Chapter Eleven

Gabriella's Point of View

The bathroom remained silent for a few more seconds after the bedroom door slammed shut, but unfortunately, the silence did absolutely nothing to calm the chaos inside my head. Meanwhile, the image of Vanessa practically climbing on Killian like a desperate monkey kept replaying over and over in the most irritating way possible.

I glanced at my reflection in the mirror as I brushed the damp hair away from my face, and honestly, the fact that I cared enough to be irritated already felt embarrassing. Killian was arrogant, manipulative, dangerous, and genuinely one of the most frustrating men I'd ever met.

So why on earth did she still have a tight chest?

God, this was ridiculous.

I carefully left the bathroom, clutching the towel to my chest, already exhausted before the day had even begun. Unfortunately, the devil himself was still in the room, leaning lazily against the dresser as if he were paying his rent there.

—Why are you still here?

Killian's lips slowly curled as his gaze swept over my body in the most irritating way possible, and I immediately gripped the towel tighter because this man looked like he was one bad decision away from becoming a criminal.

"That's rude," he muttered. "I practically live here."

—Does that also apply to your fanatical blond monkeys?

As soon as those words left my lips, I regretted every second because it only made his smile widen.

God, did he really enjoy bothering me that much?

I quickly turned to my suitcase before he could spout any more nonsense, mainly because I wanted to get dressed comfortably without some creep trying to peek every five seconds. Meanwhile, the creep behind me was suspiciously quiet for once, which honestly felt more dangerous than his usual taunts.

It made me think… Can he really stay quiet for more than two seconds? I knew he was here to ruin my life.

I carefully reached into my suitcase while clutching the towel tighter to my chest, because if this slipped now, Killian would probably never stop talking about it for the next hundred years.

"You know," I said casually while looking for clothes, "if random women are going to keep barging into your room like Tarzan every morning, maybe I should move in with your mother instead."

A low laugh escaped him instantly.

"I'm too young to be traumatized by naked women before breakfast," I continued dryly. "Especially unstable blondes."

Killian laughed softly this time, a real laugh that somehow sounded warmer than usual, and unfortunately my stupid heart noticed it immediately.

"You seemed very calm for someone supposedly traumatized," he muttered lazily.

Finally, I pulled out a shirt before turning slightly towards him.

"Why wouldn't I be calm?" Her eyes narrowed slightly.

So the Alpha had really been paying attention.

"Vanessa practically announced she was expecting my child," she pointed out carefully. "You barely reacted."

I blinked once before shrugging casually.

"Oh, please." I rolled my eyes. "Congratulations in advance, I guess." My lips curved sweetly. "I'm probably one of the thousands who will eventually show up at your door."

Killian's expression changed slightly as his eyes remained fixed on mine with more intensity this time, and honestly, seeing his confidence crack even a little felt too satisfying.

"There it is," he murmured softly.

—What's there?

"That attitude." Her arrogant smile slowly returned. "You only get sarcastic when something bothers you."

I immediately sighed as I took another dress out of the suitcase.

—Do you seriously think I'm jealous of your human headache?

—You know he kissed me twice.

"You also noticed I'm breathing." I looked at him blankly. "Congratulations, detective."

A low chuckle escaped him before he slowly moved away from the dresser and started walking toward me again. Unfortunately, my body betrayed me immediately because the closer he got, the harder it became to pretend his presence didn't affect me.

Stupid body… very stupid body.

"Do you know what I think?" he murmured softly as he stopped in front of me.

—Honestly, I don't care.

—I think you also wanted a bigger reaction from me.

That made my eyebrows furrow instantly.

—What the hell does that mean?

Killian leaned a little closer as he watched me intently, and the dangerous amusement in his eyes suddenly made the room feel much smaller.

"You heard Vanessa talking about marriage and children," she murmured. "Yet somehow all you cared about was that she touched me."

My heart instantly lost its coordination.

Absolutely not.

This man wasn't going to win this argument again.

—You really overestimate yourself.

—And you continue to underestimate yourself.

His eyes briefly shifted to the towel he was still holding tightly against my chest before returning to my face, and immediately heat rose up my neck because the stupid thing was... he looked too entertained by my nervousness.

Why did every conversation with this man feel like walking barefoot into danger and somehow enjoying it anyway?

I tightened the towel around my chest before giving him a proper glare because, apparently, shame had completely slipped through this man's fingers during the whole thing. Meanwhile, Killian looked way too relaxed, standing there watching me wrestle as if this was the best entertainment of his life.

—Can you leave now so I can get dressed?

Her eyebrows instantly rose as amusement shone across her face once more.

—Why exactly would I have to leave my own room?

I genuinely hated this man sometimes. What am I saying? All the time.

"Well," I replied, aggressively pulling a dress out of my suitcase, "maybe because the heavens have clearly decided to punish me for my sins by making me your roommate, so here..." I gestured dramatically toward the door. "Get out."

That really made him chuckle softly.

"What sins exactly?" he asked lazily. "The part where you had your legs over my shoulders, or the part where you screamed my name while your nails dug into my back?"

The heat exploded on my face so fast it almost hurt.

—You're out of your mind!

Her smile widened immediately.

"No," I spat, pulling the dress tighter against my chest. "You're worse. You're a fucking, certified pervert."

—Creative.

—I say every word.

"I know." Her eyes slowly scanned my body again. "But you still think that."

The violence suddenly felt reasonable.

Before I could insult him again, the psychopath casually started taking off his shirt and went for his pants as if we weren't arguing. My eyes widened immediately before I spun around so fast that my wet hair hit my shoulder.

—What the hell do you think you're doing?!

Killian laughed behind me as the cloth fell carelessly somewhere on the floor.

"Why are you turning away?" she asked gently. "It's not like you haven't touched my body before."

"You're a disgusting pig," I spat, keeping my back to him because absolutely no one asked for this level of stress before breakfast. "Are you going to answer me?"

A low laugh escaped him again.

“A crazy woman soaked my clothes earlier,” he reminded me matter-of-factly. “And I think I’ve had enough of smelling like my best friend.” I heard drawers opening behind me. “I need a bathroom.”

I tightened my grip on the towel instantly.

—Couldn't you have done it after I left?

—And where exactly is the fun in that?

My stupid heart reacted immediately.

I could practically feel his amusement behind me now, and honestly, the worst part wasn't even his teasing anymore. The worst part was how naturally he filled every corner of the room until it felt impossible to breathe normally around him.

—You really enjoy making my life difficult.

"No," he gently corrected. "I enjoy making you lose your composure."

That bothered me even more because, unfortunately, I wasn't entirely wrong. Every conversation with this man somehow turned into an emotional battle while he just stood there looking unfairly calm throughout.

I spun around sharply before my brain could stop me, fully prepared to scream at him again, but the words got stuck in my throat the second my eyes landed properly on him, down to his hard cock.

At this point I felt like both heaven and hell had turned my life into a comedy show, because why did this idiot look ridiculously attractive standing there completely naked while those golden eyes stared at me as if he already knew exactly what I was thinking?

Nature really needed to stop rewarding terrible personalities with attractive faces.

Killian noticed me staring at him almost immediately, and the dangerous smile that slowly appeared on his face made my stomach clench instantly.

"There you go again," he murmured softly. "That look."

I sighed quickly as I forced my attention back to my clothes.

—You're hallucinating.

"Mm." Her voice sounded far too amused. "Your eyes tell a different story. You know that if you finally apologize, maybe I'll let you touch her."