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I take a deep, cleansing breath, pressing my knees into the bed and climbing closer. My hand swipes along the wound on his shoulder, a question for later, a slight tremor wracking through me when I make contact with him. He hisses, maybe in pain or maybe in pleasure, I can’t tell. But I don’t pull back.
I can’t.
Part of me wants to question the wound, the rumored hospitalization, but shock overwhelms my senses, keeps me from acknowledging anything else.
“Did you kill my father?”
His chest rises and falls with labored breaths, and there’s only a slight nod as his jaw hardens. He averts his gaze, recoiling from my touch, but I press in deeper, not wanting to sever whatever the fuck this is right now. The electricity pulsing between us, the inherent desire I feel despite the confirmation of my greatest fears.
So instead of running or retreating like I should, I push forward and connect our mouths. “Thank you,” I whisper against his lips, feeling as though he’s slayed a demon of mine. There’s a peace that washes over me in realizing my father didn’t escape his crimes.
When he kisses me back, I know that this changes things. Changes me.
And I’m completely okay with it.
* * *
Later, I lay against his chest, my legs straddling his waist, and my head brushes the bandage covering his shoulder. I sit up, fingers toying with the edge of the fabric, and cock my head at him. “You were in the hospital?”
His eyes are closed, his face turned toward the ceiling. He looks more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him, and I can’t help wondering if he feels it too. The calmness in my presence, like the ocean settling after a rugged storm. Like I could sit with him forever, and not worry about anything else.
“It’s just a flesh wound. Nothing to fret over.”
I dig the tip of my finger into the exposed skin that stretches beyond the width of the gauze; the hot reddish pink area pales under my touch, and he hisses through his teeth, jerking away. “Is this why you were ignoring me?”
He sighs, peeking at me through slits in his eyelids. As if sensing I’m not going to let up, he sighs again, deeper, the sound reverberating in my chest. “Yes. Although, clearly, I wasn’t ignoring you.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Kieran.”
“I’m serious, it was nothing. And my hospital stay was a stupid precaution that Kal suggested. I’mfine.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, barring his view of my breasts, I raise an eyebrow and just stare.
“Oh, my fuckingGod.” He groans into the air, reaching over and pulling a pillow over his face; after another loud, animalistic roar pours out of him, he tosses the cushion aside and hauls me close, gripping my chin with his fingers. His eyes are hard, green vials mixed with lust and irritation, and it makes my stomach cramp at what’s to come.
The sweet surrender, followed by the sweet symphony of admonition.
“What do you want me to say, Juliet? That I was careless and let someone ambush me? That I was so consumed with thoughts of revenge and atonement, not to mention your delectable little ass, that I didn’t hear someone approach, didn’t see them pull a gun on me?” His lips whisper against mine as he speaks, and it makes my toes curl. “Do you need me to say that, for the first time ever, I’ve not been wholly focused on my surroundings, caught up in the threat of danger that follows me, and that I paid for it?”
I swallow, my tongue sweeping out, brushing across our nearly-connected mouths. “You were shot?”
“There are a lot of people who want me dead.”
“Why?”
He pulls my head back a few inches, giving me a funny look. “Do you not know who I am? Ijusttold you I killed your father. You think he was my first?”
Pushing off his chest with my hands, I sit up straight, my fingers idly tracing the contours of his abdomen. “I mean, I know the rumors. But we’ve never really talked about that…”
His jaw clenches. “Does the truth change things?”
“It should.” Drawing circles in his skin, I hook my index finger around one puckered nipple, considering the life my sister lives. How she fell in love with a man whose soul is stained with the blood and suffering of others. How he’d do damn near anything to please her, keep her safe and loved.
Sitting here, naked on top of this dangerous man I’ve run to for comfort, I realize I already have my answer to his question.
