Page 56 of Bad Influence
He goes quiet, his eyes shifting beyond me.
“No matter what happens you need to be prepared,” he says. “You can counter sue, but you need to prove that Beckett actually cheated.”
“Where am I going to find the proof? It’s not like he’s going to admit in court to being stabbed in the ass by his fiancé because he cheated.”
I pushed my hand through my hair. “I don’t even want to think about this. I don’t want to think about Beckett. Every time I do, I feel like there’s something wrapping around my neck and I can’t breathe.”
Killian turns to me. Placing both hands on my face, he tilts my head back until I’m looking at me. The metal of his rings is warm from his heat. My breath catches slightly when I realize how close he’s standing to me. I can see the gold flecks in his blue eyes, see exactly how long his lashes are. Why are they so long? It’s completely unfair.
“Listen to me. I’m right here,” he says. “You don’t have to worry about anything. If Beckett does anything we’ll take care of it together.”
I wrap my hand around his wrist. This is the closest we’ve ever been and it’s doing something to me I can’t explain. Why do I want to believe him? Why do I want tolet him take care of it all? I should be able to do it on my own.
“You don’t have to do that,” I say. “I can take care of this. It’s my mess.”
He swipes his thumb back-and-forth across my cheek. “I know you can take care of it. That’s not going to stop me from being by your side. Even if you don’t need my help, I’m right here.”
I don’t even know what to say to that. My heart races inside my chest because of his proximity. Living together, we do spend a lot of time with each other. But we always maintain a safe distance from each other. This time he’s deliberately stepped into my personal space. He’s letting me know that he’s there for me. I can’t remember a time when anyone has done that.
“Trust me, Caroline. I realize I’ve already made the mistake of leaving you once. I’m not going to do that again.”
“You didn’t leave me. I’m the one who didn’t want to go with you,” I whisper. And it’s a decision I’ve regretted a lot in the last five years.
“Maybe if I’d asked again, things would have been different.” His eyes drop down to my mouth and my lips tingle with the need to be kissed. My breath stutters in my chest. This feels like it’s happening too fast and at the same time something that should have happened a long time ago.
“You two realize this is a place of business, right?”
Killian and I jump away from each other, turning to see Eve standing in the narrow hallway. Her arms are crossed and she’s leaning her shoulder against the door frame.
“I’m still here,” she says. “The two of you live together, can’t you do this at home?”
“Eve,” Killian says, in that gruff way of his. “We’re not doing anything.”
Eve looks back-and-forth between us, clearly not believing a word Killian’s just said. “I have eyes. I can see exactly what you two were doing.”
“It’s not like that,” I say with a laugh. “I mean, that’s absurd. Killian is my friend. He was just trying to help.”
Now both Eve and Killian are looking at me strangely. Something flickers in Killian’s eyes that I don’t want to acknowledge. It’s not like I’ve told a lie. Killian is my friend. It’s only that sometimes he feels like more. I don’t know what that more is and I’m not sure if it’s something we should explore.
“If you say so,” Eve says. She definitely doesn’t believe us.
“Well, I’m done with my last client and Lilith is waiting for me at home so I’m going to head out,” she adds. “You two kids continue doing whatever it is that you want me to think you’re not doing.”
With a knowing laugh, she turns away, her footsteps echoing as she leaves the shop.
“Ignore her,” Killian says.
“I was planning on it,” I reply.
“Let me just finish up in here, and then we can leave.”
With a grateful nod, I walk out of his station and back to the front. I dim the lights and lock the door. It takes Killian another fifteen minutes to clean and prep his station for tomorrow. Meanwhile, I go over my résumé again.
I was a good student and I graduated top of my class in law school. That coupled with the fact that my family runs one of the top law firms in California means my résumé should be enough to get me some interviews, if not a job, right away.
“What are you doing?”
Startled, I look over my shoulder and see Killian standing there looking at my laptop screen. I place a hand over my chest, breathing out.
