Sated Read Online Free Page B

than the desire to go at him like a wildcat, she was still uncomfortable with the topic.
    “I had a dream.”
    When she didn’t offer more, Killian shifted slightly. “About Exile?”
    In spite of herself, Arbor chuckled. She was going to end up telling him every secret in her heart. Sheesh. The impact of him on her life. “No. It was one of those crazy bathroom dreams. I was at my aunt’s house and the bathroom was disgusting, but I had to go, you know?” She shrugged, not really expecting him to answer. “Anyhow,” she pressed on. “The room itself was huge, almost more like a living room than a bathroom. In contrast, the toilet was tiny and shoved in one corner. Since I didn’t have any other choice, I decided I’d be as quick as possible. Unfortunately, as soon as I sat down, my family began filing in and pulling up chairs around me, settling in for a long visit.” She suppressed a shudder at the memory. It was too late to back down now, but the knowledge didn’t stop her horror over admitting to a nasty-bathroom phobia.
    “To make matters worse, my mom sat down next to me, blocking my path to the only form of toilet paper available. Of course, it was actually a stack of those horrible brown paper towels they keep in public restrooms. Not a single person in the room showed any sign they were interfering in a private moment. I was embarrassed and grossed out by the disgusting room. Then the situation got even worse; sewage water started dripping from the ceiling, right onto my head.” She shrugged again. “I have no idea why, but I suppose dreams aren’t meant to make sense. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I snapped. They all seemed genuinely surprised by my distress. Nonetheless, grumbling all the way, they filed back out. My mom still didn’t take the hint. She refused to budge. When I woke up, I had this awful lingering sense of disgust.”
    The silence in the room after her story left her wishing she’d kept her mouth shut. Killian shifted positions, settling deeper into the mattress and trailing his fingers along her ribcage.
    “You are the oddest woman.”
    It was true, but still. “How so?”
    She felt his shoulder lift in a shrug beneath her head. “You admit to things most women would rather die than say. I like it,” he added before she had time to feel self-conscious. “Of course, your answer doesn’t explain how you ended up in Exile.”
    She went over the story in her head, realizing Killian was right. If a person didn’t over-analyze things the way she did, they’d miss what she knew as fact.
    “No one ever notices me,” she explained. “It’s as if I blend into the background. I was walking past Club Exile, and I knew immediately I didn’t belong there. Several heads turned in my direction. I could see everyone attempting to figure out how I came to be on the same planet as them. The dream came rushing back to me. That lingering sensation of overwhelming frustration lodged in my throat. I couldn’t not go inside because I didn’t want to be invisible any longer. In some strange way, I knew you were waiting inside.”
    His arms tightened around her. “You knew I’d see you.”
    A derisive grin tugged at her lips. “If you’d passed me on the street, you would’ve looked right through me. It’s only because I was different from everyone else, you paused to look, but yes – in a manner of speaking, I knew it.”
    In a flash, Killian came up onto his elbow. The intensity written on his face was almost frightening. “It wouldn’t matter if we were in a crowd of thousands or on another planet. I would see you. You’re the one who shouldn’t notice me. You’re the one who should’ve kept walking and saved yourself.” His features shifted. A smile spread across his face. “Not that I would allow such a thing to stand.” Killian tugged her beneath him as he rolled to settle between her knees. “What I lack in character, I more than make up for in