Consequences of Deception (20 page)

Okay, shoot me. I’m lying a little bit about that last part. While I certainly will never consider anyone else but Dad to be my father, it kills me that Stephen helped to create my life, yet seems to care so little for me now.

Jumping up from the chair he’s been sitting in, Killian paces the room before saying anything else.

Turning back to me he begins to speak. “I won’t leave this alone, Sloane. I have to know, for sure, that you’re telling the truth. There are things that you don’t know, and if what you’re saying is true… it’s bad. I won’t stop until I get to the bottom of this. I can’t.”

Turning on his heel, he walks toward the door to the condo. Standing up, I rush after him. “Wait! What don’t I know? If you won’t tell me that, I at least have a right to know why you believed something so fucking untrue! Who fed you all of that bullshit?”

He says nothing in response, and I watch in frustration as he walks out, slamming the door behind him.

Day Two

It’s been two days—two fucking days—since Killian stomped out of the condo like a man on fire. When I woke up the morning after our blowout, I was in a state of shock. Once I got into the shower, I struggled not to howl in pain. As it turns out, when he used the belt on me, he
really
used it. My ass was covered in horrifyingly dark red welts that sting like a bitch. When I finally got out of the shower and looked in the mirror, I gasped in horror. In addition to the welts on my ass, there were faint black and blue marks all around my throat. I couldn’t believe that I had been so far away in my mind that I hadn’t noticed any of the pain.

After I finished showering, dressing and eating that morning, Adam came to the condo to ask what I wanted to do for the day. He then, oh-so-casually, let me know that Killian and Chord had left and wouldn’t be back for a few days.

That’s right, Killian fucking left me in Pensacola without a word of explanation.

I haven’t heard one stinking word from him since he slammed that door shut behind him and I don’t even know what to think anymore. Am I staying in Pensacola forever? Adam and Trey have no answers for me. The only person that can tell me anything is missing in action.

Basically, I am up shit’s creek, without a paddle. The only thing that keeps me calm is the knowledge that he has to come back- all of his clothes are still here. He can’t leave those behind… right?

Day Three

Ten minutes ago, just after I finished breakfast, Adam came to the condo with a package for me. Opening the box, I find a brand new Mac Book Pro and a piece of paper that has instructions on how to log into an email account that’s been created for me. The note says that everything is already set up and synced with my iPad.

Powering up the computer, I follow the instructions to log into my email. My heart does some loop-de-loops when I see that I have something in the inbox from Killian.

To: S.Evans

From: K.Brandt

Subject: I’m Sorry

Sloane,

I’m sure that it comes as no surprise to you to know that everything that you told me checked out.

I’ve done terrible, horrible, unimaginable things, all because I believed lies. The fire destroyed everything, including a future with you. For what it’s worth, I would kill to turn back the clock and take it all back. I was wrong and my rage led me to do things that I can never change. You deserved better, you always have.

The contract between us still exists, but I’m altering the terms so that you won’t have to see me again. When it’s time, I will let you out of the contract and you can come back to San Jose. Until then, you’re to stay with Adam and Trey. If Pensacola doesn’t suit you, let me know and I will make alternate arrangements.

I’m sorry. If you believe nothing else, believe that.

Killian

I am equal parts relieved, angry, hurt, and, dammit, confused by his email. What has he done that’s unforgivable? Is there more that I don’t know? It certainly seems as if that is what he is alluding to. What he has done so far is not good, I know that, but—dammit—it’s Killian. No matter what, I love him. I’ve tried to turn the feelings off, but love is love. No matter what I do, he’s always going to be in my heart.

I’m trying to put myself in his shoes in order to imagine how he felt when he thought that Shannon had died pregnant and half-naked in my father’s bedroom. Honestly, it is painful to even think about, and the very thought is making me ill.
If
I were in Killian’s shoes and I had believed that my teenage sister had been pregnant by a forty-one year old man that I had considered to be a part of my family, I would have been furious.

It’s easy for me to imagine what Killian was thinking and feeling at the time, because I know exactly what it’s like to lose the people that you love the most. Shannon was the last remaining member of Killian’s family. He was her guardian after their father had passed away, and I know that he took his responsibility to her very, very seriously. Killian adored Shannon and she worshipped him. I can understand that losing her sent him off the deep end.

I keep opening and closing the laptop, reading and then re-reading his email. I don’t even know if he will be open to it, but I am throwing caution to the wind and writing him back. If there is even the slightest chance that we can work through this and come out stronger for it, I need to take action. Once I have the computer booted up, I begin working on my response.

To: K.Brandt

From: S.Evans

Subject: RE: I’m Sorry

Killian,

I appreciate the apology, but it’s cowardly that you did it by email. We need to talk, face to face. Come home.

-Sloane

I come awake when I feel the bed shifting. There is no panic because I recognize Killian’s scent immediately. Cracking one eye open, I find him sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at me.

Reaching out, he gently pushes my hair back from my face. It’s so dark in the room that I am unable to see anything more than his outline, but it is enough. I didn’t realize, until right this second, how scared I was that he wouldn’t come back.

Sitting up, I get out from under the covers and climb up onto his lap. Encouraged by the fact that he isn’t pushing me away, I wrap my arms around him and hug him. For a few seconds there is nothing and I wonder if this is a bust, and then he wraps his arms around me and holds me tightly. I am so happy that he’s here that I am unable to stop myself from silently crying tears of relief against his chest.

“Shh, baby,” he whispers. “Are you okay?”

Sniffling, I nod my head against his chest. “I didn’t know if you would come back.”

Hugging me tighter, he is silent for a moment before he answers. “You said to come home. I haven’t had a home in so long…”

His words make my tears come faster, for a myriad of reasons. My home has been gone for a long time and, because of him, the physical structure doesn’t exist anymore. I could choose to be angry with him about that, but the truth is, home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling. I’ve known real loss, and while losing my house cuts me very deeply, what really upset me the most, when he told me that it was gone, was the deep down certainty that he hated me so much that nothing would ever change.

The dream of having the house and being able to go home again was just that—a dream. The most important things were already taken away in the fire, but the lifetime of memories with my mom, my dad and even Uncle Stephen can never be taken away. The way I see it now, Killian and me both have already lost so much— won’t it be a miracle if it turns out that we don’t have to lose each other? All of the wasted years are behind us, but I will always want a future with him. Call me sappy, call me foolish, call me an idiot— I don’t care anymore. I want a second chance with him, if he’s willing to try.

“You didn’t go back to the other room. You stayed in our bed.”

My stomach fills with butterflies because of his words. Sniffling, I begin to wipe my tears away. Our bed. I need to believe that’s a good sign and that there is a chance that this can all work out.

I scold him gently so that he knows I’m not angry. “You shouldn’t have left, Killian.”

Shifting around, he reaches out to the bedside table and then hands me a tissue. I dab at my eyes and then blow my nose while I wait for him to respond to me.

Blowing out what sounds like an almost defeated breath, he starts talking. “What you told me knocked me on my ass and I needed to confirm everything you’d said. You have no idea how badly I wish I had dug this deep into what happened to begin with, before I made the decisions that I did.”

I open my mouth to ask him to explain what that all means, but he cuts me off by tucking a hand under my chin and lifting my face up. It’s so dark that we can’t actually see each other, but before I can ask him if he wants to turn a light on, he covers my mouth with his and kisses me softly—almost reverently.

Opening my lips, I meet his tongue with my own. We kiss passionately—completely different from any other kiss that we’ve shared before. I’m so wrapped up in the kiss that when he breaks away, I am surprised to find myself lying flat on my back, on the bed. I don’t even notice that our positions have shifted until now.

He leaves the bed for a moment, and the whimper I begin to let out turns to a smile when he turns the overhead lights onto the dimmest setting. As he walks back to the bed, he pulls his t-shirt up and over his head—tossing it, and then strips his jeans and underwear off in one move.

I moan, low in my throat, as I see his cock for the first time in days. I’ve missed him more, but his dick comes a close second. When he chuckles, I realize that I just said that out loud. Slapping my hand over my eyes, I let out a sound of embarrassment.

Climbing up onto the bed, he pulls my hand away from my eyes and brings it up to his lips, kissing my palm before licking in a gentle, circular motion. I never knew that the palms of my hands were erogenous zones, but the corresponding blast of heat, deep within my core, says that he’s hit on one of my hot buttons.

“It’s okay, princess,” he assures me with his sexy deep voice. “I like that you missed my dick. It missed you too.
I
missed you.”

That’s a huge admission for him and I want to say something, but all I get out is a moan because he’s peeling my clothes off and running his fingers along my exposed skin.

I chuckle when he throws my clothes over his shoulder and onto the floor, leaving us both naked. Taking my left foot in his hand, he kneads it gently as he lifts it up and brings it towards his mouth. I shiver as he begins sucking my toes into his mouth, then starts giving them little love bites. I give myself a mental high five because I got a pedicure this afternoon. I was so stressed out about whether or not Killian would come back that I needed to do something to relax me, and getting a pedicure was what I went with. I’ve never been so happy to have beautifully pedicured feet. Talk about perfect timing!

Lifting my other foot, he gives it the same treatment. His bites are gentle but firm enough that I can feel each and every one deep inside and I wiggle, helplessly, as I alternate between moaning and giggling when he touches a ticklish spot.