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Something snapped in me after I heard Kieran call me a lamb. Well, this lamb decided to eat the wolf for a change. If I could turn back time, I would shake the girl I used to be for loving the boy who turned out to be a cold, unaffected, ruthless asshole.
Kieran thinks he can control me, bend me. Not anymore. I am done. I stare at his retreating body, that body that was pressed on mine. Goose bumps hurry down my body. No, I stomp over that spark of unwelcome desire and head toward the house.
I yell after him, but he ignores me. He wants to be difficult, I’ll give him difficult. And with that thought, I fall asleep with a smile on my face.
The next morning, I find Tamara in the kitchen. Her warm, brown eyes look at me cautiously. “Good morning. Hungry?”
“Morning. May I ask you something?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Will you deliver my food to my room from now on?”
When my question is met with silence, I add, “Or I can just come and take it myself.”
“Take a seat, please.”
I do, and she pours some coffee and places it in front of me.“Kieran is not a bad guy.”
I suppress a snort and she adds, “He had to grow up quickly, and his ways might be questionable, but I know he’s doing this to protect you.”
“Maybe he is, but I am not a child.”
“No, you’re not.”
I guess after my mental breakdown, stubbornness is my new trait. I sigh, knowing I’m not doing myself any favors by behaving like this. Still, the frustration, the pain, the lack of being able to be my own person, blinds me.
After I eat a few bites of oatmeal, I decide to explore the house. I step inside a room where hundreds of books surround me. A gorgeous library with a glass wall where the forest stretches out in the distance. This could be my favorite place. I pick a fantasy book and get lost in a faraway land where magic exists.
My stomach growls. When I peer up from my book, I find Kieran leaning against the doorframe. It would be impossible to ignore him with the intensity staring back at me. His presence alone demands attention. My heart and my belly flutter as if sparrows spread their wings inside me. He’s beautiful, in a hard way. Hard jaw, hard chest, hard body. Every inch of him is rugged perfection.
I swallow and jut my chin. “What do you want?”
“Is this how you’re going to behave from now on?”
Gnashing my teeth, I turn the page.
“Lunch is ready.”
Letters jumble on the page as I chase after focus. But it’s hopeless. “Don’t you have anything better to do than look after me?”
I snap the book shut, taking it with me, and pass him by. Our hands brush, and a current zaps through me, unbalancing me. Kieran grips my elbow and his long fingers curl around my skin.He towers over me. He could overpower me so easily, dominate me.
Why does that sound thrilling?
I find his gaze, and in those depths, I see hunger and conflict brewing. I blink and it’s gone, replaced by irritation. Yanking my arm away, I take the stairs to my room, my heart beating frantically.
Hours go by as I binge-read the book before I give in to the necessity of eating.
I tiptoe downstairs. Inside the kitchen, the moon casts a dim light. I open the fridge, taking the casserole out.
After a few bites of vegetables and meat, the commotion at the entrance door startles me. With the lights turned off in the kitchen, I breathe a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, the lights turn on, cutting my luck short. Kieran stands in the doorway, cocking his head to the side. His presence sends awareness through me. It’s a heady feeling, being under his scrutiny.
“We should talk about how our marriage is not going to happen,” I say as I stand up and rinse the plate.
The bastard steps inside. Every step toward me is flowing cockiness, as if he couldn’t wait for me to challenge him.
