Secrets of Summer - THE SPECTER SERIES [book four]

Chapter TWENTY SEVEN

Kirby Carter

... o n e m o n t h l a t e r ...

With your priorities refocused and your willpower to resist the vikings charms renewed, the two of you soon settle into an easy routine..

You try to keep to a two foot rule, for your own sanity, keeping him a few feet away makes it easier for you to keep your mind from wandering into dangerous territory..

And it's been working.. The two of you have neither been fighting nor fucking..

Which in your mind, is progress..

There was nothing you could do to prevent Lucky from moving in with Declan.. But Knox has assured you that between her full time studies and working nights as a waitress, she spends the majority of her time either at school, with friends or at work.. You do your best not to think about the rest of the time..

The thought of Darby's dirty hands on your sister is too sickening..

You've been spending most days working on the schematics for Darby's Device, which he calls to check the progress on once a week, dropping his usual vague threats..

You're running out of ways to stall the design process, but for now you're dragging it out as long as possible until you can think of a better plan..

During the evening you and Hunter usually eat dinner together and watch sports highlights before you curl up in bed, falling asleep on top of your borrowed book of mythology..

Well.. If you could call it sleep.. You'd probably say it's more like a lucid nightmare..

One where Darby wins, no matter what you do.. Every time.

But, all things considered, things are good.. Other than a few tense moments here and there, you and Hunter have been getting along..

Of course, he is still his usual overbearing, Alpha-type self..

And you, of course, still haven't learned to ignore the taking of his bait..

Like right now..

"Kirby, just drop it.." His warning husky tone has you ready to argue almost immediately..

What is it about this man telling you to do one thing that makes you want to do the exact opposite?..

Especially in all the places except the one that you want it.. The bedroom..

Since you put the breaks on the physical stuff, you have found yourself increasingly frustrated.. Having the viking living in your apartment and not jumping on him like a lustful teenager has turned out to be harder than you expected..

You are already fifteen minutes late to your first ultrasound appointment, because you had picked an argument only a few hours ago trying to dig into his history with his sister and the CIA.. again..

You don't know why.. Maybe as your way of keeping him angry at you and at arms length.. After all, it hasn't been easy to resist him.. "Why won't you tell me?"

His fingers grip the steering wheel tighter, knuckles whitening.. "Because you're deflecting, you don't actually want to know.."

You bristle.. "Dont presume to know what I want!"

He mutters beneath his breath.. "You're right.. How could I possibly?"

Hurtful, but fair..

You know you have been kind of emotionally closed off to him for the last few weeks..

But you have been civil.. Can't that be enough for him?..