Page 63 of Beneath the Mountain Sky

They’re on guard when he’s around.

So, the fact that he put himself in that position to keep things running smoothly speaks more than his words ever could.

The corners of his mouth quirk up slightly. “That surprises you?”

“How many times did you get stung?”

He chuckles, leaning in slightly, until we share the same breath. “Too many to count.”

I can’t help grinning at him and the playfulness in his words, despite knowing how miserable he is when he’s in that position.

His gaze dips to my lips. “I think I should drop you in town with Raven.”

Immediately, my shoulders tense, that warmth evaporating quickly.

Something about being back there over the last few days I’ve spent with her has left me uneasy, a feeling almost like I’ve been being watched.

It’s probably just my self-conscious brain knowing that everyone is aware of what happened to me, but something about hiding out up here in the workshop all day sounds like the far better option.

But I need to shake it off.

I can’t hide forever.

Especially not if I want to regain my memories.

I finally turn off the burner to let the water cool so the wax will re-solidify on the top, letting the “gunk” I don’t want in it sink to the bottom, then rest my hip against the counter and face him. “Okay…”

Killian watches me, eyes narrowed, and this close, he isn’t missing anything. “You don’t look so sure about wanting to go down there. Did you and Raven have a fight or something?”

I bark out a laugh at that. “God, no. You know how we are. We might bicker about something, but we never really fight.”

He smirks. “Sounds familiar.”

Just like Killian and his brothers, we may not share blood, but Raven and I are sisters in the way that matters. Always there for each other. Through thick and thin. Even when we’re annoyed or angry.

“It’s just…I don’t know.” I tug at the hem of my shirt, staring down at a fraying thread. “I feel like everybody’s watching me, staring at me.”

“They probably are.”

I jerk my gaze up to meet his again. “What?”

“You’re a beautiful woman, Honeybee. Every man on McBride Mountain sees that, and every woman is probably jealous.”

He pushes off the counter and brushes past me, his shoulder gently bumping mine. Heat radiates through me from the contact, the most delicious warmth that always comes with his touch—intentional or not.

Or maybe it’s the compliment that did that.

“I need to leave in an hour.” He pauses at the door and glances back. “Will you be ready?”

I nod. “Yeah, I’ll just do this batch and then get changed.”

His eyes rake over me from my leggings to my tank top, lingering on the yellowing bruises visible in various places. “You look perfect in that; don’t change a fucking thing.”

With those words, he stalks out, and just like every night when he’s left me alone in the bedroom we once shared, I feel like a part of me is walking away, a part of what I need to make things right.

KILLIAN

Liam jogs to catch up with me as I stalk across the timber yard toward one of the massive piles of logs destined to become firewood to be sold in town. “Hey, what are you doing?”