Page 74 of Fighting Chance

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“It’s fine,” he cuts me off, stirring the sauce.

Guilt is an ugly emotion, one that settles deep within my gut as his shoulders tense. Moving behind him, I gently place my hand on his back and at first, he flinches, that single reaction making the guilt inside me grow to a mountainous height. Yet as I keep my touch on him, he relaxes ever so slowly.

“I’m sorry,” I say, my words thick. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

Kieran turns his head, his five o’clock stubble grazing his black T-shirt. “I’m not a liar. I’m many things, but I’m not a liar,Layla,” he whispers.

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“I’m sorry, I let my shock get the best of me. Can you forgive me?”

He’s quiet for a moment, his eyes trailing down my body, taking in every inch as if he’s committing me asking for forgiveness to memory. He places the wooden spoon down and turns. “Care to make it up to me?” he finally asks.

My lips twitch at that. “What do you have in mind, Ashford?”

“A date.”

My eyes bulge and before I can protest, he lifts his hand up to silence me.

“You called me a liar. I think I deserve a date.”

I scoff. Kieran doesn’t date…never has and never will. Whatever made him do this streak of celibacy doesn’t change the fact that he doesn’t spend more than one night with a woman.

“I’m your nanny,” I say as an answer.

All he does is shrug. “So? Be my nannyandgo on a date with me.”

Rolling my eyes, I move past him to grab bowls for the pasta. “Taking your flirting game a little too far this time, don’t we think?”

He steps behind me. “Who said it was ever a game?”

“Everything to you is a game,” I whisper.

Maybe I’m trying to protect my heart, maybe the look in his gaze scared the hell out of me, but the second I say it I regret it immediately, especially as something in his eyes shutters and he steps away.

Now I’ve well and truly put my foot in my mouth.

Kieran recovers quickly, pretending nothing is wrong but for the rest of the night he doesn’t flirt with me and I have to keep telling myself it’s because Emmy is with us.

But I can’t get his look of pain out of my mind.