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I staredat the blueprints in the construction office. Not being able to focus. I thought about how Killian had clearly come all this way to check on me. The nausea of the eggs was starting to kick in.
You need to shake him off. Shake him off. You’re no good for each other.
I grumbled to myself. I hadn’t been able to escape Killian all morning.
A part of me wasn’t even sure I wanted to.
Because having him here was like coming up for air after fighting against the tide.
Although the other part of me knew I shouldn't be happy to see him, I was, and the small voice in my head was thrilled at the thought that he’d come out here for me. Hell, I’d even been tempted to let him join me in the shower this morning.
It had taken everything in me not to.
Granted, I wasn’t the only reason he was here, since he was a CEO overseeing his project. But it didn’t matter to me. Knowing that he cared enough to rush to my defense made something warm unfurl in the center of my chest.
Don’t be an idiot, Meghan. Serena probably bullied him into coming out here to check on you. That’s all there is to it. Besides, he’s spent the past few weeks acting like nothing happened, remember?
As much as I wanted to cling to the hope that it meant something, I couldn’t.
I wouldn’t.
Not when nothing had changed between us.
Killian was still my boss, I was still his employee, and Serena was still his sister, and my best friend. I had spent the past two hours reminding myself of that, and I had almost succeeded in convincing myself I was reading too much into it until Killian pulled up to the construction site, and a murmur of excitement rose through the crowd.
Considering he’d pulled up to the construction site in a fancy car that drew the attention of everyone there, I shouldn’t have been surprised. As soon as news spread of his arrival, several of the construction crew rushed to greet him, introducing themselves by name. Killian shook their hands individually and flashed them all a smile. He even stayed to exchange a few words, but I could feel him glance over at me while I stood at a large wooden table, feigning interest in the blueprints.
Even though I knew them like the back of my hand.
It was easier than standing next to him and feeling like I wanted to kiss him again.
It’s better this way. The less time you spend around him, the less likely it is that the two of you are going to get caught in a lie. There’s too much at stake here, remember? Not only would Serena feel betrayed, but what about the optics?
It was my career that would go up in flames if I crossed the line.
An hour after he arrived, he was still talking to the construction crew who all formed a circle around him. With a shake of my head, I pushed myself away from the table and ducked into the public bathroom on the street opposite us. There, I avoided looking at myself in the mirror and washed my hands. I was looking for something to pat my hands dry when I caught a glimpse of my flushed cheeks, and the glimmer in my eyes.
Goddamn it.
Why couldn’t Killian have stayed in New York?
Why did he have to swoop to the rescue making it impossible to forget him?
Letting go of him should not be this hard, not when I knew what was at stake if I didn’t. Slowly, I blew out a breath and looked directly into the glass. Yet, I hardly recognized the woman glancing back at me, uncertainty written in the depth of her eyes. With a frown, I splashed cold water onto my face and shivered. Then I patted my hands dry on the back of my jeans. As soon as I set foot outside, a warm breeze rustled past me, bringing the salty smell of the ocean with it. At the top of the stairs, Killian stood, with his back turned to me and looking out over the water.
“Are you stalking me?”
“I wanted a better view of the property, Meg,” Killian replied, without looking at me. “Not everything is about you, you know.”
I came to a stand next to him. “It is a great location.”
Killian nodded. “Well, aren’t you going to give me the grand tour?”
While I showed him around the construction site, pausing to point out various areas that still needed work, we kept getting interrupted. Eventually, Killian wandered over to me and towards the edge of the construction site. A small circle formed around him as he spoke, and a hush fell over the crowd.
They hung on his every word.
Suddenly, I was reminded of why people liked Killian as a leader.
