I like this. This power he has in this place. It makes him bigger, more primal, and it starts a crazy urge inside me.
Keegan analyzes my face. “You don’t look like you just saw me putting a guy down with a single punch.”
I lick my lips. “That I did.”
“Then why aren’t you running?” He frowns, gaping at me as if I’m mad. “Honestly, Aleida. You know what’s going on now. This is how I make my money. By acting like some… some caveman. You shouldn’t trust me. I’m aggressive. Violent. And you don’t want a man like me. You don’t—”
Before he can go on, I curl my fingers around his jaw and press a kiss to his lips. The iron taste of his blood covers my tongue, but I stay there. Keegan stops talking, closes his eyes, and kisses me back. He devours my mouth with soul-searing kisses, hands burying into my hair, body pressing against mine.
I pull back to catch my breath. My chest heaves when I meet his burning eyes. “I don’t care,” I tell him. “I want you. That’s all that matters.”
He seems to unwind. Keegan’s eyes shift to the soft expression he has only for me. He folds his arms around my body and kisses me back. “You’ve always been headstrong,” he whispers, lips brushing mine.
I chuckle. “Can’t deny that.”
7
ALEIDA
Even when I don’t remember doing it, the curtains in my bedroom are down, and I’m under the covers. I could swear I had convinced Keegan to sleep with me, though. Where is he?
Let me guess. He doesn’t want us to go all the way yet. Yesterday we made out so good at the club that, when we got home, I thought I’d finally pop this cherry. But he kept me at an arm’s length, kissing me hard without doing what I wanted, even when I could feel his arousal.
I scratch my eyes and get to my feet. Still in my yesterday’s clothes. Keegan is too much of a gentleman to try anything, so he walked away when I started dozing off.He won’t escape me today. I’ll come back from work on time, we’ll have some dinner, and we’ll go all the way.
I check my phone. Wow, it’s so early my alarm hasn’t even gone off yet. I just slept so well after spending the evening with Keegan that I’m more well-rested than ever. After turning my alarm off for today, I get out of my room. Is Keegan up? I told him he could have Brad’s room, but I don’t know if he took me seriously.
The couch is empty. From the sound of the running shower, Keegan’s already up, too. A fire burns low in my belly. I think of his hard body beneath the water, droplets rolling down his chest, his abs. My mind flashes with all the possibilities. My tongue on his flesh, his mouth on me. Fingers tracing my nipples, running down my stomach to play with my waistband. A hot shiver races down my back.
I can’t wait to do all the things with him. The things I see in romance movies and read about in books. The naughty stuff I’ve overheard my co-workers talking about, all the stories I never got to share.
What I need is some coffee. That will put my head in the right space. I waltz into the kitchen, a spring to my step, then go about brewing coffee. The sight of the cupboards filled with food almost makes me faint. Keegan was generous with his grocery shopping.
Does this mean he wants to stay? I chew on my bottom lip, trying to keep a smile at bay and failing. My heart skips a beat when I think about it. Movie nights and dining out. How he listens to everything I have to say. The respect, the friendship, the love.
The love.
I’ve always loved Keegan. He’s been my best friend for years. But now, things changed. That love morphed into something bigger. A feeling that swells in my chest every time I think of him.
I’m in love with Keegan. And it’s the best thing I’ve ever felt.
I sip from the hot coffee as I float on the feeling, but there’s a nagging, too. A dark spot in all the brightness of my love. I close my eyes and take deep breaths. Nonsense. That’s nonsense, I shouldn’t be worried about that. And yet...
Things have changed since Keegan came back into my life. For the better, yes, but weird things that should have nothing to do with him. Brad left, without a note, leaving his stuff behind. My boss gave us a raise, a huge raise when no one was expecting it.
But none of these things have anything to do with Keegan. There’s no way he has anything to do with them.
But what if... What if I’m wrong? What if he, somehow, has made those things happen?
I shake my head. No way. I’m pushing it too far. Still, I can’t get it out of my head. Pulling my phone up, I open Facebook. There’s a way to check. Maybe. Before I moved in with Brad, I had this jerk of a high school boyfriend. Sort of. I thought we were a pair, he was using me, we broke up.
But if Keegan’s taking vengeance on the people who hurt me, maybe he would have hurt this guy, too? I search for his name and find him in my friend’s suggestion. There are two recent posts.
One announcing his disappearance. The second announcing he’s been found, and that he’s now in a hospital. Nothing more after that.
My stomach plummets. I check the dates again. He went missing a day before Keegan showed up on my doorstep. But there’s no way it was him, right? There’s no way...
No matter how hard I deny, the evidence grows. I put my phone and the coffee mug away and rush into the living room. The shower’s still running, but for how long? I dart into Keegan’s room, the door blessedly unlocked, and what I see makes me pause.