I heard the sound of the ball hitting the concrete a split second before the swish of the net. I broke through the trees and spotted Keiran moving swiftly across the court. Even from here I could see him covered in sweat and his shirt clinging to his chest and arms.

He played as if in a trance and I realized that this was his way of hiding from the present and the past. He was using basketball as a defense mechanism to escape from himself. But who was the real Keiran?

“Keiran, stop!” He kept playing though I was close and loud enough for him to hear me. His moves were aggressive as if there was an opponent playing against him. He was in danger of injury at any moment if he kept it up.

I ran onto the court and ripped the basketball out of his hands just as he was going for a jump shot.  Desperate hands grabbed me up just before his lips descended on mine. I inhaled his sweaty, masculine scent that intoxicated my senses. The basketball fell listlessly from my hands in favor of his sculpted abdomen that heaved under my touch.

His hands cupped me under my butt, lifting me and I wrapped my legs around his hips and let him carry me…somewhere. His lips never left mine and air became inconsequential to the need to feel him take me.

My back was pressed against a hard surface and only then did he let me stand on my own; but when he started to rip away at my clothing I got an uneasy feeling so I began to push against his shoulders. However, that wasn’t enough when he continued to kiss me passionately. He seized my hands above my head and pressed them into the wall behind me.

“Keiran,” I managed to say around his plunging tongue. “Keiran, wait.” As much as I wanted him, I needed to stop him. He continued to ignore my protests and pressed his body harder against me. “Keiran, stop!” I bit down on his lip before ripping my mouth away.

He shoved away from me and glared at me through narrowed eyes. “Are you fucking telling me no?” I nodded and kept a wary eye on him. He looked as if he would pounce at any moment.

“I can’t let you hide behind sex anymore.”

“Let me?” he scoffed. “You think I need you to let me?”

“It’d be pretty hard to do without my consent, don’t you think?”

“I don’t hide,” he said, ignoring my question. He fixed his clothes and sat down on a nearby bench with his head lowered. “Why did you come here?” he asked but his voice was disinterested.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay. You were pretty mad and driving recklessly.

He shrugged and looked off into the distance. “It wouldn’t be the first time. I can take care of myself.”

“So can I,” I countered.

He turned his head and studied my face. “No, you can’t. You’re too sheltered. You don’t have a clue, girl.”

“And you do?”

“More than you would think. I am the monster you would hide under the covers from as a kid.”

“You were a kid then too.”

“I was never a kid, Lake. I didn’t have a childhood. I didn’t have parents or a family. I was a body used for selfish gains that hurt people.”

“What about your mom?” I asked with a frown.

“She wasn’t much of a mom. I hardly knew her.”

“And now? Who are you now?”

“I’m a hopeless fuck who is obsessed with a girl he still wants to hurt.”  I didn’t react to his confession. In truth, I didn’t know what to say or do. Obsession was a pretty powerful thing. How deep did his run?

A wind broke through the air and I shivered from the cold temperature, which he seemed to notice. “Let’s get you home,” he stated grimly.

* * *

I woke up the next morning to find Keiran gone. His side of the bed was warm which meant he hasn’t been gone long. Resigned to an early start, I let my feet sink into the plush carpet and made my way to the bathroom deciding that a hot soak was needed to relax my tired muscles.

While the tub filled with hot water, I reached for my bath salts and coconut oil and poured it into the rising water. Knowing that it would take a while to fill up the large, garden tub I left the bathroom to call Willow. Whoever woke up first usually called the other. We liked to torture each other that way.

“I’m going to visit grandma today. You up for it?” Willow sometimes came with me to Red Rock to visit my grandma. I figured today she might need an escape after dealing with Dash last night. Speaking of…

“Yes! When are we leaving?” Her voice sounded desperate and I frowned at the phone.

“Are you okay?”

“Tell you all about on the ride. So…the time?”

“Oh, uh. An hour or so?”

“Can’t make it faster?”

“Willow –”

“Fine. An hour it is then. But make it a quick one!” The line went dead before I could say anything else. Just when I thought Willow couldn’t get any crazier. I figured Buddy was home and driving her crazy but when she answered her voice sounded as if she had just woken up.

I walked back into the bathroom and looked over at the separate shower. I contemplated foregoing a soak to save time but my strained muscles protested when I lifted my shirt over my head.

I’ll just have to make it a quick soak.

I stepped into the steaming water and resisted the urge to jump back out when the heat pricked my skin. Goose bumps covered my skin as I sunk into the water. I quickly wrapped my hair into a messy, high bun and relaxed. Before long my eyes were closing in content and I forgot about my time constraints.