Page 54

Kyrie

Nate. Fuck. What is he doing here? I can’t even begin to process him standing here. Not when my lips are still burning from that kiss. My seanathair’s kiss. I can barely process that . The way he came at me, hunger and heat burning in his gaze as he scooped me up in his arms.

Why did he do that?

I’m so confused. Sick even. I was already struggling with my feelings for him and how I reacted to watching him last night. Now… now I’m hot and panting, my core clenching with the memory of his lips on mine. His hands on my body. Why do I feel this way? I shouldn’t feel this way, but he… Oh, God, why did he do that? Why did I do that? And why do I want to do it again?

Owen growls softly behind me, jolting me out of my musings. I meet Nate’s gaze, his brows furrowed but his eyes hold an annoyance that’s unnerving. I give him a soft smile and try not to stumble over my words with little success. “What, uh, what are you doing here?”

His gaze flicks behind me before landing on me again. “I wanted to check on you. You seemed so upset earlier.”

Owen growls again, sending a shiver down my spine. “I, thank you. I’m okay, though. Promise. ”

He stares at me expectantly, and I squirm in place, unsure how else to defuse the tension in the air. Owen growls a third time, and I turn to him with wide eyes. He’s staring with a look I can’t decipher. I look back at Nate and smile again. “Nate, this is my O—my guardian, Owen Walsh.” The look on Owen’s face has morphed into something dangerous, and my mouth goes dry. “Seanathair, this is Nate. He’s… a friend. From school.”

Nate scoffs, and the scowl marring his face makes me jerk back a little. “Friend, huh? Is that what we are?”

My heart races. While we’ve had some heavy makeout sessions, we have yet to put a label on our relationship. I don’t even know if I want a label with him. Not anymore. I open and close my mouth a few times, hoping for a response to come to mind and nothing comes. Nate scoffs again, stepping forward. “Seriously, Kyrie? I don’t think—”

Owen jerks past me, pushing Nate out the door onto the step. “If Kyrie says you’re friends, you’re fucking friends. Get off my property.”

Owen’s presence fills the space so wholly it’s choking. Warmth pools in my lower belly with him coming to my defense. He always will; he’s my guardian, but after what happened, his motives are… different. I’m sure of it. That realization has panic seizing my chest all over again. Even mo re so when Nate’s eyes meet mine over Owen’s shoulder. Anger swirls in their bright-blue depths, and a ticking in his jaw tells me just how much this whole interaction has pissed him off. I’ll have to address that. Soon. I can’t right now, though. Not when the walls feel like they’re closing in on me because it’ll be just me and Owen again in a moment.

Nate’s smirk as he leaves does me in. “I’ll see you soon, Kyrie.”

Heart pounding and adrenaline pumping, I turn around and race up the stairs before Owen can close the door and I have to face him. I run into my room, closing the door behind me. My breathing is ragged as I walk to my bed and sink down onto the mattress. I clasp my hands over my lips, the memory of the kiss ringing in my head once again.

Why did he do that?

A gentle knock on my door has me tensing. My breath freezes in my lungs as I sit and listen, waiting.

“Kyrie?” Owens’s voice comes through the door, but I don’t respond. I can’t. I’m not ready. After a few more tense moments, his footsteps retreat, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

What do I do ?

I sit there on my bed, breathing through the panic and crash of adrenaline. When my breathing finally evens out, the rush of emotions leaves me feeling exhausted. After stripping myself of my jeans and bra, leaving me in a T-shirt, I pull my feet up onto the bed and curl into a ball. I throw my covers over myself and stare at the wall, wondering what the fuck happened today.

My whole world has been turned upside down. Feelings I never thought to examine too closely are roaring to life. Thoughts I never put too much concern into are suddenly all I can question. Fantasies I never thought to bring out of the dark depths to the light of day are dancing in the forefront of my mind. My seanathair kissed me. I kissed him back. Those two thoughts swirl endlessly in my mind until the bliss of a dreamless sleep takes me under.