I froze under Killian's hard stare. "Wait...do you need help?"
"No," he bit out.
"I can call an ambulance—"
"No ambulance."
"But—"
His nostrils flared. "Taylor, for the love of God. Leave. Right. Now."
"I—I can call Cody as well."
"Fuck. Off," he said through gritted teeth.
Everything inside me hardened. So he could order me around but didn't want my help? "You—" I started but the words caught in my throat. "Go fuck yourself then," I shot back.
"Right. Whatever."
My feet stayed rooted to the spot. Something dark and shiny covered the ground next to him. It looked suspiciously like...blood. Given his attitude I was better off leaving him to his own but... "Kill—"
"Taylor," he said in a rough tone, his eyes narrowing. "I have no idea why you're here but we both know you're just doing this because of you feel like you owe me one or whatever. So, stop playing nice and leave. I don't have the patience tonight."
My hand went to my hip as I glared right back at him. He thought I was playing nice? And what was he playing then? The asshole? "You know what? I don't think so."
"Just—go. " He raked his hand over his face and glowered at me.
"No can do. A wise person once told me you shouldn't leave abandoned puppies in the rain all by themselves just because they bare their teeth a little, you know?" I put on my best fake smile.
Killian sat perfectly still for several moments. "I know you want to get back at me for that, but this is not the time and—"
"How about you stop talking for a while? I already knew you can be annoying, but damn, you're really topping it today."
"Right back at you, princess. I'm sorry but I can't carry you today."
Princess, huh? He was going to regret calling me that very soon.
"That's fine, I got it. Now get up."
Killian just stared at me, a sarcastic smirk spreading across his face. "I don't think I will anytime soon though. So, unless you're able to carry me off I suggest you give up and—ouch!" I'd stepped forward and pulled his ear forcing him to his feet. "You!"
Albeit he stood slightly hunched, he still towered over me, his discolored face twisted into an angry scowl. We were alone, nobody knew I was here, and I had just threatened a guy much larger and stronger than me, who clearly looked like had just come out of a fight.
A small spark of electricity shot through my nerves, making my body tense.
But this was Killian. He wouldn't lose his temper on a girl or he would have to start trash-talking himself.
I blew out a breath and lifted my chin. "Maybe you should reconsider your choice of major."
He leaned down, his eyes boring into mine. "And why is that?"
Our faces were mere inches apart as I met his gaze, unflinching. "I mean you seem to have the criminal part down by the looks of it but I really don't know about justice."
His mouth curved which must hurt because he instantly grimaced. He drew back and the sudden tension was broken.
Now that I didn't have to strain my neck anymore, he appeared more vulnerable, almost resembling a beaten puppy now.
"My car is over there. Can you walk by yourself, or do you need my help getting there? Just a little hint I won't be carrying you."
"Whatever. Go ahead then."
I led the way, checking every two steps if he was still behind me and nearly ran straight into a tree if Killian hadn't grabbed my shoulder just in time.
"Look ahead of you. I'm following, alright?" He didn't even bother hiding the exasperation in his voice.
"Oh." Good thing it was too dark for him to see the blush spreading over my face. I picked up my pace, but when he groaned, I paused. Killian leaned against the very same tree trunk, slightly bent forward as he clutched his chest.
"Killian?" I rushed back and reached for him, but he somehow managed to swat my hand away.
"I'm fine. I just need a second, ugh—" His face scrunched up in pain.
"Shit. Wait here." I sprinted back to my car and pulled up next to him. A large SUV drove by when I rolled down the window. "Get in."
Instead of getting in he suddenly straightened up and knocked on my door. "On second thought. I will talk to Cody and make him pick me up. You can go."
"What?"
"I said, go."
"I am not going—"
His lip curled. "You are the most pathetic girl I have ever met. Are you that desperate to get attention? Just because I helped you, you keep clinging to me and it's really creeping me out. So, I repeat. Leave me alone, and go."
My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly, my knuckles turned white. "Are you done?"
He blanched when I still didn't move. "Are you a sadist or something?"
"You know what? I don't care what you think my motive is. Maybe you will think twice about leaving me alone the next time, alright? But for now. Get. In. The. Car. Or I will start blasting my horn so the guys that are looking for you know exactly where you are."
His mouth dropped.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Of course, I had noticed the way he had tensed when that car passed by.
Finally, he opened the door and sat down next to me. A muscle on his jaw twitched. "I can't decide if you are a stupid or an annoyingly fearless idiot," he ground out.
"And you are just the epitome of cheerfulness."
"How about you—"
"How about you find someone who cares? If I'm just doing this for my own sake, why would I give a damn whether you are happy about it or not?"
He sighed and then his whole body sagged. I hid a grin. I won this round.
We didn't see any more suspicious cars on the way back to my apartment, but it took us nearly five minutes to climb the stairs, and when I turned on the lights, I finally realized where the blood I'd seen before came from. His shirt was covered in it.
"Killian, goddammit, why didn't you say anything? We have to get you to the hospital—"
"No," he interrupted me. "No hospital. It's just a scratch."
I stared at him. Just a scratch?
"No hospital," he repeated with another glance at my face.
"Fine, sit here. Don't move." I pointed to the couch.
He more dropped than sat, and immediately closed his eyes. With another look to confirm that he wouldn't die anytime soon, I left and rang up Sofia. My hands trembled slightly as I waited for her to wake up.
After four more tries, she opened the door, her dark hair ruffled and her eyes laced with sleep. She lifted her head, took me in and instantly became wide awake. "Tay, did something happen?"
"Er...not exactly." I smiled awkwardly. "Sorry for the late wake-up call but could you check on my friend?"
She did a double take when she caught sight of Killian.
I pointed at him. "Stop glaring at people that are here to help you."
Instead of relaxing his gaze he simply switched it on me but I ignored him. "Can you check on him?"
Her eyes moved between me and him several times but then she nodded. "Let me grab some stuff."
She returned with a bag that was stacked with medical supplies and sat down next to Killian. He eyed the pair of scissors in her hand, and winced as he took off his shirt.
The gash on the side of his stomach wasn't as bad as I'd thought but I still turned my head away, a flush creeping over my cheeks.
Okay, Killian was ripped. No problem. Good to know. It wasn't like I'd never seen abs before, right? But somehow that didn't stop my stupid heart from pounding furiously. I really had to get a grip.
"The cut isn't that deep," Sofia said. "But you might have a bruised rib. You should be thankful it's not broken. You really don't want to go to the hospital?"
I bit my lip. His ribs were bruised?
"No hospital," he repeated a little weaker this time.
An edge crept into Sofia's voice. I had a feeling this was how she talked to unwilling patients. "Fine. But that means you are going to listen, or I will call an ambulance whether you want me to or not, understood?"
He closed his eyes again and nodded.
Half an hour later I stood at the door seeing her off.
"Thank you so much."
"It's fine. Just make sure he gets some rest." She dropped her voice, her eyes twinkling. "And don't forget to tell me all the juicy details about this later."
I suppressed a groan and nodded. "Yes, yes. You'll get all the boring details, later," I said in a hushed tone.
With a wink, she disappeared back into her apartment and for a moment I leaned against the doorframe, catching my breath.
When I walked back, Killian was dressed and lying on the couch, an arm draped over his face.
"Get up."
He just groaned and looked away. "Leave me alone."
"I said—" I reached for his ear but this time his large hand caught my wrist in a gentle grip.
He got to his feet and shook his head as if he was trying to shake off the exhaustion. "It's fine, I'm leaving..."
I changed our stance, took hold of his wrist, and led him into my bedroom. Then I pushed his shoulder until his back hit the mattress. I hadn't forgotten what he'd said when I had been locked out of the apartment. "You are going to sleep here, mister. Sofia said your ribs might be bruised."
"It's nothing. I'll be good to go after a night's rest."
I glanced at the ceiling. "You know, I think you're one of the most irritating people I met recently," I said and started rummaging through my closet. I had actually forgotten to return the hoodie and sweatpants at first and then I'd been too embarrassed to bring up the car incident again. "I didn't think it could get any worse, yet here we are."
"Well." He managed a smirk. "Now you know what it feels like, huh?"
"Whatever," I mumbled and quickly pushed the clothes into his hands. "Don't even think about leaving until I say so."
"What am I now, your prisoner?"
"Exactly, jailbird. I'm glad you catch on fast. You are until I say otherwise. So, you better stay right here unless you want me to do something that involves a phone call."
He blinked. "Fine, whatever you want, princess." The painkillers must be kicking in because his voice started to sound a bit slurred at the end.
That night I slept on the couch with my stomach tangled in knots. I kept tossing and turning, acutely aware of his presence that seemed to seep into my apartment. Why did Killian fight those guys? Who was the girl they talked about? No matter how hard I racked my brain there was no answer. It took me a very long time to fall asleep.
The next morning, I woke up groggy and stumbled my way into the bathroom. The door to my room was still shut, although a quick look at the clock told me it was already eleven am. A bruised rib probably needed a lot of sleep.
I tip-toed into the kitchen to make breakfast and noticed a small sticky note stuck to the counter.
Sorry, princess. Didn't want to kiss you awake. You looked like you could sleep for another hundred years.
PS: The muffins were tasty.
I stared at his writing for another few seconds before I whirled around and rushed into my bedroom. It was empty.