“It’s nothing,” Indie finally said. “Mark is just some loser that I went ononedate with, and he’s remained super creepy for long after. He’s harmless. I would just rather not have to deal with him.”
I wasn’t convinced she truly believed he was harmless, but I nodded my understanding. At least he’d been dissuaded from approaching by our brief show of affection. He was nowhere to be seen now.
We chatted with Owen for a bit longer and once he left, I suggested we end our day early. Indie seemed rattled and a little upset after the kiss, and I wouldn’t ask her to fake it for me in the name of her showing me around more.
Even if I did want to spend the entire day with her.
I was pretty sure it wasn’t exactly the kiss that had her feeling uneasy.
As I pulled into her driveway, she let out a long sigh and slumped against the passenger seat. "Thanks for everything."The kissis what she didn’t say.
She gave me a weak smile. I could see the tension in her body as she avoided making eye contact.
I made a mental note to ask her more about Mark when the time was right, not wanting to push her further when I knew she was flustered about it.
My heart clenched as she turned and strode towards the towering apartment complex, her black boots clicking against the pavement. I longed to chase after her, to beg her to stay just a few minutes longer because I couldn’t get enough of being in her presence, but I knew she wouldn't want that. My fingers gripped the steering wheel as I watched her disappear into the building, desperate for a glimmer of hope that maybe one day she would change her mind about us so I could take care of her in all the ways I knew she needed.
INDIE
Two days later I found myself standing outside Kiernan’s office door. Amelia had given methe lookas if she knew something had gone down between us. What was it with old people and their magic mind-reading abilities?
I could feel her eyes boring holes through my spine and I knocked three times in quick succession on the door, eager to get out of her line of sight.
“Come in,” Kiernan’s deep voice skated over my skin, even with a whole ass wall between us.
I hesitated momentarily before entering the room and gently closed the door behind me.
He looked surprised to see me. Rightly so. I’d ignored his texts and calls since the kiss, a chicken shit through and through. Probably not the best idea being that he was my boss, but it had been blatantly obvious that he didn’t need or want to speak to me in any professional capacity, and thankfully I’d had my tire replaced, so I was perfectly capable of getting myself to and from work. I stuck to the crematorium and pretended this place didn’t exist for as long as I could, but I knew I would eventually have to face him—face the potential awkwardness between us.
“Indie.” He stood.
I took a tentative step toward the chair in front of his desk, nervously twisting the cross necklace around my neck. I wore it not because I was particularly religious, but because religious placations seemed to give a small amount of comfort to the grieving families I spoke with on occasion. I felt like I could use the ability to send a prayer up right about now, though.
As the back of my knees hit the chair, he walked around the edge of his desk and leaned against it. So casually, he towered over me completely oblivious to the fact that my insides were twisted into a veritable Gordian Knot.
He just looked at me, unwavering, and waited for me to speak. I didn’t expect any kind of power play from him, but his dominating presence had me even more on edge than I was before walking into the room.
It didn’t matter. I would have to suck it up.
There was no getting around this. We needed to talk about it so that we could move on and redraw some professional boundaries around ourselves. It wasn’t supposed to mean anything, but I think it meant too much—to both of us.
I’d played the scenario over and over in my mind. How he’d seen the desperation on my face and acted even though he had no idea justhowdesperate I was.
For months, Mark had been lurking in the shadows. I knew it was foolish to keep quiet about his persistent pursuit, but I couldn't bring myself to admit how vulnerable I had become. Every day felt like a game of cat and mouse, with him always one step ahead. Leaving notes on my car that were written on pictures he’d taken of me when I was certain I had been alone and safe. Damaging my belongings for whatever reason, probably because it made him feel like he had a small amount of power over me. I’d refused to buckle under the pressure for so long. But now I felt so much regret because now that he seemed to be willing to pop up even when there were others around,I was beginning to realize just how deep I had fallen into his twisted obsession and I wasn’t sure where to go from here.
Not even Owen knew how terrified I was of Mark, or the things he’d done since I’d met him that had made me feel that way.
And yet… Kiernan acted without hesitation; he’d helped me without question.
But it couldn’t happen again.
I knew he had only been trying to help me out, but my stupid heart couldn’t seem to tell the difference between arealkiss and a kiss that happened out of necessity. I needed to make it clear to him that just because I’d had his dick down my throat and his tongue roaming the inside of my mouth multiple times now, it didn’t mean we could casually do this kind of thing.
He was my boss.
It was out of the question.
No matter how desperate I was to have Mark think someone else had a claim on me.
