Page 276 of For the Fans

“See? Exactly,” Kyran says calmly, though I’m not satisfied.

First the rivalry, now this?? I’m not liking this Jalen Payne character one bit.

“We were at practice, and we were both going for the ball and he just sort of… elbowed me in the eye,” Kyran mumbles. “It’s no big deal.”

My brows furrow as I chew on the inside of my cheek, staring at the bruising on his beautiful face. He takes my hand and places it over his heart, brushing my hair back with his fingers.

“Baby… I’m telling you. I’m fine.” His tone is placating. “I don’t want you worrying.”

“Of course I’m going to worry, Kyran,” I mutter. “Accident or not, I wanna murder that asshole for hurting you.”

Bea, Zeb, and Frankie all goawwwin the background, but I’m not paying attention to them.

Kyran smiles. “Perfect.” He kisses my lips softly. “Gorgeous.” He kisses me again. “Sexy.” The kisses trail down my jaw and over to my ear. “Delicious, candy-coated sex machine.” I rumble a laugh while he licks my ear. “Do we have to wait, or can I get my birthday dick right now?”

God, I fucking love this man.

Worry or not, it’s all worth it for him.

“How about I get you a drink, and something to eat.” My fingers graze his lower back. “You go mingle for a bit… and I’ll meet you in the bedroom in twenty minutes for part one of your birthday orgasm package.”

“Mmm…” he rumbles. “How many parts are there?”

“As many as your body can stand before you require an IV drip of electrolytes.” I smirk, and he laughs.

He pulls himself off me with a satisfied sigh, hazel eyes shining with love.That right there… that’s what I wanted to see.All the planning and everything I put into this party…

All I needed was that one look.

Kyran makes his rounds, talking to everyone and thanking them for coming while I get him food and a cocktail. He’s genuinely amazed and flabbergasted by the set-up, pretty much in seventh heaven over the food from his favorite restaurant.

A few minutes later, I sneak off to the bedroom with his birthday present. I actually got him two things, but I want to give them to him in private. And not because they’re sex acts.That’ll be a happy side-effect.

When I hear footsteps, I sit down on our giant bed, running my fingers over the soft fabric of the comforter. It reminds me of all the times we spent tangled in the sheets of my dorm room bed, showing each other with our bodies how we felt in our hearts.

It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come in just a year. It doesn’t even feel real. I spend all my days walking in a fog. My entire life with this man is a dream I never want to wake from.

“Hey…” he whispers, stepping into the room, that easy grin resting on his pillowed lips. I love how much it’s become a permanent fixture on his face.

He’s not the boy I used to know as my stepbrother. The boy who fought with me and scowled at me, who hated me because he was hurt and scared and angry inside. The evolution of Kyran Harbor is something I’ll always cherish, because I got to watch it happen before my eyes. I got to see it behind closed doors when we were together in secret. I watched him grow into the amazing man he is today.

A man who loves me out in the open, without fear. A man who survived something awful and still laughs and loves and gives.

A man who taught me whoItruly am. Because if it wasn’t for Kyran Harbor, I’d still be lost myself.

I owe everything to this man, and the journey we took together… For the fans.

“Is that for me?” He trots over and takes a seat next to me on the bed, eyeing the wrapped gift box in my hands.

I nod, handing it to him. “Happy birthday, baby.”

Kyran tears into the paper, opening the box carefully. He pulls out the leather-bound book, peeking at me. I bite my lip.

He opens it, his eyes wide and sparkling as he reads the inside cover. It says,For Kyran, my baby… Love, your biggest fan.

Turning the pages slowly, he looks through all the intricate stuff I put together just for him. The book is full of pictures of us I took for the fans, drawings I did of him, even screenshots of some of the hilarious comments and DMs fans used to send us.

“Baby… this is incredible,” he breathes.