I sat in the garden, my book forgotten in my lap, staring at nothing while my mind replayed every moment with Kai. The way he looked at me. The way his voice dropped when we were alone. The way his hands had felt on my skin.
I was falling for him. Slowly, inevitably, catastrophically falling for the one man I absolutely could not have.
And I knew it. God, I knew how reckless this was. How dangerous. How utterly insane.
But knowing didn't stop my heart from racing when I heard hisfootsteps. Didn't stop the heat that flooded through me when he got close. Didn't stop me from wanting him with an intensity that scared me.
"A penny for your thoughts."
I jumped, my book nearly sliding off my lap. Kai stood there, hands in his pockets, watching me with those dark, intense eyes.
He was wearing dark jeans that hung perfectly on his hips and a black t-shirt that clung to muscles I'd felt under my hands. His hair was slightly messy, like he'd been running his fingers through it. He looked dangerous and gorgeous and completely unfair.
My thoughts immediately went places they absolutely shouldn't. Places involving significantly fewer clothes and considerably more touching.
Stop it. Stop sexualizing him like some hormone-addled teenager.
Except he was looking at me like he could read every inappropriate thought, and a slow smile spread across his face.
"You look beautiful today."
The compliment caught me off guard. Made warmth bloom in my chest.
"Don't I always look beautiful?" I tried to keep my tone light. Teasing.
"You do." His voice dropped, went serious. "You always do. I can't seem to keep my eyes off you, which is becoming a serious fucking problem."
The honesty in his words made my breath catch. The way he was looking at me like I was the only thing in the world worth seeing made my heart do something complicated in my chest.
I looked at him. Really looked at him. And my smile faded as reality crashed back in.
What were we doing? Where could this possibly go?
He noticed immediately. Of course he did. Kai noticed everything.
He crossed the distance between us, sat down on the bench close enough that I could feel his body heat. His hand found mine, fingers intertwining gently.
"What's going on in thathead of yours?"
The concern in his voice, the way he was looking at me—like my thoughts actually mattered, like my feelings were important—it melted something inside me that I'd been trying to keep frozen.
"What are we doing, Kai?" The words came out quieter than I intended. "We both know this thing between us—whatever it is—it can't end well for either of us. So why can't we just stop now? Before it gets worse?"
The question brought silence between us. Part of me desperately hoped he'd agree. That he'd be the strong one and walk away.
But a bigger, more terrifying part prayed he wouldn't. Prayed he'd fight for this. For us.
Because even though I'd just suggested stopping, the thought of actually doing it terrified me more than any potential consequences.
He was quiet for a long moment. Then he reached for me, pulled me closer until I was practically in his lap. His arms wrapped around me, solid and warm.
I could feel everything. Every hard line of his body. Every breath. Every beat of his heart against my chest.
My hands landed on his chest, fingers splaying across the solid muscle there. I could feel his heart hammering beneath my palm.
"Feel that?" His voice was rough. Raw. "My heart beats for you. Has since the moment I saw you in that club. I haven't been the same since we met, Aria. You've fucked me up in ways I didn't think were possible. And I don't have it in me to let you go. Even if I wanted to—which I don't—I couldn't. You're under my skin. In my head. Consuming every thought I have."
His hand came up, tilted my face so I had to look at him.
