Chapter 11

River’s POV

The shock stole my breath, my fingers flying up to claw at his wrist. My eyes widened as I stared into his eyes. I had never seen Killian like this. This was different. His eyes were wild, burning with something darker, something raw and dangerous.

My chest rose against his grip as I struggled to draw air. But what froze me was not the hold he had on my throat.

It was the look in his eyes.

He wasn’t the man who shielded me from Rowan’s venom. This Killian was a storm I had never met before, and he was standing inches from tearing me apart. 

“Let me go, Killian,” my voice shook as I twisted against his iron grip. My hands clawed at his wrist but he didn’t budge.

“You know, River,” his voice was low, biting, his face inches from mine, “you think you’re smart, but you’re not all that.” His grip on my throat loosened just enough for me to drag in a shaky breath, but his fingers stayed locked, like a warning he wasn’t done.

“I know your every move. I know Rowan was here the other day, and when I asked you, you looked me right in the eyes and lied. And tonight, you think I don’t know he’s the one who texted you happy birthday?”

My mouth fell open, How did he know? Was he tracking me, watching me? His words echoed in my head, he said he knew my every move. That wasn’t just anger, that was invasion, it was obsession.

But then another thought cut through me like a blade. Rowan’s message. Did Killian also see the pictures? Before I could speak, Killian’s eyes narrowed, as if he had reached into my thoughts again. 

“Those pretty little pictures of yours,” his mouth curled into a dangerous smirk, “I saw them, River. So don’t think you can turn this around on me.” His hold loosened a little more, but his hand stayed on my neck, his thumb brushing my pulse like he wanted me to feel how trapped I was.

“You hurt me River. Not once, not twice, but again and again with your lies. We were supposed to be a team.” 

“Who the hell do you think you are, Killian? You don’t get to control me or watch my every move. That's an invasion of privacy, and you know what? I could sue you for that.”

His lips twitched, almost amused, but his eyes were burning. “Then try it, River. Let’s see whose controversy goes viral.” He leaned in so close I could feel the heat of his breath, his voice dropping to something cruel and certain. 

“I’m not controlling you. I’m making sure we stay on the same page. I can’t waste two years of my life and walk away with nothing. I will get what I want.” I looked into his eyes, refusing to look away, even though every nerve in my body screamed at me that this man had crossed a line he could never step back from.

“You give me mixed signals, River. I can’t place it,” Killian said. His grin unsettled me. “But there’s nothing you can hide from me. I’ll figure it out eventually.”

I looked at him, trying to understand this shift. Killian had always been charming, sweet in his own way, the kind of man who made me feel like I was in control. But right now, that man was gone. 

Something else stood before me, something raw and unfiltered, like he had been carrying a weight for too long and finally let it slip. His hand dropped from my neck and I coughed, rubbing at the tender spot where his grip had been. 

He didn’t move back, didn’t give me space, his body towering over mine like he was daring me to try and run. “Why don’t you let me help you, River,” his voice lowered, softer this time, though it wasn’t kindness—it was insistence. 

“Keeping things from me won’t make it better.” I swallowed hard, heat rushing through me as he lifted a finger and pressed it gently against my chest. His touch was light, yet it felt like a strike. 

“Let me help you forget Rowan,” he murmured, his eyes burning into mine. “Even if you never say it, I know you still keep a soft spot for him here.” His finger tapped over my heart, then lingered there in a way that made my chest tighten.

“The things I could do to you… the things I want to do to you, River… fuck.” His fist slammed against the wall beside me, making me flinch, the sound echoing in the room like thunder. 

His words had slipped out as if he couldn’t stop them, as if his restraint was breaking apart piece by piece. His body radiated heat, the bare skin of his chest so close I could feel it seeping into me. 

I hated myself for noticing, hated the way my own body responded, hot and restless under his gaze. I should have been angrier at the way he had held my neck moments ago. I was angry, but what unsettled me more was how my body refused to push him away.

I shifted to the side, desperate for space, but he planted both hands on the wall, caging me in. His arms framed me, his breath brushing against my cheek. My skin tingled in every place he wasn’t touching, aching in every place he threatened to.

“You need something to take your mind off Rowan,” he whispered, and though his words carried steel, his eyes looked like fire. “And I’m not talking about revenge. You know exactly what I mean.”

I bit my lip, trying to keep steady, but my body betrayed me with every trembling breath. His hand trailed down slowly, tracing my waist, his fingers brushing the fabric there in a way that made it impossible to think. 

“Let me show you what it feels like to be wanted, River. Let me show you what real pleasure feels like,” his voice dropped, husky and deliberate, “not that trash of a video Rowan sent you.”

Fuck. He had seen the video too. My chest tightened, my thoughts running wild. When did he see it, how did he even get his hands on it? Everything felt like it was spinning, too much at once.

I knew I should pull away, I knew I should fight, but instead I stood there, caught between fury and a pull I didn’t understand. “Please, River,” Killian’s voice broke through, low and rough, like it was dragging years of weight with it. 

He sounded like a man who had been holding this in forever, and now that it was slipping out, he couldn’t pull it back. My body betrayed me, shivering at the sound of his voice. “This is wrong,” I told myself, over and over, but the pulse between my ribs said otherwise.

I shook my head sharply. “Stop this now, Killian. Whatever this is, just stop.” My voice cracked even though I fought to sound firm. His lips curled into that dangerous grin, the kind that sent chills down my spine. 

“Dare me,” he whispered.

“But don’t, River. Don’t push me, because you’ll end up begging me. Not for mercy. For something far worse than that.” I hated that his words lit a fire in me, hated that I wanted him to close the space, to touch me until I forgot everything. 

“Like I said before, Killian, this is just a contract marriage, nothing more to it,” I spat, forcing the words out even though my body screamed a different truth. I shoved him aside and made for the door, desperate to escape before I lost all control.

But his hand caught mine, swift and hard, pulling me back. His voice tore through the silence, loud and raw. “I have loved you for more than a decade, River!”

The room froze around me. I turned, my eyes locking on him, searching, trying to make sense of what he had just shouted. “What did you just say?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

Killian’s chest rose and fell, his jaw tight, his eyes wild with something I couldn’t place—desire, anger, pain, all tangled into one. For a second, I thought he might repeat it, that he would finally tear down every wall he had built. 

But instead, his face hardened.

“Never mind,” he said, the words clipped, almost broken. He let go of my hand, turning away as if pushing me out with his silence. “Just leave, River.”