I scoffed. “I’m sure you will.”
“Fine, then stay locked in there and trapped in the dress forever. I’ll go piss off the balcony.”
His heavy footfalls echoed through the cracks in the doorway before finally falling away. My shoulders sagged, an unexpected emptiness filling my chest. I heaved out a sigh and leaned against the back of the door.
I was never going to survive this entire weekend.
And I was still stuck in this stupid dress...
Spinning toward the door again, I opened it a crack. The bubbling whirlpool caught my eye, the frothy foam nearly spilling over the edges. Killian must have turned it on. I scanned the room, but I couldn’t quite reach all the angles of the massive chamber from this viewpoint.
“Kill—?”
The rest of his name died at the back of my throat, replaced by a scream. Killian’s hand shot out from around the door and curled around my neck, pushing it open. “Gotcha now, little Red.”
“Fuck you, Kill. You scared the shit out of me.”
He loomed closer, those eyes ablaze with a mix of barely restrained anger and excitement. My gaze roamed his bare torso, tracing the map of tattoos across his carved abdomen. They focused on the heart, that battered and bruised image wrapped in chains.
Sebastian’s words flitted to the forefront of my mind.My little bro was in love with you for years, Lexi. I couldn’t really be the reason for that tattoo, could I?
Killian snapped his fingers an inch from my nose. “Eyes up, Red.”
“Let go of me,” I hissed.
His hand only tightened around my throat. “Nope, not happening. Not only did you disobey me once, but twice, when I asked you nicely to open the door.” I glanced down, suddenly reminded he had to pee. Damn it, why was he naked again? No way he was peeing now, not with that erection.
The hint of a smile curled the corners of my lips, and darkness streaked across Killian’s eyes. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.”
“I’m going to fuck that smart ass smirk right off your face.”
Steeling my nerves, I gritted my jaw and glared at him. “Then you’d be no better than your rapist stepfather.”
His fingers loosened before completely falling away. He spun around, dragging his hands through his hair, driving it up into messy spikes. “Damn it, Lexi, you have to stop it with that. Stan didn’t try to rape you. It’s impossible.”
“That’s not really something you get confused about, Kill,” I spat.
“Then Stan has an evil twin out there or something.”
I snorted. “That only happens in movies.”
There wasn’t a doubt in my mind who’d been the one to ruin my life. Even after all these years, the way my body reacted in his presence was a dead giveaway. How could Killian not see it? How could the one person in my life who swore to always be there for me have accepted that bastard’s word over mine?
He took a step closer, and my entire body stiffened at his proximity. “I thought you wanted out of that dress.”
Ugh. I did.
Spinning around, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Just be careful, the zipper’s stuck or something.”
“Trust me, Red, I know my way around a zipper. I’ve had sorority girls out of their ball gowns in seconds flat.”
“You’re disgusting,” I snarled, hating the images that crossed my mind and the unwanted feelings that came with them.
“Then why do you like it?” His fingers flexed across my back as he fiddled with the zipper.
“I don’t.”
