Under His Roof

chapter fifteen

It was barely seven in the morning when Kimberly came downstairs to get something to eat. She hadn't been able to get much sleep that night since her mind had been running wild with thoughts of Julian and what she could possibly do to help him. There wasn't much she could offer to the situation, she didn't have any power or knowledge of whatever he was involved in, but maybe if she did a little snooping and figured it out, then she could convince him to get out of it.

She had come to the conclusion that the dampness on his suit the previous night was from blood. That was the only explanation for its smell and for the pain her touch had caused him. And if Julian came back to his house bleeding at 2am, then it could only have been from a person – or people – much more powerful than him, and Kimberly found that thought very unsettling.

She entered the kitchen, not surprised to find it empty. Julian was usually an early riser, but she had a feeling that after the previous night, he would be getting as much sleep as he possibly could.

She walked over to the cupboards, pulling out a box of cereal and pouring herself a bowl. As she was pouring it, she heard shuffling in the doorway and then turned to see Julian emerging from the living room, his attention focused on whatever he was reading on his phone.

Her eyes immediately went to his left arm, the one that was hurt the previous night. She wanted to see whether or not she was imagining the blood, but unsurprisingly enough, he was wearing a long sleeved grey shirt that covered his arms and didn't allow her to see whether or not there was a wound. He could have been wearing a bandage and she wouldn't even be able to tell.

She tried her best to ignore the way the muscles on his arms rippled through the shirt as he walked. He didn't stop or slow down as he entered the kitchen, walking right through, headed for the doors to the basement. He was visibly angry as he walked with hunched shoulders and furrowed brows, Kimberly could tell without him even having to speak and she just wished she knew why. As he walked, he looked up at Kimberly for a split second, not even enough for her to see his eyes before he looked back down at his phone.

A few moments later though, it was as if something registered in his mind because he stopped in his tracks and turned to face Kimberly, his expression a dangerous mix of confusion and lust.

He turned around slowly, taking a step towards her and letting his eyes graze over her figure. "Why are you wearing that?" He asked, his voice lower and calmer than she was used to it being.

He clenched his jaw as his eyes made their way down her body, leaving a trail of fire everywhere they landed. It made her want to both hide under a table and rip his clothes off. The look in his eyes as he asked her the question was almost like he was taunting her, begging her to say something risky and she knew she had to choose her next words wisely.

Kimberly looked down at her sundress, it was the one she had worn in Miami when she went to visit her friends at the beach. She had been too lazy to go through her drawers this morning though, and so after she took a shower, she just pulled something random out of her duffel bag and threw it on. 

Regardless though, she would be lying if she said she didn't know this dress made her look good. The way it landed just under her hips accentuated her figure and was perfect for showing off her long legs. That, and the fact that she never had to wear a bra with this dress were both reasons she wore it way too often.

She had had no idea that Julian had liked the dress so much though, he didn't say anything while they were in Miami so she was confused as to why he was bringing it up then.

"It was the first thing I could find." She finally said, her eyes trained on his own while his eyes drank in her body.

She realized that she was still clutching onto the cereal box, the nervousness from his stare making her forget about it. She let go of it, pushing it away from her a little bit as she forced herself to take in a deep breath. "How are you feeling?" She asked him.