I didn’t know it was possible to drown standing in a room full of air. That was what I felt like the minute I turned around and Killian was there. In all his suit-stretching glory, Killian Thorne, stood in front of me like I’d willed him into existence. I couldn’t breathe. There wasn’t anything I could do, except stand and stare.

When my mother shunted me off with him, I wanted nothing more than to hike up the skirt of my dress and make a break for it. Racing and running out of the gala to get as far away from him as I could. But I knew I’d probably break both my ankles.

I stumbled and he caught me and it was all I could do not to bolt because the minute he laid his hands on me, it was like I was engulfed in flames. My skin tingled and buzzed where his hands were on me. It was just like old times, except it was nothing like old times. Everything was completely different now.

I righted myself and smoothed out my dress. Trying to pretend that I wasn’t affected by his presence, although it was like I was learning to walk again as I walked down the stairs to the main floor. His hand slid around my elbow to steady me.

“Rachel Halston, huh?” Killian asked and I cringed.

“Yes.”

“No wonder I couldn’t find you.” His thumb traced along the crease in my arm.

“Couldn’t find me?” His eyes were wide and he looked at me like I had two heads.

“When you ran out on me. When you left the city without so much as a goodbye four months ago.”

“I did say goodbye, Killian. I said goodbye that night in your apartment. I thought it was pretty clear that it was the end.”

“You didn’t even give me a chance to respond,” he said, his grip tightening on my elbow.

“Rachel, it’s such a wonderful evening,” “We’re having so much fun,” “Beautiful décor.” The comments were volleyed at me as I weaved my way through the crowd, Killian right there beside me.

“I thought we said everything we needed to say that night. I didn’t think there was anything else.”

“There’s always more when it comes to us,” he said, walking me to a quiet alcove away from the crowd.

“Killian, you destroyed my life. You decimated everything I’d built in the city. What was I supposed to do? Sit at home and wait for you to decide you weren’t going to be a horrible asshole anymore and come and get me? And then what? I didn’t have a job. There was no one who’d hire me in the city.” The old anger I thought I’d put behind me welled up. In the flesh, Killian was just as infuriating as he was before.

“From all this, it doesn’t look like you even needed a job. What were you doing in New York in the first place? Playing peasant?”

“I was working. Trying to build a life for myself. A real life.”

“Built on lies?”

“You’re one to talk, Killian. I worked hard to make something of myself and you managed to rip it all away from me.” My voice carried and a few people turned their heads. I wouldn’t let him destroy what I’d built for myself here. I grabbed his elbow and pulled him down an empty hallway.

“I never meant for things to end up the way they did, Rachel.” He actually looked remorseful. But so much of what I wanted to say to him before was right there in the front of my mind.

“You were so hell-bent on destroying Rhys, that you didn’t even think of the other people it would hurt. And you got your way. He’s out, right?”

“I had nothing to do with him leaving. I stopped myself.” I scoffed. “No, listen. After you left, I found out that he hadn’t lived much of a charmed life either. And my obsession,” he said, glancing up at me almost sheepishly. “Obsession put Esme at risk as well as being built on lies and half truths.” Esme? My eyes got wide and my throat went dry, my muscles tensing. I’d put Esme at risk by not stopping him

“She’s fine. They are both fine.” I eyed him warily, but some of the fire of my anger ebbed away as he glanced up at me. The old Killian looked like he’d been replaced by someone else. Could this Killian be trusted?

“I came to your apartment every day for at least a month.”

“Why? What did you think was going to happen?”

“I thought maybe I could ask for your forgiveness. Maybe we could start over.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, Killian, it’s that no one ever gets to start over. You might think you have. You might think you’re well on your way to being a different person, but your past always has a way of catching up with you.”

“Rachel, there you are.” Saved by my mother. She breezed down the hall, her gown flowing behind her. “We’re about to start the auction. Mr. Thorne, you should be sure to pick up your paddle before it begins,” my mom said, most unhelpfully over my shoulder. I glanced at Killian before he disappeared down the dark hallway. I didn’t know what to do about him.

She was up on stage beside her mother. The auctioneer went through a list of every item up for bid and none of them interested me, except one.

“For two private tours of the new Grecian collection with Ms. Rachel Halston, we will start the bidding at $1,000. This is an exclusive collection that will only be in the city for one week and it will be mobbed. A chance to view it in private is certainly a once in a lifetime experience and Ms. Halston will be able to give you the history of each piece,” he said, like he actually had to sell an evening with Rachel to anyone.

The paddles lifted from every corner of the room as men vied for an evening with Rachel. They didn’t know it yet, but they’d all already lost.

The paddles lifted as the bids increased. My blood boiled as I thought of someone else winning an evening of her time. She shouldn’t even be up there, like she was on the auction block. I lifted my paddle. My bid was ten times the next highest bid. The entire audience gasped and people clapped. The auctioneer called out for more bids, but no one else raised their paddles. She glared at me from the stage.

“Thank you so much for that generous bid, Mr…”

“Thorne,” I said, as I weaved my way through the tables in front of the stage.

“Mr. Thorne. Thank you so much for that generous bid. A round of applause for him.” The audience let out a deafening round of applause. “When would you like to take your first tour, Mr. Thorne?”

“Right now,” I said, my eyes locked onto Rachel’s. Her skin looked flushed and her hands were fisted at her sides. She was pissed and she was gloriously beautiful when she was angry. I stepped up onto the stage and put my hand on the small of her back. She plastered a smile on her face and hustled off the side of the stage, before whipping around to confront me once we were out of the eye line of everyone at the gala.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She pointed her finger at me. Her breathing was heavy and her cheeks even pinker than before. It wasn’t blush this time.

“We weren’t finished with our conversation,” I said, stalking closer.

“Killian. We were so beyond finished with that conversation. It’s over, it’s done. I’ll give you the tour and then I’m going to need you to give me some space.” She turned and stalked off toward the exhibit.

“You’ve had four months of space, Rachel. Four months of running away.”

The security guard there lifted the velvet rope and let us in through the large heavy doors. They slammed shut behind us and the lights turned on as we moved past the artifacts.

“I wasn’t running away, Killian. I was running to something. To my home. To my family.” That hurt. I had no one. She was all I had left and I wasn’t going to let her get away without a fight. With her in front of me, everything I’d felt in the time she was gone was magnified. It almost brought me to my knees.

She threw out random facts about each artifact as we moved past case after case, getting deeper into the exhibit. She thought she was getting away from me quicker, but we were moving further away from everyone else back behind those doors.