Page 99 of Through the Water

“Aren’t you glad you decided to take my advice?” she whispered with a smug grin.

“That’s not been officially decided…” My words cut off abruptly as I registered the movement.

Killian was crossing the lobby, his icy blue eyes holding me captive. As he wasn’t passing through people, I could only assume that this time, he wasn’t a figment of my imagination.

I tried straightening to meet his piercing gaze, only to suck in a strangled breath. The nest of birds had gathered around my heart, poking and prodding it to take a leap right out of my chest. Anything to be near him.

He didn’t feel the same way I did, and his sudden reappearance didn’t change that. He was probably just here to sign some papers or grab a sandwich because he missed the cafeteria’s food.

While I tried rationalizing his presence, my heart was busy working through a slew of new tricks like a well-trained puppy.

Roll over.

Sit up and beg.

Play dead.

This did nothing in the way of calming my nerves. I released a ragged exhale, completely winded just by the sight of him.

Tsega disentangled herself from my grip and pushed me toward him with a decidedly unprofessional snort. “You’re welcome.”

His grin widened as he came to a stop in front of me.

I channeled every bit of my focus into not jumping into his arms.

Mainly because he still had the one crutch.

But also, because he left with no explanation.

“Did you…” I cleared my throat, struggling to keep the affection out of my voice. “Did you forget something?”

“Yeah.” Killian nodded before reaching up to cup my cheek, letting his thumb caress my bottom lip. “This.”

His head lowered to mine, and I forgot to breathe—forgot that someone might see—forgot anything that existed beyond the two of us. It was selfish, but I’d missed the feeling of finding my face reflected in his eyes and basking in the glow of his attention.

I watched from under my lashes, wanting to witness the moment Killian claimed my mouth with his. Instead, he held back, letting his forehead rest against mine while his thumb continued tracing a path across my lips.

More.

“I needed this,” he murmured, his minty breath warming my skin.

The fluttering in my chest migrated lower, leaving me aching for the unfamiliar. A man shouldn’t have had the ability to work me into a frenzy just by breathing on me.

Clearly, my previous heart issues were just indicators of a more serious underlying condition. A condition that left me willing to give up my plans of escape for more of Killian.

The moment ended just as quickly as it began when someone announced the bus’ arrival. I pulled away, expecting an audience, but it seemed the massive art installation just off the elevators had kept us hidden from view.

In fact, the only person watching was Killian. His chest rose and fell steadily as he waited for me to say something. His self-control might have remained intact, but I was on the verge of spontaneously combusting and needed a moment to collect myself.

We hadn’t seen each other in ten days, and I wasn’t ready to walk away again, even if Tsega had insisted that the aquarium was a good time.

I wanted answers—and more kissing, dammit!

“Ari.”

I shook my head, still wrestling with my emotions. “Not yet. I’m not ready.”

Killian released a pained breath before taking a step back. There was nothing calm in the way he dragged his hands through his hair. “Look, Fynn said seizures could be caused by stress. I felt like—like maybe I was taking advantage of a situation.”

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