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A heated blush traveled my entire body. No one had ever said that to me before. It was ... something I liked. His honesty felt raw and made me feel wanted. There was something dark and greedy about the way he said it.
“Ditto,” I managed to say while making a run for the house.
Fern jumped away from the door and bumped her head against the cabinet door. “Ouch," she said halfheartedly.
"Wow, smooth,” I said.
She chuckled and covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.”
“I tried to stop her, but she's always been nosey,” Ernest said from the living room. “There are more clothes in the room. You look like you need a change."
Hurrying down the small hallway, I shut the door and took a deep breath.
My body was still thriving with adrenaline, so with shaky limbs I dressed in an oversized T-shirt and left the wet underwear out to dry.
Heavy footsteps drifted down the hallway minutes later. Kellan swung the door open, dressed in the same t-shirt and sweats as before.
“Hi.”
Kellan shut the door. “Hi,” he answered. “Sit down.”
I gave him a warning look before sitting. I didn’t need him thinking he was gonna boss me around now. That’s not how it works.
“Please,” I said.
Kellan stopped in front of me. The lack of emotion on his face made me uncomfortable. We would have to work on that. “Please what?”
I pressed my mouth into a thin line. “Please, sit down.”
The corner of his mouth pulled into a small smirk. “Please, sit down, Josephine.”
“Thank you,” I said softly. “So, what are we talking about?”
I resisted the urge to swing my feet like a child and waited. Kellan grabbed a small stool in the corner, dragged it over and leaned back against it.
He gestured between the two of us. “Us.”
I wouldn’t admit how much I loved hearing that.
Kellan ran his palms over his face. “I haven’t been with a woman in a long time.”
“Not too surprising,” I mumbled. “You have such a friendly demeanor ...”
Kellan chuckled. It slid over my body like a weighted blanket. I loved it. I wanted to hear it over and over. I wanted to be the reason behind it.
“Right,” he said, looking down at his intertwined fingers. “Deidamia killed my family. She ate my entire village decades ago. I’m very old. She gave me an out, I took it, and now I live forever.”
The simplicity of his words hit me hard. How else would he say it? He’d been living in this nightmare for longer than was fair.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
Kellan looked up; a strand of hair fell onto his forehead, and for a moment, he looked young and vulnerable. Like a lost boy in search of something he missed. But it didn’t last. “What we have between us is different. I’ve never been drawn to a woman since my wife. It’s been so long since my last true relationship with anyone that I don’t know how to process my feelings. I turned them off years ago. it's easier that way."
I nodded, though I didn’t pretend to understand. I’d put my feelings first plenty of times in life. Not too long ago when I said ‘no’ to Jacob. Everyone deserved to put themselves first sometimes.
“Why do you think we have a bond?” I asked, unsure of what to call it.
Kellan shrugged. “I don’t know. Ernest seems to think we’re soulmates.”
