Page 217 of Fighting Chance

“Fuck do you look good on my couch.”

My cheeks flush crimson at the blatant heat in his gaze. I look behind him as he kicks the door shut.

“Where’s Emmy?”

“Grayson called me demanding I bring his niece over.” His long strides quickly eat up the distance between us. “It’s just the two of us for the next couple of hours.”

My brow arches. “How lovely.”

Bending, he lays his forearms on the back of the couch and leans forward. The book in my hands drops as he welcomes me with a kiss.

A really fucking good kiss.

A kiss that sears my blood, that zaps me with electricity.

I hope that feeling never stops.

Pulling back, his eyes flutter open at the same time mine do.

“Hi,” he whispers.

“Hi.”

“I missed you.”

Swallowing thickly, I admit, “I missed you too.”

He juts his chin at the book I dropped. “Any good?”

“It’s amazing. I haven’t been able to put it down.”

“Any guesses?”

I cock my head from side to side. “I think the prince is actually the villain. Nothing’s hinted to it, but I have a feeling there’s going to be a plot twist and the betrayal is going to hurt.”

Tucking a lock of hair behind my ear, he playfully tugs my ponytail. “Can you pry yourself away from it for a little while?”

My smile immediately blooms. “What do you have in mind?”

His chuckle is dark as his eyes seem to blaze. “Fuck, you’re trouble. As much as I want a repeat of last night and trust me, there absolutely will be one, I think we should talk.”

My heart sinks to my stomach and it must show on my face.

Reaching out, Kieran brushes his fingers across my cheek, delicately, as if I’m precious. “Nothing bad, sunshine, I promise. I’ve just had to wade through a tricky conversation with Emmy. I think she’s noticing how close we are.”

I’m afraid to admit to myself how hard my heart is pounding, how much panic filled my body at the thought that Kieran was going to…I’m so silly. I was just thinking about how well he’s treating me. I don’t know why I don’t fully trust that he won’t hurt me.

Maybe because as much of a whirlwind it is to fall in love with Kieran Ashford, it’s just as terrifying to know that I’ll never feel this way about anyone else.

How funny that the thing I’ve been trying to push away is now the thing I want to cling on to for dear life and dread ever losing.

Nodding, I place my bookmark in my spot—once I find my page again after dropping it from that kiss—and follow Kieran out onto the back patio.

Instead of taking a seat on the outdoor patio furniture he bought a few weeks ago, he sits down on the stairs leading to the yard. Sitting beside him, Kieran spreads his legs until his knee touches mine, as if he always has to be touching me in some capacity.

Blowing out a breath, Kieran goes on to relay the conversation he had with Emmy in the car. I can’t help but feel equal partshonored and yet sad that Emmy is in the position to be asking for anicemommy.

I look out over the backyard, at the life that Kieran built with his bare hands for Emmy. I can feel his eyes searing a hole into the side of my face.