I would walk all the way off the end of the earth if it would stop this pain in my chest.
Chapter 7
Aurora
He looked at me with such disdain.
And just moments before, I was thinking about kissing him.
Stupid man. Stupid, handsome face, chiseled jawline, perfect hair. Even that damned scar across his face just makes him that much more alluring.
I can’t believe that he actually pulled a full-on romance novel move by catching me as I fell, and I swooned in response instead of slapping him in his stupid handsome face.
“I’m up,” I declare at the ass crack of dawn, kicking open Kieran’s bedroom door and standing in the doorway, seething. “And no, I didn’t stumble on any cracks in the floorboards and fall and break all my teeth, if that’s what you were about to insinuate, because?—”
I fall silent as I realize that Kieran isn’t up yet. He’s still in bed, his legs tangled in the comforter, his hair mussed with sleep.
And he’s bare naked, ass out, the warm glow of the hallway lights caressing his tanned skin over well-rounded planes of muscle.
Swallowing, I quickly turn around and mentally fan myself. I run through a list of all the things I hate about Kieran, from theway he looks at me, to how self-righteous he is, to the fact that he treats me like dirt under his shoe.
Still, I commit the image of his exquisitely toned ass and thick thighs to memory. If nothing else, to get myself through those cold winter nights.
Even though I can practicallyhearDana screaming at me to stop admiring the naked body of the man who made my life a living hell.
“I thought you said we were getting up early,” I yell over my shoulder, enjoying the grunt I get in response. “Did I just catch you sleeping in?”
“Yes, and you also caught me naked.” The smooth, annoyed tone of Kieran’s voice is very different from the last time he spoke to me, all snappish anger and stupid insults. “I don’t suppose that was the point, though? To walk in on me and get a good look?”
I bristle at the insinuation. “So what if it was? You were supposed to be my mate once, after all. Doesn’t that mean I can look at you naked whenever I want?”
“I think there’s something to be said about consent, although you have a point there,” he says in a warm tone. Maybe I wouldn’t hate Kieran so much if I always caught him after a good night’s sleep on a quality mattress. “In any case, you’re right. I slept in. Rectifying that mistake right now by getting out of bed, so if you want a shot of full-frontal, now’s your chance, Aurora Blackburn.”
Pointedly, I don’t turn around, although I can hear him get out of bed and walk around the bedroom, opening his bag and grabbing clothes. My heart is beating embarrassingly fast, and I can feel the heat in my cheeks spread down to my neck and chest.
Fuck, I hate him so much for how he makes me feel. Especially in moments like this one.
“For the record, I wasn’t trying to get a look.” I clear my throat, shaking off the heat of embarrassment. Get it together, Aurora. “It just… happened.”
“Mmhmm.”
“Although of course I’m relieved to see that you’ve kept up that squats routine Coach Leroy showed us. Sixth grade you would be impressed.”
Kieran snorts audibly. “Sixth grade me thought that cold slices of pepperoni pizza were the pinnacle of taste and Maura McKinney was the love of his life. I don’t think his opinion counts for much. And you can turn around now.”
I do, relieved to see him fully dressed, although his hair is still mussed from sleep. He runs his fingers through it, somehow making it seem deliberately tousled and not accidentally slept in.
“Maura McKinney wasn’t a fan of yours, as I recall,” I muse aloud. “She had different taste.”
Kieran shoots me a wry look. “If only I’d been the alpha’s daughter and not the alpha’s son.”
“That would’ve spared us both some heartache,” I comment wryly, suddenly sobering. “Or at least it would’ve spared me, I guess. I was never into girls, no matter how much I tried… with Maura, mostly.”
“Guess that explains those matching headbands the two of you wore for a total of two weeks, and never again.” Kieran’s eyes flick toward me, then away again, and he grabs his backpack. In an introspective tone, he says, “Maybe if I’d been the alpha’s daughter, we could’ve been friends.”
I don’t say,maybe if you’d accepted our mate bond, we could’ve been best friends, and life partners.
The part of me that dreamed of that future has long since died.
