Page 13 of Losing Kyler
His face softens. “Thank you, but let me sort this myself. Please.”
I hate lying to him, because there’s no way I’m letting him sleep in his car, but I can tell he isn’t going to back down so I’ve no choice. I bob my head, convincing myself it’s not so bad because I haven’t lied out loud.
“Will you be in school tomorrow? Do you want me to pick you up?” he asks.
“Yes, and I’m not sure. James said something about bodyguards earlier, so I’ll need to check with him. Plus, I don’t like the thoughts of you navigating that mob out front.”
“I’ve handled worse.” He grins.
Ky is watching us with inquisitive eyes, a concentrated frown creasing his brow.
“I’d better go.” I dart forward and press a light kiss to his cheek. “Thanks for today. I needed that.”
His smile expands. “Glad to help.” He tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “I know it seems like your world has turned upside down, but you’ll get through this. I can relate and, with time and perspective, it does get easier.”
“I hope so.” I offer him a weak smile as I climb out of his car, purposely avoiding Ky’s penetrating gaze as he stalks toward Brad’s side.
I slip into the house quietly and head toward my room. Silence surrounds me and I briefly wonder where everyone is. Throwing myself onto my bed, I bury my head in the duvet. My phone pings in my pocket and I fumble for it. It’s Rach and Jill calling, my two best friends from back home. I hold the vibrating phone in my hand, staring at it like it’s some alien object. Even though the girls are basically my surrogate sisters, I can’t summon the courage to answer. Because I won’t be able to conceal my distress and I’ll have to tell them everything, and I’m not ready for that. I needed to get all the crap off my chest earlier, and I knew Brad was a safe bet—that he wouldn’t judge me or betray my trust, but it’s different with my Irish friends. Jill and Rach practically lived in my house, and they were super fond of my parents, of Mum, in particular. I don’t want them to know what she did and not solely because I know it will tarnish their memory of her.
It’s also because I’m so ashamed.
My mum willingly slept with her brother, and that knowledge makes me so sick.
But what’s even worse is the thought that I could be a chip off the old block.
Like mother, like daughter.
Because if Ky turns out to my brother, how the hell can I stay away from him when I already love him so much?
I must’ve nodded off because the next thing I’m aware of is a persistent knocking on my door. “Faye,” James calls out. “Can I come in?”
“Sure,” I reply in a sleep-drenched voice, sitting up and pushing clumps of knotty hair out of my eyes.
James steps into the room. “Sorry for disturbing you, but I wanted to let you know that a specialist medical team is on the way. We thought it best to conduct the DNA testing here.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“They’ll arrive in twenty minutes if you want to freshen up.”
I recall episodes of crime shows I’ve watched on TV. “Are they just going to swab my mouth or something?”
“I think they’ll probably take blood samples from both of us too.”
I absentmindedly scratch my head. “Fine. Come get me when they’re here.”
I brush my teeth and drag a comb through my hair. Once I’ve pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a sweater, I set out for Ky’s room. Brad said he didn’t want me to talk to Alex, but he said nothing about Ky. Okay, I’m splitting hairs but hopefully he’ll get over it. Ky isn’t in his room, so I try the second most likely place.
The whirring noise of equipment greets me as I push open the door to the gym. Predictably, Ky is standing up on the bike, his feet working a hundred miles an hour. His workout shirt is in a discarded heap on the floor, and his muscular back glistens with sweat. My core pulses with need, and an indulgent moan escapes my lips as I close my eyes and pray for strength I’m terrified I don’t have.
When I reopen my eyes, Ky is peering at me over his shoulder. Beads of sweat dot his forehead, and his cheeks are flushed red with exertion. The bike slows down and he jumps off, grabbing a towel from the handlebars and wiping it across his slick brow. He walks toward me but I hold out a palm to stop him. “Stay right there.” I step back, flattening my body to the wall. My knees have turned to jelly, and the firm concrete against my spine is the only thing keeping me upright.
My attraction to Ky has always been off the charts, and it’s taking every morsel of self-control not to fling myself into his arms. I rub the sore spot over my chest as I force my eyes to the floor. “I need to talk to you about Brad. He’s being evicted from his house on Friday, and he has nowhere to go. I told him I’d speak to your mom, but he went apeshit on me.”
I sense Ky’s presence in front of me before his shadow darkens the floor, alerting me to his proximity. “Faye.” His voice is barely more than a whisper.
Despite my better judgment, I look up. My eyes follow a line from the defined ridges of his perfect abs, over his broad chest and shoulders, up to his stunning face. His mouth parts ever so slightly and visions of sucking his lower lip between my teeth resurrect to taunt me. I stare at his mouth, remembering how amazing he tastes, how silky smooth his lips feel moving against mine, and how luxuriant his tongue is when it caresses mine. I almost choke on the anguished lump in my throat.
Then I make a fatal mistake.
