Page 23 of Captivating

“Did you mean what you said last night?” Her voice is barely above a whisper, and it kills me to hear it like that. Hearherlike that.

“Every fucking word.”

She paces Brynlee’s office like a wild animal, desperate to break its confines. “This doesn’t change anything. I still hate you, St. James.”

Those words sting as much today as they did a decade ago, but this clusterfuck of a situation might finally be my chance to right a fucking wrong and fix it all. “You never hated me, princess, and this changes everything.”

A million emotions flash across her beautiful face before she settles on a sad smile I can’t stand to see. “You broke me once, Killian. I won’t let you do that again.”

“Then why trust me with this?” I step up into her space, tired of this bullshit dance we’re dancing and take her hand in mine. “Why come to me if you hate me as much as you claim to?” When she doesn’t answer, I close the distance between us. “Because I don’t think you ever really hated me. You hated yourself. You hated what happened. And yeah, you hated my part in it. But I’m gonna bet you never hated me. And now, I’m the only one who can protect you. Karma’s a bitch, princess.”

Fire erupts in her cheeks, and her eyes glitter with anger.

Mission accomplished.

I can handle pissed-off Lilah. Broken Lilah isn’t an option.

“But here’s the thing...” I take my life in my hands and cup her face, praying she doesn’t kick me in the balls. “Deep down, you know no one in this world will keep you as safe as I will.Some things don’t change, no matter how many years and how big a distance. And that will never change. That’s why you’re standing here.”

She gently pulls my hands away from her face. “I’m standing here because if I didn’t agree to increased security, they weren’t going to let me finish my tour, and I refuse to tell tens of thousands of fans that I’m canceling the rest of the stops on my tour. I’m not letting someone else dictate my career when I’ve been the one busting my ass for it for ten years. I’m standing here because you offered, and I’d rather deal with the devil I know. So I guess I need to know if you were serious last night.”

“As a heart attack,” I snap. No second-guessing. No fear. No question.

She nods and turns away from me, and the loss of contact shouldn’t feel like this. It’s not even physical contact. It’s the loss of her gaze on me that feels fucking cold.

“Do you think you could spend a few nights at my place? It’s just... Noah moved back into his own place today.Mainly because I forced him...” she mumbles the last sentence under her breath. “And the label agreed to you, if you stay close. I told them you were the only one I wanted inside my house.”

Knowing that shouldn’t make me feel like a fucking king.

But it does.

I move behind her, careful not to touch. “I’ll be there tonight after training.”

“Killian—” She spins and bounces right against my chest. Her hands press against my abs, and my hands steady her shoulders. “Why would you do this? What’s in it for you?”

Fuck, she’s so pretty when she forgets she hates me.

She’s pretty damn gorgeous when she remembers it too.

Fuck.

“Because it’s you. I’d do anything for you, Lilah.” Always would. Some things you know deep in your soul won’t everchange. Loving Lilah Ryan in one way or another was never going to change for me. Maybe this is my chance to change it for her... Maybe.

“Not anything, champ.” She reaches her hand up like she’s going to touch my face but drops it instead. “My assistant set up a meal service for me. If you text me what you like to eat, I’ll make sure we’re stocked.”

“I’m in training?—”

“Chicken and brown rice?” she asks, and I nod. “Broccoli? Salmon? Protein shakes?”

“Yeah . . .” Fuck . . . she remembers.

“Okay. I guess I’ll see you tonight. We can talk about everything then.” Lilah steps around me. “Please apologize to your dad for me. I didn’t mean to interrupt your training.”

I shrug, and she smiles. “I mean, it looked like Rome was kicking your ass, so maybe I was helping you.”

“Rome wasn’t winning, princess.” Fuck that. She saw one move. One distractionthat she caused.

“Whatever you’ve gotta tell yourself to sleep at night, St. James. I’ll make sure Noah’s bed has clean sheets to lie to yourself in.” She giggles as she opens the door.

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