AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The way that she worded it, about us helping out, it just didn’t sit right with me. I’m all for carrying my own weight, even though I’ve never had a job before in my life. It was just weird how the whole conversation went down. I didn’t catch everything that was said between them, but I could feel how tense Killian’s body was when I woke up.
Whatever Grace said to Killian struck a nerve with him. If anyone is going to fuck with him, it’s going to be me. And anyone that dares to fuck with him will have to deal with me.
“I thought about asking Courtland and Amethyst but I don’t know.” He shrugs as he turns to look out over the railing at the shitty street. “Their apartment isn’t really big though and I don’t wanna encroach on their space, you know?”
“We’ll figure something out.”
Killian glances back at me with a small smile tugging on the corners of his lips but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Those smiles were never something that he frequently showed, but since we’ve been on the run, it’s been even less. I just want to hear him laugh again and see him smile. He tips his head down to mine, stealing my lips with his.
It starts out innocent and gentle, but that’s not how things are between us. The kiss quickly shifts gears as his tongue slips between my lips and slides against mine. My hands find his shirt, fisting the soft cotton in my palms. His hands slide under my shirt, gripping my ass as he pulls me close against him. He’s hard already and his cock presses against my stomach.
“No fucking way,” a voice calls out in an amused tone. “Killian, is that you?”
Killian groans, pulling away from me with a frustrated growl. He cuts his eyes in the direction of the voice and I watch his expression transform instantly. His face softens, his eyes widen as his lips part slightly. “Linc?”
A low chuckle vibrates through the air. I tear my gaze from Killian’s face and follow his eyes in the direction of the laughter. A guy around our age saunters toward us. He’s dressed in a black tank top with black skinny jeans. Everything about him is dark and black, from his backward hat to his Vans. Soft brown curls peek out from underneath his hat. I watch as his tattooed hands reach up, lifting his black Ray-Bans away, revealing the brightest gray eyes.
“What’s good, man?” He smiles brightly, flashing his white teeth as Killian steps away from me and hugs Linc. “It feels like it’s been a fucking lifetime since we last saw each other.” He releases Killian and flashes his light gray eyes at me. “And who is this?”
“Lincoln, this is Ainsley.” Killian tucks me under his arm, staking his claim. “My girlfriend.”
We never discussed it before, but I can’t help the butterflies that float in my stomach from hearing him actually say it out loud. It wasn’t a label that we needed to have, but he must see Linc as some kind of a threat if he needs to mark his territory.
“Damn, I never thought that I’d see the day that you actually settled down with one chick.” He laughs and glances back at me. “Sorry.” He shrugs with a smirk as he positions his sunglasses back over his eyes. “We were in the foster system together for a few years. We bounced around to a few different houses and the group home.”
So, this guy is someone else who was once important to Killian. I glance over at Killian, smiling when I see how bright his eyes are, smiling without moving his lips. “So, does that mean that you know Courtland too? He was also your foster brother, right?”
Linc chokes on the air. “Yeah, I know Court.” His body tenses, his face getting flushed as he clears his throat. “So, what are you guys doing here?”
I look at Killian, raising an eyebrow. He shakes his head, his lips pressed together. There’s a weird shift in the air and there’s definitely something here that I’m missing. With the way Lincoln changed the conversation, it must be a touchy subject. Something that isn’t my business to go digging in, especially if they didn’t offer up any more information.
“It’s a long ass story,” Killian offers. “We are temporarily staying with Grace after some shit went south, but I think it’s time that we move on from here.”
“Well, if you guys are couch surfing, I got a couch.”
Killian’s body tenses. I know that they were obviously once close, but if they haven’t seen each other in a while, would it be a weird thing if we crashed at his place? It’s not like it will be a permanent location, but it could get us out of Grace’s apartment.
“Actually, I have a whole ass spare room with a bed, if you don’t want a couch.”
“That’s really nice of you to offer that.” I smile at him as a car pulls up in the dingy parking lot. I glance over my shoulder, seeing Courtland as he climbs out of his car.
“We don’t wanna impose and be in your way,” Killian tells him, looking down at the stairs as Courtland begins to climb them.
Linc shrugs. “Well, whether you stay or not, you guys should at least come chill. We have a lot to catch up on.”
Killian opens his mouth, but he’s cut off by the sound of Courtland’s voice. “The two of you ready to go?”
Killian looks past Lincoln at Courtland who stands on the opposite side of the landing. Lincoln’s body falls rigid and his jaw clenches as he stares off into the distance. I look over at Killian, still confused as hell from being in the dark. He shifts his weight, uncomfortable from the awkwardness that hangs heavily in the air.
“Come see me when you guys get back,” Linc tells us with a nod. His movements are slow as he turns around. His eyes scan Courtland’s body before landing on his face. “’Sup, Court?”
Courtland’s brow furrows, his lips parting slightly. From where I’m standing, I can see his pulse throbbing in his neck. “Linc?”
Lincoln smirks at him, neither confirming or denying, before he slips past us, slamming the door to his apartment shut behind him. I divert my gaze to the ground, feeling awkward as hell as Killian lights up another cigarette.
“I’m gonna go change and get our stuff,” I tell Killian quietly as I peer up at him. “You know, just in case...”
Killian nods, removing his arm from my shoulders as Courtland spins on his heel and marches down the steps. “Don’t mind them,” he explains with a shrug. “They have a history.”
