Page 257 of By His Rule

Silence passes between us as I battle to come up with a reasonable answer.

“Kian?” she eventually asks again. “Are you there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. I—” I swallow thickly. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called.”

I’ve no idea what she hears in my voice, but the rustling of fabric down the line lets me know that she’s sitting up, prepared to give me her full attention.

I glance at the clock and cringe.

I really shouldn’t have called her at this time.

“It’s okay. What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I’m in London and?—”

“I know, Kian. What is it you need me to do?”

I shake my head as fear wraps around me.

She doesn’t get it. Which means…fuck.

Which means she doesn’t feel the same.

“I don’t need you to do anything. I just…I can’t stop thinking about you, Temptress.”

Silence.

“I know you don’t want to hear it. But it’s true. Fuck, Lorelei,” I say, dragging my hand down my face. “You’ve done things to me. Things no one else ever has.”

I’ve no idea what I’m saying, what it is I want from the confession. All I know is that I need to get the words out in the hope it helps.

I can’t settle. I’m restless and anxious, and I fucking hate it. My focus right now isn’t on work, and that isn’t how I roll. I don’t get distracted by anything or anyone. Ever.

Until now.

“I came here to figure things out. Leaving you at your apartment on Sunday night fucking killed me.” Her gasp on the other end of the phone is the only sign that she’s still there and listening, and it spurs me on. “No other woman has ever spent the night, let alone the weekend, at my apartment, but having you there made the place feel more like a home than it ever has before.

“When I returned and you weren’t there…I hated it. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me not to come back for you?”

She still doesn’t say anything.

“I’ve been here four days, Lorelei, and I still don’t have a fucking clue what I’m doing. You’ve messed me up, babe. But I think it’s in a really good way.”

Say something. Please say something.

“Kian,” she breathes, her voice rough and broken, and I fear it’s not just from sleep. “You need to figure your shit out because we can’t be more than we’ve already been.”

“Why?” I blurt without even thinking.

Am I even asking for more? I’ve no idea. I just know that I can’t keep running halfway around the world to try and escape…this.

“Because you’re you, and I’m me. It won’t work, and you know it. We’re from different worlds.”

“I don’t give a fuck about where you’re from,” I state, a little firmer than I intended.

“It’s not that simple, Kian. How can’t you see that? I’m your assistant. You literally pay me to spend time with you. I’m?—”

“I swear to God, Lorelei, if you call yourself a whore because we?—”

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