14. Mila
14
MILA
The hallway was dead silent. I didn’t like the eerie feeling that took over me. Shaking it off, I moved to the elevator and pressed the down button. It took a while for the elevator to ascend to this floor, and the longer I waited, the more time I spent in the silence of the hallway, the more my rationality came back to me.
Now that I wasn’t under the hazy cloud of lust and Silas’ domineering presence, I could see all the ways this could end badly for me. Did I really want to try something with Silas and risk getting hurt? What about his brothers? Silas didn’t seem all that bothered that Maverick was watching him pleasure me, and perhaps I should have put a stop to it, but something about seeing Maverick there had made me… hot and bothered.
Would I really say no if Silas had Maverick join us?
Or Killian?
Just the thought of his mean face had me shuddering, and only partially in fear. The other part was pure intrigue.
The doors opened with a ding , and I was about to step inside when I realized it wasn’t empty.
Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear .
I hesitated at the threshold while Killian watched me with his dark eyes. The color was darker than Silas’ eyes, and it was downright intimidating.
“Aren’t you going to get off?” I asked, proud that my voice wasn’t shaking.
He smiled. A condescending, mean smile. “Nope. Get in the elevator, girl. I’ll walk you down.”
“I don’t need you to walk me down. And my name’s not ‘ girl’ . It’s Mila.”
“Too bad. And I don’t care what your name is.”
He said that, but the way his eyes shifted told me he’d already known my name. Probably because he remembered it from the restaurant, or Silas had talked about me. Yet something told me it wasn’t either of those things.
As if he was tired of me just standing there, he reached over, grabbed the front of my shirt, and pulled me roughly into the elevator. My face planted directly on his chest, and my heart felt like it was about to fall out of my throat.
Killian wrapped his arms around my waist to keep me from falling.
“You can let go now,” I gritted out when the doors closed and the elevator started to slowly go down.
He tightened his arms around me briefly. I pulled away and all but ran to the furthest corner of the elevator, which wasn’t very far. And the space seemed to be getting smaller.
I shook my head and turned away from him.
Why did he always look at me as if I offended him somehow?
I looked up and started counting down the floors, willing the car to go down faster or, at the very least, for someone to get on the elevator with me.
None of those things happened.
A flash of movement caught the corner of my eye, and before I realized what was happening, the elevator came to a sudden halt. Killian had pressed the emergency button, and a shrill bell rang out.
I turned to him, panic making my vision hazy.
“What— what are you doing?”
Instead of answering me, he moved closer, crowding me to a small corner of the elevator. I blindly reached behind me for the handrail and grasped it for dear life. The bell started to fade away, but I was still stuck in the unmoving elevator with him.
He still hadn’t said anything. His eyes roamed over my face, as if trying to see deep beneath the surface of my very being. And judging by the look in his eyes, he found me sorely lacking.
“I’m trying to see what it is about you that’s got them so fucking interested,” he said, his voice soft. I wasn’t fooled.
“They?”
Did he mean his brothers?
Silas might be interested in me, but Maverick wasn’t. And even if he was, why was that such a bad thing in Killian’s opinion? Because it was clear to me that he wished I didn’t exist. Or, hell, he’d be the one to make it so.
This wasn’t my first time staring into the eyes of a man who could kill me without a second thought. But to see that in the eyes of a man I didn’t even know—I was at a disadvantage. I didn’t know Killian enough to know which line he wouldn’t cross.
I swallowed, regretting the move almost instantly when his eyes tracked down to my vulnerable throat.
“Let me go,” I said, trying to appear strong and unaffected. The smirk he shot my way told me I failed. “Why are you doing this?”
“I’m not doing anything,” he said, moving just a little closer to me. I shook my head, the panic growing as I felt his hard body pressed against me. He would be impossible to fight off. “I just wanted to see what’s gotten my brothers so interested,” he repeated. “Especially Silas. Because of you, we had to delay our trip back home.”
“I didn’t ask him to!” I yelled.
I might as well have not said anything with the way he just stared back at me. I let go of the handrail behind me and pounded my fists on his chest, trying to push him off. He was like a fucking wall cemented into place.
He splayed his hands on the wall on either side of my head, trapping me. I shook my head. Any yelling I did would be pointless.
“And what did you come up with?” I spat out. “Can you see what’s making them so interested?”
He narrowed his eyes at me, obviously not expecting this change in conversation.
I didn’t just escape the MC life only to be intimidated by another man. And even if ?I was damn intimidated by him, I was going to do everything not to give him the upper hand.
I stood on my toes until only an inch of space separated our faces. “And do you understand them? Is that why you’re so angry?”
He scoffed. “I’m not fucking angry.”
I smiled. I had him. “No? I think you’re lying to me.”
He slid one hand down and curved it around my neck but didn’t tighten his grip. I took a deep breath, trying to keep the panic at bay even though I could feel my heart speeding. With the way my knees were shaking, it took almost everything in me to remain standing.
“I don’t need to lie to you, little firecracker.” The words were almost a growl.
The nickname was so utterly ridiculous, I couldn’t help but chuckle, even if it sounded dry and hollow.
His hand around my neck tightened marginally, not enough to hurt or cut off my air supply, but enough for me to notice, and I was sure he must have realized how my pulse jumped.
The arrogant smile was back on his face.
So I did the only thing I could think of to wipe it off.
I kissed him.
The slam of my lips against his felt like a finality.
Whether it was his or mine was debatable.
I couldn’t let myself get too hung up on that, because his lips were soft, much softer than Silas’ had been, and the way his muscles grew taut only made me want to try harder to get him to lose control.
It was a slippery slope to fall on. Did I really want to see a man like Killian lose control?
He didn’t do anything for three long seconds, and for a moment, I thought he might push me away. If he did, I wouldn’t know what to do next. Perhaps then he would let me go.
He didn’t push me away, though.
He reacted instead.
His hand moved away from the wall and wrapped around my waist, hauling me close to his body until we were pressed so close to each other, I could feel every crevice, every ridge, every line on his hard, muscular body.
Hell, was it a requirement for the brothers to be ripped?
I didn’t know, and moments later, I didn’t care. Killian was nipping at my bottom lip, trying to get me to open for him.
His other hand was still wrapped around my neck, playing with the strength of his grip and reminding me he was still very much a dangerous man—and, at this moment, a danger to me.
He pulled away, and I opened my eyes to look at him. The time between us seemed to have passed in an eternity, and I didn’t know what he was thinking while I gazed into those dark brown eyes of his. Didn’t know what he was searching for in my face to make him stare down at me so intently. Whatever it was, he must have found it, or not cared that he didn’t, because he quickly closed the gap between us, taking my lips with his once more.
Hell.
My hands that were on his chest earlier, trying to push him away, were now gripping the front of his shirt, ensuring he couldn’t go anywhere.
I didn’t think there was ever a time I wanted to crawl into someone else’s body so desperately, but I wanted it with him.
I wanted to be close to Killian, and closer still.
He nipped sharply at my top lip once more, and I gasped softly at the stinging pain.
He wasted no time, plunging his tongue inside and playing with me. I felt the touch all the way down to my clit and I pushed myself against him.
His grip around my neck tightened, cutting off my air supply for one long second before he let me go and pulled his lips away from me briefly. I gasped for breath.
He smiled against my lips before he went back to kissing me, his lips molding over mine in a way that felt like he was trying to own me.
I felt owned.
Kissing Silas had been passionate. The chemistry that sparked with every touch had felt like a lifeline I wanted to hold on to. Kissing Killian felt dangerous. Like that lifeline was quickly being pulled away from me and I was left flailing… drowning.
Silas kissed me like I had the ability to bring him back to life. Killian kissed me like he hated me—like he wanted to take my life.
I didn’t know which kiss I enjoyed more.
I gripped him harder, trying to keep myself afloat.
He kissed me harder.
His tongue slid against mine, playing with me, teasing me.
I whimpered when he bit my bottom lip once more.
“Killian,” I moaned.
He slowed his movement. He was pulling back, and this kiss would end soon. I didn’t want it to end. Not yet. I gripped him harder.
He pulled his tongue back, and it was just the simple press of his lips against mine and holding.
We were both breathing hard against each other, and I didn’t know what to do.
When he drew back completely, I kept my eyes closed. Slowly, he stopped touching my waist and my neck, leaving me feeling cold and empty. I shivered.
Killian pressed the button for the elevator to start again.
I opened my eyes when it moved. His lips were swollen, his savage eyes dark, and his features pulled back into his usual scowl.
“Never do that again,” he said harshly. Only, I didn’t know if he was saying that to me or himself. Did he hate himself a little for giving in to the kiss as easily as I had? I fucking hoped so.
I didn’t respond. Just stared at him. His fists clenched and unclenched by his side.
I jumped when the doors finally opened to the lobby, and Killian walked out of there without a word.
I stayed where I was for a moment, my gaze on his retreating back as I brought a shaky hand up and touched my tender lips.
That was?—
I didn’t even know anymore.