“Thanks.” I arched an eyebrow. “I feel good.”
“I know.” He folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the fridge. “I remember.”
“When did you get back?” I asked, ignoring his last remark.
“Just now.”
“Were you with a girl?” I blurted, mentally kicking myself for it.
His smile was arrogant. “What if I were? Would it bother you?”
“No.”
“No, huh?”
“What you do with your personal life is none of my business.”
His glossy eyes zoned in on me, trying to see if I was lying. “You're awfully cute when you’re jealous.” He stepped toward me. “You want to know a secret?” He took another step. “Even if I was, it doesn’t matter.” With one last step, he caged me in with his hands on either side of me at the counter. Leaningin close to my face, he confessed, “Because she’s not the one I want.”
I pressed against the counter. “Kraven, you’re drunk. You can?—”
He was in my face, pushing me further into it before I got the last word out. “What, Kitty? What can I do to make you purr?”
Through a serious regard, I stressed, “You need to go to bed.”
“Only if you tuck me in.”
“Krav—”
“You ever think about that night? The first time you talked to me. You always remember your first, Isla,” he stated in a low, raspy tone. “It’s only a matter of time.”
“For what?”
“For you to sleep in my bed.”
I should have left or pushed him away, but I couldn’t get my arms or feet to move. It was as if I was watching a train wreck right in front of me, unable to look away. His touch seemed so familiar, and that confused me more than anything. Something about him at that moment captivated me, drawing me into his hypnotic spell.
His lips pursed together like he knew what I was thinking, what I was feeling. He was purposely causing my internal struggle. When he got what he wanted, he pushed off the counter and backed up—never taking his eyes off me until he had to, leaving me with nothing but unease.
I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning and thinking about what the hell that was. It lingered all night, along with the feeling he stirred inside me. The truth was, I liked having him around. I enjoyed talking to him, but tonight proved to be something else entirely.
Whatever it was, I needed to put a stop to it. At the end of the day, Julius had my heart.
I woke up the following morning in a haze from the lack of sleep. I lay there staring at the ceiling, coming to the decision not to tell Julius about what happened with Kraven last night—him coming home wasted. I hoped it was only a one-time thing and not a recurring stunt.
It was pointless.
It wouldn’t do any good. I already kept all of his other secrets… what was one more?
I needed to clear the air with Kraven. I spent the morning thinking about it, following my usual routine: eating breakfast, lounging on the couch, reading a book, and getting lost in a captivating story while waiting for Kraven to wake up.
It wasn’t abnormal for Julius not to come home, especially if it was the weekend. We didn’t text much when he was working. I didn’t want to distract him or get him in trouble with his boss. It was well into the afternoon by the time Kraven finally came out of his bedroom.
Part of me thought he might have been avoiding me, or maybe he was just too hungover and needed to sleep for a good part of the day.He froze at the bottom of the stairs when he saw me sprawled out on the couch, glancing up at him from my book. He tried to keep his emotions in check as he stood there in nothing but a pair of gym shorts, hanging low on his hips.
His muscular arms crossed over his chest. His body was already covered in tattoos. It was one thing Julius couldn’t stop. Kraven started getting them often, making Julius worry about infection since he was probably getting them done in someone’s garage.
Kraven rubbed the back of his head like he was lost in thought, searching all over the room looking for answers. A few awkward seconds passed before he finally made his way over to me, still not uttering a word.
