Page 99 of Just Between Us

“You swear to leave me alone. You do not come near me ever again, understood? In fact, you forget I exist.”

“Fine. Done,” he says. “But you call your guys off now.”

I shrug and look at Daniel. “You heard the man.”

Daniel nods. “Of course.”

Nick lets out a loud sigh of relief. He shouldn’t look so relieved. I’m not done with him yet. “Now, please leave my office.”

“Goodbye, Cole,” he all but snarls before turning on his heel and disappearing out the door.

Daniel lifts an amused eyebrow. “That was dramatic,” he says. “Am I calling the guys in Rotterdam?”

I shake my head. “No, let Petrov find out. He won’t kill Nick as a favour to my father, but he will do some damage.”

Nick deserves a lot more for what he’s done but I’m done fighting him. When all of this is over, I need a long holiday with Levi and Kai on an island, preferably one where no one can find us.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Levi

I have not touched a single drug in a while, but it’s Thursday and I think I’ve been high for weeks now because suddenly I don’t hate work and my mind is like a library, completely silent it’s almost a miracle. Doctor Sloane says we’re all experiencing a ‘honeymoon period’ because of Kai and maybe she’s right but I hope it lasts forever.

He just seems to fit, like he was tailor-made for both Cole and I and we were always just waiting to meet him. Cole and I are two sides of the same volatile coin, but Kai balances us. In a way, he’s become a centre.

It’s slightly unhealthy how badly I want him constantly, and I know Cole feels the same. If we could keep him with us all the time and not allow him out of our sight, we would. Is that fucked up? Sure, but I’ve never done anything in halves.

I remember when I first started dating Cole. I was like this too, slightly too obsessive and luckily, he was the same. Kai is still a little hesitant, but I understand him. It can’t be easy joining an already established relationship especially if that relationship is Cole and I, but I’m determined to make him see just how well he fits with us.

A quiet knock sounds at my door and Kai appears, leaning against the threshold with a smile. I haven’t seen him since Tuesday and my heart does that flip thing again like I’m a teenager. He’s dressed in a dark grey knit sweater and his collar neatly peaks out. His skin is a rich golden brown, still sun-kissed from Monaco.

“Hey,” he says. “I brought you a cupcake.” He walks in, holding out a chocolate-frosted cupcake with chocolate sprinkles on top. “It’s Hannah’s going away party and I wanted an excuse to see you.”

I grin. “You missed me?” I ask, coming around my desk to stand in front of him.

Kai nods. “Yeah,” he says quietly.

My heart squeezes a little because even though I’m happy he’s here, I know there’s something he’s been hiding since Monaco. Cole has noticed it too and whilst I hate the idea of snooping into Kai’s personal life and finding things he’d rather keep hidden, I know we both want him to be safe.

Adam’s words sound somewhere in the back of my mind, but I push them away. Adam is an elitist dickhead who is unable to process rejection. His insecurities have nothing to do with Kai.

I touch his cheek, looking into his eyes like they might give me an answer. “Is everything okay?”

His brow furrows before he nods. “Yeah, everything is great. Why?”

I shrug, trying to look casual. “You just seem a little distant sometimes. Like you’re lost in there.”

Something flashes behind his eyes, it’s quick but it’s there. He smiles, eyes like crescents. “I think this project just has me a little stressed, that's all, but everything is fine.” He kisses me again. “Promise.”

I look at him for another moment and I’m so in love with him it’s too obvious. I open my mouth to say it, but I don’t know if he’ll believe me. It’s so soon and he’s still catching up to all of it. He needs time but I know where I stand already. Give me a megaphone and I’d happily stand in Leicester Square to let everyone know.

“How have you come to mean the world to me in such a short space of time?” I ask quietly. “I’d give you whatever you want, you know that right? Both of us would.”

Kai hesitates, like he wants to say something but eventually, he just nods. I want him to tell me what’s wrong, but I know I can’t push—not until he’s ready or until Cole finds something. I pray to whoever is listening that the former happens first.

“I know,” he whispers and takes a step away from me. “I have to get back downstairs before anyone notices I’ve been gone too long.”

I smile. We haven’t hidden this all that well. I don’t really think we’re trying to and anyone observant enough would have noticed the matching bracelets by now.

“See you tonight?” I ask.

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