Page 105 of Keep Me

“What do you want to do now?” I ask.

“Go back to that big ol’ house and shag like animals,” he suggests while holding his beer to his lips.

“Before that,” I reply with a lazy, half-drunk smile.

“Go walk on the beach, I suppose.”

“Okay,” I say, nodding as I grab his fingers.

The wind has died down a bit as we take a stroll along the water. It’s surprisingly blue and clear, but as he promised, it’s ice cold. Still, it’s beautiful to be out.

“Didn’t you ever go on vacation with your family as a kid?” Iask as we walk.

He shrugs. “Of course. We spent summers in Greece and Italy when I was a kid.”

“Didn’t you like it?” I ask.

“Not as much as being home,” he replies, and I chew on the inside of my lip, uneasy with that answer.

I’ve never pried much into what happened to Killian’s parents or why it seemed to have hit him so hard. I don’t want to open up old wounds for him, but I can’t help but feel as if that wound didn’t heal properly. How do you fix what’s broken without breaking it further?

Instead, I squeeze his hand and offer him a hint of a smile. His hair has grown out again. Not as long as it was at Christmas, but past his ears again. It’s time for another cut, but I also enjoy the many variations of Killian.

In truth, I did fall recklessly in love with him. The hate I once felt never went away—it just changed. The passion is a different color now.

But loving someone is terrifying, and this feeling is nothing like it was with Aaron. If I let Killian get hurt, I’ll never forgive myself. As hard as I’m trying to make things right, I feel this looming darkness up ahead reminding me that my bottom line is his best interest, and that’s never happened to me before. I’ve only ever looked out for myself, but now, I have him.

But having him and keeping him safe aren’t necessarily the same thing.

“For a woman at the beach with her incredibly handsome husband, you look awfully depressed.”

He knocks on my shoulder, and I force a smile.

“I’d be less depressed if you jumped in that water,” I tease back.

“With you?” he replies, grinning mischievously.

I yank my hand away. “Oh, absolutely not with me.”

“We’re married, darling. We do everything together. Comehere. Let’s go swimming.”

I take off in a sprint away from him with a shriek, but I don’t make it far before he scoops me up from around my waist. I’m screaming and laughing as he carries me toward the rising tide.

“Killian, stop it!” I shout hysterically.

But I know my husband better than I know anyone, and this man doesn’t back down from a challenge. I’ve brought this one on myself.

The next thing I know, the waves are rushing toward us, soaking us from our knees down in frigid water. But he doesn’t stop. He keeps on marching.

I’m caught in a fit of laughter as I cling to his body to climb out of the water. Due to his height, he’s getting far wetter than I am.

“You brute!” I scream as another wave crashes into us, soaking us to the bone.

“Just think how fun it will be to get warmed up after this!” he replies with a laugh. His smile is wide and warm and genuine, and it doesn’t even matter how cold the water is or how uncomfortable these wet shoes are now. That smile is worth everything.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Killian is still sprawled out naked on the bed when I come out of the shower.

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