Read Online Thin Love by Eden Butler - Free Book Online Page A

warm arm beneath her fingers, the rounding of his eyes, was nothing to the sharp lick of fire shooting up her fingers. Her stomach coiled and Keira felt like someone had punched her right in the gut. She didn’t know what it was, had never felt anything like it before. The darkness around them grew dense, weighted and it seemed to Keira that every breath that left her opened mouth, that left Kona’s, froze in the mist around them. It scared her. It scared Kona too, she could tell. His eyes fell to her hand which was still touching him, and Keira forgot about that ache in her back and jerked her arm away, curled her hands into her back pockets.
    The moment passed and whatever had moved between them was lost in Kona’s distraction over the guy who was now coming onto his knees. Kona helped him up, but it wasn’t a friendly gesture, more an aggressive lurch on his arm and then a shove against the pine tree behind them. The kid looked like he was going to vomit and his hands immediately went to his bruising neck. But Kona just stood there, glaring down at him.
    “You touch this girl, you touch any girls again and I’ll find out about it.” He moved his shoulders, a quick threatening jerk, and the thief knocked his head against the tree in his flinch. “You don’t want me finding out about that shit.” One quick twist of his chin and Kona stepped back. “Get out of here before I really get pissed.”
    Kona didn’t give Keira a second to analyze what happened or what she felt. Her jeans were a soaking mess and her back felt raw and pulsing, but Kona’s attention seemed distracted, seemed focused on shaking the dirt and grime from her arm, checking her limbs, moving her face as he looked her over. Seeming satisfied that she wasn’t injured, he picked up her backpack and handed it to her.
    Keira ignored the lick of fire that had passed between them. It was the adrenaline of her attack, a weird relief that somehow she’d been rescued. Shit, she thought. He saved me like a damn Disney princess. The thought erased the gut punch pleasure that was still coursing in her stomach. “You didn’t have to do that.”
    Mouth open, coming up in a small scowl, Kona shook his head as though he’d expected a thank you and not Keira’s bitching. “He was trying to gank your stuff.”
    Keira slapped the dirt from her backpack, ignoring Kona’s words. “And you didn’t have to follow me.”
    “It’s a good thing I did. You couldn’t have handled that shit.”
    She wouldn’t let him be the hero. At least, not more than he’d already had been. Keira knew her face was flaming, knew that her embarrassment at needing a rescue was something Kona wouldn’t understand. She was tired already, from the long night in the library, from the shock of her attack, and could only manage a quick, self-deprecating nod in Kona’s direction before she turned around, intending to head straight to her dorm room. But two steps seemed one too many and Keira flinched, her back seizing up.
    Kona darted behind her, holding her arms under his larger fingers. “What is it? You hurt?”
    “Probably just a bruise. It’s nothing.”
    Kona disregarded Keira’s half-hearted attempts to pull out of his touch when he grabbed her elbow. “Come on, we’re taking you to the infirmary.”
    “No, we aren’t,” she said, twisting her slim arm out of his grip. She looked over her shoulder to check it there was any blood on her shirt and again the pain rose up, making her wince. Kona pulled her along the sidewalk, that strong hand on her arm again and she stopped walking, stepping away from him. They’d only spent an hour or so together tonight, but Keira knew already that he was stubborn. Shoulders slumping, she tried to convince him she’d had enough rescuing for the night. “It was just a bump against the busted drain. There’s not even any blood.”
    “You don’t know for sure.”
    “You’re being paranoid.” Kona’s eyes narrowed and those deep