Chapter Forty-eight

Scarlett’s POV

Across from me, Killian sits at the edge of the room, his forearms braced on his knees. He watches me with a terrifying intensity, as though he believes something might rip me apart if he blinks. His jaw flexes every time my breath falters. I know he’s trying to give me space, but his presence is a storm—silent, coiled, ready to strike. “You don’t have to hover,” I murmur, not wanting to provoke him but unable to ignore the tension in the air. He ...