Bedmates Soulmates

Your Pupils Dilate When You Lie

Kira's heart was pounding in her chest,

She lowered her head when Austyn stopped in front of her.

'Look at me," he ordered.

Kira stared at the floor.

Austyn tipped her chin up.

Kira pushed his hand away.

Her cheeks were heating up.

"If you have something to say, just say it. My hearing's perfectly fine. There's no need to stand so close to

me.'

His body radiated warmth.

'Are you satisfied with the result?"

"No."

Austyn knitted his brows.

He was expecting a different answer.

"Why not? What else do you want?"

Kayleigh apologised.

The lawsuit was withdrawn.

He hadn't told Kira about Kayleigh's one-year suspension from her career, but that news would hit the papers soon.

Kira would see for herself.

'Giana and I did nothing wrong,' Kira pursed her lips. 1 threw the brick in self-defence. Why did you force me to apologise to that woman?' She crossed her arms. I'm not satisfied.'

'Too bad," Austyn said. "But that's the way I chose to handle it, and that's the end of the matter."

'As the victim, don't I get a say in how the matter should be handled?"

"No, you don't. And the sooner you realise that, the sooner you'll accept reality and move on."

Hitler Kira muttered under her breath.

'What did you just call me? Austyn narrowed his eyes.

I called you a tyrant!' Kira shot back. "You impose your will on others and run roughshod over anyone who disagrees with you. If that's not a tyrant, what is?' This is how you treat someone who got you out of jail?

'You didn't get me out of jail. Captain O'Neill did."

'What about the lawsuit? Kayleigh was going to sue you and your friend for-

Your Pupils Plate When You Lie

'Oh please, she was the instigator. With the footage as evidence, she doesn't have a leg to stand on. I didn't need your help to begin with."

She added, 'And I didn't ask for your help!"

A vein in Austyn's forehead started popping. 'Are you calling me a meddler?

"If the shoe fits..."

Austyn took a deep breath, then he spun on his heel and left.

The door banged shut after him.

Kira flopped down onto the bed.

Giana sighed. 'Mr McCarthy did help us get out of trouble. Why did you have to provoke him that way?"

'I know he did." Kira grabbed the pillow and hugged it to her chest. "Without him, Kayleigh would've gone after us with a vengeance."

"Then why did you refuse to give him credit? Frankly, it's a little ungrateful."

Kira put the pillow over her head.

Her voice came out muffled. 'I know, but I just couldn't help it. He knew Kayleigh started the whole thing. He saw the tape. Yet he still defended her."

Where did you get that from? He ordered the woman to apologise to you, didn't he?

"He only did that because he was trying to protect her. Did you hear what the lawyer said? If the case goes to trial, Kayleigh could be charged with assault and battery and attempted murder. The traffic cam footage is irrefutable proof. He ordered her to apologise to us, so we wouldn't press charges against her." Kira rolled around on the bed. 'He's in her corner, can't you see? And that just pisses me off. Aaargh!

When she didn't hear her friend's reply, Kira sat up in bed.

Giana was shaking her head.

"What?"

'Come here.' Giana patted her bed.

Kira climbed down from her bed and joined her friend, careful not to touch the IV line.

She was subjected to Giana's searching gaze. 'Is there something on my face?'

*Kira, are you...

'Am I what?'

"Are you falling in love with Austyn McCarthy?"

""What? No!

It was Kira's turn to shake her head, more vehemently than her friend.

She knew who she was-Austyn's wife by contract, which was just another way of saying 'his employee."

She knew her place and harboured no illusions.

What Giana said was absolutely impossible.

'Did you know that when you lie, you tend to talk faster? Giana rolled her eyes.

'I do not!'

Your Pupils Date When You Lie

"And you avoid the use of contractions. As in, I do not!""

'I do n-I don't!"

'Keep lying to yourself."

I am not-I'm not lying to myself!"

Tell that to your eyes. Your pupils dilate when you fib."

'Since when did you become an expert in lie detection?

'Since I watched "Lie To Me."

"I heard that's a good show."

'Don't try to change the subject'

Kira sighed.

She drew up her knees. 'I really don't love him."

'Then why did you get all hot under the collar when Austyn took Kayleigh's side?'

"I was...I was just upset that he wilfully ignored hard evidence and let his personal feelings cloud his judgement. Anyone could see that Kayleigh was in the wrong." "So it wasn't jealousy?"

"Of course not! It was righteous indignation."

*Fine. Keep telling yourself that."

Kira jumped out of bed. 'I'm starving. You must be hungry, too. Shall I get you something from the cafeteria?

I'll come with you."

Giana let go of the subject.noveldrama

Kira did not seem ready to face her own feelings.

But Giana had no doubt that those feelings were for Austyn.

Kira just didn't know it yet.

Gideon had been searching for Kira for days.

Sleep eluded him.

He used every waking moment to gather information, sifting through it for clues about Kira's whereabouts.

Every day, he went back to the street where he ran into Kira and hoped she would re-appear.

But no luck so far.

Stamford was not his city, or he would have turned it upside down.

All he knew was that Kira was twenty-one years old now, which meant she must be in university.

Her grades were good enough to get into any of the top tier schools in the country.

After seeing her on the street the other day, he was convinced she was attending a school here in Stamford.

Your Pupils Dilate When You Lie

But there were 65 universities in the city, and over 26 million people spread out over 6,000 square kilometres.

Searching for a needle in a haystack would have been easier.