Page 45 of Wild Desire

I rolled my eyes. "I date."

Killian lowered his voice. "Just not anyone special enough to bring home."

"I guess so." I never allowed myself to get close to anyone. I was too busy, but also the memory of Killian not responding to my kiss was fresh in my mind. I didn't trust my judgment. Did the guy like me as much as I liked him? It was too much. It was easier to keep my distance. If I didn't let anyone in, I couldn't get hurt.

Unfortunately, Killian standing in my family's living room was wreaking havoc on my heart rate. One second it was racing, and the next it slowed, and there was no one else in the room except for us.

Killian pointed to one of my Easter pictures where I wore a yellow dress and gripped a basket full of candy and eggs. "You look so innocent here."

Maybe I had been at one time before the weight of the world rested on my shoulders. I'd been trying to help my family for as long as I could remember.

Killian's hand brushed against mine, and I wondered if it was on purpose. Did he want me to feel a connection with him?

He didn't need to touch me for that to happen. The more time we spent together, the closer I felt to him. And the real Killian was nothing like that glossy version of him on the covers of sports magazines.

"I'm going to tell Winnie and Christopher that dinner's ready," Mom said as she went upstairs.

The first few rows of pictures were all me. "I was an only child for a long time. Then Mom met Christopher and Winnie's dad, and we hoped that we would be a family. But then he got a job in another state and left. It was devastating for Mom. Then her back went out?—"

Killian's fingers, which had been brushing against mine, wrapped around my hand. "That's when you stepped up."

The touch sent an electric shock through my arm, straight to my heart, which was racing out of control again. His palm resting against mine felt so good. It had been so long since I accepted any kind of comfort from someone outside my family. I never let any of the guys I dated see my home, these pictures, or my heart. I felt splayed open as if Killian could see everything inside me.

"What's for dinner?" Christopher said, jogging down the stairs.

"Enchiladas! Don't you ever listen?" Winnie asked him, and I grinned at Killian. I never had siblings in my formidable years, so I didn't have anyone to fight with. It was fun to watch these two.

"Hey, you two. We have company. No fighting." Mom followed them into the kitchen.

I pulled away from Killian, not wanting anyone to think that there was something between me and him.

Winnie drew up short. "Oh, that's right. Killian's here."

"Why's he here?" Christopher asked as his gaze went to us.

"Don't be rude," Mom chided.

"He's my guest. He was getting tired of being in the condo," I said feeling a little flustered that I'd just been holding Killian's hand. Why had he done that? It felt like something you would do if you were more than friends. But we'd never been that.

"But you have that rooftop pool and hot tub. If I lived in one of those condos, I'd spend all of my time there."

"Well, I haven't seen the rooftop pool yet," I teased.

"It's not exactly warm outside," Killian said. "But we could try out the hot tub sometime."

My body heated at the thought. It probably wasn't a good idea to be half naked in a hot tub with Killian.

"Come eat. Dinner's ready."

We sat at the large family table, the only one in the house. We didn't have anything fancy like a separate dining room. I was tense, worried that Killian would think we were less than because things were different here than at the Wildes.

Killian sat next to me, and his hand rested on my thigh.

I gave him a sharp look, but he kept his gaze trained on my mom. "Thank you for having me over for dinner, Bianca. Everything looks delicious."

Mom beamed. "Well, thank you. It's nice to have someone so well-mannered at our dinner table for once."

Winnie rolled her eyes. "Mom."

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