Page 80 of Last Round

“No, that wasn’t ideal.” He doesn’t say it, but I can see it written all over his bloodied and bruised, yet handsome face. He’s hurt. Not just from the few blows Sean gave him, but from losing his best friend. These two have been friends since before I was born. Gone through everything together. All of it was destroyed because of my stupid crush and refusal to leave Killian alone, even though he begged me to.Several times.“Molly, I need to ask you something very important.”

I swallow hard. Prepare to hold back the tears.It’s over. I know it.“Okay.”

“Before you left… for college… did something happen?” At my silence, he continues. “Between us, I mean. I keep having this weird déjà vu whenever I see you cry. And just now, what you said about loving me since back then. I… I need to know what happened. Did I try to do something to you?”

“Killian, oh god, no.” It’s one of those things I was happy he didn’t remember. But I guess he didn’t exactly forget either. “It was a bad time,” I defend. “You were drinking a lot, depressed about being forced to retire. You weren’t you anymore.”

“That’s no excuse if I tried to do something—”

“Killian, that’s the problem… You didn’t.”

“Your brother must’ve done a number on me, because I’m really confused.” He scratches his head.

“This is humiliating,” I mumble, but as much as it sucks, I need to clear the air. “Look, you were really drunk. I returned home from prom and you were up in the kitchen, started asking me why I was home so early. After I told you that my date was more interested in someone else, you asked if I wanted to watch a movie. Everything was going good. Honestly, it was the happiest I’d seen you in months. It was like you were back. Then there was this moment.”God, I wish I could forget this.“You looked at me and, well, I thought you were going to make a move. You were telling me how awesome and amazing I was. Then, just before I thought you might kiss me, you said—”

“You’re just like one of the guys,” he repeats the worst words ever uttered to me.

“But seriously, Killian, you were drunk. I was having a bad night and already so helplessly in love with you. But it broke my heart, and when I realized there was never going to be anything between us, I avoided you until I could leave.”

“Oh,” is all he says.

The silence seems to go on forever. “I’m going to check into a hotel.” I bite my lip as I glance at the door. I hate leaving him like this, but I’ve already caused him enough problems and now I just dumped my little teenage meltdown on him.

Maybe we should take a break, let things settle down. Let Killian decide if I’m even worth the headache. I’m not sure if they can go back to being the friends they used to be, but if I were out of the picture, they might be able to salvage their partnership.

Oh my god,what if they can’t? What if they have to shut down the bar and the gym? All those people out of a job.I’m so stupid. I was only thinking about us, and maybe Sean being a little pissed. I never thought about what would happen if they split. What that would mean for everyone else.

“Why?” Killian sits up. Tugging me back to him as I’m already pulling away.

“I told you last night.” I swallow down the tears threatening to breach the surface. “I need to stand on my own two feet. I’ve already caused you enough problems. The last thing I want is to be a burden.”Or the reason a bunch of people need a new job.

He crashes his mouth to mine, threading his fingers through my messy hair. He refuses to let me back away and kisses me deeper. “I love you.”

I stare at him, my eyes wide and my brain unsure if I heard him correctly. No, there’s no way he just said…

“I love you.” He holds my gaze. “I want you here, with me. Look, I’m sorry about back then. I was really messed up in the head. It’s no excuse, but I’m sorry. Maybe if I wouldn’t have been so lost in my shit, I would’ve realized what was going on. But I didn’t and I’m sorry I hurt you. That being said, I’m not sorry it happened—or didn’t happen—because I was no good for you… for anyone. Not at the time. And I believe things happen for a reason, because now, here we are. I love you. Everything else from before doesn’t matter anymore.”

“But what about Sean… the gym… the bar?” My resolve to leave is disappearing by the second as I slowly drown in his magnificent blue pools.

“What about them?”

“I don’t want to be the reason everyone is unemployed.”

Killian chuckles. “I promise that won’t happen.”

“But—”

He silences me with another kiss. “Ifour businesses dissolve—they won’t—but if they did, it wouldn’t be your fault. Okay?”

Taking a deep breath, I nod. My heart melts when he smiles. I drape my arms over his shoulders and snuggle in close. “Say it again.”

Killian beams, the brightest I’ve ever seen. “I love you.” We kiss again. This time, I pull him back so that he lies on top of me, nestled between my legs. He continues to tell me he loves me as his kisses trail from my mouth, down to the column of my neck.

Lowering the sheet, he latches onto my exposed breast. My eyes roll as he sucks it firmly and swirls his tongue around my nipple.

“That feels incredible,” I say, gripping his head and holding him close. Killian winces a little but doesn’t stop. “Oh shit.” I push him back. He looks up at me, blood still smeared on his face and now across me as well. I got so lost in the moment I forgot that he just got his ass kicked. “I’m sorry. Let me clean you up.” I try to sit up but Killian stops me, grabbing my wrists and pinning them above my head. “Killian—”

“In a minute… ten.” He thinks. “Twenty, then you can play naughty nurse.”

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