“Be back soon. Want me to pick up anything specific for dinner?”
“Please don’t talk to me about food.”
“Need anything else?”
She shakes her head.
22
Violet
I wake up with a start. Killian is moving toward me. He sits down and kisses my forehead. “Catch some sleep? Still queasy?”
“What time is it?” I ask, looking over at my phone. It falls to the floor when I reach for it, so he leans over and fetches it, glancing at the screen.
“One thirty.”
“Huh?” I scramble to sitting and teeter a little.
Killian steadies me with a “Whoa!”, hands to my shoulders.
“I gotta get logged on and get my work done. Where’s my laptop?”
“There’s no laptop. You’re not goin’ back there.”
I blink and shake off my grogginess. “Huh?”
“You’re officially done. Fuck that shit. That bitch will not be stressing you out.”
“Whoa. Whoa, wait. You can’t quit my job for me. Gimme my phone.” I reach out and his arm goes high. He’s holding it out of my reach, a stern look on his face.
My mouth drops open. “Are you kidding me right now?”
“Forget it. She’s a bitch and she’ll do nothing but stress you out. Fuck that; fuck the job.”
“You’re the one stressing me out!” I cry. “Gimme my phone.”
“Settle down.”
“Give me my fucking phone!” I shout and then I’m on my knees trying to wrestle it off him. It falls and I’m suddenly pinned on my back, him looming over me.
“Settle down and listen to me.”
I growl at him and then blow my hair out of my eyes.
He’s pinning me still. “She was a bitch and she’s gonna take it out on you – that much is obvious. She’s a man-hater that associates herself with other man-haters. She became your friend when you told her you were dumpin’ Iadanza, right? She was full of venom when I got there and made comments about being sure you get back to the office quickly because it’s quarter end, rollin’ her fuckin’ eyes over how now you’ll be havin’ a plethora of doctor’s appointments comin’ up and how they’ll have to hire and train someone for your maternity leave. That shit was not on. You don’t need that job; I don’t want you dealin’ with that stress.”
“Let me up.”
“I already told her that if you went back and anything happened to you or my baby because of her bullshit attitude, they’d be neck deep in lawsuits as well as a rain of hellfire.”
“You what?”
“Yep. Hellfire - Killian-style. You get me?” He stares coldly.
My mouth drops open. I don’t know whether to cry or scream.
“She’s probably not gonna want you back knowing that’s on the line.”
I spit out, “You threatened her? Who does that? What, are you gonna lock her in the basement with Ray? With me? Got lotsa room to build a couple more dungeons down there, right?”
His eyes narrow. “That’s not nice. And calm down.”
“Not nice? Not nice? Pff. And since when does telling a woman to calm down actually calm her down?” I huff.
He leans in.
“God, you’re sexy when you’re sassy.”
I jolt in surprise. What the fuck?
His lips fuse with mine and then something strange surges through me as he kisses me.
Arousal.
Need.
Hunger.
He’s cupping the back of my head and slipping his tongue into my mouth.
More than the above sensations, it’s all braiding with anger. And much to my dismay, I’m kissing him back.
Angrily.
Suddenly, I’m on my back and he’s on me, an erection pressed against me. I’ve even spread my legs. What the heck?
“I’ve missed you so fucking much,” he says against my lips, fingers tangling into my hair, his erection pressing in the perfect spot.
I push my hips into his and bite his bottom lip.
Whoa. Whoa.
I shove, breathlessly. “No. Off me. Off!”
My heart is racing and my face is hot. And other parts of me are even hotter.
“Gimme my phone, please.”
He hands it to me, a little smile tugging at his mouth.
I shake the weird feelings off. What the heck? He’s thrown me for a loop.
And then the loop turns to anger. I’m hoppin’ mad right now. And part of that is being mad at Killian for interfering with my job. And for making my belly dip like that. I’m astonished at his behavior. And my reaction.
My eyes take in the screen and a text from Shara.
Get ahold of me ASAP and let me know if you’re actually resigning or if that was just your husband’s temper flaring. I’m sorry to say this but I need to inform you that he threatened me. Sorry you’re not feeling well. Hope you’re okay. Don’t worry about work today – I’ll cover you. If you want to work from home tomorrow too, I’ll courier your laptop over. I hope we can make it work. You’re a valued employee and I consider you a friend. Call me when you can.
I breathe out relief.