how badly I needed this. How badly I need to be with him, forget about everything for a minute, let myself relax.
My head rolled back and from side to side as he moved in and out. My thigh muscles began to shake first, and then my abs began to shiver. Killian searched with his thumb until he found my sensitive bundle of nerves, and he rubbed at it. Eventually, my entire body was shaking around him, falling to pieces all over his rug.
As I finished, my body stilling under him, he let my legs down and lowered himself over me, kissing up my neck and around my jawline as he continued moving inside of me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held him there, unwilling to let him stop.
He took my hint and began pounding into me, our bodies slapping together until I was sure one of us would break. The build had already begun again. The ball of heat in my stomach growing and growing until, once again, it burst, radiating warmth down my legs and my arms. We kissed as I came for the second time, my moans muffled by his lips.
Then, all of a sudden, Killian tensed. The muscles in his arms clenched and unclenched until he fell on top of me. I could feel his heart hammering against my chest, his breathing erratic and wild. We laid that way for a few minutes, both of us lavishing in the sensations. Then, he rolled off of me and onto the carpet.
“That’s never happened before,” he said.
“What?” I asked, nervous something had gone wrong. I couldn’t imagine what, because I felt amazing, but still the fear was there.
“We came at the same time.”
I laughed and curled up next to him, pressing my face into his chest.
###
Killian
“Stay with me,” I said for the thousandth time. “Don’t go back. Stay here.”
“Killian.” She groaned, making a pouty face at me as she pulled on her jeans. “You know I can’t.”
“I don’t know anything,” I said.
“Isn’t that the truth.”
“Hey!”
She laughed, and I couldn’t help but smile. I never wanted to see her as upset as she was when she’d first arrived at my door. I never wanted to see her crying or in pain. I hated Caleb for what he did to my brother, but I also hated him for what he was doing to Heather. He was basically holding her hostage, making it impossible for her to live her own life. What would he do if he knew she was pregnant with Niall’s baby? The thought sent a shiver down my spine.
“We don’t know what Caleb is capable of,” I said, not wanting to bring up Caleb’s name, but knowing there was no other choice.
“He hasn’t hurt me yet,” she
said.
“That isn’t comforting.”
She put on her bra and then crawled over me, straddling my naked body underneath her. “I can handle him. I’ll keep a low profile, not do anything out of the ordinary.”
She leaned forward and kissed me, and I wrapped my arms around her in a vice. She tried to stand up, but I wouldn’t let go.
“Killian.” She laughed. Then, she put on her stern voice. “Killian O’Donnell, let me go right now.”
I pouted up at her and released my grip. She grabbed her wrinkled shirt from the floor, shook it out a few times, and then put it on, smoothing it down with her palms.
“Just promise you’ll call me if anything, ANYTHING, suspicious happens. If you think for even one second that you are in danger, call me.”
Heather nodded, and then laughed at me. “It’s hard to take you seriously when you’re naked.”
She threw me my boxers, and I slipped them on. “I want you to know how serious I am,” I said, moving across the room to wrap my arms around her waist. I looked down at her, my eyebrows raised. “I can’t let anything happen to you.”
She stood on her tip toes and kissed me, just a soft peck, but my heart still skipped a beat. “Nothing is going to happen to me. Plus, the sooner we find out a way to prove Caleb was behind Niall’s death, the sooner you can be in the compound, and I don’t have to sneak out to be with you.”
“And the sooner we could go out on a proper date,” I added.
“Ooh,” she said, her eyes brightening. “A real date? I thought you couldn’t remember the last time you’d been on a real date.”
I laughed. “I can’t, but I’d like to change that.”
She ran at me and jumped, wrapping her legs around my waist, and holding my jaw as we kissed. Then, just as fast, she jumped down and ran for the door. “I’ll talk to you soon. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said, but she was already gone.
Chapter Eight
Heather
The closer I got to the compound, the more worries about Caleb began to creep back into my head. Killian had given me a brief reprieve, but there were a lot of things to worry about now. I had to be careful no one found out about the pregnancy until I was ready. I needed to have a solid plan and a way to prove Caleb killed Niall. With Caleb free, there was no guarantee me or my baby would be safe.
I pulled the car in next to the house and noticed the lights on downstairs. It wasn’t even dinner yet, so I was surprised that my dad or Caleb was even home. I took a steadying breath; I just had to act casual, relaxed. It wasn’t the first time I’d taken the car out. I could say I wanted to go to the mall or needed some coffee. It didn’t have to be a big deal. If Caleb were home, I’d just say hi, go to my room, and hunker down until Dad got home.
I walked through the front door, and had just locked it behind me, when my dad met me in the entryway.
“Hey, Dad,” I said.
He didn’t respond. His thick body was blocking my pathway to the stairs, and it seemed purposeful. Arms crossed over his chest, he looked the way he did when he was trying to intimidate someone, not when he was at home with his family.
“What’s up?” I asked.
Just then, Caleb stepped into the room. The small space was crowded with all of our bodies, but they didn’t seem to notice. I took a small step back towards the door, trying to create more room. Had they already discovered I was in Caleb’s room? Was it so obvious?
“You got a phone call today,” Dad said, pulling my cell phone out of his pocket.
I was confused, as I had my cell phone with me. I patted my back pocket and realized, with horror, that I’d taken the burner phone Killian had given me but left my everyday cell phone behind.
“Yeah?” I asked, reaching for the phone, trying to sound casual.
Dad pulled it out of my reach. “From your doctor.”
I felt my stomach hit the floor. The doctor. I’d had lab work done at the doctor’s, and they were supposed to call today with the results.
He opened up my voicemail service and hit play. The doctor’s easy tone sounded tinny in the speaker.
“Hello, Heather. This is Dr. Reynolds from The Woman’s Place. I just wanted to call with your lab results. Your pregnancy test came back positive, which I’m sure is no surprise to you.” She laughed and continued on, “We also ran several different blood tests, and you should be able to access those results on the online patient portal. Call if you have any questions. Otherwise, I’ll see you again in a few weeks. Bye.”
It didn’t feel physically possible for my heart to beat any faster. I could feel it pulsing in all of my fingertips, at my wrists and elbows, at the hollow spot just below my jaw. It felt like my entire body was shaking to the rhythm of my terror.
“I was going to tell you, Dad—”
“Don’t lie to me!” he boomed. He threw the phone on the ground and the screen shattered. Glass shards spread out across the floor, and I jumped back, my back hitting the door. “You’ve known for weeks, and you didn’t say anything.”
Hot tears burned my eyes and blurred my vision. I stared up at the ceiling to try and keep them in. “Everyone has been so busy. I was just waiting for a good time.”
“There is no good time to announce an unplanned pregnancy,” he said, his voice sharp and acidic. “You’re getting an abortion.”
“Dad,” I pleaded. I just needed to explain everything to him. If he heard me out, he’d know. “I can’t have an abortion. You have to understand; you adopted me. What if my mom had chosen to have an abortion? What if I’d never been born?”
“That’s different,” he said, his voice low and dangerous, like a roll of thunder.
“How?” I asked, my voice growing hysterical. “How is it different?”
He snapped. His arms flew wide, and he charged at me as if he were going to run me over. “Because you weren’t an O’Donnell baby!”
“How…?” I stammered, my body freezing up in shock and terror.
“Caleb saw you with him.”
I looked at Caleb. I’d almost forgotten he was in the room. He was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, a permanent scowl affixed to his face.
“How interesting,” I said, a glare leveled at Caleb, “that Niall ended up dead. Don’t you think that’s interesting, Dad?”
“What are you trying to say, Heather?” Dad said, looking from me to Caleb.
“He killed him,” I spat. “Caleb killed Niall. He’s a murderer.”
I felt myself losing control. The emotions of the day overtaking me, overwhelming my sense.
Suddenly, mid-scream, I felt a sharp crack across my face. My head snapped to the side, and I collapsed against the door.
“Don’t,” Dad barked out. “Don’t talk about your family that way. You’re defending those O’Donnell boys now? You’re sleeping around and getting pregnant and hanging with the wrong crowd? Not while you’re under my roof.”
I didn’t move, afraid that if I did, I’d fall apart. Collapse into a crying, heaving heap on the floor.
“You’re getting an abortion, and you’re not going to repeat those lies about your brother again. Do you hear me?”
He turned away, and I took my chance. Without thinking, I threw the front door open and sprinted across the yard. I heard him calling after me, but I didn’t stop. I pumped my arms and legs as fast as they would carry me until I was outside the fence, away from the compound, away from my dad and my murderous brother and my stifling house.
Eventually, I slowed to a walk, and once I caught my breath, I pulled out the burner phone and called Killian. He answered on the first ring.
###
The inside of his car smelled like him. Warm like sunshine, rich like dark coffee. I laid back in the seat and stared at the road ahead, watching the lines in the center of the road disappear under the car.
Killian reached out and stroked my cheek. “Does it hurt?”
I shook my head and lied. “No.”
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He gripped the steering wheel hard, his knuckles turning white. “I can’t believe he hit you.”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t believe it either. In my entire my life, my dad had never laid a hand on me. He didn’t spank me when I was little, he didn’t swat my mouth when I said my first curse word, and he had never slapped me before. Even when I was afraid to tell him about the pregnancy, I’d been most afraid of disappointing him. I’d never once been afraid that he’d lay a hand on me.
Now, all of that had changed. Our relationship had irreversibly shifted. Not to mention Caleb. I thought back to the night he’d found me after meeting with Killian. How, for a second, I was touched by his brotherly concern for me. I thought for a moment that maybe telling him about the baby wouldn’t be so bad, that perhaps he’d understand. After all, he only wants the best for me.
