Page 88 of Brazen King

Tears sting the backs of my eyes as the full weight of the day comes crashing down on me. And I feel so utterly alone. I never realized how heavily I was relying on Killian to lift me up, to make the darkness in my world somehow more bearable.

He did it seemingly without trying.

Worming his way into my world and my heart so sneakily I never saw it coming.

And he knew all along.

He told me from the start how this would end.

That I would fall in love with him.

Only he never warned me how devastating it could be to lose him.

And after losing my mother and father tonight, I don’t think I’m strong enough to lose Killian too.

Snuggling close to his uninjured side, I rest my head on his strong shoulder. And there, I catch that warm familiar scent. It fills me with comfort, and I breathe deeply, taking him in.

Then I slip my fingers into his large hand.

“You better come back to me because I want to marry you, you insufferable man,” I murmur, and my heart flutters as his fingers tighten around mine.

He doesn’t wake. He doesn’t even stir. But his hold on my hand is so steady and sure, it gives me real hope for the first time. And I bury my face in his shoulder and cry.

38

KILLIAN

My mouth is like sandpaper it’s so dry, and I swallow convulsively, smacking my lips in an effort to call upon some moisture. But I’m positively parched. With a groan, I force my heavy eyelids open, and the brilliant sunlight flooding through my bedroom window lances through my head.

Then the sweetest sound known to man fills my aching ears. “Killian? Can you hear me?”

Maybe I have died and gone to heaven. Because that’s the only reason Natasha would be in my room at this hour of the day. Then again, I don’t think heaven comes with headaches, and I’m currently nursing the mother of all migraines.

Groaning again, I turn my head away from the window, toward Natasha’s voice, and with monumental effort, I pry my eyelids open once more.

The brilliant smile Natasha rewards me with has me second-guessing my state of existence once more. Because I’ve never seen anything so breathtaking. And she’s less than a foot away. It would take nothing for me to lean in and steal a kiss.

“You’re awake,” she breathes, her cool, minty breath washing across my face as she exhales with relief. And then her soft handcradles my face, shattering the last of my doubts that this is very much the world of the living.

Because she makes me feel so intensely alive.

I’m instantly aroused by her touch.

And even though I feel like I got run over by a bus, I want her with an agonizing need.

“How long was I asleep?” I ask, my voice croaking from my throat.

“Water?” she offers.

I nod, and she swiftly rolls away from me, reaching for a cup with a lid and straw. Then she turns back to me, holding it within easy reach of my lips—like an attentive nurse. The image of Natasha in a sexy nurse’s outfit immediately intensifies my arousal, and I beat it back as I take a deep pull of water. Cool relief washes down my throat, eliciting another involuntary moan.

“Three days,” she says, answering my question after a beat.

“Have you been here the whole time?” I ask, taking in her outfit for the first time.

She’s dressed in another of my button-downs, my boxers serving as a pair of shorts. And she looks as sexy as ever with her hair tumbling around her shoulders in loose, auburn locks.

Biting her lip, Natasha nods. “I didn’t want to leave before you woke up. Quinn…wasn’t sure when you would, and I just…”

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