Page 62 of Slaying for Santa
As Kit closes the distance, he holds something out to me, and my gaze falls on Christmas wrapping paper and a little red bow.
My brows shoot up as I glance back up at him.
“A gift. From Santa.” He smirks, and shit, I can’t even fight the way my lips start to spread wider in a grin.
“Sant…” I clear my throat and try again. “Santa?”
He nods, lowering to sit on the mattress by my side.
“Special delivery.” He presses it into my hands, forcing me to take it.
“I don’t have anything for you,” I rasp, my moodplummeting as this stupid fucking rollercoaster I’m on drops low again.
“Trust me, this gift is for both of us.”
When I lock eyes with him, mine burn with the threat of tears, and he must notice, his own gaze softening.
“You’re okay, Bell. Libi’s okay. We are all okay.”
“But Libi… Kit, she won’t be okay. This will haunt her.”
His eyes drop to my lap as he nods. “I know. I’ve already reached out to my therapist to get the details of one that can help her.”
“You have a therapist?” I whisper, but he hears, those blue eyes flicking back up to mine as he nods.
“I do. I know Tillie would have told you what we both suffered through as kids. I work on that shit every fucking day to make sure I’m the best dad I can be for my little girl.”
Shit. I don’t know why that surprises me so much, but it does.
Kit can be a hard arse. He’s not a feelings kind of guy, although, I must admit the way he’s been with me has opened my eyes to a different version of him.
“Has Libi spoken much about what happened?” I ask, worrying my lip between my teeth for a moment. “I don’t exactly remember much, but I remember her. I woke up to her little hand stroking my head, begging for me to wake up. She sounded so scared, Kitson. So bloody scared.”
His eyes glass over with a wet sheen, revealing his vulnerability.
“Things could have been worse for her if you hadn’t gone there, but fuck, Bell. What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I’m some badass serial killer that lures predators in and kills them without too much drama.” I shrug, cringing. “This time, I’ll admit, I was in over my head.”
His hand darts up to cup my face as he tugs me closer, his eyes wild.
“No fucking shit. They drugged you. Fuck, Bell. You could have been killed.”
“I know,” I breathe as he stares so deeply into my eyes that I swear he can see all of my secrets. “I would have happily died for her though. You know that, right?”
“I fucking know,” he rasps, emotion clogging his throat before he presses his lips to mine.
I’m really not used to kissing so much. It’s entirely possible I have a new addiction though, because kissing Kitson Hall is quickly replacing my need for breath play.
Shit. There are so many feelings rushing through me right now as our tongues brush. I feel like I can’t get close enough, and I can hardly understand it since I really prefer space rather than human contact if I can help it.
When he breaks the kiss, all I can focus on is the threat of tears I’m not used to giving in to, and I force my eyes low, hoping he doesn’t see.
“Hey.” His fingers hook under my chin, lifting my head so I have no choice but to look at him. “I’m sorry you got dragged into all of this. And I’m really fucking sorry they drugged you. But I’m not sorry for the way I feel about you, Bell. Not one fucking bit. None of that has changed for me. If anything, the fact you willingly put yourself in danger to save my little girl has only solidified my feelings for you.”
When I part my lips to speak, his finger presses to them, shushing me.
“Yes, Bell. I have feelings for you. Strong feelings. And yeah, I know they are largely tied to how well we match in the bedroom, but fuck, I can’t deny that we are pretty fucking compatible out of it as well.”
