When Saturday rolled around and I still hadn’t heard from him, I knew what I had to.
Amanda was right. If Killian wanted to play hard to get or whatever he was doing, then I could beat him at his own game, or I could take matters into my own hands.
If he didn't want to contact me because he was mad or whatever, that was fine, but he wasn't getting off that easily. We couldn't just ignore each other for the next five or so months, and for once, the contract was actually on my side.
We were supposed to see each other every weekend, and it was the weekend, so Killian didn't have anything to hide behind.
I was going over to his place and we were going to have this out once and for all. I wasn't putting up with his deflecting and whatever else he wanted to do.
If that was how he wanted to play it, then it would tell me what I needed to know.
Just because things weren't going to work with Simon didn't mean things had to work with Killian. I could be alone. I was fine with being alone.
I'd been alone and in a much worse spot before Killian had come along and changed things, so going back to that wouldn't be the end of the world if I had to.
He'd have to break the contract, which would fuck over his plans, too, and then we'd both be back at square one.
Of course, the thought of him having a contract like the one we had with someone else made my blood boil, so I put that out of my head.
I stopped thinking altogether because if I thought too much, I was either going to get angry or lose my nerve, and I didn't want to do either of those things. I wanted a level head so it didn't immediately turn into a fight.
I kept telling myself that as I drove to his apartment, repeating it over and over again under my breath like a mantra. Keep a level head. Keep a level head.
He was going to try to rile me up because that was just how he was, but that didn't mean I had to let him. I could keep my cool and put my arguments forth in a calm manner and then let the chips fall where they may.
When I got to his place, I hit the buzzer and waited, hoping he was home. It was a Saturday, and he usually was in on Saturday, but then that was because I was usually with him. I had no idea what he did when I wasn't there.
The thought that maybe he was at the club or with Eve entered into my head, but I pushed it out, not willing to think about that, either.
"Yes?" he answered after a second, and I let out a little breath of relief.
"It's me," I replied. "Let me in."
He was quiet for a second, and I wondered if it was out of irritation or surprise.
"What are you doing here?" he asked after a bit.
"I came to talk to you," I said. "Let me in."
Maybe it was the repetition that did it, or maybe he'd been waiting for me subconsciously, but he sighed and the door clicked open, letting me into the building.
For some reason, my heart was pounding as I went to the elevator and hit the button for the penthouse.
I wasn't nervous about what I'd come to say, not really. I knew it had to be said and that we couldn't move forward until something was resolved, but there was no way to know how Killian would react to it.
He kept his persona so carefully cultivated, that it was hard to know what was the real him and what was the act he put on.
I thought the anger was real, the jealousy. Those were real emotions, and it was obvious that he didn't really know what to do with them.
I could understand that, and I wasn't going to berate him for feeling, just for the way he'd handled it.
The elevator door dinged open, and I made my way down the hall to his door, knocking and sucking in a breath.
Killian answered it quickly, standing there in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, looking like he had no plans to go anywhere or see anyone, but still unfairly attractive. His hair was even messy, but it still looked good on him, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes in his face because that wasn't a good start to anything.
"Hi," I said. "Can I come in?"
He looked me up and down, no expression on his face. "You don't have to be here," he said, and his tone was flat. "I know you don't want to be."
"You don't know anything," I replied, keeping my tone light.
He just sighed and stepped back to let me inside.
Judging from his posture, he was ready for a fight. He looked like he'd been hoping I wouldn't show up, and that was too damned bad. He'd told me before that he liked that I was fiery and not a pushover, and he was about to find out just how true that was.
Once I was inside, I turned to face him, folding my arms.
"It's Saturday," I pointed out.
"Yes, I know that," he replied, looking confused.
"We're supposed to get dinner on Friday. You never contacted me."
His brows knitted together in a frown. "I didn't think you'd want me to. And I figured you would be busy." There was bitterness in his tone, and I knew what he'd figured. I could easily tell him he didn't need to worry about that, but I didn't. Because the real issue wasn't with Simon.
The real issue was with the two of us, and we had to work through that first.
"My Fridays are always clear for dinner because that's in the contract. It was the agreement," I said.
"You hate
