Page 38 of Where Broken Wings Fly

She really can’t stand me. I’ve seriously fucked this up.

“No, Mummy.” Arianna crosses her arms in defiance. “I want to stay out here with the pretty flowers and the giant.”

“You can come back after you’ve eaten.”

“I’m not hungry,” she whines. “You can’t make me eat.”

Willow bites her lip as she awkwardly lowers to her knees, fighting hard to conceal her pain from us. Arms outstretched, she beckons Arianna into her welcoming embrace.

“Now, what have I said about mealtimes?”

Arianna’s eyes are downcast. “That if I don’t eat, I won’t grow to be a big girl.”

“Exactly. There’s plenty of food here, so no excuses.”

“But—”

“You want to grow up to be big and strong like Killian, the giant?”

Sparing me a doe-eyed look, Arianna unveils an innocent smile that steals my breath away. I don’t know how to react, shuffling my feet like a damned idiot instead. These two are confusing the fuck out of me.

“Yes, I do,” she declares.

“Then march yourself inside and eat the food Lola has made for you. No arguments, missus.”

“Fine,” Arianna drawls. “But then I’m coming back outside.”

Willow watches as she races back across the clearing and inside Lola’s cabin, already shouting for her great-grandmother’s attention. I have no idea how Arianna’s smart-mouthed attitude came from someone as reserved as Willow.

When she tries to stand back up, she gasps in pain and nearly falls flat on her perfectly round ass. I move lightning fast, catching Willow in my arms before her legs crumple beneath her. It happens before I know what I’m doing.

Her hazel eyes are blown wide, and she stares up at me, her glistening lips parted on a breath. The swirling depths of her brown and green irises threaten to breach every last shield I’ve constructed over the years.

“Thank you,” she murmurs quietly.

“Don’t mention it.”

“You can let go of me now.”

Clearing my suddenly thick throat, I set her back on her feet and step backwards. “You should take your own advice. Go let Lola feed you.”

“Is that another order, Killian?”

There’s a playful smirk stretched across her inviting mouth. A weird sense of tension is snapping between us. Jesus Christ. I think I preferred it when she was scared of me and flinching from my touch. That was at least simpler.

Right now, all I can think about is sealing my lips on hers and seeing if she tastes as sweet as she acts. I’ve already seen what’s beneath her clothing, and the sight of her wearing my shirt has haunted my dreams ever since.

“You bet it is.”

“Interesting,” she quips. “I thought Lola told you off for doing that.”

“Lola isn’t here, is she?”

The need to drag her into my arms, pin her there for the rest of her goddamn life and feel her gorgeous curves in my hands is riding me hard. I don’t know this woman, but I still want to claim her as my own.

What is wrong with me?

Zach stops by my side and flashes her a blazing grin. His presence snaps us both out of it, taking a step back from each other. Somehow, we gravitated closer. My fingers are still twitching with the urge to stroke her black curls.

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