In My Skin

CH 43 || Aliens and Saints

My heart sped up. Someone was touchy. The effect of his menacing glare was just slightly undermined by the fact that he'd been messing up his hair so much that it was standing up in weird directions. I took him in. The angry set of his jaw, his furrowed brows, the messy hair, and the tense set of his shoulder—the combined effect was both intimidating and oddly attractive. Shit. Maybe I should rile him up more often.

"I gave you space after that night, right?" Killian asked, his low voice barely above a grumble. "But if that means you'll hide stuff like this, things will have to change, Princess."

"Wait, something happened between you two," Cody interjected as if he suddenly realized something.

I met Killian's gaze head-on. "What was I going to tell you then? That I have a stalker? That just sounds like I'm looking for your attention."

"You already have my attention whether you look for it or not," he replied in a brisk tone.

I blushed. Did he mean it as a friend or something more? He had accepted being friends so easily. Then again, I had told him I couldn't do relationships. Talk about mixed signals.

I caught Cody's eye and a knowing grin tugged at his lips. I quickly turned my head, feeling the blush deepening.

Killian spoke again. "I can't believe you—Tay?"

I couldn't bring myself to face him. He cared, and that was why he was upset. Not because he thought I was trying to get attention. I felt all warm and fuzzy and weird—too many things at once, and it didn't help that he looked kind of hot when he got angry. Shit, shit, shit.

"Tay," he repeated, more cautiously. Footsteps approached, and I instinctively curled up, covering my burning face with my hands.

"Hey, Tay...?" He took a sharp breath, panic creeping into his voice. "Are... Are you crying?"

I shook my head, still keeping my face hidden. If he saw it, he would know exactly how I felt. And I didn't know how I felt. God, this was so embarrassing.

"I'll order us some food," Cody said, and then a door closed.

"Princess," Killian's husky voice slid over me and I had to suppress a shudder. Why did he have to sound good as well? I was losing my mind.

His hands grasped my shoulders. "I'm sorry, okay?" he mumbled into my hair. "I shouldn't have yelled, I just—you're really making me worry..." Ever so gently, he tugged on my arms, but I held them in place. "Look at me, okay? I'm sorry..."

When I still didn't reply, he lifted me up, carried me into a room, and placed me on something that felt like a drawer. His arms enveloped me, stroking my back. He repeated my name, sounding increasingly worried.

A stupid grin stretched my face. I was such a goner.

I took a deep breath and lowered my hands to wrap them around his middle.

He drew back and studied me. "You're not crying," he stated slowly.

Carefully observing his reaction, I spoke my next words. "And you're not angry because you got pulled into this mess..."

Killian stared at me as if I'd grown a second head. As if my words were so far beyond him, that he was speechless.

"You're driving me crazy," he muttered, crushing me against him.

I basked in his body heat, feeling as if a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders. So, he wasn't tired of me and my problems. Yet.

"I'm just making sure. You never know..." I mumbled.