Chapter 20
Caroline
June starts off rainy so we stick indoors. I don’t mind a summer rain as long as there’s no thunderstorm. Killian and I haven’t gone on any more adventures since he’s busy with work and painting. With nothing to do, I spend my days applying for jobs and reading.
I’m still getting messages from home, but they are a few and far between.
The few that I do get are only from Carter.
Beckett hasn’t tried to reach out to me after the first few times.
I want to lie to myself and think that his silence means Beckett has moved on.
When it likely means that he’s preparing a lawsuit to take me by surprise.
A part of me wants to sue him first. At the same time, I never want to see his face again.
I’m sitting on the second floor landing thinking about the mess Beckett is going to create as I watch the rain outside the window. There are no ferries out today, but the bridge is just as busy as it usually is at this time of day.
I turn when I hear footsteps coming up the stairs and Killian appears, carrying a coffee cup from Beanie’s. Based on the green and purple in the cup, I can tell it’s my lavender cream Matcha drink. I love that he thinks it’s ridiculous, but he still stops by on his way from work to get it for me.
“Thank you,” I say, when he hands it to me.
I take a sip through the straw, expecting him to walk off. He usually takes a shower after getting home from work. Today, he remains standing in front of me so I look up at him in question.
“Do you have plans tonight?” His question surprises me.
“Sure, I’m going to take a long, hot bath and then go hang out with my boyfriend,” I reply, sipping on my drink.
I have to hold in my giggle when he glares at me.
“That’s not funny.”
“It’s a little funny,” I say with a shrug.
With a sigh, he settles into the chair beside me. “What’s he like?”
“My boyfriend?”
Killian nods.
“Oh, you know. He’s the tall, dark, and handsome sort,” I say, with a wave of my hand.
“You should invite him over sometime so I can meet him,” he says. He settles back in the chair and straightens his long legs out in front of him.
I play with the edge of my book, swirling the remnants of my drink in the cup. “Uh, I don’t think he would like that. He’s not a people person. Very grumpy.”
Killian hums thoughtfully. “That’s too bad. I would’ve loved to meet him.”
“You don’t like meeting people,” I say. “You don’t even like leaving the apartment.”
“I leave the apartment every day,” he protests.
“But you complain that people are idiots and you don’t want to deal with them,” I say.
“People are idiots,” he says with a shrug. “We just had someone walk into the shop who wanted to get a giant flag from a game tattooed on his back.”
“So he really likes the game,” I say, with a shrug.
“He’s an idiot who’ll regret the decision as soon as he finds a new favorite game,” Killian counters.
“You have a lot of tattoos, and not all of them have a meaning,” I remind him.
His eyes drop to my mouth as I suck on the straw.
Leaning forward, he removes the cup from my hand and takes a sip of my drink, his mouth right where mine had been.
I watch him take the sip, butterflies exploding in my stomach.
Putting the cup on the table, he sits back.
“I spoke to Eve about getting one,” I say, briefly eyeing his mouth. I haven’t stopped thinking about our brief kiss, and waiting for it to happen again.
Killian raises an eyebrow. “One what?”
“A tattoo.”
“You want to get a tattoo?” Killian asks in surprise.
“Yeah, why can’t I have a tattoo? Eve says she’ll draw something for me. Something pretty and unique.”
Killian watches me for a long moment, his blue eyes narrowed in thought. I’m not sure what he’s hoping to find.
“I can do it,” he says. “I’ll sketch something for you and give you the tattoo.”
I stare at him in surprise. “You will?”
Killian leads toward me, brushing my hair back behind my ear. His fingers linger on my pulse point. I’m afraid to admit how much I love these tiny touches. “I know you better than Eve. I’ll be able to draw something that’s uniquely you.”
“If you’re sure,” I say, a little hesitant.
“I am,” he replies firmly. “If anyone gets to give you a tattoo, it should be me.”
He frowns suddenly, looking down. “Do you really have plans tonight?”
“My plans involve eating last night’s leftovers and going to sleep early.”
He looks at me, an almost smile on his face. “If I wanted to take you somewhere tonight, would you want to go with me?”
I straighten in my chair, setting my book aside.
Is he… asking me on a date? Surely, not.
I mean it sounds like a date, but it can’t be one.
I would love to go on a date with him. I’m afraid Killian isn’t the sort who dates.
Gerry has never told me about him having a girlfriend in the past. There must have been someone, so I guess either the relationship didn’t last long or the news just never got to me.
I lean in closer and lower my voice, “Are you asking me on a date?”
Killian also leans closer and lowers his voice, “Do you want me to ask you on a date?”
Up close, his eyes are a clear, stunning blue. “You asked me to go with you tonight. Does that mean it’s a date?”
“Why can’t we be two friends hanging out?”
His answer disappoints me and also hurts me. I don’t want to be his friend. Maybe I did when I moved in here but somewhere in the weeks since, I’ve stopped wanting it.
“Yeah, that’s good.”
I uncross my legs and stand up to leave.
I’m not in a fun mood right now and I don’t feel like bantering with him anymore.
Before I can even take a step, Killian grabs my hand and spins me around.
I’m not expecting it so I fall forward towards him and just barely have the sense to brace my hands on the armrest of the chair.
I hover over him as he lounges like a king.
“What are you doing?” I demand.
“Trying to make you admit you want to go on a date with me,” he says.
I wrinkle my nose in distaste. “I want no such thing. You’re delusional.” I don’t want to let him have the satisfaction.
His mouth does that almost smile thing which is starting to annoy me a little. If he wants to smile, why doesn’t he just smile? “And if I say I want you to go on a date with me? Am I still delusional then?”
My ears burn with a blush. “Then why didn’t you just admit it?”
He raises his shoulder in a shrug. “I like to see you blush. Makes me wonder how far this color travels down your body.” His thumb brushes against the top of my burning cheek. “I want to paint you just like this.”
“Like this?!”
Killian nods, hands coming up to cup my face. He arches up slightly, his nose brushing mine. “Yes, just like this. On top of me.”
I don’t miss the double meaning of his words. When I breathe in to try to calm my erratic heartbeat, all I smell is him, something soft and woodsy. My pulse pounds between my legs as I inhale deeply.
“How…how will you paint me if I’m over you?” I whisper.
“You’re asking technical questions,” he says. “I’ll have to paint from memory. Or better yet, take a photo.”
There’s a circle of dark blue around his irises which has me fascinated. I want to look away, but he’s got me hooked on the spot.
“A photo?”
“If you’ll allow it.”
“I…okay.” I swallow. “But I’ll have to get on top of you.”
This time, his mouth moves into a small smirk. “We’ll get to that soon, butterfly. For now, you have to get ready for our date.”
Killian’s hands lower from my face to my arms as he stands up, taking me with him. I feel a sudden head rush from his proximity and the swift move. He keeps a steady grip on my arms, not letting me go.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“A hockey game.”
“A WHAT?”
We’re literally at a hockey game. I’ve never been to a sports game in my life.
“Do you like hockey?” I ask Killian as we make our way to our seats. They’re center ice, which is apparently a very big deal.
“I can’t think of a worse way to spend my evening than at a sports game surrounded by sports fan,” he says.
I can’t stop myself from laughing. “Then why are we here?” I turn to look at him since he’s walking behind me.
We find our seats and sit down. I turn my body to face him.
“Have you ever been to a hockey game?” Killian asks.
“Nope.” I shake my head. “You know our parents think sports are barbaric and only acceptable until college. You can’t make a career out of them.
” I roll my eyes so hard I’m surprised I don’t see the back of my head.
My brother played lacrosse throughout high school and college, dropped it as soon as he got to law school and never played a sport again, unless you count golf.
“Then you have your answer,” Killian says.
His answer shocks me. I put my hand on his arm, leaning in towards him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you should be able to decide on your own whether you like sports or not,” Killian explains. “How else are you going to find yourself?”
I’m sure my eyes want to turn into hearts and pop out of my eye sockets. “Killian, we don’t have to do something you don’t enjoy just so I can find out if I like it or not.”
“I don’t mind either way,” he says. “I get to be with you.”
I want to squeal loud enough to scare the public gathered in this arena. It’s so hard for me to contain this emotion inside my chest. It makes me want to cry and laugh at the same time.
I don’t know how long a hockey game lasts but sitting here for hours and doing something he doesn’t enjoy just for me? As if I needed more proof that Killian might be my favorite person in the world.
I clear my throat before I reply. “Next time we can do something you enjoy.”
“That won’t require us to leave the apartment,” he says casually.
I almost choke on my breath. Killian gives me that almost smile.
“I meant, what I enjoy most is painting you,” he explains.
“We can do that. I have more outfits I want to try,” I say.