When I came out of the bathroom after my obscenely long shower, Kellan was back in our bedroom, but he’d changed into his track pants and he was lacing up his running shoes. My expression must have been an odd one, for he did a double take when he noticed me. Of course, that could have been because all I was wearing was a thin, white towel that barely covered my body. I really needed to do laundry.
An amused smile on his lips, he finished tying his shoes.
“What?” I asked, closing the door behind me.
Kellan shook his head, his grin growing. “Nothing.” I started to again ask what was entertaining him so much, but he finished with his shoes and stood up. “I’m going to go for a quick run.”
“All right.” Wondering if my dad had been hard on him in my absence, I added, “Everything okay?”
His deep blue eyes drifted down my nearly naked body. I was instantly aware of the fact that I wasn’t wearing any underwear. When his eyes returned to mine, there was a definite edge of heat in them. “Everything’s fine. Just need to do a little maintenance.” Switching his expression to a casual smile, he ran his hand up his shirt and patted his rock hard abs. Lucky hand. Walking over to me, he withdrew his hand from under his shirt, then reached down to pinch my butt. “Wouldn’t want to get all flabby now that I’m married.”
I giggled and batted his hand away when it started drifting up my towel. Slinking my arms around his neck, I let myself get a little lost in his physical perfection. “I’d rather have you flabby than gone.”
Kellan held me close to him; he looked a little lost himself as he gazed at me. “I just need . . .” He paused for a second and then told me, “I need a little fresh air.” He gave me a quick kiss and seemed perfectly at ease, but I swear he’d just altered what he was going to say to me. Or maybe I was just being paranoid. Our relationship hadn’t always been the most honest one. But we’d sworn that we were going to hold nothing back from each other anymore, and I trusted him.
Nodding, I released him. His smile never faltered, but I thought the light in his eyes dimmed a little as he turned away from me. Opening my dresser, I watched Kellan as he started to open the door. He stopped before he did, though. Laying his head against the door jamb, he muttered, “Damn it, I can’t do this.”
Ignoring my clothes, I twisted to him. “Kellan?” Was I right just now? Had he lied to me?
Inhaling a deep breath, Kellan stared at me in silence for several long moments. The tension in the room tripled as each second ticked by. The cool air washed over my damp skin, chilling me, and each drop of water that fell from my hair felt like an icicle piercing my body. I started to shake as my nerves amplified the sensation.
Seeing my fear, Kellan took a step toward me. “You said complete and total honesty, right?”
I nodded, not able to talk yet. Kellan looked away. His mind was clearly spinning over some problem. I just didn’t know what it was. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I managed to ask, “What is it?”
He looked back at me. “I’m sorry. I purposely misled you right now. I’m not leaving the house because I want to exercise, or because I want air. I need to do something . . . and I need to do it alone.”
The ice settling over my skin instantly burst into flames; I swore I could hear the sizzle. “You . . . lied to me? About what? What exactly do you need to do alone?”
Kellan cringed and held his hands up. “See, I wanted to avoid this reaction, that’s why I lied. But we’re trying to do the honesty thing, so I changed my mind and decided to tell you the truth. So don’t get mad.”
So hot with anger that I felt like my hair was going to dry by itself in the next five seconds, I bit out, “But you haven’t told me the truth. You haven’t told me anything. You’re being vague and mysterious . . . and I don’t like that.”
Kellan closed his eyes. “It would have been easier to just keep walking.” I started tapping my foot, and Kellan slowly reopened his eyes. “Joey called while you were in the shower. I’m going to go meet with her, and I want you to stay here with your parents.”
My jaw dropped. “No! I don’t want you to meet her without me. I’m coming with you!”
Kellan shook his head. “I don’t want you anywhere near her. I want you to stay here.” His tone was firm, commanding. It really pissed me off.
“You’re not the boss of me. If I want to go—” Sighing, Kellan turned away from me. I grabbed his elbow and swung him around to face me. “Hey, I wasn’t done talking to you.”
Mouth set in a firm line, Kellan retorted with, “I know I’m not the boss of you, Kiera. I got that loud and clear when Denny walked back into your life and you didn’t say a word to me. But you’re not the boss of me either, and if I want to do this on my own, then I will.”
With that, he turned and left. And I let him.