Page 59 of Bad Influence
“Did you take a shower on Mars? You’re all red.”
“My skin will calm down in a bit, don’t worry.” I take a seat next to him.
“Do you have to shower with water hotter than the seventh circle of hell?” Killian asks, amused.
“You honestly don’t even feel it,” I say.
“How can you? Your skin is burned off.”
I giggle as he looks me over, probably trying to find burn marks. Honestly, the shower isn’t that hot usually. I prefer mild to hot water rather than scalding hot water my seven generations are going to feel the effect of.
Shaking his head, Killian dishes out our food. We eat quietly, a comedy police procedural playing on the TV. The show is good, but I’m distracted by what’s going to happen once we’re finished eating.
“If you don’t finish all your food, I’m not going to do this,” Killian says.
“I can’t eat more,” I protest. “There’s only so much room.”
He puts a dim sum and a spring roll on my plate. “Eat these, and then you’re good.”
He usually doesn’t push me when it comes to food. As long as he knows I’m eating he doesn’t care what it is, how much of it I’m eating, and when I’m eating. Maybe he’s just as nervous as I am if he wants to delay this a bit more.
It takes me no time to eat the dim sum and spring roll. I get up and carry my plate to the kitchen, washing it and setting it aside to dry.
When I turn around, Killian is still sitting on the couch. He’s not eating and he doesn’t look away from the TV, not that I think he’s actually watching it.
I clear my throat gently. “I’m going to get ready.”
Turning slightly, he looks at me over his shoulder. “I’ll meet you up in my studio.”
I tell him I’m going to be up in thirty minutes. I already know what I’m going to wear so that just leaves me thirty minutes todo my hair and hope that it sits exactly the way I want it to. I walk back into the bathroom and grab my roller brush and hairdryer and get to work.
Once my hair is up in my curlers and I’ve sprayed enough hairspray to last me through the apocalypse, I step out of the bathroom. The TV is off, the lights are dim, and Killian is nowhere to be seen.
My heart is in my throat as I walk to my room and close the door behind me. I’m taking a huge risk here. Possibly even bigger than running away in the middle of the night.
I have a lot of second thoughts as I change into the outfit I chose for this. What if Killian asks me to leave once he sees it? What if it makes things awkward between us? What if it changes everything, and not in the way I want it to?
I look in the mirror hanging on the back of my door. My hair is bouncy and curly, my clothes make me look beautiful. More than that, they make me look desirable. That’s not something I’ve ever felt in my life.
I think back to earlier, and the way Killian had looked at my mouth. The almost hungry look that crossed his eyes, almost longing. Now that I think about it, I can’t decide if it was my feelings or his.
I don’t have the time to second-guess the decision. Killian is waiting for me and I don’t want him to think that I’ve changed my mind.
Taking a deep, bracing breath, and willing my heart to calm down, I open my door and walk out into the quiet living room.
I take the stairs up to the second floor. The sun has completely set now, the sky dark. The city shines in the distance. I haven’t been to the second floor since my first day here. As I turn the corner to the hallway leading to the three rooms, I notice one of them is slightly ajar, light spilling out into the darkened hallway.
I hear Killian setting up inside. Music is playing softlythrough the speakers. It’s not the loud rock music from before. This one is more pop and I can’t help but think he’s done it for my benefit.
I stand at the door breathing in and out. Once I feel like my breath is steady and I won’t pass out, I walk through the door.
As soon as I enter the song changes and The Weeknd’sMoth to a Flamestarts playing. Killian’s back is to me and he must hear me enter because he turns around. As soon as his eyes land on me, the brushes he’s holding in his hand drop to the floor.
“Fuck,” he breaths softly, his eyes raking over my body. I feel his heated gaze along my bare skin, burning a path across my body.
The only thing I’m wearing is a pair of lacy panties and a long silk robe in blood red. I have the robe resting off my shoulder and dipping low enough to reveal a hint of cleavage. It’s got large bell sleeves and lace along the edges. I kept my makeup light, but I added a blood red lipstick to match the robe.
“Fuck,” Killian says again. “This is what you’re going to wear?”
