Chapter Three
Kiera
Almost dying is not a great start at starting over.
Lying in a hospital bed covered with just an itchy gown, I am shuddering beneath the bright lights. My skin is feverish, but I am frozen to the bone. The nurses said that is common after what happened. Hearing them call it a near drowning experience was the second catalyst of my life.
I almost died after barely living at all.
“Some contusions and bruising of your ribs, you will be in some discomfort for a few days. No head trauma. It was a near miss.”
Nodding as I tug the light blanket up to my chin, I agree. It was close. I cannot remember being hit by the riptide, but I remember being beneath the water. For a moment, I was sure I would rise to the surface; I had no idea it was as powerful as it was. Nothing I did, no twist or kick, no effort I made got me to the surface before everything went black.
One moment I was choking on saltwater and the next, I was staring up at Killian. Something hot, intense, twists in my stomach as I recall that moment. Staring up at his handsome face with his dirty blonde hair and intense green eyes as he waited for me to come back to life.
That hot twist in my gut is about more than being saved, more than surviving. It is coming out of the darkness to find Killian there, waiting for me. Wanting me to survive. Demanding me to breathe, to not give up.
Killian brought me back to life, so now I am going to live it.
Before I can ask for him, wondering why they kept him out of here even after I asked, he walks through the door. His wetsuit is gone now, but he still looks as if he belongs on the beach. His shoulder length hair is shaggy and damp, the front pulled back in a small bun. In a tank top and baggy shorts, his golden skin and arm of dark tattoos are on full display.
“There she is,” he whispers, the same thing he had earlier.
Smiling at him, I nod, reaching for his hand. Killian does not hesitate to take it, bringing it to his lips. Any unease, all the anxious energy that has vibrated inside of me since they brought me to the ER, is gone. I am at ease with him beside me, as if I know nothing wrong can happen.
“Can I go home now?” I whisper, throat aching from the saltwater still.
“Yes. He will be with you, won’t he? We want to monitor you for a....”
“Yes, I will be with her. I will take care of her, doc.”
Killian winks at the charming female doctor, seemingly oblivious to her response. He is the sort of man who naturally draws attention. Standing head and shoulders above all of us, his tousled surfer hair and ocean blue eyes captivate the entire room. With all that tan, tattooed skin showing in his surfer guy shorts and tank, none of us, not even the older doctor, can tear our eyes off him.
It is a shock to see his eyes stay focused on me. Even when the cute, tattooed young nurse comments on his tattoos, he barely acknowledges her. In fact, he dismisses both of them with a mere look and a jerk of his head once he finds I am being discharged.
“Come on, babe. Let me get you home,” he hums, helping me from the bed once I am free of wires and tubes.
“I uh...I cannot leave my bathing suit, Killian.”
“Course you can’t. That is entirely too hot for you to wear out of here,” he teases with a chuckle, lifting a bag up. “Got you something a little more demure.”
Opening the bag, I laugh. Inside there are white cotton shorts with the hospital logo, a matching hoodie, and a tank top with “ save a life, give some blood ” in bright glittering letters across the front. Laughing with me, he turns, waving his hand at me to tell me to get dressed.
“Do not look,” I warn him even as I realize I kind of want him to.
Turning his head to smirk at me just as I drop the hideous hospital gown, he waggles his brows. “I will do my best. Won’t make a promise I might not keep, babe,” he teases, winking at me as he lets his ocean blue eyes slide over me slowly.
Flushing, I turn away from his hungry gaze, unsure how to feel about it. I have no business being attracted to this man. He must be twenty or twenty-two. I am almost old enough to be his mother. Surely, he means nothing behind his flirting or sweet promises. Killian is just a good man who was there when I needed him.
“If I can just get a ride to my hotel,” my voice tremors as I pull on the shorts and slip on the tank top.
“No can do, babe,” Killian responds, spinning to face me as I pull the top over my breasts. His eyes darken as his gaze focuses there, my nipples budding up beneath his heated stare. Teeth nip at his full bottom lip before he drags his eyes back to mine. “Told that doctor I would keep an eye on you. I intend to keep my word. Taking you to my place tonight.”
“Uh...what? What? No, no, you do not need to do that. You have done plenty for me, Killian. I will be fine.”
Closing the distance between us, his big hand cups the back of my head. I am jolted by the press of his firm chest to mine, the warmth of his skin, the sweet coconut smell of him. His eyes hold mine as he smiles, the cutest dimples flashing as he shakes his head.
“You will be fine. I am sure of it. Doesn’t mean I am letting you out of my sight, baby. I am taking you to my place. No argument.”
“Y-you don’t even know me. I could be some serial killer.”
“What about me? Couldn’t I be a serial killer who wants another victim after he saved her life? Maybe that is my MO.”
Staring up at him, I can’t help it. I laugh again. It’s a giggle. Light, feathery, a silly-girl giggle. Because, lord, he is handsome, charming, and it turns out, funny too. Three strikes and I might be out of luck. Brushing a lock of hair out of his eye, I shrug my shoulders as I smile at him.
“Was I ever in real danger, or was I reeling you in for the kill? Is that my MO?”
“Touche. Come on, I need to feed you before we go to my torture dungeon,” he says with a cute smirk, taking my hand to lead me from the room.
Outside, he loads me up in a bright green jeep, taking time to buckle me in. I laugh at his fussing before he stares at me. That hot twist in my gut returns as his gaze drops to my mouth. I want him to kiss me. It’s been so long since someone kissed me. Even if it is just him taking care of me, being the good guy, I would give anything for him to kiss me right now.
“Kiera,” he husks, his voice suddenly hot. “I will take care of you. I won’t hurt you. I have no MO,” his words are as hypnotic as his gaze.
Nodding, I swallow hard, unsure how to respond to that. Thankfully, he does not give me a chance. Rounding the jeep, he jumps in beside me and pulls from the curb. Soft rock music hums from the speakers as he heads towards town. Parking outside of a small shack restaurant, he comes to help me down with a smile, holding my hand as he leads the way inside.
“This place has the best burgers in town,” he tells me as he pulls a chair out for me. “But it is the fries I come for. Hand cut, fried twice, they’re the best thing in all of Sunset Springs, I swear by them.”
“It sure is a cute place. Just what I expected of a town like Sunset Springs.”
“Glad we delivered,” he teases with a grin. “Where did you come from, Kiera? Why were you playing in the ocean alone? Not that I am not glad for both, because here we are, me playing the hero to a beautiful woman who has no choice but to let me cater to her for a while.”
Flushing, I shake my head. I cannot take his compliments seriously. He is a local. I talked to Maribel, the front desk woman at my cute beach hotel, about his type. She warned me not to get tangled up with the surfers or the fishermen here in town. To hear her tell it, they get a fresh batch of beautiful women here every single summer, and they take their pick of them. I am here for a good time. I have a few things on my list I think Killian can help me cross off—that doesn’t mean I can let myself believe any of this is serious at all to him.
“I came here from True Ridge, where I grew up. It is a small town, blue collar to the bone. I was a... well, everything went to hell on the same day. I figured why not get the hell out of town to shake it all ”
“True Ridge is beautiful,” Killian surprises me. “I spent a summer or two there with my grams. Blue collar to the bone is about right.”
Before I can ask him about his grams or when he was in my hometown, the server comes up to take our orders. With a brief glance at the menu, I am hesitant to order what I want. Because what I want is a double mushroom Swiss burger with extra mushrooms and a large fry. That would not be ladylike of me, so I wait for him to order first while I try to choose something more appropriate for me.
“Give us,” he hesitates, glancing at me before nodding. “Two of your mushroom Swiss, doubles, extra mushrooms. With the biggest bucket of fries you have back there. Thanks, man.”
Blinking at him, I shake my head. Smiling, he playfully plucks the menu from my hands, passing it to the server. I cannot decide if I ought to be impressed or insulted. I am a grown woman who can order for myself. But the moment we’re alone, he leans closer, grinning big as he takes my hand once again.
“Promise I am not a dude who thinks a woman ought to be quiet. He was making eyes at you. I was not about to let that pretty fuck charm you. That was all possessive pride, baby.”
“Possessive pride? What does that entail, precisely?”
“Well, my promise to the doc, for one. And to you. I am not letting you out of my sight tonight, Kiera. Not just to keep a clear conscience. I happen to enjoy having my eyes on you, baby. It also entails me getting a bit growly if a pretty fuck tries to get his eyes on you, too.”
Feeling playful, I glance over my shoulder at the server he seems to be growly about. “I cannot argue. He was a pretty fuck.”
“Now, now,” he hisses, grasping my chin to force my gaze back to his. “Do not poke the beast. I am barely keeping him caged.”
“Want to tell me what that means, surfer boy?”
“Surfer man , babe. I do. And I will. Somewhere I won’t get arrested for letting him out of the cage, Kiera,” he husks, his eyes going so dark they look black.
Maybe his words mean nothing. He may say these same things to a dozen other women who come to Sunset Spring. I do not care. I promised myself I was going to live, to take chances, do things I have never done before. Going out with a younger man and flirting is definitely something I’ve never done before.
“Well, where exactly would that be, Killian?”
Still leaning close, his hand still cupping my jaw, he rubs his thumb over my mouth. It is the most intimate touch I have felt in a very long time. My tongue comes out of its own will, licking the tip of his thumb. He lets out a little growl that startles me, making me pull back reflexively.
“Jesus, you’re beautiful,” he hums, his big body leaning closer, as if there is not a table between us. “If I am not careful, it might be the first place I get you alone.”
His thumb rubs over my lips again, sending heat straight to my clit. It throbs between my wet folds, my thighs rubbing together beneath the table to ease the ache. Since the moment he stormed into the hospital room earlier tonight, I’ve been turned on. I have never felt this raw need for someone, and I want to see where it leads.
“Then that is your MO, is it? Getting me alone?”
“Yes,” he husks, his fingers tangling in my hair, his eyes on my mouth again, chest heaving as he draws shaky breaths in. Am I really doing this to him? Turning him on this way? The way he is turning me on? “Yes, I want to get you alone. All to myself so I can do a hundred things that I never dreamed of doing to a woman before. I want to do them to you.”
“Killian,” I rasp, struggling to breathe now as he pulls at my hair roughly. “Will you tell me what you want to do to me?”
Letting out another little growl, he nods, dipping his head. I bite back a moan when he brushes his warm mouth over my ear. He keeps his hand tangled in my hair and tilts my head back while whispering against my ear.
“As cute as the hospital sweats look, the minute I get you inside my place, they’ll be wrecked. I need to be gentle at first, so I will start the night on my knees, with my face buried between those sexy as fuck thighs of yours. I’d like to spend most of the night sucking as many orgasms as I can out of your pretty pussy. Once you can take it, I am going to bury myself inside of you and spend the rest of the night riding pleasure the same way I ride waves.”
Blinking as he pulls back, I am barely breathing as his eyes hold mine as he nods. Yes, he means all the filthy things he wants to do to me.
“Um...can we get those burgers to go?”