Page 26 of Sugar Coated

I showered, dressed, did my hair in cute waves. By the time I went downstairs, I found Mike in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. I slid onto one of the stools around the island and stared at his wide, strong back as I said, “It’s a little late for breakfast, don’t you think?”

Without looking at me, Mike said, “It’s not for me. It’s for you.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but someone else strolled into the kitchen—Kieran. He walked a little stiffer than he normally did, and as he went for the fridge he quipped, “Awe, you shouldn’t have, but I’ll never say no to eggs and bacon.”

The glare Mike sent his way made it obvious the food was indeed for me and not Kieran, but the hard look slid right off Kieran as he pulled out the orange juice from the refrigerator.

“Next time,” Kieran went on as he pulled down two glasses, “I’d prefer an omelet with diced peppers, sausage, cheddar cheese, and bacon bits lightly sprinkled on top.” He poured out two equal glasses of orange juice and slid one my way with a wink.

I caught the glass and couldn’t resist the smile that fought its way to the surface on my face. Thankfully, I now had a glass of orange juice to hide behind.

Kieran grimaced as he sat on the stool beside me, his dark eyes twinkling as he studied me. The wave to my pink and blue hair, the clothes I wore; the way he looked at me right then, it was a good thing my dad and Tessa weren’t around. And then, as if his stare didn’t say it already, he leaned over to me and whispered, “You really are a sight for sore eyes.”

A blush fought its way up my cheeks, but Mike had a reply ready: “Are your eyes that sore, Kieran?” There was an edge to his deep voice, one that wasn’t normally there, and that told me he still battled with his own internal feelings of jealousy.

“As a matter of fact, they are.” Though Kieran was answering Mike, he stared at me the whole time, like he couldn’t take his eyes off me. I supposed, after being in a coma for a while, he wanted to memorize me or something.

My talk with him yesterday was alive and vivid in my mind, and the question remained: what was Kieran to me? He certainly wasn’t a step-uncle. He wasn’t even the annoying bodyguard heused to be. He was… God, he was so much more than that, but I couldn’t put it into words yet.

“Very sore eyes,” Kieran whispered, and unless I was going mad, I detected a hint of desire in those words. Or maybe it was my own twisted desire for him I knew I shouldn’t feel but did anyways that I sensed.

If looks could speak words, Kieran and I would’ve been knee-deep in a conversation—a conversation Mike interrupted by setting a plate and a fork in front of me and ordering me, “Eat.”

I was slow to pick up the fork, finally tearing my eyes away from Kieran. Now that I had a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of me, my belly rumbled and reminded me I was, in fact, starving. It was a good thing the food was mounded up; it’d definitely fill me.

Kieran’s hands gestured to the empty area in front of him. “Where’s mine?”

Mike took the pan he used to the sink, rinsing it out. “You want food, make it yourself.”

“Is that any way to treat the man who saved Laina’s life?” Kieran’s sarcastic question makes both me and Mike look at him, and I’d bet both Mike and I were thinking about how Kieran wasn’t the only one who saved my life.

Nope. Now Mike and Fang were in that club, too; something Kieran didn’t know.

“Next time maybe I’ll let the bullet hit her—” Kieran stopped himself from finishing that sentence, immediately telling me, “No, that’s a lie. You know I’d never let that happen.”

With a mouth full of food, I muttered, “Your jokes are a little rusty.”

Kieran shrugged. “Yeah, I guess being in a coma after saving someone’s life does that to you. Have I mentioned I saved your life lately? Get ready to hear about it at least twice every hour.I’m going to constantly remind everyone in this house that I am a hero and I should be worshiped like a god—”

“So you want everyone to worship you?” I asked, pausing my eating to take a sip of the orange juice.

He shrugged. “I’d settle for just you.” That statement made Mike cough at the sink, and Kieran straightened himself out and flashed me a bright smile. “So what’s the plan for today?”

“Mike and I are going to swing by the store to get me a new phone, and then we’re visiting Lola,” I told him. I’d slept in more than I thought, so I ate as fast as I could.

“Why do you need a new phone?” The innocent question made me tense up, and I had to remind myself that no one else in this house knew about my second kidnapping. The way Kieran watched me made me think he was simply curious and a bit confused.

“Oh, you know. Just time for an upgrade” was my excuse. “What are you going to do today?”

Kieran’s brows furrowed. “I’m coming with you, obviously.” Even Mike stared at him after that, though he didn’t say a word. His incredulous stare, combined with mine, forced him to add, “What? No way I’m staying here all day by myself like some home-bound—”

“Coma patient?” I offered.

“I’m not in a coma anymore.”

“Clearly, but you were still shot, and I can tell by the way you move, you’re sore.”

Kieran shrugged again. “I just need a couple of slow days, that’s all. Going to the store to get a new phone? What’s slower than that? Hint: the answer is nothing, especially if there’s a line of people waiting to be helped before you get there. It could be an all-day thing.” He coughed. “Why, uh, are we visiting Lola after, though? Are you best friends now or something?”

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