This made no sense. He was danger personified. The complication that could get me killed. Every rational thought screamed that proximity to him was suicide.
Yet here I sat, feeling safer than I had in months. Like his presence alone could shield me from everything waiting to destroy us.
His fingers found mine, threading through slowly. Deliberately. Like he had all the time in the world and nowhere else he'd rather be.
Then he leaned over. His lips brushed my bare shoulder—just the barest touch of warmth against skin.
Electricity. Pure electricity exploded from that single point of contact, racing through my nervous system like wildfire. Heat bloomed in my stomach, spread outward in waves. My breath caught audibly. Every nerve ending suddenly alive and screaming for more, more, more.
I tried to school my expression. Keep my face neutral. Pretend that casual touch hadn't just set my entire body on fire.
The smile curving his lips told me I'd failed spectacularly.
"We need to be more careful." The words came out breathy. Unsteady. "Luca watches us constantly. Mrs. Rossi caught us red-handed. This is getting dangerous—"
"I know."
"Then you understand we need to stop—"
"I understand that Luca is watching. That we're taking risks." His thumb traced circles on my palm, each rotation sending fresh sparks up my arm. "But stopping? Staying away from you? No. Not happening."
"Kai—"
"What do you want me to say, Aria? That I'll keep my distance? That I'll pretend I don't feel this?" His voice dropped lower. Rougher. "I can't do that. Won't do that."
My throat tightened. "What are we supposed to do? We can't just keep sneaking around hoping we won't get caught. Eventually—"
"I just need time." He shifted, angling toward me. The movementbrought our faces close enough that I could see the flecks of gold in his dark eyes. "Time to finish what I started. To build the case against my father. I need you to have faith in me."
Faith. Such a simple word. Such an impossible ask.
I wanted to respond. Wanted to tell him yes, I believed in him. Or maybe no, this was hopeless, we should stop before someone died.
But words stuck in my throat like shards of glass.
Because avoiding him wasn't truly an option anymore. The only real escape would be leaving entirely. And Uncle Vincent controlled every door, every exit, every possible route to freedom. I was trapped here until the wedding.
Unless Kai actually managed to pull off the impossible.
He turned fully now, and something in his expression stole my breath. Vulnerability. Raw and unguarded. Like he was letting me see straight through all his carefully constructed armor.
"I've never felt this way about any woman before."
Despite the gravity of our situation, despite everything, I smiled. Couldn't help it. "That's literally the oldest line in history. You might as well tell me your sign."
"It's not a line." Dead serious now. Intense. "I'm twenty-six. I've been with women—plenty of them. But I've never—" He stopped. Drew breath like the next words cost him something. "I've never fallen in love before. This is new territory for me too."
Love.
The word detonated in my chest like a bomb. Made my heart stutter. Made my lungs forget how to process oxygen.
He'd said it. Actually said the word out loud. Put a name to this terrifying, overwhelming thing between us.
And I knew, knew with absolute certainty that if I acknowledged what he'd just said, everything I'd been desperately holding back would come pouring out. All the feelings I'd tried to suppress. All the hope I'd tried not to feel. All the terrifying depth of emotion that kept growing despite every logical reason to shut it down.
I couldn't do that. Wasn't ready for that levelof exposure.
I stood abruptly. My book tumbled to the grass. "I need to find Lia. We can—we'll talk about this later."
