Page 73 of Keep Me

But when I open the bathroom door, I’m met with those menacing eyes again, and it takes me by surprise. Lorna is waiting for me in the hall.

“Excuse me,” I mumble softly before trying to squeeze past her.

“You and my nephew are getting along well,” she says, stopping me in my tracks. We’re alone in the hall, far enough away from the party to not be overheard.

I swallow my discomfort and turn toward her. “It’s all for show. I promise you.”

“It doesn’t look like it’s for show.”

Her expression is cold and flat. It reminds me of my mother, and I tighten my hands into fists to fight the anger coursing through my veins.

I hide it by giving her a simple shrug. “Does it matter? We’ll still get through the first year, and everything will go as planned.”

Her eyes crease as she leans against the wall. “Will it?”

“Of course.”

As she takes a step toward me, I bite back everything I want to spew at her.

“Good,” she seethes. “Because if anything goes wrong, then you won’t see a dime of that money.”

“You don’t think I’m aware of that?” I snap back.

“If I were you, I’d be more careful not to let Killian mistake your feelings for him. You are nothing more than a clause in a contract.”

“What do you think I’m doing?” I reply in a heated but hushed tone. “I’m doing everything I was told to do.”

She steps closer, so we are basically in each other’s faces. “I see the way you look at him. I don’t even want to know what filthy things you did to him upstairs. And I’m telling you now, harboring feelings for my nephew won’t change a thing. You can’t stop us from getting that house, and if you even think about getting in our way, you’ll be going back to America worse off than when you came here.”

I want to shove her. My hands itch to reach out and throw her against the wall, and I don’t care how elderly she is. But one deep breath stops me.

Instead, I get in her face. With a snarl, I point a finger at her and it takes her by surprise. Her eyes are wide with fear as she gazes up at me.

“Don’t you dare threaten me. I’m only here for my money, and then I’m gone, but don’t forget that you need me. So you should think twice before you get in my face again.”

I hear footsteps behind me, but I’m too lost in my rage to stop. There’s a nagging reminder in the back of my mind that I don’t want Killian to hear any of this. He can’t know the truth.

“Sylvie,” he mutters from the end of the hall.

Without turning my gaze away from Lorna, I continue. “You are nothing but an old hag, and you don’t care about Killian at all. So if you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave him alone. Don’t look at him. Don’t talk to him. And if you eventhinkabout coming to Barclay Manor, just knowyou’llleave worse than when you came.”

“Sylvie.” Killian’s voice is a harsh bark. Then I feel his warm hand around my arm, and I stand upright to find that my hands are shaking. I gaze up into Killian’s eyes, and instead of a scowl of anger, he gives me a hint of a smile.

He runs his thumb along my jaw. “Come on, darling. Let’s go home.”

In the distance, I hear cheers and the crowd singing “Auld Lang Syne.”

Shakily, I nod. I bury myself under his arm, and he pulls me out of the hallway toward the front door. We leave without even saying goodbye to his brothers and sister.

“Happy New Year!” someone shouts toward us, but we are moving too quickly toward the exit.

The next thing I know, he’s covering me with his jacket and pulling me out the front door. Peter is there waiting for us, and Killian guides me into the back seat. There are fireworks lighting up the sky in red and gold, but I’m too focused on him. Once we’re settled in the car, Killian tilts my face toward him again.

Gazing up into his eyes, I feel something I never felt with him before. It’s a feeling without words, or if it has words, I don’t have the capacity to conjure them at this moment. It feels likemineandhome. Safety. Comfort.

I look at him, and it feels like I’m looking at myself.

He inches his face closer to mine, and I close the distance, finding his lips with mine. I kiss him differently this time. Not like I need something physical, but like I need something emotional. When our lips touch, it’s like I’m pulling him inside me. Inside my mind and my heart.

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