Defiant Heir (The Heirs #3) - Michelle Heard Page 0,46
for the night?” Kao asks.
“Yeah, taking care of your stubborn ass is tiring,” he jokes.
Smiling at Noah, I say, “Night.”
When Noah disappears down the hallway, I turn my gaze back to Kao. “Do your eyes feel better after the drops?”
“Yeah, they aren’t as scratchy then.” A mischievous grin spreads over his face. “Looks like it’s just us.”
I glance at the time, and seeing it’s already midnight, my eyes widen. “Damn, we should actually head to bed, or we’re totally going to oversleep tomorrow.”
Kao begins to get up, and it has me saying, “Wait a sec. Let me just rinse the cups, then I’ll help.”
I quickly clean up after us, then walk to Kao. “Let’s go.”
As we walk down the hallway, he says, “Thank you for tonight.”
Entering his room, I switch on the light but then pause. “Should I leave the lights off?”
“No, leave them on.”
I walk to his bed and pull the covers back. Noticing the eye shields on the bedside table, I ask, “Do you need help putting on the eye shields?”
“In a minute.” Kao first makes his way to the bathroom. “Can you help me with the toothbrush and paste?”
“Sure.” I dart forward and go stand next to him. I reach for the toothbrush and squirt some paste on, then place it in his hand.
I fill the glass with water and wait until Kao’s finished, then hand it to him. I quickly rinse the bristles before placing the toothbrush back in the holder.
Getting a taste of how much help Kao still needs is an eye-opener. I wish I could’ve helped him sooner.
I follow him back into the bedroom, and instead of getting in bed, he turns to face me. “I really want to hug you right now.”
I hesitate for a moment, but not wanting to ruin the ground we’ve gained, I move forward and wrap my arms around his waist. I press my right cheek to his shirt, and when his arms lock me to him, everything feels right again.
KAO
Actually, I want to drag Fallon into bed with me and hold her all night long. But knowing I can’t rush things with her, I force my arms to let go of her.
I sit down on the side of the bed, and again a smile plays around my lips as Fallon carefully helps me put on the eye shields. Even though I can do some of the things myself, I’m holding back so Fallon can help me because I know how important it is to her.
I let out a chuckle and try to joke, “I probably look like a fly now.”
“Never,” Fallon whispers, and when I lie down, her hair falls over me, she presses a kiss to my cheek. “Night, Kao.”
She has such a nurturing soul, it’s one of the things I love most about her.
“Night,” I murmur. It takes all my strength to lie still and to not beg her to stay.
She turns off the light and then pulls the door shut behind her, and I’m left with my thoughts.
I replay the night's events and remembering everything Fallon said fills me with worry. Her self-esteem took one hell of a knock, and I only helped crush it.
Seeing the consequences of my destructive breakdown makes regret taste bitter on the back of my tongue. Come hell or high water, I’m going to help build her back up.
With my thoughts consumed by Fallon, I only managed to sleep a couple of hours. I’m up early and walk to my closet. My eyes scan over the different shades of gray.
Shit.
For a moment, I hesitate, thinking I should call Noah to help me, but then I take the first shirt and pants my hand touches and hope the colors will match.
There’s a soft tap against my door, and I call out, “Come in.”
“I made you some coffee,” Fallon says as she steps inside.
I let out a thankful breath. “You’re just in time. Can you help me pick a shirt and pants that match?”
“Sure.” She first sets the cup down, then comes to stand next to me. “Ooh, no.” She takes the items from my hands and hangs them back in the closet. “We should actually get rid of that shirt. I don’t like pink on you.”
I let out a burst of laughter. “You can throw it out.”
“I can arrange your clothes from dark to light colors, so it’s easier for you in the future,” Fallon offers.
“I’d appreciate that.” Seeing her take control of everything makes hope explode in my heart.