Page 92 of Wait For It

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.”

In spite of the serious nature of Killian’s confession, I burst out laughing. Given that my preliminary plan had involved using him as a means of escape, it seemed like an entirely logical response.

“They tried to wean me off my seizure medication. Turns out, that was a terrible idea,” I explained with another chuckle.

Killian, however, did not share my humor. His lovely and decidedly un-caterpillar-like eyebrows pulled together in concern as he took in my reaction. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry—”

My smile faded. I hated that his rejection could crush my spirit as easily as his absence had. “You’re sorry—so, you came all this way just to clear your conscience?”

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