“You’re going to sing naked?” Killian called after me, the sound of the bedclothes rustling in the background as he got up.
The apartment was warm and no one could see us up here, so I didn’t see the point in putting on clothes when I was impatient to sing my song. Part of it was nervous anxiety. I wanted to do this before I lost my nerve.
I sat on the chair and crossed my bare legs with my guitar on my knee as Killian walked out of the bedroom in his boxers. At the sight of me, he lounged against the wall with his ankles crossed. Although his posture was relaxed, his expression was dark, devouring and filled with emotion. His voice was hoarse as he said, “This image of you right now will be the last thing I remember the day I die.”
I smiled softly as my chest filled with love. “Yeah?”
Killian nodded, so serious. “Yes.”
For not the first time, I almost blurted out that I loved him. Then I realized after I stopped myself that it didn’t matter because the song I was about to sing was pretty much a love letter.
I strummed the opening chords, the sound light and upbeat. In my head, it was a melody that would crescendo with the chorus but I couldn’t achieve that with my acoustic. That didn’t matter in that moment.
All that mattered was singing to him.
“I was concrete standing still,
Cemented heart, bricked-over soul.
But there were cracks I couldn’t see,
Through them my song called out.
“The river heard me and it came for me.
“I was cold there forged in stone,
And you were colder on your throne
Of freezing waves that flooded me out,
To free my song upon you.
“The river heard me and it came for me.
It rushed me on toward a waterfall.
“I feel the wind on my skin breathing,
My heart is beating to the feeling.
I catch my soul as I free-fall,
Then your arms close tight around me
Right before we land.
“I’m alive and it’s all your fault,
Blood is pumping, burning hot.
Worse, I’m growing addicted to
Being awake, being with you.
“The river heard me and it came for me.
It rushed me on toward a waterfall.
“I feel the wind on my skin breathing,
My heart is beating to the feeling.
I catch my soul as I free-fall,
Then your arms close tight around me
Right before we land.
“You’re in my heart, you’re like a beat.
You’re the air I drink in breaths.
You’re the flood that set me free.
The waterfall I’d gladly drown in.
“I feel the wind on my skin breathing,
My heart is beating to the feeling.
I catch my soul as I free-fall,
Then your arms close tight around me
Right before we land.
“The river heard me and it came for me.
Now my song belongs to it.”
My fingers almost slipped from the strings as I finished, realizing what I’d put out there. The silence that rang through the apartment didn’t help with the sudden wave of uncertainty that knocked me back in the chair.
I couldn’t look at him.
It was like being foggy-minded with desire, having sex, and then realizing it was a mistake as soon as it was over.
What if I’d blown it with too many feelings?
“Skylar.”
Reluctantly, I drew my gaze from the floor to him. He was standing straight, no longer leaning against the wall, and my breath caught at what I found in him.
Shaking, I lowered my guitar carefully and got up to cross the room. His gaze dropped hotly down my body before coming back to my face as I halted before him.
Killian crushed me to him and kissed me breathless.
I held on for dear life, hoping the fierce desperation of his kiss meant I was not alone in my feelings. When he finally let me up for air, I said dryly, “I take it you liked the song?”
He cupped my face in his hands and whispered, “I loved it. I . . . I love you.”
My knees almost gave way, the emotion that rolled over me was so powerful. My arms tightened around his back and I pressed as close as I could to him as I whispered against his lips, “Thanks for not leaving me hanging too long. There was a moment there I thought I might have to jump out the window when I thought you didn’t feel the same way. I didn’t really want to do that butt-naked. It’s cold out.”
Killian gave a slight shake of his head, his lips twitching with amusement. “I feel the same way. Never fucking doubt it.”
Then I realized I hadn’t actually said the words. “If you didn’t get it from the song, I love you.”
He grinned, rubbing his nose against mine. “I got that.”
I kissed him again, pouring my heart and soul into it until Killian impatiently lifted me up into his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held on as we stumbled and kissed our way back into the bedroom. He dropped me on the bed, managing the feat of climbing over me and removing his boxers at the same time.
“We need to put it on the album.”
Happier than I ever thought possible, I beamed. “Really? You like it that much, huh? I can feel my ego swelling.”
“Mine is swelling too,” he murmured wickedly, and then kissed me as he slipped his hand between my legs.
I gasped against his mouth as his thumb caught my clit. “I’m so . . . oh God . . . so happy you liked it.”
“I fucking loved it,” he growled against my lips. “I want it immortalized and when it’s time,” he pushed his fingers inside me, working me until my hips undulated against him and my pants of need filled the bedroom, “everyone will know that Skylar Finch wrote it for me.” He paused, drawing my focus from impending orgasm to his face, to his utter seriousness. “I know I don’t yet, but I’ll do everything in my power to try to deserve you.”
And as we fell together, loving each other more honestly than we ever had before, the darkest corner of my mind whispered to me. I had to force its thoughts back into the shadows, hoping that those fears never came true.
* * *
IT WAS STILL DARK OUT when Killian’s cell rang.
He groaned in his sleep beside me and made no move to reach for it.
I planned on closing my eyes and going back to sleep when it stopped, but as it rang again, my cell rang too.
What the hell?
Killian muttered something under his breath and reached across to his side of the bed to grab his phone off the table. Annoyed that we’d been so rudely awakened, especially considering our sexual shenanigans had kept us awake most of the night, I turned over and almost knocked my phone off the table trying to grab it.
“What? Lois, slow down.” Killian was suddenly very awake as he sat up.
I frowned at him as I fumbled to open my phone, not liking the sound of his side of the conversation at all. Seeing Autumn’s name on my screen, I refrained from unleashing my tired grumpiness on her.
“Skylar, it’s me,” she sounded distressed and breathless.
It made me bolt up into a sitting position too. “What is it?”
“It’s all over the news.”
“What’s all over the news?” I asked, but as I looked at Killian, staring at me with concern and anger in his eyes, I thought maybe I already knew.
“A fan posted photos of you, Micah, and Brandon outside the flat yesterday morning on Instagram. She said she followed Micah and Brandon from their hotel and when they disappeared into, and I quote, ‘a mysterious flat, I just knew in my gut something good was going down. I called a friend who brought her car and supplies and we camped out all night waiting for them to emerge from the mystery flat. We had no idea how big the climax to our ridiculous night of playing paps would be. Lo and behold, we found Skylar Fucking Finch!’”
“Holy shit.” I felt my chest tightening as I practically fell out of the bed, hauling the bedsheet out from under Killian to cover myself as I hurried down the hall to the door.
“Are you okay?” Autumn asked in my ear.
I pushed the peephole cover aside and looked out, feeling marginally calmer to see the hallway was empty.
I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and spun around to find Killian. “They can’t get into the building.”
Still, the fear made my gut churn. “What’s going to happen?”
Autumn sighed. “Is my brother there?”
“Yes.”