Page 11 of Sold to the Titan

My heart skips at the sinful promise in his voice. With one last kiss on my lips, he heads out, leaving me with a wide grin.

I glance at the clock—it’s almost noon, so going back to sleep isn’t appealing. I decide to look around the house. I grab a shirt from Cillian’s closet, throw it on, and walk out of the room barefoot, making a mental note to buy some clothes as soon as I can.

Although, I can’t say I mind wearing his clothes.

I wander through the condo, peeking into rooms, taking in the splendor of his beautiful home. There are three bedrooms—Cillian’s, the guest room where I’m staying, and a third one, directly opposite Cillian’s.

What’s behind that door? A gym? His home office?

My curiosity gets the best of me and before I know it, I turn the knob and push the door open. I freeze, blinking in surprise at the pink-themed bedroom. I would never imagine a room like this in Cillian’s house. I walk further inside, staring at the lush, pink, center rug and the comfy-looking couch by the window. The bed is neatly made and the smell of lavender hangs in the air.

I’m still looking around when the door suddenly opens behind me. I jump, my heart almost flying out of my chest. Cillian is standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable.

I clear my throat, my cheeks burning up with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to trespass. I was just…”

“It’s fine, love, you don’t have to apologize.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets, slowly looking around like he’s seeing the place for the first time. “I haven’t been in here in a while,” he says quietly.

“Why?” I ask, still a little shaken by how he sneaked up on me.

He remains quiet for a long moment, and just as I’m starting to think he didn’t hear me, he turns his gaze to me. “It used to be my little sister’s room.”

“Used to be? Does that mean—”

“Yes, she died,” he interrupts, his tone flat.

My heart drops. I was going to ask if she moved out. “I’m so sorry,” I murmur, unsure of how to comfort him. His eyes are so uncharacteristically sad and my heart hurts just watching him.

“It’s been three years,” he says, a bitter smile tugging at his lips as he grazes his fingers over the soft pink fur blanket covering the lower half of the bed. He glances up at me. “Seeing you in her room reminds me of her. Her name was Lily. She was sweet and witty, just like you.”

“What happened?” I ask softly, searching his face. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” I add quickly, realizing I might be opening up old wounds.

But Cillian shakes his head. “It’s fine, you can ask me anything,” he says, then looks away from me, his expression hardening. “She was murdered. It was all my fault.”

“What?” I breathe in disbelief. “What do you mean it was your fault?”

“We had a fight over something stupid that I can’t even remember now.” His gaze turns inward as if he’s reliving the memory. “She was dressed to go to the club with her friends, so she grabbed her purse and stalked out of the house. She was missing for days after that. About a week later, the cops found her body in a hotel room. They said the cause of death was drug overdose, even though there were signs of assault.” He scoffs. “Lily never did drugs. Our parents were users, and even as young as she was when they died, she saw what that did to us. She hated drugs with her every fiber of her being, but some motherfucker overdosed her and framed it as suicide.”

He pauses, as if trying to gather himself. “Two days after she was found, I noticed her Facebook page had been deactivated. I revived it and found a blurry photo of some strange man in her deleted files. I knew it was the bastard that killed her.”

My heart twists painfully. I try to think of something to say to ease his pain, but nothing seems appropriate so I just stand there, listening.

“I swore to find the bastard, but it’s been three years of chasing a fucking shadow.”

“Wait…” I murmur, thinking back to the first time I saw him in that dark hallway in the chapel. “Was that why you were at the auction house?”

“Yeah. I finally figured out who he is, and I thought I might see him there. I was right, but the security there was too tight. There was nothing I could do to reach him at the auction, but I’ll find another way.” He clenches his fists, his eyes growing deathly cold. “I’ll chase him to the fiery pits of hell if I have to.”

I walk up to him slowly, gently unfisting his hands and intertwining his fingers with mine. “It’s not your fault, Cillian.” He looks at me but doesn’t say anything, so I continue. “Lily didn’t die because of you.”

His expression remains stoic for a moment, then softens gradually. He raises our joined hands to his lips without taking his eyes off mine. “Thanks for saying that, love,” he says with a small but genuine smile.

I return his smile and then, without thinking, lean in and press my lips to his. It’s meant to be a brief kiss to comfort him, but then his hand slides up my back, pressing my body hard against his as he deepens the kiss, his tongue sliding into my mouth, twirling around my tongue in slow, erotic strokes.

“What was that for?” I ask breathlessly after we pull apart.

“For everything,” he replies cryptically, then places a soft kiss on my forehead.

“Why are you back so early?” I ask, searching his face. “Was your meeting canceled?”

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