In My Skin

CH 44 || My Baby

I woke up, disoriented and blind. The darkness was so thick that I could barely make out the unfamiliar shape of a large closet.

A sense of alarm hit me, fast and hard. I wasn't afraid of the dark, I'd never been, but maybe the last few weeks had affected me more than I consciously realized.

Killian rolled over, reached over my blanket, and pulled me close.

I instantly knew it was him. As the anxiety ebbed off, the familiar scent finally registered. I clung to his arm, just breathing. I was at Killian's place, not my apartment. Nobody would break in and get me.

But... How did we end up in the same bed? I remembered the start of the series and after that...not much.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered.

"Here?" he murmured, his voice laced with sleep. "This is my bed."

I frowned, racking my brain. "But why am I here?"

"You're asking the wrong person," he replied groggily. "You came in shortly after I dropped you off in your bed."

Bits and pieces started to resurface. The feeling of weightlessness, a soft mattress, and then...panic. The same panic that had gripped me just moments ago. I remembered walking into Killian's room and crawling into his bed. The rest remained a blur.

Whoops.

I sat up abruptly, but Killian's arm remained steadfast, preventing me from pulling away.

"It's not like you haven't slept next to me before," he mumbled, nudging me gently back down. "If being here helps you sleep, then just sleep, alright? You don't have to worry about anything else. Just rest."

Before I could think too much about it, I found myself lying on my side, facing him. Gradually, my eyes adjusted to the faint light seeping through his shades. Killian's eyes were closed, his face relaxed. There was a softness to his features that was missing in his awake state. This was the second time I'd seen him sleep. It was weird how he could make me feel so at ease. Chris and I barely slept in the same bed. I had always had problems falling asleep next to him. 

A sense of weightlessness washed over me as I listened to Killian's steady breaths. Now that I was aware, the resemblance between him and his dad was obvious. Mick and Derril or whatever his name was, had even said something along the lines of his dad being a cop. 

"What is it?" Killian asked as if sensing my gaze.

"I was wondering about your dad," I confessed after a pause. "I didn't realize who he was. You don't share the same last name..."

He shifted onto his back and patted the space next to him.

I scooted closer. He patted the space again, this time a bit impatiently. After I inched a tiny bit closer again, he sighed, slipped his arms beneath my body, and pulled me snugly against him.

Okay, we were cuddling. No problem.

"My dad took on my mom's family name when they married. He used to serve in the military," he started. "He wasn't around much, but he loved my mom. We moved to Cody's hometown when I was in high school."

"On vacation at the bar that time. They said something—"

"About rumors, right?"

I hugged his middle, my head nestled against the warmth of his chest. It felt kind of nice. No, it felt really, really nice. "Yeah."

I couldn't help but close my eyes, sighing softly, as his palm flattened against my lower back.

"There was an incident during one of his missions," he explained. "It's kind of ironic, really. He risked his life to save a bunch of people, but not everyone made it. There was an investigation into friendly fire. It turned out false, but rumors circulated until the military released an official statement. He even received some dumb medal. After that, my mom distanced herself. She later revealed she was seeing someone else. My dad didn't know she had already found a new guy. He quit the military and became a detective. I hated my mom's new family. Her new husband is an arrogant jerk, and my stepsister...well, she was spoiled. She had a lot of things, but she lacked love. I wanted nothing to do with them which was why I chose to take my dad's family name and moved in with him as soon as I could."