Killian Read online

  "I'm pretty sure that hanky-panky is supposed to have the opposite effect. It's supposed to make me look younger."

  Opal raises her eyebrows. "Maybe you've been doing it wrong."

  "I have not been doing it wrong." I toss a towel at her and it sends a plume of flour through the air.

  "Who's been doing what wrong?" Killian comes through the kitchen door.

  "No one's doing anything wrong," I protest.

  Opal raises her eyebrows. "I'm going home. Don't forget, the delivery guy comes today."

  Killian smirks and I blush. I wait until after Opal leaves to say, "I can't make eye contact with the delivery guy anymore."

  Killian snorts and smacks me on the ass. "He'd better not be making eye contact with you. Or looking at you anywhere. Better yet, he should just walk down here backwards with the delivery."

  "You're a possessive Neanderthal."

  "You're right." He slides his hand to the nape of my neck, pulling me against him and running his hand over the back of my skirt before yanking it up my thigh as he kisses me hard on the lips. My body warms to him immediately, heat flooding my core as his hand squeezes my ass cheek. I imagine him taking me right here, right now. He's apparently thinking the same thing, since he pulls away from me, his hands still holding me against his growing hardness. "There's no one out front, you know."

  I laugh, my hand on his chest. "The front door is unlocked."

  "I'll lock it," he says, his voice thick.

  I glance at the clock. "And I have to go get Chloe."

  Killian looks behind me. "You have twenty minutes before school gets out. And the elementary school is fifteen minutes away. Plenty of time."

  "Are you offering me a whole five minutes of sex? God, that is so hot."

  "It'll be the best five minutes of your life, woman." He grins at me, and I laugh as his fingers find their place between my legs. "Don't even lie. Efficient sex makes you totally wet."

  The knock on the door interrupts him and I laugh as Killian scowls. "Delivery guy," I whisper.

  "I'm really going to have to kill him."

  I kiss him on the cheek. "I'm going to get Chloe. But I'll take a rain-check on the efficient you-know-what."

  Chloe squeezes my hand tightly, shy in the midst of the chaos of people arriving at Killian's cabin Killian's brother Luke, his fiancé, Autumn and her child, Olivia, as well as Silas and Tempest and Elias and River.

  River Andrews – the River Andrews – puts her arms around me and says she's heard so much about me. After she walks away, I turn to Killian and squeal, trying unsuccessfully to keep my voice down. "She's heard so much about me. River Andrews, the movie star, has heard so much about me??"

  "She's been in a couple of movies, I guess." Killian shrugs. "I haven't seen any of them."

  "You can't be serious. Do you live under a rock?"

  "Luke said it's all like, chick flicks and stuff." He grimaces as he speaks the words. "Ugh. You're not going to force me to watch them now, are you?"

  I don't get to answer before Chloe interrupts. "Killian, will the deer come over tonight?"

  "Probably not with so many people out on the deck."

  "Aww. What will they eat for dinner, then?"

  "They're pretty good about managing to find their own dinner," Killian replies. "Speaking of which, Autumn says Luke has outdone himself tonight with the grilling. Ribs, chicken, the whole nine yards."

  "Can I have a cupcake?" Chloe asks.

  "Not before dinner," I tell her.

  "Did you bring cupcakes?" Silas walks up to us. "Tempest said that she had your cake at Amy Porter's wedding reception. Her eyes were rolling back in her head talking about it."

  Silas's wife settles in next to him, wrapping her arm around his waist. "I don't know what it was, but I thought I'd died and gone to heaven."

  "It was champagne cake," I tell her. "With strawberry champagne buttercream frosting."

  "If you somehow lose your mind and marry this guy, this does mean we get free cupcakes forever, right?" Silas asks.

  My face warms and I think it must go bright red. Tempest's eyes go wide and she elbows Silas. "Silas!"

  "What did I say?" he asks. "It was a legitimate question."

  "Are you getting married, mom?" Chloe pulls at my hand.

  "What? No. No one's getting married," I explain as Tempest drags Silas off by the arm. I look at Killian and raise my eyebrows. "Please chime in?"

  Killian shuffles uncomfortably. "Uh – um – huh." He scratches his head.

  My head is swimming. I'm not ready to be even mentioning the M word. Especially not in front of my child. And my boyfriend's family. Hell, I just got used to the word boyfriend.

  Elias interrupts, yelling from a few feet away. "No way. You guys are getting married?"

  "No!" I exclaim, looking at Chloe. "I like Killian, but –"

  Chloe interrupts. "Hannah said that if a boy is staying at your house, you have to be married."

  "Hannah is a mouthy little sh–"

  I cut Killian off. "Killian!"

  A loud whistle cuts through the air and we all turn to look at Luke. "Dinner's ready!"

  39

  Killian

  "Have you ever thought about selling this stuff, Killian?" Lily runs her hand over the saddle I've been working on in the shop, really just a shed beside the cabin.

  "If I'm quiet, will the deer come back?" Chloe pipes up, running back outside the shop. Lily and I follow her. My brothers and River and Tempest are gone, so Lily and I took Chloe outside to run around the woods and burn off some of the sugar buzz she got from eating two cupcakes after dinner.

  "Maybe. You have to be super stealthy, though."

  "What's stealthy?"

  "Real quiet," I tell her as she tiptoes across the grass, her finger over her lips. I turn to Lily. "I don't know about selling it. The saddle is for Bud down at the bar. It's a hobby. I don't think I'll be setting up a shop."

  I don't tell her about the money that Jack left me – enough money that I could never work again. In fact, that's exactly what I intended to do when I came back to West Bend – retreat up here to my cabin and fish and build shit.

  I should tell her about the money sometime. I know she's curious about why I can come to the bakery and work for nothing. She gets really stressed out about the bakery and money. I could just tell her that I'd take care of her.

  That's really fucking presumptuous of you. That's exactly what she'd say if I told her.

  "It's really nice, Killian." She glances over to see if Chloe is looking before she turns to face me and slides her hands around my waist. "This whole thing tonight was – meeting your brothers and stuff. I mean, aside from the whole marriage thing."

  I groan. That was embarrassing. I make a mental note to go punch Silas later. "Sorry about that."

  Lily laughs. "It's okay. You weren't kidding about Luke being a fantastic cook, either."

  "He wants to open something in town, a restaurant. Did he tell you?"

  Lily shakes her head. "This place needs a good restaurant, something other than CJ's. Luke should come do a lunch menu at the bakery."

  I'm not sure if she's kidding. "Don't joke about that with him, or he'll probably take you up on it. Cooking is Luke's passion. He loves it."

  "I'm kind of kidding; I mean, I only just met him today. But a lunch menu could be a good idea. Or more likely, it would spread me even thinner than I am already, so –"

  "No kissing!" Chloe yells, even though we aren't.

  Lily breaks away from me. "Five more minutes and then we have to get going, kiddo. It's a school night," she calls before turning back to me and, with a glint in her eyes, whispering, "After my warden over there is asleep, you can come by and sneak into my room, if you want."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Later that night, cradled next to me, she lets out a soft sigh as she falls asleep. This is good, being with Lily. It feels comfortable. But the feeling of being comfortable – happy, eve