Chapter 25
Our eyes were locked for several minutes. The tension thickened around us as someone came up to clean the table. I quickly looked away, feeling another wave of guilt, even though I didn’t know the story behind his scars. I didn’t know how he truly felt about them–he looked unbothered. But the ice–cold gaze he gave whenever he saw a cigarette made me wonder if he was more human than most people I had met.
I was the first to look away.
“What would you like to do next?” he asked. His expression was neutral–neither angry nor light.
“It’s better if I return. I’ve already pushed my luck today.” I glanced outside at the balcony, where the orange glow of the setting sun bathed the tall buildings of upstate New York. I wiped my hands with a tissue and set it down again.
He nodded, then stood up and came over to me. When I looked up, I met his gaze. I thought he would be angry at my statement or that I might have hurt his ego, but all I saw was a sense of resignation in his eyes–and somehow, that made my heart ache.
He extended his hand.
“I’ll escort you,” he said, a ghost of a smile on his face.
I took his hand without a second thought, and as we reached the staircase, I realized I had forgotten my bag in the office: I was getting too comfortable in Killian’s presence–I never dared to leave my bag unattended. The moment the thought crossed my mind, I instinctively touched my shoulder.
A pale, elegant hand extended my bag toward me.
I took it and looked up at the owner of the hand–it was Eva. She had appeared out of thin air again.
“Thanks,” I said. She nodded and walked away, her steps unhurried yet swift enough that it took her only a few moments to disappear around the next corner. Watching her move, it suddenly made perfect sense how Killian could come into my room undetected. I had experience sneaking around, but this was another level.
“How do you train them?” I asked. Jina would salivate over this.
Killian took the bag from my hands, helped me put it on my shoulder, and said,
“It’s not something I can tell you. I’ll show you when I take you to headquarters.”
My hand froze on the strap, and I looked at him in surprise. He had said it so casually.
“You’ll take me to your headquarters?” My voice cracked slightly. Not even in a million years could I have imagined him saying that.
“Why are you surprised?” he asked.
Why wouldn’t I be? This was Shadow Knight’s headquarters–the place where killers were made. The thought made my hair stand on end. I didn’t even know if I dared, but I knew I was curious enough that if I got the chance, I would grab it with both hands.
“In truth, I’m not ready for that,”
“Understandable. Tell me when you are,” he said. Then he raised my hand to his lips and kissed it.
The devil had the patience of a saint–or was I being lured into a beautiful trap? Oh… I sighed internally. He made my head spin.
My gaze fell on his hand as he led me down the stairs. I noticed something for the first time–he had no wedding ring, no mark of ever wearing one. The knowledge sent a strange tingling through me, and I suppressed it.
Good God, I have to stop this.
We stopped at the foot of the stairs. He was one step down, bringing us perfectly eye level. His other hand came up to hold my chin, ensuring I couldn’t
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Chapter 25
look away. The look in his eyes made my heart nearly fly out of my chest, the pounding loud in my ears.
“Between you and me, you have all the control,” he murmured.
The clarity and honesty in his gaze softened something inside me. I realized my earlier statement hadn’t hurt his ego–it had hurt his feelings, it was understandable to be on guard, but I didn’t like the idea that I had made him feel that way.
The only thing I could do to make up for it was to circle my arms around his neck, pulling him closer and pressing my lips to his. Warmth spread through me. I kissed him for a second or two, realizing my heart was about to give out. If he started kissing me back, there was no way we would stop at just that
I pulled away, but he encircled my waist, pulling me flush against him. His hard muscles pressed into me, his dark gaze locking onto mine. I bit my tip, ha intoxicating scent overwhelming my senses again.
“What was that for?” he whispered, his voice thick.
“Just felt like doing it,” I whispered back.
“You don’t just do things because you feel like it,” he murmured, his eyes flickering with something unreadable.
“Believe me, when it comes to you-”
I didn’t get to finish. His lips crashed into mine, and there was no holding back. Heat and current surged through my body as his arms tightened around me. His tongue licked my lower lip, then nipped at my upper one. I gasped and kissed him harder. My knees weakened, but he held me up, his fingers threading through my hair.
He groaned.
One of his hands cupped my neck, while the other trailed down to my thigh. He started pushing me back toward the wall, and that was when i snapped
back to my senses.
“Killian, we have to stop,” I gasped, pushing slightly on his shoulder as our lips parted for a moment.
But he pulled me back in, the kiss searing. The temptation to lose myself in him again was overwhelming. The past few days away from him, after the beach house, had been tormenting. In a moment of clarity back then, I had wondered how I had given in to him that night so easily, so recklessly.
But now, as the same feelings climbed up my spine, the inferno of desire bursting in my chest, I knew there was no resisting him.
My fingernails dug into his neck.
His other hand trailed up, cupping my breast before moving to my thigh.
“Killian,” I moaned.
“Mila, Mila, Mila,” he murmured against my skin, his forehead resting on my shoulder as I breathed heavily.
Don’t say my name like that–like I’m both a saint and a sinner at the same time.
“I have to go,” I said.
I didn’t want to go.
He kissed me again–gentler this time, as if trying to control the tide of desire threatening to drown us. I gave in. My hand slid to his cheek, kissing him back, slow and raw. His fingers tightened on my waist, his other hand cradling my chin. When he bit my lower lip and pulled away, I nearly collapsed.
I fell back against the wall, my knees weak. My hand flattened against it for support as Killian braced his hands on either side of my head, his forehead bowed near mine, eyes closed.
I swallowed hard at the sight.
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Chapter 25
“Mila, I don’t have much control when it comes to you. But these past few days, I’ve tried, I want you to trust me before we move forward- but I can’t guarantee I’ll hold back if you don’t resist,” he said, his voice husky.
I stared at his face, my eyes drifting to his lips, still red from our kiss.
He had shattered all my beliefs. No matter how much I tried, there was no resisting him.
I knew that now.
And, dear God, I wanted to test his control.
I remembered the beach house–there had been no stopping him. And today, I realized just how powerful that felt.
I wanted to feel it again.
I wanted to see him out of control.
Who knew my wish would come true so soon?
AD
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