“Stay with me,” I whispered, leaning protectively into the side of his rigid body. Ky’s grip on my hand burned with strength. Without a second of hesitation, he twisted his body and stood before me with a face of thunder. My legs parted instinctively and his body was soon flush against mine. My hands fell to his waist and gripped the cotton fabric of his t-shirt anxious to keep him from running. I didn’t care who was in the room, who was watching us with wide eyes, who was confused by my actions. My only focus was Ky and the torment flashing within his darkened eyes.

“We need to leave. We can’t be here.” Ky’s breath caressed my ear as he whispered so pointedly. “Please,” he continued to beg.

“No.”

He pulled away so quickly tearing the soothing warmth of his body from mine. I felt the air leave my lungs the moment his brows pinched together, and his eyes began to scrutinize me. Panic engulfed me, swallowing me whole, leaving my body completely frozen in fear. I did it again. One simple word spoken. No. What the hell was I thinking? With complete desperation to flee I pushed back on the stool, but his strong body was like an impenetrable brick wall and I was cornered. I lost all ability to hear, to feel, to breathe—the comfort I had just felt with him disappeared into thin air. All I saw were those eyes and the unreadable look on his face. Like the world was taunting me, time faltered and then stopped completely.

Before my eyes, his face transformed and softness flashed before me. With a delicate caress his fingertip traced my jawline, and then lingered on my bottom lip while his eyes never left mine. The tension in my body floated away as he took a step back toward me and this time his arms fell around my waist. “You said no,” he breathed effortlessly.

“I’m sorry,” I stuttered, the fear that was strangling me slowly easing. “We can go.”

“Never apologize for saying no. Never.” Ky’s voice was so strong yet pleading with me to believe.

“Eden?” a strong Australian accent questioned. Ky swung around toward Lachlan and by the tension in Ky’s shoulders I knew something silent was spoken between them. “Ashlyn was just telling me about her new friend. I am Lachlan, but my friends call me Lachie.”

“Hi Lachie, it’s nice to meet you.” I held out my hand and was greeted by a strong handshake. Ky remained still, silent, and on guard beside me. The tension in the room was palpable. You could slice it with a knife. “Can you teach me Australian?”

The silence was swallowed by riotous laughter. Was what I asked really that amusing?

“Eden, Australian isn’t a language! Pretty girl, you crack me up. Ky please keep her around, purely for my amusement,” Josh said through roars of laughter.

“Australian slang you idiot,” I retorted and rolled my eyes

Once they stopped laughing at my request we all settled in the living room around the coffee table. Josh had outdone himself with ordering dinner, and we gorged ourselves with pizza. Conversation flowed but I noticed that Ky was sticking close to my side and barely saying a word.

“Are you going to talk to him or at least speak with Ash and see what’s going on?” I asked softly. “I think that’s what you need to do.”

I tried to read the expression crossing his face, but I was at a loss. His eyes beamed of sweet honey, wide and alert, taking everything around him in. I sucked in a deep breath as his hand softly brushed my thigh under the table, and I froze awaiting his next move.

“You’ve got an amazing ability to make me see things I never thought I would.”

He rose from the space beside me, and everyone’s attention fell to him, awaiting his next move.

“Lachlan, kitchen?” His voice showed no hint of emotion. “Josh, you should come too.”

“Uh, sure.” Lachlan seemed unsure, and I knew he had every reason to be. Ky was highly on edge so anything was possible.

I watched the three of them leave the living room and head toward the kitchen, and I sighed in relief. I felt eyes on me, and I removed my gaze from the three men talking softly in the kitchen to turn and find Ashlyn looking at me with wide inquisitive eyes.

“What?” I laughed nervously.

“I wish you could see what you are doing.”

Okay.

What was I meant to say to something like that? A million scenarios ran through my head. I wasn’t trying to do anything. I was simply trying to bide my time while I was in New York until I went back to my comfortable life, with my comfortable home and my comfortable façade. This city uncovered memories I wished I never had and it put me in places I never wanted to revisit; it made me look over my shoulder and question everyone who gave me a second look. And now those stupid text messages were become more regular.

“I meant that in a good way babe.” Ashlyn rose from the floor and grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the couch. Thankfully it provided a view of the kitchen so we could keep an eye on what was happening, not that we could actually do anything if a fight broke out.

My gaze traveled into the kitchen until it found Ky. He stood beside Josh with his arms folded defensively over his chest and his brow etched with a frown as he stared at Lachlan. Lachlan looked animated as he spoke and time and time again he would shake his head. My interest flared as I watched the three men. How was Lachlan possibly going to get out of this mess? He would have to have a good reason because Ky’s anger was on clear display.

Grinding his jaw … Check. Glare in his eye ... Check. Intimidating stance... Check. If Ky had 'Beyond pissed off' boxes, they’d all be checked.

“I love my best friend, he is the best guy I know, but I also know his downfalls.”

Ashlyn’s soft voice pulled away from the looking into the kitchen. I shifted on the couch and turned to Ashlyn and found her eyes on me and worry etched over her face.

“The Ky I am seeing now; the Ky who isn’t staying at work until early hours of the morning, the Ky who is sitting on the floor eating pizza, the Ky who is now standing in the kitchen attempting to make amends with someone who broke his best friend, is different and it’s because of you,” she continued in a rush and her words hit me square in the gut.

“I, ah, I’m not really doing anything. I don’t have much experience with guys so I’m probably really awkward and standoffish. I am actually really nervous around him, around all guys most of the time.”

“Have you been with anyone… since?” she asked softly, and I knew exactly what she was talking about.

“Just one.”

“Was he a boyfriend?”

I thought of Colby and happiness flooded me. Our night together was something I would never forget. For those couple of hours we spent together, he made me feel like I was a goddess who wasn’t broken and that I could actually feel and be loved. He had kissed me and touched me lovingly, and I trusted him with every ounce of me.

“He is my best friend. It was just once, and it meant the world to me. People think he is this scary guy cause of his tattoos and what the press says, but he is the sweetest and most kind hearted guy I have ever met.”

“Hold on a second. Tattoos. Press. Best friend. Holy shit.”

“Colby,” I admitted, and Ashlyn’s eyes shot wide.

“As in ‘the sex god drummer from The Fallen’ Colby?” her voice screeched.

“As in ‘my best friend, teddy bear, sweetheart’ Colby.”

“Fuck me.”

“You’ll get to meet him at the shoot,” I admitted with a smile. “He is a ladies’ man so I am sure he will flirt with a beauty like you.”

“God, I’ll probably die.”

“Please don’t die. You are my only girlfriend here.”

Laughter sounded from the kitchen and called an abrupt end to my chat with Ashlyn.  Standing against the kitchen island, the three guys laughed and drank beer like they were the best of friends and that it wasn’t just moments ago that Ky wanted to physically hurt Lachlan. Ky moved his gaze from Josh and his eyes found mine. I was locked in as he completely dissolved me in one look. He was confusing. The man eyeing at me so intensely, so enticing, wasn’t the man who snapped at me in his office just a couple of days ago. The way he was looking at me now sent shivers down my spine; it made the hairs on my arms stand to attention and made my mind cross to a place that had been closed off for four years. To say that I was dangling on the edge of reality and fantasy was probably the best way to describe it.