don’t even know you!”
I have my hand up to knock on the door when this last shout hits me, and my hand falls to my side, my eyes closing in the face of hopelessness. “Maybe later,” Killian suggests, taking my hand gently. “Give her some time.”
I can only nod despairingly as we continue down the hall, remembering the painting a split second before the hand reaches out and gropes for Killian. He jumps, startled, as I pull him away, and then looks from me to the painting and starts laughing. “Well,” he remarks, “that’s new.”
“Welcome to the Kismet home,” I say sarcastically. “It’s a death trap, but it’s our death trap.”
Killian actually laughs at that as we round the corner into my room. I shut the door behind me with a defeated sigh and sink onto my bed, dropping my head into my hands. Killian stands by the closet for a moment, hesitating, before he takes a seat next to me. “She’s going to be okay,” he tells me, although he doesn’t sound sure. “You guys have made it through worse scrapes than this.”
“Maybe,” I say, not looking at him. “I can’t say the same for the people in that city, though.”
“Hey,” he says, taking my face in his hands, “don’t go there, Karma. Do you hear me? That wasn’t your fault.”
“It wasn’t?” I demand, feeling like I’m going to cry. “I was the one who got those powers. I was the one who unleashed them on San Francisco. That was my choice.”
“You didn’t have a choice,” Killian insists. “If you did, you wouldn’t have done it.”
“How do you know?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Because I know you, Karma,” Killian replies in a heady tone. That simple assurance is all that it takes, and the next thing I know my lips are colliding with his, my hands exploring his body with desperation as he pulls me close. His tongue grazes my lip as his fingers tangle in my hair, our bodies flush against each other as we fall back on the bed. I’m not sure when or how our clothes come off—we’re too caught up in the moment—but it happens, and as his kisses stray lower, first to my neck, then over my stomach, before his head settles between my legs, I can’t help the moan that escapes me. I’m so wound up that I feel like I’m going to explode, from the guilt, the tension, and the fear, and right now, Killian feels like refuge.
I gasp his name as he sets to work on my clit, his tongue moving with deft precision as a finger glides up inside me. I buck into his touch, pleasure already overtaking my body as I arch my back and tangle my hands in his hair, lost in the feeling of him. He seems to be enjoying it just as much, pausing only to lift his head, meet my eyes, and tell me, without a hint of insincerity, “You’re…unbelievable, Karma.”
I continue to squirm at his touch until he brings me right to the edge, seemingly aware that I’m about to come, and moves back up, his lips pressing to mine. A shiver goes through me at the feeling of him pushing inside me, his mouth stifling the moan that escapes me, and within seconds, our bodies are connected, with Killian moving inside me like I’m the only thing in the world. I don’t last long, coming in a rush, and when Killian finishes, he leans down and presses his forehead to mine. I’m not sure how long we remain like that, catching our breaths and staring into each other’s eyes, but it doesn’t matter. He’s here, and that’s all I need right now.
Chapter 11
I’m not expecting to sleep, but I do. The surprises never end, it seems, although in hindsight I’m not sure why I am surprised. Good sex has always made me sleepy—I’m definitely more of a “snuggle and spend the night” type than an “out the door as soon as the deed is done” type. This, combined with the fact that I slept fitfully last night, is a damn near lethal combination, and even after I wriggle back into my underwear and a tank top, I feel like I can barely move. Killian pulls his boxers back on and lies back on the bed, opening his arm to me in a silent invitation. I don’t need telling twice, and wordlessly I crawl over to him, curling up at his