him as he rubbed his right knee, his lips drawn down with pain and little drops of sweat breaking out on his forehead.
“Connor?” She touched his naked back. “Connor, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s fine,” he gritted out.
He was lying and she gave him a helpless look. “What should I do?”
“Nothing. Just give me a minute.”
Feeling sick to her stomach, she yanked her tank top over her head before sitting quietly next to him. After a few minutes, he relaxed a little and took in a deep breath.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
“It isn’t your fault.”
“It is,” she said. “I’m very sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “What happened to your knee?”
“Tweaked it during the game last night,” he said.
She frowned. Why was he lying to her?
“Grace said she’s seen you limping at the office. Did you injure it when you were a kid?”
He tensed and grabbed his shirt from the floor, shoving it over his head. “It’s fine, Kira.”
“That isn’t what I asked,” she said.
He sighed. “Yes, I hurt it when I was younger and sometimes it acts up.”
“Oh. I’ve got an ice pack in the fridge. I’ll grab it.”
He shook his head. “Don’t bother. I’m fine.”
“You’re obviously not fine,” she said. “What did you do to it when you were a kid?”
“None of your business,” he said.
She gave him a hurt look. “We’re dating, Connor. This seems like something I should know.”
“We’re fake dating,” he said. “And I’m not talking about my knee injury with you.”
He stood up and limped his way to the door. “This was a mistake. I gotta go.”
She jumped up and followed him down the hallway. “Are you kidding me? Why do you get to be the one to decide when it’s a mistake or not? You were the one who started this with your damn touching and your-your nipple talk during the game!”
He glared at her. “I wouldn’t have even been over here if you hadn’t invited Daniel to come over.”
“I didn’t invite him over, he asked, and I said yes because it’s something we do all the time.”
“Yeah, well, you have a boyfriend now, remember? Letting him hang out here when I’m not around is a slap in my face.”
“It’s not real,” she said. “We aren’t actually dating!”
He glared at her. “He doesn’t know that and no one else does either. If you want Daniel to buy this relationship, then you need to think about your actions and act like you and I are dating for real. It’s that simple, Kira.”
“Fine,” she snapped. “I fucked up. I get it. I’ll try to be a better fake girlfriend in the future.”
“Good.”
There was tense silence between them and then Connor took a deep breath before running his hand through his hair. “Fuck. Okay, I’m being a dickhead and I apologize. I know you want to be with Daniel, and I’ll do my best to help you achieve that goal, but you have to use your head about this. He’s not going to be jealous if he thinks this isn’t real.”
“I said I get it,” Kira replied. “No need to elaborate. I’ll do better in the future.”
He looked like he was going to say something else, and she crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a cool look. “Good night, Connor.”
“Good night.” He yanked open the door and stepped out onto the porch. He slammed the door behind him, and she gave his retreating back the bird before making a screech of frustration and stomping back to the kitchen.
Chapter Ten
“What’s wrong with you tonight?”
“Nothing. What’s wrong with you?” Kira said.
Gideon patted Tank’s head before leaning against the counter. “You’re acting weird.”
“You’re acting weird.”
He rolled his eyes and grabbed a tart from the cupboard. “Have you shown that tech guy the properties yet?”
“No, that doesn’t happen until Friday.” She stared at her hands as Gideon sat down across from her.
“Nervous?”
“Yeah. If I can’t find a property he likes and wants to purchase, I’ll lose my job.”
“Sorry, kid,” he said.
She shrugged. “I just need to think and stay positive. There has to be something he likes, right?”
“Yeah. How are things going with your new boyfriend?”
“Don’t say it like that.” She scowled at him as he shoved the rest of the tart into his mouth.
He chewed and swallowed before saying, “It’s Wednesday and we still haven’t talked about it.”
“You’ve been busy at work and there’s nothing to talk about. I’m dating Connor.”
“But you’re in love with Daniel,” Gideon said.
“No, I had a pointless