Chapter 289 Among Other Things

Chapter 289: Chapter 289 Among Other Things

Alpha Killian entered the warm house.

The dining table was still crowded with empty plates, half-finished glasses of Napa Cabernet, and candles burning low.

The room smelled of roasted garlic, rosemary, and lemon.

"I hope I’m not crashing anything," he said.

"You’re late," Lila called from the sofa. "Dinner’s over."

"Good. I hate being pressured to make conversation while I eat."

"You hate making conversation, period."

"Also true."

Eira tried not to smile as Alpha Killian greeted her guests. He shook hands with Dr. Shaw, Professor Thorne, Professor Davies, and Mrs. Davies. His manner was easy and polite, with none of the stiff formality he used in the boardroom.

Then he turned to Felix.

"Felix Shaw?"

Felix stood immediately. "Alpha Killian."

"Killian’s fine." His hand closed around Felix’s. "Unless you’re planning to ask me for money. Then I’m afraid the title is required."

Felix laughed a little too quickly. "I wasn’t."

"Good. That saves us both some paperwork."

The handshake lasted only a second, but Alpha Killian’s gaze lingered on Felix long enough to make the younger man straighten his shoulders.

By then, the guests were gathering their coats near the door. Their rides were waiting outside the Ashford Lane checkpoint, where visitors had to be signed out before leaving the private community.

Eira reached for a coat.

"I’ll walk everyone out," Alpha Killian said.

"You don’t have to."

"I know. I’m offering."

That answer made her pause.

He held the door open for the professors, then walked beside Eira along the paved path. The evening air smelled of eucalyptus and damp earth, and the small lights along the hedges cast a soft glow across the lane.

At the checkpoint, the guests said their goodbyes. Beatrice gave Eira a hug, while Professor Davies reminded her to call if she needed help with the lab equipment.

When the last car disappeared onto the main road, Eira and Alpha Killian started back toward her house.

They had gone only a short distance when Alpha Killian slowed.

"Rae."

She glanced at him. "What’s up?"

"What do you think of Felix?"

Eira looked genuinely thoughtful. "You mean professionally?"

Alpha Killian gave her a sideways look. "There’s another way to take that question?"

"He works in smart-home technology. If you’re considering recruiting him for Sterling’s R&D division, I can ask about his research."

"Of course that’s where your mind went."

"Where else should it go?"

Nowhere." His face settled into calm indifference. "Forget I asked."

He kept walking, hands in his pockets.

Inside, his wolf had gone quiet.

First Sebastian. Then Finn. Now Felix.

Every man who came near Eira seemed to want a place in her life.

The instinct to remove them rose fast and sharp. Alpha Killian forced it back down.

Eira was not his territory, and she made her own choices.

Not yet.

They were only a few hundred feet from her house when he stopped.

Eira took another step, then turned. The motion-sensor light clicked on above them.

"Did your legs give out?"

Alpha Killian looked at her. He trained every morning and could carry a grown man without breaking a sweat.

"Something like that."

"We can sit down if you need to."

Her complete sincerity pulled a quiet laugh from him.

"You really never learn."

"Learn what?"

He stepped closer and brushed a loose strand of hair from her cheek. His fingers lingered for half a second.

"Don’t believe everything I tell you."

Eira raised an eyebrow. "That’s supposed to make me feel better?"

"It wasn’t supposed to."

"Then what was it supposed to do?"

"Warn you."

"About you?"

His gaze held hers. For one brief moment, the humor left his face.

"Among other things."

The answer should have made her step back. Instead, she stayed where she was.

Alpha Killian lowered his hand and nodded toward her house.

"Go ahead."

--

Inside, Lila was still fighting with the last few books on the top shelf of the floor-to-ceiling bookcase.

"You’re back." She rose onto her toes, missed the shelf again, and looked over her shoulder. "Killian, make yourself useful. This thing is way too high."

Alpha Killian crossed the room and glanced at the book in her hand.

"Useless."

"Rude." Lila turned to Eira with an offended look. "Did you hear that?"

"Killian."

He looked at Eira, then sighed. "Fine. I’m sorry."

Lila smirked. "That’s better."

Alpha Killian had already taken off his suit jacket. It hung over the back of a chair while he stood in a white shirt, black vest, and loosened crimson-striped tie.

Black pack bands circled his upper arms, drawing attention to the firm lines of his forearms whenever he reached above his head.

Eira tried to focus on the half-unpacked boxes.

She failed.

Her eyes kept drifting back to Alpha Killian’s arms, the controlled movement of his hands, and the way his shirt pulled across his shoulders. When he reached for another book, she swallowed before she could stop herself.

Alpha Killian caught the movement. The corner of his mouth lifted.

"Hand me one," he said.

Eira picked up a book and crossed the room. She held it out, but Alpha Killian didn’t take it right away.

His fingers closed around the spine.

Then he pulled.

Eira stepped forward, losing her balance as the book slipped between them.

Alpha Killian caught her by the waist before she could fall. Her hands landed against his chest.

For one breath, neither of them moved.

The room seemed to go quiet around them. Eira could feel the warmth of his body through his shirt.

Alpha Killian looked down at her mouth.

"Rae..."

His hand tightened slightly at her waist, but he did not pull her closer. He waited.

Her fingers curled against his vest. She should have stepped away.

Instead, she looked up at him.

Alpha Killian lowered his head.

"Eira! I have good news!"

Lila’s voice rang through the entryway.

They broke apart at once.

Lila appeared in the doorway with a white orchid tucked against her hip, while two smaller snake plants sat in a nursery tray at her feet.

She looked up and froze when she saw Eira standing inches from Alpha Killian.

"Oh."

Eira stepped back so quickly that her shoulder bumped the bookcase.

Lila covered her eyes with one hand. "I saw nothing. Absolutely nothing. I’m leaving."

"You’re holding plants," Alpha Killian said.

"I can carry plants and leave at the same time."

She turned toward the door, then peeked between her fingers. "Mom sent these as a housewarming gift."

Eira’s face brightened as she moved toward the plants. "They’re beautiful. I need to thank her."

Alpha Killian pulled out his phone and sent Natalie a message.

[Order anorchid.]

Then he glanced at Eira, whose cheeks were still warm.

Mrs. Jones brought his reheated dinner from the kitchen.

Alpha Killian ate quickly while Lila complained that he was ruining the romantic atmosphere by acting normal.

When he finished, he caught Lila by the back of her jacket and guided her toward the door.

"I want to stay with Eira tonight," Lila protested.

"She just moved in. Let her sleep."

Lila turned to Eira. "I’ll pick you up at Sterling tomorrow. Mani-pedis. No excuses."

"Good night, Lila."

"Good night, Eira." Then Lila looked at her brother. "Try not to scare her."

Alpha Killian ignored her.

Eira’s gaze shifted to him. "Good night, Killian."

He released Lila and met Eira’s eyes. His expression softened, the teasing gone for once.

"Good night, Rae."

He held her gaze for one quiet second longer than necessary before following Lila outside.