Page 53 of Too Safe

“There are two plastic totes under the bed. Pull those out and start filling them.”

“What do you want to take?” Kylian asks, squatting to pull out the storage containers I unpacked less than a month ago.

“All of it.”

He snaps his head up and gives me a questioning look, brows furrowed and a slight frown marring his face.

But I hold his eyes, then shrug. “I’ve only been here for a few weeks. Everything I own fits in those totes.”

Defeated, I pick up my shower caddy and head to the bathroom to collect my makeup and toiletries. A hand on my elbow stops me.

“Hey.”

I freeze and pull in a slow breath, then turn to face the guy who’s been so damn hot and cold with me over the last twenty-four hours.

“What?” I snap.

“Something’s wrong,” Kylian surmises, his hand lingering on my arm, cupping my elbow and caressing the skin on the underside.

“Ya think?” I move to pull away from his hold. But he grips my elbow tighter.

“Jo.”

My ire builds at the way he says it. At the nickname he’s created for me. He’s not solely responsible for this situation, but he’s here. And he’s been frustratingly cool toward me today. As if he didn’t help me through a near-panic attack last night. And like I didn’t wake up practically straddling him this morning.

“I need you to spell it out for me. What’s bothering you?” Kylian presses.

My instinct is to snap again, to hit him with the sass, because there’s obviously a myriad of reasons for my irritation. Because none of this is okay. It would be easier to answer whatisn’twrong. Frustration rages inside me, growing until it’s almost as consuming as my anger.

But his gaze—so even and searching—promises that he really does care. And maybe he really does need me to spell it out for him.

Boys.

So hot. So dumb.

“This is all a lot.” I drop my chin and study the empty plastic bin he’s holding, starting with the obvious. “I’m overwhelmed, honestly. Then there’s you. It’s like we’ve gone… backward, since yesterday, somehow.”

“Backward?”

He really is going to make me spell it out.

“Yes, Kylian. Backward. You and me? I thought we were… I don’t know. We connected yesterday. At least I thought so. And last night. And this morning…” I trail off, refusing to dwell on the memory of the comfort and safety I felt when I woke up in his arms. “It’s stupid. I just thought I had a friend in all this.”

His brows draw together, and his eyes swim with confusion—the first real reaction he’s given me—but he holds my gaze. Is he being purposefully obtuse? Is he making fun of me? Or maybe playing some sort of mind game to fuck with me more than the four of them already have?

When he remains quiet, I can’t help but ramble on. “You practically ignored me at breakfast, Kylian. You were silent on the drive here. I guess I’m just trying to figure out why you’re so hot and cold, especially in front of—”

My words are cut off by the sound of the bin he was holding clattering to the floor. Then he’s stepping forward and crowding my space. He grips my chin with his thumb and two fingers, tilting my head to meet his gaze.

“Hot or cold?” he murmurs. “Those are the options?”

I swallow my anger and inhale sharply as he lowers his lips until they’re a breath away from brushing mine.

“I don’t do in between well, Jo. And I don’t always notice subtlety. So if you need me to pick when it comes to you…”

Behind the lenses of his glasses, his eyes are practically ablaze. This close, the little gold flecks sprinkled in the blue irises look almost like paint splatters.

My heart rate picks up as he angles so close the heat of his breath tickles my lips. I try to swallow, but my mouth’s gone dry.

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