Page 28 of Captivating

I could have gone to the University of Iowa to wrestle in college if I wanted to, but I didn’t. I wanted to be here in Kroydon Hills. I wanted Dad and Hudson to train me. I wanted to spar with my cousins. I wanted to be part of the next generation of fighters representing Crucible. I’ve got no fucking clue what’s going to happen in a few years when I stop competing, but I’ll figure it out when I have to. For now, this is what I want.

Dad stands and moves around his desk. He knocks his fist gently against my heart. “Make sure your heart stays in it, kid. Because you can’t afford to lose it to something else for nine more weeks. Distractions are weaknesses, Killer. You know that.This fight is a year in the making. Don’t lose it before you step foot in the cage.”

“Locked-in. I got this.” I step away, knowing I’m going to be walking a tightrope for a few weeks, but Lilah’s safety is worth the walk.

Besides, I’ve got fucking awesome balance.

An hour later, I’m showered, packed, and standing in front of Lilah’s front door with my fist raised to knock when I come face-to-face with a giggling Dillan. “Fighter boy.” She points her finger at my chest, then leans in and taps me. “You came. Good boy.” Another tap. “Don’t let anything happen to my sister, and maybe try protecting your pretty face while you’re at it. You’re fun to look at, but that bruise...” Her finger moves up to my jaw, and she presses the bruise where Rome got me with his knee.

“Dillan—stop molesting Killian.” Nattie Ryan walks outside, her keys in her hand as she remotely starts her car, shaking her head. “God grant me the patience to deal with my headstrong daughters.” She pulls Dillan’s hand away from me and pats her like she’s a little kid. “Go wait for me in the car, sweets.”

“But—” The argument dies on the younger Ryan’s lips with one look at her mother. “Fine.”

“Sorry about Dillan. I may have filled her wine glass a few too many times.” Nattie Ryan is a gorgeous woman and looks more like she could be Lilah’s older sister than her mother. Her long golden hair and tiny frame remind me so much of her daughter, but the look in her eyes tells me she’s about to call me outon something. It’s the same look Lilah gets, only her daughter hasn’t given a shit what I’ve done for a decade. “What are you doing here, Killian? Don’t think I don’t know you and Lilah haven’t been friends for a long time.”

Christ. How many people are going to call me out tonight?

My dad, Dillan, and now Nattie Ryan.

Is my mom going to show up next?

“I’m here to help an old friend out. That’s it,” I try to rationalize, but even to me, it sounds like bullshit.

“Uh-huh. An old friend.” She looks at the bag in my hand. “You pack a bag to see all your old friends?”

I don’t bother answering. She already knows the answer.

“Yeah... didn’t think so. Listen, Killian. You’re a good kid?—”

Jesus. How many fucking people are going to call me a kid tonight?

“You always were. Brady and I knew the way Jamie, Maverick, and you watched out for Lilah in high school. You boys were so sweet. But you’re not in high school. Actions have consequences...” She takes a beat, straightens her back, and rests her hand on my shoulder. “Just tread lightly, okay? My girl is going through hell right now.”

The tiny woman looks heartbroken at the thought of Lilah hurting, but she shakes it away. Lilah Ryan would kick her mother’s ass from here to Philadelphia if she knew she was saying any of this to me, and Nattie knows it. “I’m sure I’ll see you again soon. Hopefully, before the twins’ birthday.” She squeezes my shoulder and drops her hand. “’Night.”

“’Night, Mrs. Ryan,” I murmur, stuck in the past, remembering the way Lilah used to love Noah’s and her birthday. Of course, the girl who used to loveloveand hearts and flowers and romance would be born on Valentine’s Day. The five of us always used to do something special and usually stupid, like sneaking out after curfew and getting up to something weshouldn’t have been doing. But Lilah’s hand was always in mine when we did whatever the hell we thought was cool that year.

The year she left for her first tour, her birthday was one of the last fun days we had.

Fuck.

I hadn’t thought about that in so damn long.

“Killian...” Her voice shakes me from the memory. The good and the bad parts of it. “I didn’t know you were here.”

I watch her Mom pull out of Lilah’s driveway and shrug. “Sorry. I was talking to your mom and sister. Did you know your gate was open?”

She looks at the black, wrought-iron gate in the far distance at the end of her driveway and shakes her head. “No. I didn’t. Mom must have left it open when she came in.”

“How many people have access to get in?” I push as she guides me inside and purses her lips.

“Just my immediate family. They’re the only ones with the code. Them and my security team... well, and I guess now you. You’ll need it.” Her bright blue eyes rake over my bag. “I know we talked about you spending the night, but you don’t have to. I mean—ugh. This is so frustrating. It’s just, I mean... Well, you don’t have to sleep here. You can go home. We could work something else out.”

Her creamy skin heats and pinks as she grows more and more flustered.

“Sorry, princess, but when I agreed to this, I told you I’m all-in. Where you go, I go. Where you sleep?—”

“Down the hall,” she cuts me off. “You are not sleeping in my room.”

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