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“Come, pet.”
I step into the shower at his urging. He joins me, closing the door. The hot water sprays down on me, sending red swirls down the drain. John’s blood…
Kieran rubs my arms, as if he’s trying to keep me warm. I shake my head, pushing him away.
“You shouldn’t be in here.”
“You don’t need to be alone right now.” His gaze searches mine. “Let me get this blood off you, Ari, and then we can talk.”
Without waiting for me to answer, he makes quick work of washing me. It’s all very clinical, but I can’t stop the heat that zings through my body at his touch. I’ve missed him, and that makes me the most pathetic person in the world.
When he’s satisfied that I’m clean, he turns off the water and reaches for a towel, wrapping it around me. I step out of the shower, making my way to his room. He’s right behind me and goes to the closet, coming back with my nightshirt.
“Here.”
“Why is this in here?”
He doesn’t answer, so I take the nightshirt from him, putting it on. He disappears into the closet and comes back in nothing but sweatpants.
“Get on the bed.”
“Why?”
“So we can talk.”
I climb onto the bed, painfully aware of my lack of undergarments. He reaches for a throw blanket and puts it across my lap before sitting next to me.
“Better now?”
“I’m still not sure what happened today.” I moisten my lips. “You knew Clayton was going to kill John?”
“I suspected that was his plan.”
“How?”
“A gut feeling after speaking to him. He was too sure that you were going to marry him after his father’s death. It was like he knew the exact date, which put me on alert.”
“It put me on alert, too.” I meet his gaze. “Why were you even there? I thought you said you didn’t care about me.”
“I was so fucking wrong to say that.”
“But you did.”
“I did,” he agrees. “Ari, there’s so much that I need to say to you, and I’m not sure where to start.”
“Why does it even matter? Our deal is finished. You don’t owe me anything.” My eyes widen in fear. “Unless you don’t consider our deal complete since John is dead?”
“Fuck our deal, okay? Just… just let me talk.”
I nod, unsure what he has to say that’s so important.
He stands, pacing.
“I’ve made such a fucking mess out of things. I guess the only place to start is from the beginning.” He faces me, inhaling. “Many years ago, I fell in love with my high school sweetheart. We met my sophomore year after Sabrina Ursuland took me in. It was love at first sight.”
My chest tightens. “I really don’t want to hear how you and Jane fell in love.”
“It wasn’t Jane. It was a woman named Minerva. Minerva Bailey.”
