Page 23 of Mine to Ruin

“I might use it to gain some inside knowledge about the ladies.” He waggles his brows, and I slap his shoulder. “I think my brother’s had enough of being provoked.”

“And here I thought you did it for me.”

“Yeah, but it’s also because it’s the only way he responds.”

My heart aches for Brandon; he is so desperate for his brother’s attention. We stop dancing, and I tell him, “I’ll be right back.”

I slide through the crowd of people and go out the back entrance. The slight night breeze caresses my heated skin. Kian’s heady scent, his stark presence envelops me. A sigh escapes my lips, but I keep my eyes closed.

“Alone in a dark alley, Ellia?” Kian’s voice is barely above a whisper, carrying a restraint that’s impossible to ignore.

“What do you care?”

The dark alley isn’t the danger. He is—to my heart, to my mind, to my body. Although, strangely I feel like I have never been safer than with him. The contradictory feelings he induces in me will tear me apart.

He approaches me and our eyes lock. “I shouldn’t, yet here I am.”

“Why?” I murmur and he frames my face with his hands.

“Because.” His lips hover over mine, and goosebumps explode on my arms.

I open my mouth to say no, and my hands flatten on his chest, intending to push him away from me. Instead, my traitorous body takes over, and my tongue pokes out.

He slams his mouth down on mine, and I welcome him. It’s inevitable, like the sun rising and setting, like the ebb and flow, like minutes following the seconds.

He devours me with greedy lips and dexterous hands. I yank the ends of his thick hair, and he bites my lower lip. Rationality pushes through the Kian-induced haze, and I force my lips off him, the feeling of him rippling through me, and I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

His eyes darken. “Do that again and see what happens,” he warns. A delicious shiver rolls down my spine.

“What will you do?” I jerk my chin, and he backs me into the wall, caging me between his hands, his nose brushing up my neck. “What do you want from me, Kian?” I ask him with a sigh.

“So many things, Ellia.” His voice is a seductive rasp, and not giving in proves to be the test of my life with this man. “But what I want is not good for you.”

“Then stay away. You’ve been doing a great job until now.” I push him away.

He shoves his hands in his pockets, brows narrowed on me. “Yes, like you couldn’t wait to rush into my brother’s arms the second I was gone.”

He’s jealous of his brother. This is killing me.

The torment peering from behind his lashes stops my attempts to storm off.

“You disappeared,” I state bluntly, and he takes my hand in his.

Misery is etched on his face, and I remind him, pulling my hand back.

“You have a girlfriend, Kian.”

“No, I don’t. Why don’t you believe me? We’re old friends and work together, nothing more.” His eyes burn with sincerity. He cradles my face between his hands and whispers, “If you only knew how often I think about you. You’re driving me insane.”

I place my hand on his heart, feeling it thump under my fingers. He brushes his nose against mine.

“I have to kiss you.”

His words seduce my body into giving in, weakening my resolve.

“No,” I say and cross my hands over my chest. “Go back to hiding. Maybe one day you’ll start living.”

He freezes on the spot. He dips his head, his flaring nostrils an inch from mine.

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