Page 20 of Wild Desire

"Is that what you do when you're with Riley?" I couldn't help but ask him.

Killian's brow furrowed. "I've never taken Riley out to lunch. I might order food in, but we never ate out together."

I wasn't sure how to interpret that. It sounded like he didn't have a personal relationship with her, but I wasn't sure how that was possible. I'd seen the pictures online. She was a beautiful woman, and they were together all the time. Maybe it was a friends-with-benefits situation. Either way, Killian was out of my league.

6

KILLIAN

Lunch was enlightening. Noelle was harboring an illusion that she was seen as the maid's kid around the resort, and that couldn't be further from the truth. I always saw her as competition on the slopes and a friend off.

She was good, and she worked hard to get better. She deserved every bit of success she got on the mountain. I never saw her as a charity case.

I hated to hear that she felt like we were somehow better than her. That she couldn't hope to be more than a maid's daughter. But I didn't want to push it. It seemed to be a core-deep issue with her.

It explained a lot. Why she worked so hard. Why she didn't let anyone help her.

Her family was important to her too. She took care of them without complaint. She'd given up on her dreams to support them. Would I have done the same?

I wasn't sure I would. I wasn't in the same situation. I never had to worry about where money was coming from. My parents didn't need my help, and even if they did, I had numerous brothers and a sister who could have stepped in.

They were the ones who'd taken over the resort while I did my thing. I never questioned it. It was always assumed they'd bear the responsibility of the business while I pursued my career. But Noelle didn't have that luxury.

It only made me respect her more. I couldn't have done what she did. She put her family first and gave up on her dreams. As much as I respected it, I also felt bad that she didn't get to pursue her desires.

I wasn't sure what to do about the situation. It bothered me, but she wouldn't let anyone help her.

We made our way outside, and Noelle said, "The toy store is only a few stores down. Can you walk?"

I was tired and achy from the therapy. I felt like an old man. Working out shouldn't be this hard. But I didn't want to let Noelle know any of that. "I can handle it."

"Do you need to take more pain pills?" she asked, her tone laced with concern.

"I'll grab some when we get home." And then I wanted to take a nap.

Noelle opened the door to the shop for me, and I walked inside. The store was packed with toys.

"He loves building things. You could get some smaller Lego sets that don't take long to build."

I grabbed two boxes. "What else?"

"He said paper and crayons."

"That's easy enough."

"You could probably get some cars and figures too. Kids that age love to play pretend."

I waited while Noelle dug through the bins of toys. When she was happy with her selections, we took our items to the counter.

"Can you grab my wallet?" I asked, both of my arms were occupied with the crutches.

Noelle raised a brow.

"It's in my front right pocket."

"Your right or mine?" she asked as she moved close.

"Mine."

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