Page 55 of Wild Desire

"My siblings are so much younger. We don't give each other a hard time." We were there for each other through everything.

"I didn't want to leave you alone, but Carolina whisked you away."

I rested a hand on Killian's thigh, and when the muscles under my palm tightened, I immediately withdrew. "It was fine. You don't have to worry about me."

"But I do," Killian said simply, and my heart rate picked up.

Food was passed around, and talk centered around the hot tubs Walker installed at the cabins.

"I'll have to show you the hot tub on the rooftop deck," Killian said so only I could hear.

"Tonight?" I don't know why I was being so bold. Getting into a hot tub with Killian was a very bad idea. I behaved myself when I helped him in the shower because he was my charge. It was my job to look after him. But this felt social, and time spent in a hot tub at night felt naughty. That was outside the scope of my duties.

"You want to?" Killian asked; his eyes darkened with what I could only describe as heat.

"Yeah, I'd like that." My mouth was dry, and I didn't have an explanation for why I was flirting with Killian. Hewasn't interested in me. He was just being nice. There was no alternative reason to get me in the hot tub.

He wasn't harboring some kind of childhood crush for me. Or even an adult one for that matter. I was letting my overactive imagination get away from me. The one that only seemed to pop up around Killian Wilde.

"There's a maple syrup festival going on at one of the farms tomorrow. It sounds like fun," Carolina said.

"Oh, I want to go," Dakota said.

"The flyer said they'll have pancakes and syrup to buy and demonstrations. There's also hiking."

"I want to go," Killian said.

"You want to go to a syrup festival?" I asked him, surprised he was interested in a local festival.

Killian shrugged. "Yeah, why not? You want to go with me?"

"It's my job to go where you want me to go."

"So if I insist you get in the hot tub tonight, you can't say no?" Killian asked softly.

"I already agreed, but I don't think it's in my job description."

Killian placed a hand on the back of my chair, leaning in. "I wouldn't want to slip on the deck getting in."

I shook my head. "When you put it like that, it does sound like it's business then."

"I wouldn't call it business. More like keeping an eye on me." Killian flashed me a wink, and everything inside of me melted.

We were seated so close. I wondered if anyone else could see the effect he had on me.

Talk turned to Dakota and her involvement in the art club at school and drop-in volleyball nights. It sounded like she was settling in with Walker and enjoying her new life here.

I couldn't imagine what she went through when her mother died and she found the father she never knew about.

Sometimes, the Wildes' lives felt like a fairytale whereas the Richards' were grounded in reality. A sometimes-grim reality. There was never enough money to go around. My brother and sister were growing quickly and constantly needed new clothes and shoes. Their school activities came with a price tag. And I didn't want Mom to worry about any of it.

"Are you okay? You got quiet there for a second."

"I was just thinking about how different my family is from yours." The Wildes didn't talk or even worry about money. There was a feeling of abundance, whether it was money, resources, love, or affection. There was enough of all of it to go around.

"I enjoyed my time with your family. Just because it's smaller doesn't mean there's any less love."

"I guess." Didn't he see how small our family home was compared to his?

---