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Chapter Eight

Ellis

Icouldn’t settle the feeling of restlessness that burned through me the day after Lena sprained her ankle. I jumped in the shower minutes after waking up, desperate to wash away the feelings I couldn’t quite identify. It didn’t work. I stood under the hot water for what felt like an eternity, washing up and scrubbing my hair, but I couldn’t get rid of the current of… whatever it was… flowing through me. I couldn’t stop thinking about Kieran, the soft, quiet conversation we’d had after Lena had gone to bed, the way my face had heated when our fingers brushed, and how my body lit up when he was near.

Finally, after far too long, I stepped out of the shower, turning the water off and letting out a deep sigh of relaxation. Maybe now I could let the restless feeling go and get on with my day. I dried off, scrubbing my hair with a towel, before wrapping the towel around my waist. In my hurry to shower, I’d neglected to bring clothes into the bathroom with me. I scooped up the clothes I’d slept in and opened the bathroom door, prepared to dart across the hallway to my room without being noticed.

Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. As I pulled the door open, I was met with Kieran standing in the hallway, hand raised as if he was about to knock. He was wearing nothing but pajama pants, bare chest on display, and in his other hand were clothes.

“I… I’m sorry.” His cheeks turned bright red, the blush visible even under his neatly trimmed beard, but his dark green eyes didn’t look away from my still-damp body, which heated under his gaze. His light brown hair was disheveled and he looked like he’d just gotten up for the day. He shook his head and blinked a few times, like he was clearing his thoughts away. “Sorry,” he muttered again, turning his back to me.

“It’s fine,” I mumbled. My heart raced as I edged my way around him and ducked into my bedroom. I shut the door behind me and pressed the lock in before sitting hard on my bed, towel still around my waist. I scrubbed my hand over my face, exhaling sharply. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way his eyes had fixed on my body, as if he couldn’t tear his gaze from my body. Heat coiled low in my stomach as thoughts of his shirtless torso teased at the edges of my mind. I shook my head, trying to will away the thoughts that threatened to invade my brain.

Once my heart rate returned to normal, I stood, my stomach quivering a little as I rummaged through my dresser to find a pair of jeans and a shirt that would be appropriate to wear to Lena’s office. Eventually I settled on a pair of fitted black jeans and a red and black plaid button down with a white V-neck under it. I ran my hands through my hair, trying to get it to settle into something that looked presentable before I left my room.

I made my way to the kitchen and started the coffee maker, more than ready to get this day started and put any potential weirdness in the past.

A few minutes later, Kieran found his way into the kitchen, his face blazing red the moment we made eye contact. “I’m so sorry about that,” he said.

I forced myself to shrug casually. “It’s fine. Perils of sharing a bathroom. Coffee?” I hoped my voice sounded as steady as I needed it to. Besides, I didn’t even want to think about that Henley and those unfairly tight jeans he was wearing.

He nodded and let out a soft exhale that sounded relieved. “Thanks.”

We didn’t say much more to each other in the kitchen, both of us moving carefully as if we were each hyperaware of the other. Eventually, I told myself I had to push past the awkwardness and get the day started.

“You about ready to hit the road?”

He nodded and gave me a look that could only have been one of gratitude. “Ready when you are.”

We were quiet for most of the drive to the office, which wasn’t terribly far from where we lived, about twenty minutes in the opposite direction of downtown Pine Bluff. When we arrived at her workplace, a sprawling three-story building with a brick front and lots of windows, I parked the car and led the way to her office, on the third floor, which was entirely occupied by her company.

We made our way to the reception desk where we found a bored-looking college-aged kid wearing a company polo and reading a book. They put the book down as we approached and gave us a customer service smile.

“Can I help you?”

“I…” I had no idea what to say. My sister works here and I need her stuff? Hardly. An information security company wouldn’t likely just want to hand over equipment to someone they’d never heard of before.

Kieran cleared his throat. “Hi. I’m Kieran. Lena Wilson sent us to pick up her laptop and a few other things.”

The receptionist nodded and pulled open a desk drawer. “Lena said you’d be coming by. I’ll walk you to her office.”

They led the way, Kieran and I following close behind, and eventually we made it to an office at the end of the hall, which the college kid unlocked for us. There was a window that looked out into the hallway, as well as windows on the far side of the room, letting daylight fill the space.

“Let me know if you need anything else. Otherwise, lock up and I’ll see you on your way out.” With that, they headed back in the direction we’d come from.”

Kieran seemed to be a person with a solid plan. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and consulted something on the screen. “Okay, she said to get her laptop, charger, company phone, and a few other things.” He showed me his phone, which had a list of office items on it.

I nodded. “Sounds good.” I grabbed her computer first, tucking it into a laptop bag that sat nearby. On the desk next to her laptop was a cell phone in a heavy, drop-proof case, so I slipped that into the bag too.

Kieran took charge of the rest of the list, gathering up her charger and the other things she’d asked for—an external webcam, a monitor extender that would affix to her laptop, and a couple of small spiral notebooks. There was something about the cool, confident way he managed to handle the whole trip that made my stomach flutter. He’d known exactly what to say to the receptionist, whereas I’d started stuttering immediately, and he was quick and efficient when it came to picking up her belongings. He seemed so competent in that type of environment, whereas I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb, what with my tattoos and long hair and complete and utter unfamiliarity with office culture.

“I think that’s it.” He turned to me. “Let’s head back. I know she said she has a busy day today and I’d hate to leave her hanging any longer than necessary.”

“Sure.” I swallowed hard, trying to push past the weird feeling that was building inside of me.

When we were back in the car, Kieran turned to me. “That wasn’t so bad.”

I shrugged. “Not terrible, I guess. You certainly seemed to know what you were doing.”