Cillian’s easy demeanor grew colder, and he finished his toast in a few bites before responding. “Because he was a coward. I can admit I will never understand your allegiance to him, even if I can admire your bravery in taking his place.”
My shoulders tensed. My father had tried to get me to leave the Spires. He’d told me not to take his place. This had been my choice. Which was an ever-present reminder whenever I got angry at my current situation. Because in a fucked-up way, I’d chosen it. “You don’t know him like I do.”
“I could say the same,” Cillian responded, his arrogance sliding right under my skin.
I bristled. I must’ve been under some spell to have found him attractive before.
I finished off some eggs and toast in quiet, following it up by crunching on some bacon, a little more spitefully. Cillianpolished off his coffee and dabbed at his lips before rising. Of course he didn’t make a move to clean up after himself, he had staff for that. I swallowed the few last gulps of my coffee before getting up from my seat as well, assuming the cue meant our day was about to start.
“Let’s get this first meeting over with,” he said. “They’ll be needing comprehensive notes, since they can’t seem to retain anything we’ve said in the prior meetings.”
I bit back the snarky comment rising to my lips. Today would be long and wearying, and my body was still rundown from yesterday. But I’d earned that on my own, and I’d get through the hours without complaint. Cillian didn’t wait for me—no, he acted just as he had before, turning on his heel and striding out of the room. I had to hustle to follow after him, and our footsteps echoed through the hallway as we headed for the elevator.
I hated that I missed the sudden ease that had emerged between us last night into this morning. Given the amount of time I spent around this man, if our situation could be marginally less hostile—damn. I couldn’t imagine what that might be like day in and day out. Except, I’d caught a glimpse of where his charm, his teasing might lead me, and it struck me to my core.
Because Cillian was the exact sort of intense, powerful beast I feared…and craved.
Chapter 14
The day prior had been grueling, and I hadn’t missed the myriad of times when Cillian would glance my way and smirk. Even though he still had his cold moments, he’d definitely melted. He’d lean in to whisper a private comment to me during a meeting, or his gaze would linger on me longer than normal. And I wasn’t immune.
“Conflicted” summed up my view of him.
Yet from the second I got out of bed today, excitement had thrummed through my veins. Because Cillian had promised to show me the library. And even if his library was small or poorly curated, the chance to sort through titles again was an itch I couldn’t deny.
A knock sounded at the door, and I lurched up from where I lay on my bed in the between phase of “dressed but not motivated.”
Charles and Theo stood in the doorway, both of them holding boxes.
“Hey, Jailbreak,” Charles said, an impish grin on his lips.
“Is that my new name now?” I said with a groan.
Theo shrugged, though his features gleamed with amusement. “Seems fairly earned.”
I chewed on my lower lip and pushed up from the bed. “That’s fair. And I’m sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for?” Charles asked as he swept into my room and dropped the box by the side of my bed. “It wasn’t like you rooted through my personal belongings. And Lia said Cillian pulled out the snarling, chest-thumping bullshit, so he had to see it coming.”
“Speaking of personal belongings.” Theo popped the other box on top of the one Charles had set down. “This was what we were able to retrieve from your apartment. Damn, man, you keep things sparse.”
I’d only been in the apartment for the past few years, as I’d lived the first year after I moved here with my father while I was finishing up school. And in that time, I hadn’t been able to accumulate much in the way of possessions. Hadn’t even been able to adopt a cat like I’d always wanted.
“Mmm, apart from a few items,” Charles said, glancing at the bottom box. “They’ll be our secret, though.”
Oh god, what could they have found in my place? Kitchenware, books, a handful of electronics? A small clothes collection, same with shoes?
Unless they’d gone into my bedstand drawers.
Heat rushed through me, my cheeks burning, and Charles’s wicked gaze confirmed my suspicions.
Right. My toy collection. The dildos I kept weren’t…average by any means. Nor were they all human cocks. And my toy collection wasn’t sparse. My mouth grew bone dry.
Theo mimed zipping his mouth shut, though his eyes twinkled too.
“I’ll melt into the floor now, thanks,” I muttered, scrubbing my face.
“Hey, you’re not the only one who likes his guys girthy.” Charles waggled his brows and glanced at Theo, who rolled his eyes and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
