I woke up, disoriented and blind. The darkness was so thick that I could barely make out the unfamiliar shape of a large closet.
A sense of alarm hit me, fast and hard. I wasn't afraid of the dark, I'd never been, but maybe the last few weeks had affected me more than I consciously realized.
Killian rolled over, reached over my blanket, and pulled me close.
I instantly knew it was him. As the anxiety ebbed off, the familiar scent finally registered. I clung to his arm, just breathing. I was at Killian's place, not my apartment. Nobody would break in and get me.
But... How did we end up in the same bed? I remembered the start of the series and after that...not much.
"What are you doing here?" I whispered.
"Here?" he murmured, his voice laced with sleep. "This is my bed."
I frowned, racking my brain. "But why am I here?"
"You're asking the wrong person," he replied groggily. "You came in shortly after I dropped you off in your bed."
Bits and pieces started to resurface. The feeling of weightlessness, a soft mattress, and then...panic. The same panic that had gripped me just moments ago. I remembered walking into Killian's room and crawling into his bed. The rest remained a blur.
Whoops.
I sat up abruptly, but Killian's arm remained steadfast, preventing me from pulling away.
"It's not like you haven't slept next to me before," he mumbled, nudging me gently back down. "If being here helps you sleep, then just sleep, alright? You don't have to worry about anything else. Just rest."
Before I could think too much about it, I found myself lying on my side, facing him. Gradually, my eyes adjusted to the faint light seeping through his shades. Killian's eyes were closed, his face relaxed. There was a softness to his features that was missing in his awake state. This was the second time I'd seen him sleep. It was weird how he could make me feel so at ease. Chris and I barely slept in the same bed. I had always had problems falling asleep next to him.
A sense of weightlessness washed over me as I listened to Killian's steady breaths. Now that I was aware, the resemblance between him and his dad was obvious. Mick and Derril or whatever his name was, had even said something along the lines of his dad being a cop.
"What is it?" Killian asked as if sensing my gaze.
"I was wondering about your dad," I confessed after a pause. "I didn't realize who he was. You don't share the same last name..."
He shifted onto his back and patted the space next to him.
I scooted closer. He patted the space again, this time a bit impatiently. After I inched a tiny bit closer again, he sighed, slipped his arms beneath my body, and pulled me snugly against him.
Okay, we were cuddling. No problem.
"My dad took on my mom's family name when they married. He used to serve in the military," he started. "He wasn't around much, but he loved my mom. We moved to Cody's hometown when I was in high school."
"On vacation at the bar that time. They said something—"
"About rumors, right?"
I hugged his middle, my head nestled against the warmth of his chest. It felt kind of nice. No, it felt really, really nice. "Yeah."
I couldn't help but close my eyes, sighing softly, as his palm flattened against my lower back.
"There was an incident during one of his missions," he explained. "It's kind of ironic, really. He risked his life to save a bunch of people, but not everyone made it. There was an investigation into friendly fire. It turned out false, but rumors circulated until the military released an official statement. He even received some dumb medal. After that, my mom distanced herself. She later revealed she was seeing someone else. My dad didn't know she had already found a new guy. He quit the military and became a detective. I hated my mom's new family. Her new husband is an arrogant jerk, and my stepsister...well, she was spoiled. She had a lot of things, but she lacked love. I wanted nothing to do with them which was why I chose to take my dad's family name and moved in with him as soon as I could."
"So, you don't have a good relationship with your mom?" I asked, struggling to stay awake.
He continued in a quiet voice, "She doesn't care about me. All she cares about is her image."
"And your stepsister?"
"She's a year younger. She came to PSU because of me, I think. I should have paid more attention to her. God knows she can't rely on her dad or my mom. She started having problems and I was too caught up in my own shit to notice. And then there was the situation with Cody's ex. He told you about that, right?"
"Yeah," I said, recalling what Alicia had mentioned. "Do you think...it was more Alicia or Cody's ex?"
"In what sense?"
"Did Cody's ex ever come onto you?" I asked, rephrasing my question.
His body grew stiff. "Did Cody tell you that?"
"No. Alicia did," I admitted.
"When did you talk to her?"
"After I found you at school. Stop avoiding the question."
"Yeah," he admitted after a pause.
I sucked in a breath. "Does Cody know?"
"No."
"And you talk to me about..."
His hand brushed down my spine in slow caressing strokes. "We were already having problems at that time. I didn't want to make things worse, so I ignored it. And like I said, it's a sensitive topic for him."
We both lapsed into silence again. His fingers traced soothing patterns down my back. I hadn't felt this comfortable in ages.
My eyelids grew heavy as I whispered, "The drug raid... Is it somehow connected to all of this?" I mumbled.
"Yeah," he said softly.
His steady heartbeat lulled me into slumber. The last words I heard before drifting off were, "Nobody messes with my sister, even if we're not related by blood."
I blinked at the sunlight streaming through the half-closed blinds. The spot next to me was empty but still warm. Killian had to have just left. I threw off the covers and searched for the closest bathroom. My skin felt dry and I spent a few minutes vigorously scrubbing it before slathering on a generous amount of moisturizer. At least the itching had subsided.
I padded into the living looking for Killian when Cody spoke up, startling me. "Morning. You hungry?" He closed the door to his room and headed towards the kitchen.
Briefly, I wondered if he had noticed me leaving Killian's room, but then I dismissed the thought. It didn't matter.
"No. I'm good." My stomach chose that moment to remind me that it disagreed. I hadn't even realized I was hungry.
"You have to eat," Killian's voice came from behind me.
I turned and my mouth went dry.
Leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen, Killian sported low-riding pajama pants and a loose white shirt. The fabric effortlessly draped over his broad shoulders, accentuating the defined contours of his muscles. His hair was tousled, a few strands sticking out at odd angles. With his sleeves rolled up, his toned arms were on display. But what really caught her attention were his eyes. Instead of being sharp and alert, they were hooded, still heavy with sleep.
Damn, he looked good. And kind of adorable.
A flutter spread through my chest and I tightened my lips, trying to suppress a grin.
Killian caught the look on my face, and his eyes cleared as they narrowed on me. I quickly looked away, afraid he could read me too easily.
"You can't tell me what to do," I said out of reflex.
"Do you always have to be so difficult about everything?" he shot back, crossing his arms.
"Do you always have to be commanding about everything?" I fired back.
Sadly, my stomach chose that precise moment to betray me once again by releasing another growl. Damn it.
He rolled his eyes. "Sit," he commanded, pointing to a chair.
So, I sat.
Killian grabbed apples and bananas and started cutting them into a bowl. Then he added water, oat flakes, maple syrup, and grapes.
"Eat," he instructed.
I took a bite. It was really tasty.
He began making his own breakfast. My eyes stuck to him, tracing the line of his shoulder, over the back of his arms, and down to his hands. Even his hands looked nice...
"Are you okay?" Killian asked.
No. "Yes." I replied, trying to fix the dreamy expression on my face.
"You seem distracted," he observed, grabbing his own bowl, and taking a seat across from me.
A flush crept up my cheeks. "I'm just thinking," I mumbled into my bowl. About you.
He said something to Cody but even the low but smooth baritone of his voice was distracting. What the hell was wrong with me?
Killian nudged me. "...so are you coming?"
"Coming? Where?" I asked confused.
He squinted at me. "Did you listen to anything we just said?"
"Well..."
Cody chuckled. "You two have time to figure things out before I have to pick up Max from the airport."
"Who?" I was really confused now.
Killian's voice filled with excitement. "We were going to a party tonight. Max is there, and we haven't seen each other in ages. But we don't have to go if you're not up for it."
Part of me wanted to go, but... "I—I don't think I can come tonight."
His face fell. "Alright."
I grimaced. "My skin has been a bit dry lately. I can't wear any make-up."
He shot me a look, but I quickly turned my head away. "Is that important?" he asked.
Unease filled me. "What?"
"To wear make-up, I mean. I know some girls really depend on it."
I finally gathered the courage and met his gaze. "Isn't it important to you?"
His brows shot up. "Huh?"
"I mean..." I wrung my hands on my lap. "Guys usually hang out with girls that are dressed up, you know—"
Killian snorted, interrupting me. "Where did you hear that from—never mind, I can guess." He leaned towards me, his voice low. "For your information, you can come in whatever you feel like. You can even wear your pajamas if you want to."
A smile tugged at my lips. "Pajamas, really?"
He tilted his head. "Unless they're tiny. Maybe not then, but, you get what I mean. Don't dress up for some idiots who just want to get in your pants. I wanted to introduce you to Max, that's all."
"Wait, who's Max?"
Killian grinned. "He used to be our roommate." He flickered my head lightly. "Stop overthinking. He won't care one bit about these things."
"Um... all right. But I don't want to stay long."
"That's fine. I'll take you home whenever." He held my gaze. "Even if you want to leave after five minutes, got it?"
I nodded feeling better.
"By the way, I forgot to ask you yesterday, but is there anything else you need from your apartment? We could grab it—"
My sudden screech cut him off. Two seconds later Cody was back, looking flustered. "What is it? What happened?"
"My baby!" I shouted, panicked, and jumped to my feet.
"What?" the two of them exclaimed, wearing equally freaked-out expressions.
"My baby!" I repeated. "Oh no, no, no." What if they'd taken something? What if they'd hurt it?
Killian's large hands grasped my shoulders, holding me in place. "Speak clearly, so that we can understand."
"We have to leave. Now." I ducked out of his grasp and wrenched my feet into my sneakers, not missing the look of confusion Cody and Killian exchanged over my head.
Killian heaved a sigh. "Alright, let's go then."
Half an hour later, I was hovering over my setup, meticulously checking every nook and cranny to ensure nothing was amiss. My two monitors were still in place, just like my headset, mouse, keyboard with LEDs, my case—everything. When I turned it on, the familiar sentence Loading virtual environment flashed across the screen in pink letters. I finally let out a breath. Nothing was stolen.
"So, your computer? This is what you meant?" Killian's exasperated interrupted me.
"Of course."
"Your baby," he deadpanned.
I nodded. "I built it myself. I taught it how to do its first walk. I basically raised this thing." I gave him a flat look. "What did you think I meant?"
"Nothing," he said quickly, and put on a blank look.
Cody snickered. "Sometimes I forget that you're actually a real nerd."
"Sometimes I can't decide if she's irritating or cute," Killian mumbled under his breath.
My hands went to my hips. "What was that?"
"Nothing," he said. "Let's load this up."