her abdomen.
“So chemo won’t help. And drugs won’t help.” He turned toward Kaylee. “How can you be so calm?” Bastian stood and paced the room, shoving his hands in to his pocket s and rolling his shoulders.
“How can you be upset? It’s not like you really know me.” Kaylee wrapped a strand of hair tightly around her finger, trying not to look Bastian in the eye.
“I didn’t know you when I pulled you out, but I did it. I couldn’t just watch.”
Bastian stopped short in front of her, knowing that even if he closed his eyes, he would still see her as he had for the last two days. There was no escaping Kaylee , and h e stood, studying her face. Kaylee shifted uncomfortably, crossing and uncrossing her legs as Bastian leaned closer. He placed a hand on either side of her face.
“You’ve known me for two days, and yet I can come and go in your house because you won’t lock the door. You don’t protect things, do you? But your heart is another matter, right?” Bastian gazed at her expectantly, hovering.
“I … I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kaylee stammered. Her fingers dug into the afghan.
“For the last day or so, I’ve been trying to tell myself I don’t feel anything because that’s how I want it. But it doesn’t matter what I say to myself. There’s something between us, something neither of us intended, and that frightens you. So you think you can scare me away by telling me you’re sick. Right about now you’re starting to feel I’m here, and you don’t want to feel, do you?”
Kaylee tried to squirm under his arms, but he refused to move and simply leaned closer. His warm breath caressed her cheeks. His dark eyes delved into hers, searching.
“Well d am m it, I didn’t want to feel , either but you made me. And by God I’m not going to do this alone.”
He leaned in , took her shoulders , and touched his lips to hers. A soft touch before his tongue darted inside her mouth. His left hand gingerly stroked her shoulder, and, as his fingers trickled across her skin, he could feel her body slacken, relaxing at his touch. He tasted her honeyed mouth until his voice filled his head.
What the hell are you doing, Bastian? He pulled away.
As he stood, he saw Kaylee’s mouth was yet open and he r eyes were closed. A soft pink colored her cheeks , and a sweet sigh of breath escaped a s she opened her eyes.
“ I shouldn’t have done that,” he said.
Chapter Five
Kaylee’s eyelids fluttered open. Lacing her fingers together, she set both hands in her lap and stared at them, trying to understand the rapid beating of her heart. The afghan had bunched up under her, but she ignored it, thinking instead of Bastian’s heated kiss. Her tongue flickered over her lips , and she stood, trembling. Arms draped across her chest, she moved to the window.
“I’m sorry.” Bastian cradled his head in his hands. “I wasn’t thinking.”
What does thinking have to do with this? s he wondered . Kaylee closed her eyes as the answer came. He pities me . She brac ed herself against the sill, trying to ignore the cold , stained wood. Why had she told him? She’d been doing so well at keeping this secret.
After a moment, she asked softly, “Why did you kiss me?”
“Why?” Bastian repeated, fumbling in his pocket for his keys. Because I couldn’t help myself , he thought. Still, he didn’t have the right to kiss her. Finding the keys, he traced the worn edges. He kept rubbing, wondering if he could press hard enough to cut through his skin. Maybe that would make him forget what had just happened. She couldn’t want a man like him, someone so…lacking.
Kaylee clenched her jaw. “It doesn’t matter because you’ve started thinking again. And thinking doesn’t include someone … defective . ”
“ Y ou’re not defective. Look
“So chemo won’t help. And drugs won’t help.” He turned toward Kaylee. “How can you be so calm?” Bastian stood and paced the room, shoving his hands in to his pocket s and rolling his shoulders.
“How can you be upset? It’s not like you really know me.” Kaylee wrapped a strand of hair tightly around her finger, trying not to look Bastian in the eye.
“I didn’t know you when I pulled you out, but I did it. I couldn’t just watch.”
Bastian stopped short in front of her, knowing that even if he closed his eyes, he would still see her as he had for the last two days. There was no escaping Kaylee , and h e stood, studying her face. Kaylee shifted uncomfortably, crossing and uncrossing her legs as Bastian leaned closer. He placed a hand on either side of her face.
“You’ve known me for two days, and yet I can come and go in your house because you won’t lock the door. You don’t protect things, do you? But your heart is another matter, right?” Bastian gazed at her expectantly, hovering.
“I … I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kaylee stammered. Her fingers dug into the afghan.
“For the last day or so, I’ve been trying to tell myself I don’t feel anything because that’s how I want it. But it doesn’t matter what I say to myself. There’s something between us, something neither of us intended, and that frightens you. So you think you can scare me away by telling me you’re sick. Right about now you’re starting to feel I’m here, and you don’t want to feel, do you?”
Kaylee tried to squirm under his arms, but he refused to move and simply leaned closer. His warm breath caressed her cheeks. His dark eyes delved into hers, searching.
“Well d am m it, I didn’t want to feel , either but you made me. And by God I’m not going to do this alone.”
He leaned in , took her shoulders , and touched his lips to hers. A soft touch before his tongue darted inside her mouth. His left hand gingerly stroked her shoulder, and, as his fingers trickled across her skin, he could feel her body slacken, relaxing at his touch. He tasted her honeyed mouth until his voice filled his head.
What the hell are you doing, Bastian? He pulled away.
As he stood, he saw Kaylee’s mouth was yet open and he r eyes were closed. A soft pink colored her cheeks , and a sweet sigh of breath escaped a s she opened her eyes.
“ I shouldn’t have done that,” he said.
Chapter Five
Kaylee’s eyelids fluttered open. Lacing her fingers together, she set both hands in her lap and stared at them, trying to understand the rapid beating of her heart. The afghan had bunched up under her, but she ignored it, thinking instead of Bastian’s heated kiss. Her tongue flickered over her lips , and she stood, trembling. Arms draped across her chest, she moved to the window.
“I’m sorry.” Bastian cradled his head in his hands. “I wasn’t thinking.”
What does thinking have to do with this? s he wondered . Kaylee closed her eyes as the answer came. He pities me . She brac ed herself against the sill, trying to ignore the cold , stained wood. Why had she told him? She’d been doing so well at keeping this secret.
After a moment, she asked softly, “Why did you kiss me?”
“Why?” Bastian repeated, fumbling in his pocket for his keys. Because I couldn’t help myself , he thought. Still, he didn’t have the right to kiss her. Finding the keys, he traced the worn edges. He kept rubbing, wondering if he could press hard enough to cut through his skin. Maybe that would make him forget what had just happened. She couldn’t want a man like him, someone so…lacking.
Kaylee clenched her jaw. “It doesn’t matter because you’ve started thinking again. And thinking doesn’t include someone … defective . ”
“ Y ou’re not defective. Look
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