Killian

Waking up completely wrapped around Hope while she slept in one of my hoodies did something to my insides that I didn't understand.

It had been at least three hours since I jerked off in the bathroom and left home and I thought that maybe forcing my focus back into work would help me rid myself of these thoughts and clear my head, but it remained the same. Everything— this ache in my chest, the need for closure, wanting to touch her, to tell her how beautiful her morning face looked, to tell her the fuzzy feeling she stirred in my stomach every time she mumbled cutely in her sleep—

"Mr. Fobster?"

Cleo's labored breaths jolted me out of my dazed state and I immediately looked up from the screen of my laptop which I had been staring blindly at for the past five minutes.

"What?"

A trickle of sweat slipped from her caked face as she dropped the cup of guacamole blended smoothie I'd made her walk five blocks to get. "Your smoothie."

I leaned forward and eyed the green substance shrewdly. In truth, I didn't want it. I didn't even remember why I had sent her to get it.

"Throw it out. I don't want it anymore."

Her eyes shot up to mine. "Sir?"

She stared at me for a few seconds, still blinking in disbelief.

"I don't like to repeat myself, Cleo, throw it out."

"But sir," Her tone held a hint of defiance. "I walked five blocks to get this and —"

I lowered my glasses and leveled her with a warning glare. "Are you forcing me to drink it?"

She shook her head quickly. "No no, sir. I'll take it away immediately." The look in her eyes; if they could kill I'd most likely be dead. "Anything else you would like?"

"Send me the records of the last week's real estate market price—" My door creaked open and Brad stepped in.

"Bad time?"

I shook my head and shifted my gaze to Cleo. "You are dismissed."

She nodded, grabbed the cup, and bobbed a greeting to Brad before exiting the office.

"Here." He walked over to my desk and dropped a news bulletin on it. "Your father dropped a press statement this morning about the scandal." He briefed, plopping Into the chair on the other side of my desk.

I picked up the bulletin and surveyed the article on the front line.

"It's settled," he continued. "The media houses have refuted their publication and it's been treated as false news."

I put the paper down and looked straight at him. "I don't care if they refuted. I want to know how it got leaked in the first place."

"I had Jerry do some digging, turns out it leaked from TMZ. But they claim the information and photos of prenuptial papers came from an unidentifiable source." He sighed. "We're going to be suing for libel and work a release fee of 12 million."

"Make it 15." I gruffed. "And I want to know the person who leaked this and why."

"I'll have Jerry keep investigating. In the meantime. Want to watch the games over drinks with me tonight?"

I groaned. "I can't. I have a pregnant woman in my house who I don't trust to be left alone so I have to be home early."

"Oh," A smile etched on his face causing me to cock a sardonic brow. "What's funny?"

"Nothing. Just. You're cozying up to her quicker than I anticipated."

I lowered my glasses and expelled a breath. "We've been through this Brad. I'm not looking to fall In love and settle so don't let it get to your head."

"But you guys have sex?"

"And that's all there is to it." I pointed out. "Just the sex."

It was just sex, just a distraction. I did not love her and she did not love me. Yet, the ache in my chest didn't go away. Worst, I didn't know how to stop it. Maybe it was karma for lying about that night, for pretending that I didn't remember any of It even though the memory lay fresh in my head.

God, I was a mess.

"Strange don't you think?" He leaned into his seat and crossed his legs, eyeing me curiously. "The Fobster Junior I know would never repeat a woman unless she was a pro in bed or..."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. I'd been doing a lot of that lately; sighing because everything was fucking aggravating. "What point are you trying to make?"

"That you are trying desperately not to develop feelings for Hope because you're scared of getting hurt again."

"I didn't know when I employed a lawyer, I got a therapist to go with. Psyche evaluate me more sir." I rolled my eyes and returned my gaze to my laptop.

"Face It." He shrugged. "You know I'm right."

"For the last time, I don't have feelings for Hope."

He snorted. "Now that's a load of bull."

"It's the truth."

His brow lifted. "So you don't think about her?"

"No, I don't." I might have lied a bit there.

"And you don't care about her, like if she was Injured or sad you wouldn't be affected?"

"If it affects my child, then I'll be affected."

"But what affects the child indirectly affects her so you can say you'd also be affected if she got hurt?"

"Reasonably, yes. Now stop trying to manipulate me with your questions. I don't love Hope. I simply can not love her."

"So let me get this straight, you don't love Hope?"

I simply shook my head.

"And you don't want her loving someone else?"

I balled my fists. "No."

"Don't you think that's a little toxic?"

I frowned. "You know she said the exact same thing to me yesterday." I huffed. "She told me just having sex with someone you're not in a relationship with was toxic."

A smile slowly broke on his face again. "She did?"

"Yes she did and I find it fucking absurd, to say the least."

"You know, for a smart guy, you're awfully dumb. It's clear she wants more with you, why don't you see it?"

"You're wrong, she doesn't even like me and we can barely stand each other."

"Yet she lets you have sex with her."

"I don't get your point."

He gave me a deadpan look. "She fucking likes you." He sighed and shook his head. "You're one lucky bastard you know that. I hope you realize this before you lose this one." He got up. "I'll be heading out now. Oh and you should call your father, he really outdid himself in the interview."

One more wink, complete with a shrug of his blazer, and he was gone, leaving me alone to my thoughts.

The possibility of Hope loving me or wanting a future with me was one I just couldn't accept so I pushed it aside, buried myself in work, and three more hours later, I  was driving through the street after a quick stop at the grocery store.

It wasn't something I usually did, I rarely did my own shopping much less another's but now I had a pregnant woman in my home who had nagged me last night about not having enough Cheetos and goat milk.

Who the fuck drank goat milk?

I returned home in a very sour mood and I had made it a mental reminder to let her do her own shopping so I didn't have to look like an idiot asking around for fucking goat milk.

I drove into my garage and shut the car, sighing with relief as I grabbed the grocery bags and entered the foyer but what I saw made my sour mood ever sourer.

"Killian," Hope welcomed nervously, sweating rigorously from her head down to her face. "You're home early. I wasn't expecting you."

"Neither was I expecting this. What the hell is he doing here?" I asked, flaring up at the sight of a shirtless, sweating, moron moving boxes around in my living room.

"I'm here to help my little sister unpack." He inserted, shooting me an infuriating smile as he casually came around to stand by her. "Got a problem with it?"

My jaw clenched. "I thought you had better things to do brother-in-law?"

I could tell my last words spiked him because he stepped in front of her. "Just because you married my sister doesn't make us related, I don't like you any less than I did back then."

"That's one thing we both have in common brother," I growled, matching his glare.

"Can you guys both put your ego aside and stop bickering," Hope interjected, stepping between us as we glowered at each other. And then her eyes fell to the grocery bag in my hand. "Oh, you got it." She immediately relieved me of the bag. "Thank you for this. I'll take them to the kitchen."

She turned around and walked away, not fully disappearing into the kitchen before Scott stepped in my path. "Lovely house you got here. So where do you keep the cameras?"

I groaned. "What the hell are you talking about now?"

"You know," his brow lifted curiously as he crossed his arms over his chest.  "Those little cameras you use to spy on everyone in the house. I'm sure you have some implanted in Hope's room and bathroom too. Fucking pervert."

A frown marred my face. "I am not mentally deranged like you Scott and I wouldn't need a camera to see Hope naked. I can get that by merely asking."

He stood toe-to-toe with me. "Don't you dare lay a finger on my sister."

"I already did, couple times actually and surprisingly it didn't take much convincing." My words were menacing. It ticked him off because he couldn't stop clenching and unclenching his fists. "You awful have a lot of interest in your sister, if I didn't know better I'd think you liked her." I took an intimidating step forward. "Maybe I should be the one asking you about the cameras."

"Don't be disgusting." He snorted, stepping back.

"I'm disgusting?" I laughed humorlessly. "You're the one with the big brother superiority complex here. What? Worried she'll be happy without you in the picture?"

"Don't fuck with me, Killian." He warned.

"Then don't ask me outrageous questions and get it into your barren fucking brain that your sister is married to me. She's mine."

"Not for long." He jeered and for some reason, his words hit me like a punch to the gut. "You're nothing but an accidental sperm donor. It's only a matter of time before this child is born and after that, you'll mean nothing to my sister. Know why? Because she'll find a man who'll love and treat her right, not some proud, arrogant asshole with mummy issues who thinks he owns the whole fucking world."

The gut punch worsened and anger coursed through my veins, so much so that I felt like ripping him apart.

"You know I'm right." He added with a smirk. "So enjoy this while you can because it'll be over soon."

"How about brunch?" Hope suddenly asked, stepping out of the kitchen.

"Count me in." Scott rushed over to her side. "I'll help."

She smiled brightly at him, so much that it made me sick to the stomach.

I looked away because I didn't expect to feel the way I did—wanting, envy.

"Killian?" She called to me. "Do you want to join us?"

"I'll be in my room," I said and stormed off, unable to bear her for a second longer. No, that wasn't true. I was unable to bear myself.