Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen
Fianna.
I glared up at him, my back still pressed into the couch leather, his weight pinning me in place. The heat rolling off his body was impossible to ignore, his thighs bracketing mine, his chest close enough that every ragged breath he took brushed against my skin. My pulse was hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat, in my fingertips, everywhere.
“No,” he said, voice low and rough like gravel. “I’m going to speak and you should listen carefully.”
I didn’t answer. I hated it so much when he used that command tone on me. It worked every damn time and made me comply. So I just kept staring, and letting the silence stretch taut between us.
He swallowed hard. And our eyes locked, I meant, really locked, and for a second the whole room narrowed to just that. His dark gaze, the faint stubble along his jaw, the way his throat worked. He cleared his throat like it physically hurt him to speak.
“I don’t know what Finn told you,” he started, “but it’s bullshit.”
I snorted. Couldn’t help it.
He cursed under his breath. “Fianna. Fucking listen.”
I lifted one brow. “Then get off me so I can breathe.”
His jaw ticked as annoyance flickered though his eyes again. But he didn’t move. “Fine, I went out with the intention of hooking up. But I turned around before I could get there. And I came back here. Slept on the damn couch in the office. I just left early this morning for a meeting. That’s it.”
My lungs squeezed. A stupid, traitorous flicker of relief bloomed somewhere under my ribs. He hadn’t gone through with it. Hadn’t fucked someone else while I was passed out in his bed.
I hated that it mattered.
I forced a shrug, trying to sound bored. “It’s none of my business whether you do or don’t.”
He let out a dark laugh that held zero humor. “Your attitude says otherwise.” His head tilted, eyes narrowing. “Are you jealous?”
The word hit like a slap. Heat flooded my face. Anger, embarrassment, and something dangerously close to shame. I shoved both hands against his chest. Hard.
“Get. Up.”
This time he listened. He straightened slowly, giving me space but not stepping back far. I scrambled upright, smoothing my hair back like that would somehow restore my dignity.
I jabbed a finger toward his chest. “Like I said before, it’s none of my goddamn business what you do with your fucking life. Who you fuck. Where you sleep. None of it.”
He watched me, his expression unreadable.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady the tremor in my voice. “And why the hell did you strip me?”
Kian dragged both hands through his hair, tugging hard enough that I saw his scalp pull tight. “You were drunk, sweaty and passed out. So I wiped you down. Not like I could exactly do that with your clothes on.”
I barked a sharp laugh. “You could have left me alone! You can just throw a blanket over me and walk away. Want me to remind you again? We are not close. We are not friends. Hell, we’re barely even civil most days. Whatever this—” I waved a hand wildly between us “—whatever the fuck has been happening since yesterday needs to stop. Right now.”
His eyes narrowed to slits. “How could I forget?” he said quietly. Too quietly. “How could I forget how fucking selfish and ungrateful you are? I was trying to be decent. Clearly you don’t deserve it.”
The words landed heavier than I expected. Silence swallowed the room.After a long beat he jerked his chin toward the bedroom door.
“Your clothes are in the closet. This is done. I will have someone drive you home.”
He turned on his heel and walked out. The door clicked shut behind him.
I stood there, my chest heaving, staring at the empty space where he had been.
Fuck.
This was exhausting. Soul-deep exhausting. How had everything spiraled so fast? One minute we were enemies who could barely stand to be in the same room. The next we were… what? Fighting like jealous couples? Touching like we had any right? Caring?
I shook my head hard, trying to dislodge the confusion. I turned and padded back into the bedroom. The closet door was already ajar. My tank top, jeans, boots, everything folded neatly on a shelf like some kind of apology he had never voiced out loud.
I dressed quickly, my fingers clumsy with leftover adrenaline. I walked back to the office, my phone sat on the corner of his desk. I grabbed it, dropped onto the couch to lace my boots, and unlocked the screen.
Seven missed calls from Granddad.
My stomach dropped.
What now?
Why the hell was the old man calling me now? After he had practically shoved me out the door with Kian like yesterday’s trash?
I hit redial and put it on speaker just as the office door opened again.
Kian strode in without looking at me, went straight to his chair, dropped into it, and opened his laptop like I wasn’t even there. The tension in the room thickened instantly. It was electric, and suffocating.
Granddad’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Fianna.”
I almost snapped. “Good morning. Hope you’ve been happy without me.”
He chuckled in a low, raspy, and familiar way. “Still really angry, I see.”
“Some things don’t change.”
“How are you doing, girl?”
“Fine,” I said flatly. “You?”
He grunted. “I’m doing okay.” Then he paused. “I called to apologize.”
I blinked. “For what exactly?”
“For the way I handled things the other day. Should’ve spoken to you calmer. Shouldn’t have just… sent you off with that Sullivan boy like that.”
I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “It’s fine. Probably for the best, I guess.”
“Is he treating you well?”
I almost laughed. Almost. Instead I flicked my eyes toward Kian. He was staring at his screen, but I knew he was listening to every word.
“Did you call just to apologize?” I asked instead.
“Actually… yes and no.” Another pause. This old man was getting too old. “Security arrangements are moving faster than expected. Should be finalized very soon. And Caleb is coming into town tomorrow. I would like to have dinner. Everyone”
My stomach twisted. “Huh?”
“You heard me.”
I exhaled through my nose. “Okay.”
“Inform your fiancé.”
“He can hear you,” I said dryly.
Kian didn’t react. Didn’t even blink.
Granddad gave a satisfied grunt. “Take care of yourself, Fianna.”
The line went dead.
I glanced up. Kian was still pretending like I didn’t exist which was perfectly fine by me. His fingers hovering over the keyboard with full focus.
Before I could stop myself, the words came out. “If you’re planning to skip dinner tomorrow, you shouldn’t. Please, don’t make me beg. I’m not in the mood to explain to the old man why my so-called fiancé bailed.”
He finally looked at me.
His eyes were blank. Dangerously blank. The kind of blank that meant he was holding everything back.
“If you are ready,” he said evenly, “there’s a car waiting outside the club.”
I stood up with my shoulders squared, and my chin high.I didn’t wait for him to say anything else. I walked out.
But I felt his stare on my back the entire way to the elevator.
And God help me, I hated how much I wanted to turn around and see if he was still watching.