Free Locked Away (Living With Lies Book 2) by Riann C. Miller

out here. I walked out here and sat down like I would any other time. You were so into your swim that a bomb could have gone off and you probably wouldn’t have noticed,” he counters with a smirk, which causes me to laugh.
    “You’re probably right. I used to swim every day. I miss it,” I add before I take a seat next to him, but we don’t look at each other. Instead, we’re staring out at the beautiful night sky.
    “Did you have a problem getting your make-up washed off?” I choke on a laugh.
    “You’re evil, you know that?” he jokes.
    “I’d say I’m sorry, but I don’t want to lie.”
    “I’m sorry...about the other day...at the mall.” My eyes snap to his from the sudden change of topic.
    “I really didn’t go with you to report your every move to Gavin. Everyone in this house trusts you.” I’m struggling to keep my face neutral. The longer I’m around Kiran, the more I find him irresistible, and I’m positive I’m doing a lousy job of hiding my feelings.
    “I’m sorry, too. I’m on edge right now. Regardless of your motives, I shouldn’t have snapped at you.” I force my eyes back to the night sky. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kiran turn his chair toward me but he doesn’t say anything. After a few long moments, I glance over to find his blue eyes staring at me.
    “What?”
    “Outside of the trip to the mall and when you watched Callie, you’ve been up in that damn room of yours. It bothers Kate, and truthfully, it bothers me, too. I can’t stand the idea of you skipping a meal, especially if I’ve done anything to cause that.” His face pales.
    “I didn’t skip dinner tonight because of you ...” I pause, almost embarrassed to tell him what I was doing all night. “I’m earning a degree online. I used the computer I purchased the other day to work on my class assignments. I did as much as I could.” I clear my throat. “I have no idea how long I’ll be here. I worked as far ahead of schedule as my instructors would allow.”
    Kiran’s face lights up. “You’re going to school? That’s...great.”
    I shrug off his comment. “It’s not going to do me a lot of good.”
    “Why do you say that? If I could do things over, I would have gone to college. Instead, I earned a living off fighting or betting on fights until Gavin wised up and started his own company and gave me a job.” Kiran pauses and runs his hands through his hair. “Without Gavin, I can only imagine how shitty my life would be.”
    I chew on my lip for a moment before deciding to tell him something I probably shouldn’t. “I’m earning my degree using a fake ID.” Kiran looks over at me with confusion before he narrows his eyes.
    “Damian keeps me on a very tight leash. He was worried even taking an online course would open the door to someone who could hurt me.”
    “Then how ...” he trails off.
    “A boy I grew up with helped me.” I smile thinking about Manuel. “He’s the only one brave enough to go against Damian’s wishes,” I add.
    Kiran nods with understanding. “This boy...he’s your boyfriend?” he asks, causing me to burst out laughing.
    “Oh God, no. Manuel is like my brother. Plus, he’s with a different girl almost daily.” I shake my head in disgust. As much as I would like to get naked and do filthy things with a man, I don’t see how Manuel can go from one woman to the next. I glance at Kiran as his shoulders slump before he drops his eyes to the ground. I think my comment hit a little too close to home for him, too.
    “Manuel loves me and there’s a good chance he’ll one day take over Damian’s business, but we’re nothing more than family.” Kiran’s eyes shoot back to mine as he slowly nods his head. Flutters make their way down to my stomach at the idea that Kiran might be jealous.
    When that salesman gave me his number, he acted annoyed—even a little put out—but maybe he was jealous then, too.
    Kiran caught my eye from the second I saw him, and