I startle at the entryway when I’m surrounded by three girls in their PJs, definitely waiting to ambush me.
There goes my plan to sneak in, change my clothes, take my books, and leave.
Walk of shame it is.
“Hi,” I say with enough awkwardness to spur second-hand embarrassment.
“Don’t hi us.” Ava crowds my space, watching me with narrowed eyes. “You left us last night, and we barely slept, worried sick about you just to find out you were getting the D.”
I choke on my spit. “W-what?”
“Are you okay?” Cecily strokes my arm.
“I don’t know.” I honest to shit mean it.
“I wouldn’t know either with Kill. You could either be in for the roller coaster of your life or we’ll find you in a ditch somewhere. No in-between.” Annika gathers me in her arms. “Hugs. I’m here.”
“Don’t go consoling her.” Ava wrenches Annika from me. “She has a lot of explaining to do.”
“Can someone tell me what’s going on?” I ask, seriously thinking I’m losing my mind.
“Check your Instagram,” Cecily says quietly, almost apologetically.
I give them one last wry look, then tap the Instagram app. The first picture that shows up on my feed was posted an hour ago, and has over a hundred thousand likes and tens of thousands of comments.
My fingers shake as I watch the stilled picture.
It’s when Killian kissed me against the stairs. His hand is around my throat, the other on my hip, and he’s basically eating me for dinner. His bare chest is glued to mine and the way he’s touching me is so possessive that it goes without saying what type of relationship we have.
An outsider would look at this and know that not only is Killian fucking me, but he’s also so dominant and possessive of me that no one would dare come close.
He cemented it by the caption.
Off. Limits.
“No, he didn’t,” I whisper.
“Hesodid and also, also! He tagged you. That’s how we saw it.” Annika taps on the screen to show my account’s name on the picture.
“Everyone could see this,” I’m practically talking to myself. “Like everyone, including…”
I jump up when my phone lights up with a text.
Lan:Let’s do it your way, little princess. Don’t show your face near the fucker or I’ll kill him.
25
KILLIAN
Igive up on attending my classes for the day exactly two hours after I arrive at med school.
And yes, they’re important and I should probably be present, put up with the general anxious atmosphere of my colleagues and the ego of professors who think they’re special just because they’re older and have some experience.
Thing is, I’m distracted as fuck. An emotion I haven’t experienced…well, ever. I tend to be focused to a fault, methodical to the point of weeding out any need for impulsive action.
And yet, my systems, my patterns, and the very marrow of my life are being disturbed by a certain fucking rabbit.
I run a hand through my hair as I listen to the ringing for the dozenth time this morning.