In My Skin

CH 35 || Friends

I walked into Angie's room with Killian right behind me. She looked tiny in his strong arms.

I forcefully pried my eyes away from the outlines of his biceps. Shit. I had to stop ogling him like some horny teenager.

Angie woke up when he put her down, but she fell back asleep after he murmured a few quiet words.

His soothing baritone did weird things to my stomach. I quickly fled before I did something stupid, or he caught me checking him out. This wasn't part of the plan.

Sofia stood inside the small kitchen, seemingly staring into space. Her braid had come half undone and prominent dark circles lined her eyes. She'd never looked this tired from work.

I gave her a side hug. "Is everything alright?"

She leaned into me. At first, I thought she would play it off, but then she said, "No... I got some bad news. We're going to my mom's place for a few weeks to check the situation."

"Can I help with anything?" I asked softly.

"You're already helping me enough."

"No, you're always helping me," I replied stubbornly and tightened my hold. "So, tell me if there's anything I can do, or if you want to talk, alright?"

She hesitated. "There's news about Angie's dad."

I froze in surprise. "Bad news?"

"You could say so—"

Killian stepped out of Angie's room and quietly closed the door behind him. He paused at the sight of us.

What had she meant by bad news about Angie's dad? At least it meant her dad must be alive then. I had been wondering if he was dead. But then...what if the bad news were that he died?

Sofia sent Killian a warm smile. "Thank you for taking care of Angie."

"My pleasure," he replied simply.

She suppressed a yawn, so I grabbed Killian and left. I was so distracted by the sudden news that I didn't realize what I was doing until the door closed behind us. Then it finally registered that we were alone. In my apartment.

My hand curled around his bicep. He was standing very close. I dropped my hand as if it got burned.

He turned, his chest brushing against my shoulder, and I inhaled, catching a whiff of his scent. I made the mistake of looking up and instantly got lost in those hypnotizing eyes of his.

An electric current raced through my nerves when his gaze landed on my lips for a brief moment. An unknown emotion passed through those hazel orbs.

As if on instinct, I backed up. Since we were still standing at the front door, I made it about three inches before my back hit solid wood.

A small smile curled his lips as his gaze followed the movement. I couldn't help but stare, remembering how soft they felt on my own. His whole body leaned towards me as if he was experiencing the same magnetic pull that I felt.

He crowded me, one arm on each side of my face, leaned down and—stopped. He blinked those pretty eyes as if to shake off whatever just came onto him and stepped back. I instantly missed his warmth.

And the last grasp on my self-control slipped. Today was just too much. He definitely cheated by being so sweet to Angie. Damn it.

I moved first but he moved faster. In an instant, his hands were on my back and his lips brushed against mine, slowly, almost hesitant, sending my pulse into haywire.

I grasped his neck and pulled him down. My hands ran over his shoulders and down his arms, feeling his muscles tighten beneath my palm. It was addicting. I let out a small gasp when his hands slid under my butt and he picked me up, pressing my back into the door. The kiss turned hungry, like I was out of air and he was my oxygen.