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“Iris. What’s wrong?” Kane replaced the lid on the paint and crossed to her. When he reached for her, she put a hand in the air.
“I can’t. This…I can’t…it’s too. You’re too…” Iris waved her hands in the air, gulping for breath.
“I’m what?” Kane asked, confusion on his face.
“You’re here. You’re too here. Involved. Nice. I’m supposed to do this on my own.” Iris gasped, fanning her face. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, feeling like she was kicking a puppy.
“Just breathe,” Kane said, keeping his voice calm.
Iris gripped the table again and bent over, sucking her breath in. She started when he lifted her hair, then released a sigh when a cool cloth touched the sensitive skin at the back of her neck.
“Thanks,” Iris bit out.
“That usually helps me. I don’t have ice, but ice helps, too, when my anxiety gets too bad. Just dunking your face in a bowl of ice water can sometimes stop a panic attack in its tracks,” Kane said.
“Duly noted,” Iris said. She needed him to leave. He was too close.
She was too close.
To falling for this man.
“You know what you need?” Kane asked.
“What’s that?” Iris asked and, despite wanting space from him, curiosity won out.
“Otters,” Kane said.
“Otters?” At that, Iris did look up, confusion pushing her anxiety aside.
“Yup. Otters. In the car, Iris. You’re going for a ride.”
“No, I can’t. I have things to do. That’s the point…I can’t just follow what you want…” Iris stopped when Kane held up his hand.
“The otters are hungry, Iris. Are you saying they don’t deserve food too?”
“What does that even have to do with anything? I have so much work to do. Here. Not at an otter farm. Or whatever…” Iris said.
“Precisely the point. Get your coat.” Kane stood at the door, keys in hand, and Iris knew he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“What if I hate otters?” Iris grumbled, mad at him for no reason and every reason.
“Then we’ll just have to change your opinion, won’t we?” Kane grinned at Iris when she bared her teeth at him, but his ploy worked, and her panic attack receded.
Just another reason to be annoyed with him.
Chapter 17
The panic was easy to recognize.
It was the same that he’d seen in his own reflection over the past six months of being unable to write. The ice trick was something Grant had told him about and, he had to admit, there was a time or two that it had come through for him. He hated seeing the same look in Iris’s eyes, as though she was a cornered animal ready to lash out, but he also could understand where her emotions came from.
In many respects, she was fighting for her life.
It didn’t take a psychology degree to make the leap that Kane’s presence in Iris’s life was triggering for her at the moment. Particularly when she was so fresh from a catastrophic breakup that had destroyed her business. It wasn’t like this was some nine-to-five job where she clocked in, took a paycheck, and never thought about work at home. For Iris, work was deeply personal.
Kane could understand that. His was much the same. So personal, in fact, that he’d yet to disclose his pen name to Iris. A few times, he had toyed with telling her that he wrote the books she had raved about, but then he’d stopped. He wanted Iris to like him for him, not for his fame. Maybe it wasn’t the best move, but he would tell her eventually. Knowing her and her abilities, she probably already knew who he was and was just respecting his privacy.
Which, again, made him like her even more.
