Page 34 of My Masked Savior
“Still living with you?”
“Yeah.” He picks at the label on his beer bottle. “We’re looking at houses, actually. Something outside the city. She wants a garden.”
I raise an eyebrow. “A garden.”
“Don’t start.”
“I’m not starting anything. Just didn’t picture you as the white picket fence type.”
“Yeah, well.” He shrugs. “Things change when you meet someone who makes you want to be better.”
“Better,” I repeat. “That’s what you’re calling it?”
“Says the guy who literally stalked a girl to another state.”
“That was different.”
“How?”
“I was keeping her safe.”
Killian laughs, loud enough that a few people at nearby tables glance over. “Right. Safe. That’s what you were doing, watching her through windows on Christmas Eve.”
“You followed Emily before Halloween.”
“And I’m not pretending it was noble.” He leans back against the booth. “I knew what I was doing. Knew it was obsessive and wrong, and I didn’t give a fuck because I couldn’t stay away from her.”
I don’t respond.
“That’s the difference between us, D. I own what I am. You’re still trying to convince yourself you’re some kind of protector.”
“I am protecting her.”
“From what? Her ex, who hasn’t actually done anything yet? Or from yourself?”
“Marco’s a threat.”
“Maybe. But that’s not why you’re with her.” He holds my gaze. “You wanted her the second you saw her. Everything else is just justification.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” He leans forward. “Emily got kidnapped because of me. Because I couldn’t let her go, couldn’t keep my distance. You think I don’t recognize the same pattern when I see it?”
“Morgan’s situation is completely different.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
Ethan returns before I can respond, sliding back into the booth with a satisfied expression.
“Caleb’s in,” he announces. “He’ll meet with the friend tomorrow. He wants to assess the situation himself before committing long-term.”
“Good.” I pull out my phone to text Morgan. “Where?”
“His new place. I’ll send you the address.”
My phone buzzes with Ethan’s text containing Caleb’s address. I forward it to Morgan along with a brief explanation.
“When’s the last time you saw him?” I ask Ethan.
