“Eh, it took me until tonight to mention I was smitten by you too. We should work on our communication skills.”
“We really should.”
“Thank you for telling me about Erica. It can’t have been easy.”
I shake my head.
“Did the police catch her?”
“No. She uses fake IDs. Changes her hair colour. All the sort of shit you see on TV. Based on her MO, I’m one of at least six men she’s conned and left broke. The police said they’ve got a strong case against her, but they’ve got to catch her first.”
“Let’s hope they do.”
“I’m not holding my breath.”
Kian gathers my hands in his. “Yes, by the way.”
I blink. “I…don’t understand.”
“I want to date you.”
“Really? Even after everything?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t deserve you.”
“Stop that. You do. And hey, we’ve got a double head start on most couples.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, we know we’re good in bed together, and we’ve survived our first fight.”
“That’s true.”
He stands, leans down, and kisses me. “Come back to bed. Let me hold you. I can’t erase the pain Erica caused, but maybe I can ease it a little. A problem shared is a problem halved and all that jazz.”
“The truth will set you free?”
Kian grins. “Yeah, that too.”
I let him take me back to bed. He lies partly propped up and hugs my head against his chest.
“What about your research project proposal?” I ask.
“I’ll work on it tomorrow. It’ll be fine.” He kisses my hair. “You must be exhausted. Try and get some sleep. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here when you wake.”
I close my eyes, but sleep doesn’t find me. “Did you know Rufus has a girlfriend?”
“Yes. Her name’s Halle. They’ve gone on two dates.”
“He asked me to go on a double date with him yesterday. He was going to set me up with Halle’s friend.”
“Why are we talking about my brother’s love life?”
I look up and meet Kian’s questioning gaze. “Do you want to go on a double date with them?”
His eyebrows shoot up.
