Don't Need You - Lilian Monroe Page 0,66

won’t insist on helping you.”

My heart flutters. Like it has wings that brush against my ribcage, letting me know that I like him being chivalrous. I like being taken care of. I like this big, strong man doing things for me.

Great.

That bodes well for the difficult conversation I’ve been trying to convince myself to have.

Kit follows me up the stairs and carries the bag into my childhood bedroom. His eyes sweep over the medals hanging on the wall from my time as a soccer player, to the pink comforter stretched over my single bed.

“Cute.” He grins.

“Shut up, Kit. I’m sure your childhood bedroom is no better.”

“I moved out of mine when I was a teen,” he says, sadness tinging his words. “But yeah. It would’ve been similar.”

I haul the bag onto my bed, unzip it, and flip it open. In my haste to leave Woodvale last month, I left about half my stuff. Kit has folded it neatly, packing it expertly in the bag. Even my underwear has been treated with reverence, folded and rolled into tight little cylinders.

“You’re better at packing than I am.” I grin. “I usually just stuff my undies into my shoes and toss them in the bottom of my bag.”

Kit’s reading the inscriptions on my soccer medals. He glances over his shoulder, grinning. “I didn’t mind spending time folding your underwear.”

“Creep.” I fight a smile—one of the few smiles I’ve had since I came back here.

“Complete, shameless creep when it comes to your underwear.”

God, that grin. Did I think I’d be able to resist it? It tugs his lips into a soft curve, reminding me of the firm softness of his kiss.

I clear my throat. My room feels too small for the both of us, but it’s comforting. It feels good to have him here. “How are things in Woodvale? You done any more flights at the skydiving center?”

Kit’s muscles tense. His jaw clenches, and I know I’ve hit a nerve. Then he releases the tension and shakes his head. “No, but Finn wants me to come back full-time. Said we could go back to the way it was before. Partners.”

“That’s great!” My voice rises up a few octaves as I force the words out. I try to smile, but my face isn’t cooperating. An awkward grimace tries to climb its way over my lips until I give up and let it drop. I turn my back to him, trying to stop the shards of my heart from poking through my flesh.

Kit will take the job and go back to being the carefree skydiving pilot in Woodvale. I’ll stay here, taking care of my mother and grandmother. It’ll be for the best, right? At least he has a future over there. I know that he hates commercial flying.

But I feel Kit’s presence before I can convince myself it’s what he wants. His big, broad body steps behind mine as his hands find my hips, dipping his thumbs beneath my shirt. When the pads of his fingers connect with my skin, a shiver courses through my body.

“I’m going to turn it down,” he says, his breath tickling my ear.

I frown, turning. “What? Why?”

“Serena…” Kit’s brows draw together. Pain flashes in his eyes as he shakes his head. “I don’t think you understand how much you mean to me. I know it’s fast. I know we barely know each other, but I also know I’ve never felt this strongly about anyone, ever. I can’t just let you walk into my life and walk back out again without telling you how I feel.”

My throat constricts. My heart does its best to beat its way out of my chest as I blink away tears that threaten to escape down my cheeks. I swallow, struggling past the lump in my throat.

“Kit…” I inhale sharply, splaying my hands over his chest. “I don’t want you to give up everything for me.”

“I’m not,” he says, cupping my cheek. “I’m not giving anything up.”

I can feel the lie coursing through him. I know he’s not telling me the truth. I know it kills him to think about leaving Woodvale, leaving his business, leaving his family. But just for one moment, I let myself believe it. I soak up his pretty words and feel a wave of warmth wash over me.

Tilting my chin up to his, I wait for the kiss I’ve been dreaming of for weeks—and Kit doesn’t disappoint. His lips are warm and wanting, exactly what I’ve been missing. His kiss is