Page 114 of Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger

My heart somersaults at Kai’s laughter, rich and genuine, reverberating through the confined space. For a moment, the tension melts away. My laughter mingles with Arietta and Kai’s, creating a strange harmony.

In the back of my brain, a part registers Donovan talking about Eric. But I can’t piece the words together.

Traffic slows to a crawl as we hit the city limits. Vancouver’s skyline looms ahead, a tangled web of steel and glass.

“Arietta, I must go. I’ll call you back soon, okay? Take some pictures for me, please.”

“I’ll be fucking pissed if you don’t call back this week.”

I chuckle. “No problem, Chrenoskovic.”

“Ew… Please.” She scoffs and blows me a kiss through the line. “I’ll let you have your fun then. Love ya.”

I cut the call with a quick goodbye, feeling lighter.

“Does Darrell have a dinosaur-sized dick?” Kai’s voice tingles with amusement.

“You think this is funny?” I ask, brushing off my earlier embarrassment.

“I’m just glad to see you smile.” Kai shrugs, his smirk never leaving his face. “And I’m keeping count of who needs to be taken care of for me to be the only one.”

He’s making a list!

I refuse the blush creeping onto my cheeks. But let’s face it; I’m swooning hard. “Darrell asked me out, and I refused.”

Focus on the road.My fingers drum against the steering wheel.

“It’s all good, cutie pie. The past belongs to the past.”

Says the man who’s making a to-murder list.

“Yeah, I bet lots of women like money and power, so—”

“Wait. You think I’m some kind of manwhore?”

The cityscape unfolds before us, sunlight reflecting off sleek buildings, a far cry from the quiet countryside we left behind.

“I think you’re a crime lord.”

“And that automatically makes me a womanizer?” He sounds hurt. At least, I think it’s hurt; his voice is muffled because Kai stuffed his face inBonsaï‘s belly.

I hesitate, unsure how to respond. “Okay… When was the last time you were with someone?”

“Thirteen months.”

I hum. The woman he met last year was on vacation. “And before that?”

He deadpans.

A snort escapes me, unexpected and nervous. “What?”

Kai straightens. “Marianne, I’ve been with four women, including you, in the last three years. I understand how it sounds, but I’m not some fuckboy who racks up conquests until it’s a health hazard situation.” He sighs and threads his fingers in his hair. “Most women are scared of who I am, of what I can do.”

His vulnerability pulls at something inside me. And it softens.

“Being a villain is sexier in books,” he says.

Blaspheme!

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