Page 88 of Remnants
Kell tears himself away, his face pinched and serious for a change. “I’m sorry for everything that happened in the past. If I hadn’t—”
I cover his lips with my fingers to stop him. “I don’t blame you—any of you—for that. Not anymore,” I add, because I had before. I’d blamed them for what Gordon did to me. For letting that man control me and do what he pleased. I thought it would help me to move on from them if I blamed Gordon’s actions on them. If I hated Aiden, most of all, when I thought he had left me on the island. It wasn’t until I was with Gordon the last time that I realized…none of us were responsible for Gordon’s actions.Hewas the one to blame. For all of it. Not them. And not myself. “We were stupid kids then. How were any of us going to understand what Gordon was capable of?”
“We still should have fought for you,” he argues.
“I killed one of us. Of course, you weren’t going to jump to my rescue.”
Kellan releases a frustrated growl. “You’re giving us too much leeway that we don’t deserve.” He cups my face, and I lean into it. “But I’ll take it anyway. Anything, if it means we get to keep you. Because I won’t make the same mistake again. I won’t let you go.” He slips his hand into my hair, wrapping the back of my head and drawing me close.
He presses a featherlight kiss to my temple. “Let me be your armor.” My cheek. “Your shield.” Kell crooks a finger under my chin and lifts it, adding another kiss under my jaw. The side of my neck. “I was always meant to be that, for you.” His lips find mine, coaxingthem apart with excruciating slowness. His languorous tongue caresses mine, spreading warmth through my limbs. “I love you, Raegan LaRoux, or Laivins, or whatever last name you want.”
“I love you, too,” I confess. He looks surprised, either by my admission or how quickly I said it. “I’m not just saying it. I think…I always have. Even when I tried to forget you, or when you all hated me…I could never let you go. There’s no one else for me but the four of you.”
“Fuck, beautiful,” he breathes, kissing me again like he can never get enough.
A voice clears above us.
I jerk back, suddenly remembering that I’m wearing nothing but a bra and socks, and Kellan’s completely naked, where we’re wrapped up in each other.
“I would ask if you were attacked based on the state of this room, but unless it was a clothing thief, I’m forced to assume you’re the culprits behind this mess?” Aiden inquires smoothly, a single brow raised in a silent demand for an explanation.
He’s standing on this side of the counter, deftly undoing the buttons on his suit jacket and sliding it free. Stepping closer, he fans it out behind me and settles it over my shoulders.
Fabric plops to the floor beside him. My pants and shoes. I glance up, finding Jackson smiling at me from where he’s crouched on top of the counter. Kellan’s pants, boxer briefs, and shoes drop next on the other side of him.
“When people heard crashing sounds coming from here, they thought we were under attack. You’re lucky Jackson heard it firstand blocked the door from anyone trying to come check it out.” Dane’s voice carries from behind the counter and out of my view. I hurriedly stand and tug my pants and shoes on, giving Kell room to do the same.
I look around the room and cringe at what I see. Half the tables and chairs are gone, mere piles of dust on the floor. The rest of them, well, the ones that aren’t bent out of shape or missing legs, are strewn about. The mini kitchen has the worst of it. Missing chunks of counter. Food and supplies cover the floor. The prep table is warped and dented so far that it’ll be a miracle if the cabinet doors on that side manage to open.
Tucking my arms into Aiden’s jacket, I wrap it more tightly around my upper half so I’m covered. His thumb traces something on my neck, an angry crease furrowing his brow. Aiden glares at Kellan, who stands but hasn’t bothered with his clothes. “Was it necessary for you to mar her whole body with your mouth?”
Kell laughs, his smile as wide and bright as can be. “Just marking what’s mine,” he responds, a challenge flashing in his eyes as he holds Aiden’s stare.
Fucking shit stirrer.
I’m close enough to Aiden that I can feel his body tense.
Fuck.
I need to figure out how to deal with Aiden’s possessive and jealous nature, and fast. Calling him out in an open challenge like Kellan’s doing isn’t the way to do it.
“Don’t be a prick, Kell,” I cut in, trying to stop that shit before it goes downhill.
“And get dressed already,” Dane throws in. “That should be rule number one in this relationship. When you’re not actively using it, put it away. I think I’ve seen your dick more in the last month than I’ve seen our girl naked. There’s something wrong with those numbers.”
Kellan howls with laughter, throwing his head back and slapping the countertop. His head drops down, and he looks prepared to say something else, but thankfully Aiden intervenes.
“Yes, get some clothes on. And then I expect an explanation for why you chose to destroy the Guild’s snack and shake bar.”
I duck my head, heat creeping up my neck.
Aiden turns to me, his dark gaze sweeping me from head to toe. “I’ll call Cassandra to heal the bruising from Kellan. Are you injured anywhere else?”
“What? No, of course not. Why would you think he—” I stop short when Aiden’s eyes trail to the disfigured metal. The destroyed cabinets and counters. “Oh. No, I’m fine. His gift was active, and mine, which is what caused the mess.” Ah! Which reminds me…“Kell!” I grab his arm as he’s buckling his pants. “Your gift. How did you turn it on without getting hurt?”
He lifts his arm and looks at it with a concentrated gaze. “I don’t know. One minute, I was raging mad at Rafe, and the next, it was there. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Why were you mad at Rafe?” Aiden asks.
