“Do you want the truth?”
“Of course.”The truth won’t scare me away.
“Not even a little bit.”
It really wasn’t that surprising. Kieran was filled with resentment and pain. Every kill he made probably felt like retaliation for his friends who were slaughtered. To me, that didn’t make him a bad guy. It just made him human.
Tipping my face, I gazed up at him. “You were worried I’d freak out, huh?”
The thick Adam’s apple in this throat bobbed. “I don’t worry.” He informed me. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone, remember?”
“Will you get in trouble?”
His upper body flexed against the headboard. “I’ll handle it.”
Anxiety assailed me, forming a knot in my chest and tightening the back of my neck. My head ached faintly, but Iignored it and bit down on my thumbnail. It was already so mauled that it was sore, so I moved to a different finger.
Kieran’s fist wrapped around mine. “Instead of gnawing off your nails, why don’t you tell me what’s got you worked up?” he cajoled in a gentle tone.
“You’re going to get in trouble because you told me! I never should have gone snooping and found that murder locker.” I fretted. “This is all your fault! If you hadn’t left me in the middle of the night, I wouldn’t have felt nosy.” That made me remember. “We haven’t even talked about what you were out doing.”
“If you keep talking, the sun’s going to be up,” he muttered.
“That’s your fault too! You can’t tell me you’re a hitman and expect me not to want to knoweverything.And now I’m stressed you’re going to get murdered for telling me your real identity.”
A choked sound filled the room. “I’m not Batman.”
“Batman is lame. I’d never date him.”
Kieran grabbed my chin, forcing my face up. His eyes glittered like stars in a faraway galaxy. “You won’teverdate anyone but me. You understand me, little hazard? In fact, don’t look at anyone either.”
“Pffft.”
His overworked eyebrow arched. “Is that amusing to you?”
“How do you expect me not to look at people? I work in retail.”
His face twisted. “Fine. But don’t smile at them or make eye contact.”
I rolled my eyes. “Stop making up stupid rules when I’m worried you’re going to get axed.”
He let out a resigned sigh. “They might not be too happy when they find out, but they aren’t going toaxme.” He assured me, then grumbled, “Probably learned that term from yet another horrible movie.”
“But what if they do?” I asked, wringing my hands.
“I’m way too valuable to them, baby doll. And even if I wasn’t, they’d never be able to get close enough to take me out. That’s why they pay me so much money and let me live where I choose. It’s in their best interest to keep me happy. Because if they don’t, I will blow up their entire operation and disappear somewhere they’d never find me.”
“They found you back then,” I pointed out.
“That was nearly ten years ago. I’m much better at my job now.”
“Would you take me with you?” I asked, suddenly worried he would just disappear. “You know, if you decided to leave.”
He tossed me onto my back and rolled over, his bulky frame pinning me to the mattress. “You are essential, baby doll. The one and only thing I will never live without. Wherever I go, you go too.”
There went my insides again. Liquified. Butter left out in the hot sun. Never in my whole life had I beenessentialto anyone. Not even to the people who made me.
“You’re essential to me too, my hitman.”
