JOSIEI woke up on a bed in a bright room that sure as hell wasn't my bedroom. I drew a deep breath, and my nostrils were instantly hit by an unfortunately-recognizable scent of antiseptics. Hospital. This was a hospital room. I blinked a few more times before my sight finally adjusted to the brightness. Someone's warm hand touched mine, and my whole body jolted.“It's OK, Josie.” Killian's deep voice soothed my sudden anxiety. My eyes turned to the side of the bed, and my heart lurched.He was wearing a white button-up shirt with rolled-up sleeves, no suit jacket or tie. His hair was ruffled, and his chin was coated by gentle stubble. Was he here while I was unconscious? Was he… watching over me?He reached for my hand again, his fingers delicately tracing the lines on my palm. “You're safe. He's not going to hurt you.”He… Dylan. His face instantly appeared in my mind. I could hear his vicious laughter as he choked me, as he was trying to kill me. My hand drifted to my neck, and I f
Us. This one word sounded surreal. Dylan was my ex-boyfriend and was supposed to be my problem, but somehow, I knew that Killian would never leave me alone with this mess. Of course, I was well aware of the fact he hated Mr. Grant Ricardson's guts. He would have never missed an opportunity to crush him. Still, he was mainly engaging in all this for me…Killian told me to focus on my recovery while he and Mr. Morgan were going to prepare us to battle against Dylan and Mr. Ricardson. I tried to object, but I also knew I was no help in my current state. Unfortunately, this case came up at the worst possible moment. I still had to find the right time to tell Killian about my past before Adeline made her move, and the clock was ticking…“Maybe you should call him and tell him you need to talk,” Ashley suggested. With Killian busy talking to his lawyers about the potential strategies, I constantly had the twins or someone from my team visiting me in the hospital.I shook my head. “I can't i
A gentle stroke on my cheek woke me up. I opened my eyes, slowly adjusting my sight to the dim light of Killian's bedroom. He was standing by the bed, doing the buttons on his shirt and smiling at me.“What time is it?” My hoarse sleepy voice was barely louder than a whisper.“It's almost six. I need to go to the office. I would have let you sleep, but I didn't want you to wake up in an empty room,” he said a little nervously. “Of course, you can go back to sleep and—”“No.” I lifted myself to sit. “I planned to go to the office today anyway. I may as well go with you.”His brows knitted. “Are you sure? You don't have to go back so soon.”I sucked in a breath. “I do. My team members count on me, and I want our presentation to be ready by the end of the next week.”He nodded, processing my words. “All right. I'll make us breakfast. Can you get ready in thirty minutes?”A wide smile spread across my face. “That's more than I need.”I dragged myself from the bed and rushed to my bathroom
KILLIANJosie's chest rose and fell as she stared at me. A glossy layer of tears coated her eyes. “Thank you,” she murmured, lowering her head.I grabbed her chin, lifting it until our eyes leveled. “Tell me about everything that happened after I left for England.”She bit her lower lip and nodded. Her trembling hand reached for the glass, and she took a few greedy gulps before putting the glass away. “Actually, I'd like to start my story a little earlier... You should know what happened after I saw you in that classroom with your girlfriend.”I didn't want to go back that far, but I realized it was time I finally heard her version of the story. I drew a deep breath and nodded. “Fine. Tell me.”She cleared her throat. “Despite what you believed back then, I was too embarrassed to tell anyone about what I saw. I kept it to myself, but…” She trailed off, nibbling on her lip.“But?” I urged.Her eyes met mine. “The next day, a girl I didn't know caught me when I was walking to my class.
JOSIEKillian lurched to his feet, releasing my hands as if my touch burned him. His eyes widened as he stared at me, his face turning pale. A few beats of silence filled the room before a peal of humorless laughter tore through his throat. He thrust his fingers through his hair, turned around, and walked to one of the floor-to-ceiling windows.“You… don't believe me.” Saying those words aloud only worsened the pain already flooding my chest.“I need to know more,” he said after a few heartbeats. “I need more details. What was he wearing? How did his voice sound? Anything!”A stray tear traced down my cheek. “It was dark in that room. I could hardly see anything, not to mention he put a blindfold on my eyes, and when I ripped it off, all I thought about was running away from him.”Killian turned toward me, his fisted hands trembling with anger. “What about his fingers? Did he have any rings or signets?”I drew a sharp breath, trying to recall anything else—something I had missed befor
KILLIANI was looking at the beautiful blue of Josie's eyes, the blush gently appearing on her cheeks, and her parted lips. I saw her chest heaving and falling faster. I felt her fingers restlessly tangling in her grip on my neck. I knew she wanted me, but I also knew she was scared, and I didn't want her to run away from me again.As I debated whether or not I should screw the waiting, rip her clothes off, and kiss her senseless, the telephone ring made that decision for me, thoroughly crushing our rather intense moment. It wouldn't be the first time trouble at the company dragged me away from her. I even began to think someone had cursed me… and I would have a potential suspect in that matter. This time, however, I kept Josie by my side. I felt less anxious when I had her within my sight. Besides, I found her presence amazingly soothing.She was tired and quickly fell asleep on my sofa while I worked at my computer, taking care of the most urgent matters. When I finished, I removed
Mother's chest rose sharply as her lips twitched into a cold smirk. “Open threats? That's new.”“Then perhaps you should get used to it, Mother,” I hissed.The curve of her cold smile rose across her face. “I didn't expect you to fight for her. I admit it makes this thing you have going on with her more genuine.”I huffed out a laugh. “Do you even care if it's genuine or not?”“Of course, I do.” She frowned, reaching for her teacup. “I want you to have a wife, someone who can bear your children. If it's a fake relationship, then it's a waste of your time and money.”A dry laugh escaped me. “You never fail to amaze me, Mother. How that stone heart of yours manages to pump blood is a mystery to me.”She glared at me. “Being pragmatic doesn't make me emotionless.”“You are correct.” I nodded as a smirk tugged at my lips. “You do carry a lot of hatred and disdain.”“Is that what you think?” Her brows rose. “Do you think I hate you?”“You certainly despise every woman I show up with.” I lea
JOSIE“So... everything is fine between you two?” I could hear Ashley's giggle over the phone.“I'd say it's more than just fine,” I admitted, a wide grin spreading across my face.“Oh my God! You're falling for him!” She laughed, and a thick blush appeared on my cheeks.“I wouldn't go that far,” I muttered. “Things just progress… in a certain direction…”“Yeah… this progression heads straight to his bedroom.” She snorted. “Speaking of which, how can you stand being so close to him and not... you know.”I cleared my throat. “I admit that I was exhausted last night and didn't even know when I fell asleep, but when I woke up this morning... Let's just say that I'm not sure if I can handle another night without throwing myself on him.”Loud laughter burst through the phone. “Go for it, Josie. It seems like there are no more secrets between you two, he wants your forgiveness, and, most importantly, he wants you.”I bit my lip, suddenly recalling everything he said about earning my forgive