he’d never have gotten away with having the bat cave be so depressing. The place needs some colorful throw pillows and scented candles, at the very least.
I remove one of the white dress shirts from its hanger and put it on. The hem hangs down to my knees. I have to fold the sleeves up over and over just to get them past my wrists. This thing could double as a dress for me.
Then I head back to the bed, sit on the edge of the mattress, and pick up the letter. I unfold it and start to read.
Twenty minutes later, I’ve reread the letter half a dozen times. I’m sitting in the same spot with tears streaming down my cheeks, sobbing.
Which is how Killian finds me.
He stops short in the bedroom doorway. He’s barefoot, dressed in faded jeans and a white T-shirt. His dark hair is unkempt. His eyes are bloodshot. It looks like he hasn’t slept in weeks.
But the man is still so gorgeous it takes my breath away.
He shoves his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and looks at his feet. His voice is low and uncharacteristically hesitant. “So. You read it.”
Sniffling, I nod. It’s about all I can manage.
He glances up at me, examines my expression in silence, then looks down again, drawing a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I know it’s…a lot. I wasn’t sure…Liam suggested…” He trails off, muttering a curse under his breath. “If you want to leave, I’ll understand.”
“Leave? Are you kidding me?”
He jerks his head up and stares at me without blinking. It could be hope I see in his eyes, or it could be terror, considering the combo sob-wail that just left my mouth. It sounded frightening, even to me.
I try to compose myself a little, but fail. More sob-wails are forthcoming.
“Killian. My god. This letter.” I wave it hysterically around in the air. “This letter ripped my heart out. It burned my soul down. It tore me to pieces!”
His dark brows draw slowly together. He waits, looking confused.
I can barely speak, so I just fling open my arms and keep sobbing.
He’s on me in a flash, taking me into his arms and pressing me back onto the mattress, giving me his full, delicious weight. Then he’s kissing me all over my wet face.
I throw my arms around his big shoulders and cry into his neck.
His chuckle is low and husky. “Does this mean you’re okay with being in love with a spy?”
“Yes. Are you okay with being in love with a thief?”
He raises his head and looks at me with warm, shining eyes, framing my face in his big hands. He says softly, “Aye, lass. More than okay. It’s better than I could’ve dreamed.”
The way he’s looking at me makes me burst into a fresh round of tears.
He rolls over to his back, taking me with him, and holds me tightly against his body. He rubs a hand slowly up and down my spine until the wails taper off and I’m only gulping breaths instead of impersonating a banshee.
Against his shoulder, I whisper, “I can’t believe it. All these years…all the danger…how did you survive?”
“I’m me.”
I hear the shrug in his voice and want to pound a fist on his arrogant chest. Instead, I start weakly laughing.
“That’s better.” He kisses the top of my head. “For a minute there, I thought I’d have to call my friend at the psych ward at Boston Medical and tell him to bring over a straightjacket.”
“I mean, can you blame me?”
His chest expands with his slowly drawn breath. “No. But…”
I lift my head and stare down at him, horrified. “But what? Oh god. What else could you possibly have to tell me?”
“I spoke to your father.” He winces at my expression. “That’s not the worst part.”
I say slowly, “What’s the worst part?”
“I might have told him I’d send him pictures of our kids. You know. When we have them.”
I can feel myself blinking like an owl, but I can’t stop it. Maybe we’re going to need that straightjacket after all.
Killian says quickly, “Or I could just send him photos I cut out of a magazine. He won’t know the difference.” He pauses. “Sorry, are you going to say anything soon?”
“I’m still processing the kids part.”
He gently brushes the hair off my face. “I’d like a big family,” he murmurs. “But if you don’t want kids, that’s okay, too. I want you more than I want children. I want you more than anything.”