Page 87 of The Dark Before Light

I count to ten in my head, then stand up. “We’re done here. I’ll walk you out.”

My mom sniffs and clutches her purse to her chest as she stands. Her eyes are red and wet as they meet mine, but I’m immune to her manipulation. My armor is impenetrable these days, reinforced with bricks of the countless times I needed a hug, a kind word, a soothing touch, and none arrived. Her emotional displays—or lack thereof—no longer dictate my self-worth.

Most days, I have compassion for her. Her own mother was a highly critical perfectionist, her father remote and cold. She can’t love me because she was never taught how. Olivia is easier for her to show up for because they’re cut from the same cloth. I’m too… me. And I’m all out of fucks to give.

They follow me to the foyer, Olivia whispering furiously the whole way. I don’t bother listening.

I open the door but block the exit, staring at my sister until she scowls at me. “When I said no contact, I meant it. Don’t show up here again.” I shift my gaze to my mother. “If you want to talk to me, call next time.”

“She’s going to lose her house,” snaps Olivia, getting in my face. “She was afraid to tell you because you’re such a judgmental bitch. You think you’re better than us? What a joke. I always knew there was something wrong with you, and now the whole world does. The high and mighty child prodigy grew up to be a glorified prostitute!”

“Get out,” I whisper, “before I say something I’ll regret.”

My spine tingles just as Olivia’s gaze snaps up and over my shoulder. Her eyes widen.

A deep, lilting voice says, “I don’t have Talia’s qualms, so fuck off right now or I’ll call a judge and have you both thrown in jail for harassment and trespassing.”

Kieran’s fingers curl around my shoulder and squeeze gently. Half of me wants to turn and cling to him. The other half of me wants to elbow him in the stomach and run. All of me is mortified. I stay stock-still, afraid if I see his face I’ll do something insane like start crying.

My mom, pale-faced, gapes at Kieran like he’s a god appearing in the flesh. “That’s… you’re…” She smacks Olivia’s arm. “Isn’t he?—”

“Kieran Hayes, oh my gosh!” Olivia’s laugh is forced. “How embarrassing that you heard our little sisterly squabble. You have a brother, don’t you, Kieran? Can I call you Kieran? You know how it is?—”

“No, you can’t call me Kieran,” he says flatly. “And no, I don’t know how it is because I’d never speak to my brother that way.”

Olivia turns white as a sheet.

Kieran steps into the house, his front pressing flush to my back. With a tug on my shoulder, he maneuvers me sideways until the doorway is clear. His other arm wraps around my waist, bare forearm against my bare stomach. Calm and comfort shower me like cleansing rain. My muscles automatically relax.

He feels so right.

“Are you… together?” asks my mother in an awed voice.

Kieran says, “Yes, we are,” as I answer, “None of your business.”

He chuckles and presses a kiss to my head.

Olivia stammers, “Let’s—let’s start over. We clearly got off on the wrong foot.” She extends a hand, her eyes pinned on Kieran, her smile saccharine. “I’m Olivia Stirling, Talia’s big sister.”

“No, thanks,” says Kieran mildly. “Anyone who speaks to Talia like that is no one I want to know. Now do I need to repeat myself, or should I have my security escort you to the nearest police station?”

I shiver at the very real threat in his voice. Olivia is too numbed by Xanax and her own self-importance to hear it, but my mom does—or she sees Sven and Dylan standing at the base of the porch, watching us with sharp eyes. She grabs my sister’s arm and pulls her out the door. Kieran kicks it closed behind them, then turns me around and wraps me in his arms.

He nuzzles his nose into the sweaty hair over my ear. “Mmm, you smell good.”

“You’re full of shit.”

He licks the shell of my ear and I shudder, my senses coming alive and flooding with him.

“You taste good, too, even if I’d rather be the cause of your sweat.”

Ignoring the sudden hammer of need between my legs, I lean back to see his face. His eyes are soft—the vivid blue of a clear, deep sea. I want to kiss the curl of his lips so badly my mouth burns. I can’t believe he’s here. That he’s looking at me like this. That he wants me.

“You’re home early.” I’m breathless, my voice choked by emotion I’m no longer capable of masking.

He nods, his gaze caressing my features with such focus I feel peeled open. He’s hard against my stomach, but his hands are unmoving on my spine.

“Are you done fighting, Talia? Are you ready for me?”

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