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He regarded me for a long moment with an unreadable expression. Then to my surprise, he sank onto the couch wearily. Lines I hadn’t noticed before were etched around his mouth, and his shoulders dipped lower than usual. “I know,” he said, unable to hide his aggravation from me. “I don’t want to take that from you. But I also don’t want anything happening to you, Tink. I’m still not one hundred percent sure no one saw you on the yacht. I’ll do whatever I think I need to do to prevent you getting hurt.”
The absolute certainty in how he inserted himself into my life after all this time caught me off guard. I sat down next to him, careful to leave some space between us. “I understand that,” I said, gentling my tone. “But I need my independence, too. You come in here and strong-arm me to add security measures with Max as a bodyguard and expect me to just be okay with it. But it makes me feel like I have no control over my life.”
Killian nodded, his eyes meeting mine.
I noticed he didn’t say anything about backing off or feeling like he overstepped.
Suddenly, I realized that letting the guys leave before they installed cameras inside was his compromise. It wasn’t much, but it was something. “Where do we go from here?”
He shrugged. “I’m hiring a permanent bodyguard for you.”
“Killian … ” We’d been together more often than not since he agreed to help me. When we were younger, Killian needed to be in control. Is that what this was? Was keeping me safe the one thing he could control in this situation, and if so, was it why he held on so tight to his off-the-wall possessive safety measures?
“Tink, even if you don’t believe being Peter’s assistant puts you in danger. A relationship with me might … ” He hesitatedand I knew in my gut he was holding back something significant. “I’m not taking chances with you. Understood?”
I nodded. A bodyguard was a little much without there being a direct threat, though. “I hear what you’re saying, and maybe we can come up with a compromise.”
His eyes widened a fraction then narrowed. “A compromise?”
A tiny smile curved my lips. He might be going a little overboard, but I knew it was because he cared. Deep down, he was a big softie. He just didn’t want anyone to realize it. “Let’s start smaller. I don’t need someone to shadow me all the time. You don’t even have bodyguards present every second of the day.”
He stared at me. “Because I have Max.”
Given Max’s size, I should’ve realized before now he did double duty.
He let out a sigh. “My final offer. I’ll hire someone to drive you around, but they’ll have the knowledge and skills to protect you if needed.”
“So, a sort of bodyguard.” I tapped my chin in thought. “They won’t follow me everywhere?”
After a long pause, he nodded.
“Compromise accepted.” I flashed him a happy grin. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had cared so much for my safety. As independent as I was, a secret thrill at being cared about so much stirred within me. And the hard truth was, I kind of liked it.
Killian kicked off his shoes and stretched out on my sofa. He barely fit on it, and it was extra-long to begin with because of my height. The sight of him making himself at home in my space sent a confusing mix of emotions through me—annoyance, attraction, and a strange sense of rightness that I quickly pushed away.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
He smirked and pulled out his phone to send a text. The casual way he did it, as if he belonged here, made my heartrate pick up. “Getting comfortable,” he replied, in a low rumble that seemed to vibrate in the room.
“Why?” I averted my gaze, determined to ignore how his t-shirt stretched across his sculpted pecs as he relaxed into the cushions.
Or how for a split second I wanted to curl up next to him.
“I thought I’d relax while I wait for Max to bring me my stuff for tonight.” His eyes met mine, a challenge glinting in their depths.
“Your stuff?” I sounded like a parrot repeating him, but I couldn’t process what he was saying.
“Until I hire someone to follow you permanently, I guess that job falls to me.” The casualness in his tone belied the serious look on his face. “I’ll move in with you instead.”
My face burned at his boldness. “But I have to work, and so do you. You can’t just stay here indefinitely. And besides, if you’re following me, and Max is following you … This is sounding more like a weird, messed up nursery rhyme.” My voice pitched more than I intended, betraying my rising panic.
“I’m confident I’ll have someone by tomorrow, but until then, I guess we’re having a sleepover.” The wordsleepoverspoken from Killian’s lips stirred me to my core. Why was that so hot? And why did everything Killian do seem to turn me on all of a sudden?
“We’re not having a sleepover,” I sputtered, not sure whether to be excited to have this time with him or be annoyed at his presumption that a sleepover would be acceptable.
However … The thought of Killian spending the night, of waking up to find him here, was both thrilling and terrifying.
“What are we having for lunch?” he asked casually, completely ignoring my protest. I fisted my hands onto my hips. This conversation was spiraling and I needed to regain some control over the situation. “Is this what a relationship with you is like?” The words came out before I could stop them, and I wished I could take them back or reframe the question. That was the leastin controlquestion I could’ve uttered.