Page 15

It’s breathtaking. A fireplace sits between two massive windows overlooking the rushing water below, and a large, four-poster bed on the right-hand wall catches the sun’s glow through the panes.

A door sits close to the bed, and I assume it’s a bathroom.

I don’t know what to do about Kyrin. His head’s hung, and he’s twiddling his fingers in a way that tells me he’s grappling with unrequited anger just beneath the surface.

I’m not great with emotions, and I have my own demons to blame for that. Typically, my helpful nature manifests as ill-timed jokes to lighten the mood, which only makes things worse for everyone involved, and it’s why I don’t really have close friends.

That, and my trust issues.

My empathetic side, however, urges me to do something because the dark energy wafting off Kyrin has my stomach wound tightly into knots that I’ll need to deal with once he’s gone for the night.

I kneel in front of him and lift his face to meet my gaze. “How about we do lunch?”

“What?”

I sigh. “I’m starving, and you seem like you could use some time out of the house before you resume my tour, so let’s get away for a bit and get some food.”

I don’t know why I’m being so warm toward him. Something about the inner scars peeking through his perfect exterior calls to me: he’s as tormented as I feel inside, but he lets it show.

I cover my anguish with a thick layer of humor and mascara, not to mention booze. Maybe he could teach me a thing or two while I’m here.

Maybe I could heal.

I kick the foolish notion away, knowing I’m far too broken for one man to mend, and sigh.

“Or…” I start, feeling how tense I’ve made him, as if it’s a tangible thing between us, constantly growing.

“No. I’d like that. Let’s do lunch.”

I smile as he helps me to my feet and leads me back the way we came.

I feel somewhat accomplished by how I handled the situation. I didn’t fuck it up for once.

Kyrin has layers, and even though it’s highly inappropriate, I want to peel them back and bask in the beauty beyond.

His mood seems to lift once we’re off the estate’s grounds. He takes a deep breath when we’re at the end of the drive, turning onto the main highway that runs through town.

I want to ask him what happened back there and what happened to his mother, but the angry look on his face tells me it’s not a good idea.

I want to get him out of the funk, not put him back in one.

It’s odd for me to want to be the bright spot in his day, especially since I normally avoid men like the plague. Now I’m headed to lunch with one.

Usually, men are my escape from the inner anguish for a night, and then I never speak to them again, but this is my third or fourth encounter with Kyrin, and all I want is more.

It scares me, if I’m honest.

It also intrigues me.

Which could be dangerous.

When we pull into the restaurant, Kyrin’s phone goes off, and his mood sours once more.

“Fuck,” he mutters, closing his phone and looking out of the driver’s window.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. It’s just… I was already scheduled for lunch today, and I forgot.”