Page 17 of Bad Influence
“I’m here.”
I jump, turning around to see Killian behind me. He’s just taken a shower. Water drips from his wet hair and travels down his shoulders and chest, which are completely bare because he’s only wearing a towel. Tattoos cover both his arms and some of his chest, a silver chain gleams at his neck. His body is sculpted to perfection, carved from stone, and it takes everything in me not to look.
The hallway seems small and intimate. I press myself against the door to keep some distance between us. My cheeks heat with a blush I’m sure he can see.
“What’s wrong? Did you need something?” Killian asks.
He doesn’t appear bothered by the fact that he’s in a towel.
“You have visitors,” I say, my voice steady despite the shakiness in my stomach.
Killian arches an eyebrow, raising a hand to brush back his wet hair. Can arms really look like that? There are veins andmuscles which flex when he moves his arm. I have the craziest urge to bite his bicep.
I need to get out of here.
I might be sex starved, but Killian is the worst person to fantasize about. I was engaged to his brother until two days ago. Even if he didn’t hate all the drama which will come with that, I doubt Killian wants to touch me. Not that I want him to touch me.
“Caroline?”
I blink him into focus, realizing I was lost in my thoughts.
“What visitors?” Killian asks. I think there is an amused curl to his lips at my distraction.
“Eve and Lilith. They’re downstairs.”
Killian straightens. “They’re in the apartment?”
“Yes? Eve said she works with you.”
“She does, that doesn’t mean I want them in my apartment.”
I roll my eyes. “Not this again.”
His jaw flexes as he grinds his teeth. “I don’t like people in my space, Caroline.”
“And what am I?” I demand. Because he did ask me to stay. Even went so far as to threaten to carry me up here if I didn’t agree to come on my own. “Why did you ask me to stay?”
He exhales sharply, narrowing his eyes at me.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” he says through clenched teeth.
Okay, I guess we’re avoiding questions. I don’t want to talk about Beckett and he doesn’t want to tell me why he called me back here.
“Fine.”
I take a small step forward, but he doesn’t move. The hallway isn’t big enough for two people to stand side by side and I’ll only be able to leave if I sidle past him. If this is how he wants to behave, then fine.
I shift sideways and scoot past him, breathing in so no part of my body accidentally touches his. Again, I’m pretty sure there’s an amused smile somewhere near the vicinity of his lips but it’slike the man doesn’t know how to properly smile so I can’t be sure.
I exhale when I’m past him and I’m immediately surrounded by the scent of his body wash. It’s got that manly woodsy scent, maybe something cedar, which I happen to love.
I only get a few feet away before he stops me.
“Caroline?”
I look over my shoulder. He’s at the end of the hall now, the door I was standing by partially open.
“Yeah?”
