“Fuck.” He let me go and ran his hand through his hair. “Fine, it’s what I meant. I just need to explain shit, and I’m not doing it here with the Scars around.”
“The Scars are inside.”
Kilter chin-lifted to the doors twenty feet away. “They’re coming out.”
I peered over his shoulder just as Delara, followed by Jedrik, pushed open the glass doors, all eyes landing on us.
“Rayne?” Delara called.
“I’ll take her home,” Kilter stated, moving to stand in front of me.
Delara said, “Kilter, we should talk about—”
“The only talking being done is with Rayne,” Kilter said. Then in one swoop, he threw me over his shoulder and stalked toward the car.
I was so shocked that he actually did it, that I didn’t react.
He opened the car door and placed me on my feet. “Babe, get in.” Then he added gently, “Please.” Without looking over his shoulder at Delara and Jedrik, he said, “Stay the fuck back.”
“Come on, Kilter. What the hell? Waleron hears of this, you’ll be right back in Rest.”
What? Rest?
“Buddy, Delara’s right,” Jedrik said. “Don’t fuck shit up—again.”
“Rayne?” Delara said.
Kilter risked his life to come back for me at the compound, and he’d done nothing but try and protect me. He may have vanished for the last six months, but I did owe him.
I looked at Delara and Jedrik. “I’ll be fine. Say thank you to Balen and Danni for me.” I slid onto the leather seat, and the instant I did, Kilter closed the door, not giving Delara a chance to respond.
I watched as he strode around the front of the car with long, lithe legs and that familiar confident stride. My heart sped up and there was a subtle tingling between my legs.
Jesus. A tingling. I never had a tingling like that for anyone.
I’d always felt something for Kilter, but now it was different. Now, I throbbed with need. To touch him. For the first time in my life, I desired a man and I thought about him kissing me. His hands on me. God, his—
His car door slammed. I jerked.
“Why are you so fuckin’ jumpy?” Kilter scowled. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I know.” Jesus, I was thinking about us fucking. I was turned on and, at the same time, still angry with him. The two emotions collided into one hot mess. “Why are you being so mean?”
He turned the ignition, put the car in gear, and drove a few seconds before he said, “I’ve had a crappy six months and I’m pissed as hell to come back and see you in the arms of a soul-sucking Grit.”
“I wasn’t in his arms, Kilter.”
“You weren’t struggling to get away.” He kept his eyes on the road while his hands gripped the steering wheel so hard I heard the leather crack.
Thoughts are words. Thoughts are words. “You have no right to tell me who I can and can’t talk to.”
His knuckles turned white. “For Christ’s sake, I saved your life. I have every fuckin’ right. ”
“Are you going to hold that over my head forever? I remember, okay? I’m here because of you—I get it. So here it is—thank you. Now are we through?”
“Not by a long shot.” His head turned and he briefly looked me up and down. “No bones. Better.”
I rolled my eyes at his half attempt at a compliment. “Gee, thanks. Always the eloquent one. You, on the other hand, look like hell.” He did look rough, but he was still hot.
Kilter’s brows lowered and his lips pursed together. He was silent a few seconds before he slammed on the brakes. I gasped as the car skidded to a halt and a horn honked behind us.
He punched his fist into the dashboard. “Damn it, babe, I fucked up. You could’ve been hurt and I wasn’t here.” He cursed under his breath and leaned his head back against the headrest. “I don’t need this.”
I bit my lip as I watched the ravaged look on his face. He had dark circles under his eyes and his cheekbones were accentuated as if he’d lost weight. What happened to him? He was acting like he was concerned about me, yet why had he stayed away for six months? He lived with the Scars, why hadn’t he asked one of them where I was? It didn’t make sense.
“What do you want, Kilter?”
He closed his eyes while his hands rested on the bottom of the steering wheel. When he opened them again, he turned his head to look at me.
My breath stopped.
Unmistakable anguish lay unsettled in his eyes, and it was so heart-wrenching that I reached out to touch his arm but drew back and put my hand back in my lap.
I didn’t know what was between us. Why he rescued me. Why he shared a part of himself he never shared with anyone. Why he had made me feel protected. But I wasn’t ready for the intimacy of what touching him might bring.
“Seeing you tonight….” His eyes landed on me and his arm shot out, cupping the back of my neck. He leaned in and, at the same time, pulled me toward him.
My eyes widened, breath hitched, and my heart pumped wildly. Then his mouth crashed into mine.