Page 57 of The Stalking King

I place my hand on his chest, meaning to push him away. But then he does something that should outrage me. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me in for a kiss.

And I let him.

Somehow, miraculously, it’s like we weren’t just arguing. It’s like he didn’t just admit to killing ten men. And ordering the deaths of many more.

He grabs my hips and pulls me right up against him. I gasp in shock, but then something else takes over. It’s like kissing him erases everything else for a few insane moments.

“You make such a beautiful, breathy noise when we kiss,” he whispers against my lips. “Like every time, it surprises you. Like you don’t know how it can feel so good. I feel the same.”

“I need to go,” I say.

“Where?” he snarls.

“I’ll go to the townhouse, okay? Just let me pass.”

“I have to arrange a car.”

“Fine,” I say. “Then let’s just sit in silence and wait.”

I return to the armchair, folding my arms, purposefully not looking at him. I can’t shake the feeling that I know him, on some level that goes beyond… facts. That doesn’t make any sense, does it? But when we’re together, I feel like I see a part of him he doesn’t show anybody else.

My phone vibrates. I check it to see if it’s Mom. When I see his name, I look up, smiling despite myself. I quickly push it away.

Maksim: Does this count as silence?

Lia: You’re very good at being a jerk. Has anybody ever told you that?

Maksim: Nobody who mattered. Until now.

Lia: You can’t just send some cute texts and make everything okay.

Maksim: Cute? Now, that is a first.

I can feel him watching me, so I do my best not to smile. I can’t believe how easily he makes me feel the breadth of human emotion all at once. Sad, angry, resentful, excited, longing, and hopeful all at the same time.

Lia: I still haven’t made up my mind about you. I still haven’t decided what happens when Mom and I are safe.

Maksim: I made up my mind the second I woke in the hospital and saw your face. You don’t want to hear that, I know, but it’s the truth. I made up my mind that you were the only woman who ever made me feel a damn thing. If this ends with you hating me, that will never change. I’ll always cherish your memory. I’ll always be changed by you.

Warmth spills through me.

Lia: I could never hate you.

I type, but then I delete the message and put my phone in my pocket.

We can’t hide behind the shield of texting forever.

“Why did they kill him?” I say, looking him in the eye, keeping my voice steady.

He swallows. He knows he can’t flirt his way out of this one. “To keep him quiet.”

“They thought you’d torture him to make him talk?”

He looks disgusted. “No, Lia. They knew we’d protect him. That we’d offer him a way out. They knew we’d pay his debts, so he didn’t have to work for scum like them.”

“So, Conrad Vale is a gangster too?”

“Conrad Vale is a businessman in over his head. He hired someone to do this. And he’s going to pay for it.”