Page 13 of Riot

She stiffens and glares at me, but I just grin.

“Seriously, what’s your problem? Do you want fame, money, or an inside story?” she demands.

“I have fame and more than enough money to spoil you for the rest of our lives. I want all your stories, but not to sell. I want to consume them,” I tell her as I lean in, inhaling her scent that drives me wild. “I want every part of you I can get, Fallon.”

“Why? What is this obsession with me? You met me once, and you’re suddenly here. Why?” she asks. My girl has to pick everything apart to understand it. I like that. She can rip me open until she finds the answers.

“Because I can’t seem to breathe without you. I have been yours since the very first moment I met you. You own me, and I’m tired of staying away, so I’m not anymore. I’ll be here every day, even when you don’t want me to. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Why? For sex?”

“I want your body, I won’t lie, but I want your heart even more. I want your life, your soul . . . I want every inch of you I can get.”

She stares for a moment. “People don’t talk like that, Kage.”

“I say exactly what I mean. Choose to believe it or not, but my actions will prove my words are true.” I lean back, my eyes on her as we speed through the city. The dark confines of the car have me imagining all sorts of dirty thoughts, mostly involving her lips.

“I don’t understand you. I feel like I should be scared of you,” she mutters, but there are no traces of fear in her voice, only confusion.

Gripping her chin, I rub my thumb over her painted lips, memorizing them as she inhales. “You don’t have anything to fear from me. Everyone else? Yes, but not you. I would never hurt you. I would rip out my own heart before I did, so just relax, sweetheart, and let’s have a good night.”

“Why me, Kage?” she asks. “Why me?”

“Why not you, Fallon?” I murmur as I lean in, almost tasting her lips. “Why not you?”

SIX

Ihold his gaze, curious and slightly scared.

This man is a few years younger than anyone I usually date, but he watches me like he knows exactly what he wants—me—and he plans to get it by any means necessary. There’s obsession in his eyes, burning with his desire as he waits for me to speak. I just stare, unsure what to say. Usually, I’m in control. I hunt my partners and use them, but I have a feeling Kage won’t make it easy.

No, I should stay far away. Getting involved with him would be complicated. He sees and wants too much. Crossing that line, though delicious, would be like waving a red flag at a bull.

“Nothing to say, sweetheart?” His lips curve with a grin, and I swallow hard.

He really does look incredible tonight, not just in a three-piece suit way, but in a made an effort way. His clothes make a statement. Not only do they match mine with tiny elements that shouldn’t make me happy, but he wears the shit out of them. They mold to his body, and the outfit, which would look outrageous on anyone else, looks like a fucking perfection against his alabaster skin.

Kage is truly beautiful, but he knows it, and he wants to use it against me. He wants me to want him, and he’ll take my desire however he can get it.

“Not to crazy people,” I murmur, my eyes tracing over his long black eyelashes in jealousy. Mine always point down, so I have to curl them, but they aren’t that long and thick. His skin is like porcelain, perfect and unmarred, which is even more annoying. His hair is glossy and luxurious, giving him that just fucked look, but I don’t care.

“Like what you see?” he asks, and I realize he was letting me stare. “I did it all for you.”

“What?” I feel my brows furrow as I try to make out the meaning of his words. Like most people, words are thinly veiled lies or sometimes threats. People in our industry wield them like weapons of war, but not Kage. He says exactly what he means. It’s unnerving and slightly terrifying.

There is something very scary about a man with a truthful tongue.

“I know you like to match your partners, even though you won’t admit it. You also don’t like traditional clothing, so I picked this for you. Does it please you, sweetheart?” he asks, his voice whisper quiet, like he’s telling me a dirty secret. His dark eyes hold mine, drinking down my every reaction as if using them to learn my secrets and truths. I’ve never been observed this closely, and I grew up in front of a camera. My poker face is excellent, but in front of Kage, it feels weak.

“It’s acceptable.”

He grins like I gave him the biggest compliment. His fingers trace over my cheekbone, his eyes following the movement as he leaves a trail of fire in his wake.

“How about we make a deal, Fallon?” For once, he’s serious, watching me with thinly veiled hope and excitement.

It’s almost contagious.

“Or a bet?” he hedges.

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