25. Lilah
LILAH
Dance in the center of the storm.
Let the music soothe your soul and heal your heart.
Not a bad lyric.
—Lilah’s Secret Thoughts
“ I thought you said it was just us tonight.” Killian buries his head in my neck and pulls me against him once he sees the friends and family filling my house a few hours after the fight.
“Oopsie,” I whisper. “Everyone wanted to celebrate, and I couldn’t tell them no. Between Dillan and Rome, food was ordered, booze was ordered, and Xander was basically losing his mind over the security aspect of it all.”
“Lilah,” he grumbles so only I can hear him. “You and me and blueberry pancakes. That’s all I wanted. You—naked—with nothing but that ring on your finger.”
“And you’ll have it. I promise. Just as soon as they all leave.” I frame his face with my hands. “I love you. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, princess. I know.”
“Good. Because here comes your mom, and she’s pissed.” Basically announcing to the world we were engaged before we announced it to our families didn’t exactly sit right with Scarlet St. James. No shocker there. This woman runs a billion-dollar empire. She’s not big on surprises.
She stops next to us and hands me a glass of champagne, then taps her crystal flute against mine. “To the real prize.”
My eyes grow wide as I look from Killian to his mother, confused.
Scarlet shakes her head. “We all knew it would be the two of you eventually.” She lifts my hand and smiles at her son. “You did well, Kill.” She kisses his cheek, then purses her lips. “Now give us a minute.”
He doesn’t move until I smile. “Go. I’ll find you.”
And moving a little slower than usual, the man I love more than anything in the world walks away, sore and tired and not at all in the mood to deal with a house full of people. I make a mental note to surprise him with blueberry pancakes from The Busy Bee in the morning.
Scarlet links her arm through mine. “Walk with me, Lilah.”
You’d think it was her house, with the way she walks me out of the crowded family room and into my quiet music room. She drags a finger along the piano, and my cheeks flush, thinking about exactly what her son has done to me on the instrument. If Scarlet notices, she’s gracious enough to ignore the reaction. “How are you doing? Watching them fight can be hard.”
“I’m fine. Just glad it’s over. I think he’s a little frustrated by all the people here though.” I’m not sure what she wants to know, but I don’t think that was the real question.
That’s still coming.
“It doesn’t get easier, you know,” she muses as she walks over to the wall of windows and looks out at the stars. “Watching the people you love subject themselves to the same pain over and over again. It takes a toll on us as much emotionally as it does on them physically.”
Now we’re getting somewhere.
She’s not talking about tonight’s fight.
“I guess it’s good that we learn from each fight then. It gives us a chance to understand what happened, so we don’t make those same mistakes again,” I counter, and a predatory grin spreads on Scarlet’s face. “He never told me what happened in high school,” I admit, showing my hand, unwilling to play this game of words with Killian’s mother.
“But you know now.”
“I do. And we worked it out between us, which is exactly where it’s going to stay,” I warn, because I’m not sure where she’s going, but if she’s about to try to warn me off her son or tell me I’m not good for him, she’s about to have a hell of a fight on her hands.
She blows out a breath, appearing almost regal.
Like a queen readying for battle.
“He may be the fighter, but you’re the stronger of the two of you. I’m going to need you to remember that. You will be his home. His anchor. You’ll be his why. That’s a heavy crown to wear. But you were born to wear it, Lilah. Your mother and I had many nights with many drinks over the years, and we knew it back then too. Don’t give up on your love, and don’t let him either.” She runs her hand over the cool window, then turns to look at me. “I hate what you both went through in high school, but you both needed to see what was out there in the world to know you were what each other needed.”
“I hate that I couldn’t see what was right in front of my face,” I admit, disappointed in myself. “I wish I could go back and stop it from happening. I hate that she got away with it. She should have hurt the way we did. She should have hurt worse.”
“Oh, sweet girl.” Scarlet wraps an arm around me and lowers her voice. “She didn’t get away with anything. Like I said, you’re the stronger of the two of you. And so am I. We women generally are. And no one will ever hurt my family and get away with it. That goes for you too. You’re part of the family now. And we’re more powerful than most people could ever fathom. If you need anything at all, you ask. Do you understand?”
“No,” I whisper, shocked by her confession that’s also a non-confession.
Scarlet skips over any mention of Gia Petrillo. “You know King Corp. is always looking for good investments, and I heard you may be shopping for a new label.”
“What— How...?” I swallow and fight to keep my breathing steady. “Huh?”
“I’ve always loved music. We should talk before you leave on your tour. Stop by my office Monday. Bring Noah if you want, but leave your manager at home. This is between family. If you want to involve her later, go ahead.”
“I don’t understand,” I whisper, not comprehending what she’s trying to tell me.
“Lilah, I’m going to give you the opportunity to own your music and your label and your future. A partnership. If you’re going to be a member of my family, no one should ever have the right to dictate your life to you ever again. You’ve earned that, Kingston or not. I’ve followed you. I know your numbers. I know your worth. I want to make sure you know it too.” She tugs me along as she starts to walk. “Come to the offices Monday. My morning is open.”
We walk, arm in arm, out of the music room and follow the sounds of celebration back to the others. “Oh—and Lilah...”
I stop and look at my future mother-in-law, a little shaken.
“Don’t even think about eloping. I have one son, and I want to dance with him at his wedding. You’ll understand one day.” She leans in slowly and kisses my forehead. “Welcome to the family.”
Holy. Shit.
I pick up the last of the glasses and add them to the dishwasher as Killian yanks the garbage bag from the cabinet, sulking.
“It’s not that late,” I giggle, and he drops the bag and storms across the room like I just rang the bell at the start of the fight. He lifts me up and plants my ass on the counter, then steps between my thighs.
“I asked you to marry me six fucking hours ago, princess. I was supposed to be buried inside you four fucking hours ago. Only I’ve had to play nice with my parents and yours. Our friends. Our cousins. Fuck. Half of Kroydon Hills was in your house tonight, cockblocking me.” He looks pitiful as he pouts and is still somehow the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.
“Our house,” I correct him, then wince. “I mean, I’d like it to be our house. I love this house and hoped when I built it, I could make it feel like home. I didn’t know that what it needed to feel that way was you. But it did. You make it home, so I’m kinda hoping since you’re stuck with me forever, maybe you’d agree to live here... with me?”
I drag the tip of my finger gently over the bruise blooming on his jaw, then run my lips along the same trail.
“So long as you’re with me, I don’t care where we live, Lilah. Where you are, I’ll be. Whether that’s here or on a tour bus. No more distance. We’ve done that. It’s you and me now.”
“Killian,” I sigh as he leans in and licks up my neck. “You can’t go on tour with me. You’ve got a life and a job and training. It’s two months, and I can fly home between a few of the stops.”
I whimper when his teeth scrape my rapidly racing pulse point.
“Want to try that again? Because you can bet your perfect little heart-shaped ass you’re not going on this tour alone.” Killian plants a palm flat against the counter and dares me to challenge him as his other hand slides up the leggings I changed into once we got home.
God, I love this man.
“No snappy comeback, baby?”
I shake my head and run my hands under his t-shirt.
“Just thinking about how fucking hot I’ve been for you all night tonight, champ.” I lean in and nip his ear. “How wet and hot?—”
No sooner do the words leave my mouth than my leggings are ripped from my legs and his sweatpants are shoved below his ass. “Not gonna be gentle this time, baby. That okay?”
“I don’t want gentle.” I crash my mouth to his and bite down on his lip, nearly drawing blood when he slams his cock inside me in one powerful move.
He lifts me from the counter, and I link my legs around his waist and my arms around his shoulder as he holds me like a rag doll while he pounds into me over and over and over again. Hitting that spot that blows my mind every time.
“Fuck, princess. I’m not gonna last this time.”
“Oh God, Killian. I’m so close.” The whole night has been one giant tease. Like foreplay on crack. And the stroke of his cock brings me closer to that high that’s just out of reach.
“Fuck yeah, you are. Having you there.” He drags himself out and digs his fingers into my bare ass. “Having you watch me.”
I hang on for dear life when he thrusts back up.
“Knowing you were my prize. That this tight little cunt was mine, and my prize was going to be losing myself inside you all night. Fuck, baby. Nothing in the world better than that.”
Oh. My. God.
Killian roars his release, and that’s it.
That’s all it takes for me to shatter around him.
He slows his thrusts, working me through my orgasm.
I gasp for air and press my lips against his. “I think we’re going to need our own plane and maybe our own floor of the hotels, so we can do that whenever we want without anyone hearing us.”
“Let them hear, Lilah. We’ve got ten years to make up for.”
“Let them hear, huh? That sounds like a good song title to me,” I joke as he sets my feet on the floor and kicks off his pants.
“You gonna write a song about me, princess?’
“They’ve all been about you, champ.” I pull my t-shirt over my head and stand naked in front of him, loving the way I look in his eyes. “Every single one.”