Page 94 of Vengeful Guard

I stand up. “Excuse me for just a moment. I’ll be right back.”

I make my way to the hallway where the bathroom is, but footsteps behind me have anxiety flowing through me as I whirl around.

I look up into blue eyes and let out a long breath. “Kael. You scared the hell out of me.”

“Didn’t mean to scare you,” he mumbles. “I just wanted to warn you about how you’ve been looking at me.”

I stare at him, narrowing my eyes. “About how I’ve been what now?”

“You keep looking at me like you want to eat me up.”

“I keep looking at you like I want you?” Is he shitting me right now? “Your eyes have been on my ass and legs all damn night!”

He huffs out a breath. “I didn’t say I was doing much better. But I don’t want your father or Declan to be suspicious. Besides, it is my job to look out for you. Keep my eye on you.”

“So, what am I supposed to do? Not look at you while you’re undressing me with your eyes? Pretend I’m indifferent when I can just about feel your gaze on my skin?”

Kael growls. “If it were up to me, you’d be feeling a lot more than just my gaze.”

He closes his eyes and takes a breath through his distended nostrils. “That was out of line. I’m sorry. You’re right. I need to do better.”

“I told you, it was a one-time thing. Look at who my family is. Even if I was interested, which I’m not saying I am, there’s no way we could ever be anything else than each other’s dirty secret. And I deserve better.”

“You sure don’t look like you’re saying you are not interested either when you look at me like that.” He takes a step closer, backing me against the wall, and my eyes dart to my father, who’s still talking with Ricardo. “And I agree, princess, you do deserve better.”

He presses himself fully against me. “But I’m still going to keep my eyes on you because that’s my job!”

“Looking at my ass isn’t,” I drawl, and Kael smirks slightly.

“I guess not.”

His eyes are on mine, and he leans down.

If I tilted my chin up just right, my lips would meet his and?—

He kisses me, sliding his tongue into my mouth, and I taste lime on his tongue.

My arms immediately go around his neck, and I lean against him, but then he pulls away, grinning.

“Tell me again you don’t want to continue this.”

I glare up at him and open my mouth to speak, but the words won’t come.

Kael chuckles shaking his head. “Right there with you, princess.”

I groan and walk into the bathroom. I do my business and then wash my hands and face, staring at myself in the mirror.

“What are you doing, Paige Burke?”

I keep having these little flashes of memory, the way Kael kissed me so hungrily, the way he felt inside me, stretching me out. Just the thought of it makes me heat between my legs, and I hate myself.

Kael Sullivan doesn’t care about me. He’s not my guy, not my happily ever after, and he never will be. He can’t be.

So, why do I feel this way about him? Is this just how lust is?

God, I wish I could talk to Lara about this. I wish I could get my big sister’s advice, but I don’t trust that she wouldn’t tell Declan or Gray, or even worse, Da.

Declan’s distracted because his wife is pregnant, and Gray is distracted dealing with all this Niall business, so I’m lucky that they haven’t figured it out yet.

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