She tenses too, her body squirming. I don’t let her go. She’ll run, and I hate that.

“Killian, let me breathe.”

“Breathing’s overrated,” I mutter but roll off her.

Libby sits and swings her feet over the side of the bed, giving me her back. Fuck it. I’m not letting her hide. I push up and sit next to her.

“Scottie talked to me today,” she says, staring at the floor.

“I saw.” I’d been waiting for her to tell me. For any word. Instead I’d gotten silence.

An exasperated sound tears from her throat. “You could have warned me.”

“Yeah, I could have.” I run a hand along the back of my neck. “I didn’t want to.”

She turns toward me so fast, her hair slaps my shoulder. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

I snort, holding her glare. “So you could run from it? Talk yourself out of things before you heard what he had to say? No, Libs, I’m not kidding.”

“You don’t know that—”

“I do. I know you. Whether you want to admit that or not.” I lean closer. “I. Know. You.”

I hear her teeth clack. “If you know me so well,” she grinds out, “you should know I don’t want or need you to plot my life.”

“And if you knew me at all, you’d never accuse me of that.” I lurch to my feet and pace away, my face going hot. “Shit. I mean, you seriously think that’s what I did?”

She crosses her arms over her chest. “You just admitted to talking to him!”

“Talking, Libs. That’s all. Jesus.” I clamp my hands to the back of my aching head. “He asked my opinion. I gave it. Don’t turn this into some wild conspiracy.”

Libby stands, her fists balling at her sides. “Are you telling me you didn’t bring me here thinking this would happen? That you didn’t, for one second, think about Scottie trying to make me something I’m not?”

“You think I’m going to deny that the second I played with you I knew you’d be great on a stage? I’m not.” I laugh without humor. “And you shouldn’t either.”

She blows out a breath. “I’m not a star.”

Something in me softens, and I take a step closer. “You’re already halfway there. You just don’t see it yet.”

Panic flares in her eyes, and she backs up, her lips parting as the struggles to breathe. “I want this.”

The crazy thing? I’m the one who lights up inside. Her successes have become mine. “Babe, you’ll have it.”

But she shakes her head as if I’m not getting it. “A few months ago, I was living by the sea. The only people I talked to were Mrs. Nellwood and old George at the gas station.”

“And did you like it?”

“I hated it,” she hisses, her eyes going glassy. “You took me out of that. I never dreamed this life would happen. But it’s here. And now…” A furious blush stains her cheeks. God, my girl has pride by the boatload. But her confidence has been kicked hard. Libby brushes back a lock of her hair and lifts her chin like she’s squaring off for a hit. “You agree with Scottie that I should do something that will take me away.”

The implication hits me like a brick. My heart squeezes in my chest. She’s so fucking wrong. How can she be so right for me and so wrong about herself? I close the gap between us and draw her into my arms. She struggles, trying to break free as I “shhh” her under my breath and rub her arms.

“It’s not about sending you away, baby doll. It’s about setting you free.”

Her back stiffens. “Free? I’m sorry, but that’s just semantics, Killian.”

“No way,” I say against her cheek, still holding fast. “You want the truth? When Scottie told me he was going to ask to represent you, a part of me hated the idea.” My fingers grip her silky hair. “A big part of me. Because I want you here. With me. Always.”

She sucks in a breath, like she’s going to respond, probably tear into me. So I kiss her, soft, searching, then hard and a little desperate. We’re both panting when I pull away. My chest hurts, and when I rest my forehead against hers, I’m suddenly so weary I have to close my eyes.

“But that’s selfish, Libby. And I can’t do that to you. Never to you. Because you deserve that chance, even if it pulls you away from me for a time. So I told him to go for it.”

“Killian.” She sighs and rubs her hands along my chest, almost as if it soothes her more than me. “Not everyone has your confidence. Some of us need to feel our way around a little.”

My lips press against her forehead, and I breathe her in before speaking. “Babe, if I’ve learned anything about opportunity, it’s that you make it happen. Fear will only hold you back. You can have the world. Just reach for it.”

“I don’t need the world,” she whispers.

“What do you need?” I ask just as softly.

Her hands slide up to my neck, her lips nuzzling my jaw. “You.”

I swear my knees go weak. I have to lock it up, suck in a breath. I hug her tight, unwilling to let go even to find her mouth. Not yet. “Fuck, Libby.” I snuggle her closer. “We need to stop hiding. I fucking hate it.”

I feel her tense and cup her cheeks. Her eyes are wide and panicked. It pisses me off and makes me want to cuddle her, protect her from the world. Only I’m the source of her pain. Which is a kick in the gut. It turns my voice raw. “You want me, but you want to hide us?”

“When you put it that way, you make it sound petty.”

“Well, excuse me for stating the facts.” Irritation crawls up my spine.

She flinches, her fingers wrapping around my wrists. She holds me there. “Words are simple, Killian. Real life is a bit more messy.”

“Bullshit. Why are you resisting this? Because I gotta tell you, it hurts.”

“Jax is just starting to respect me.”

“Jax can go fuck himself,” I snap, then sigh. “Baby doll, you have his respect. It’s not going to go because we’re together.”

“You sure of that?” She doesn’t sound remotely convinced.

I open my mouth to answer, but it gets lodged in my throat. Because who the fuck knows with Jax anymore? Libby’s eyes narrow.