Page 106 of Theirs to Ruin

I thought about how I’d gone to my old apartment looking for clues. How Kage had grabbed me but for a split second, before I’d recognized it was him, I’d feared a stranger was going to kill me. Granted, I almost immediately wondered if Kage was going to kill me, too, but that had been different. “I won’t ask about the tattoo.”

“You won’t ask about Avaat all, including who this ‘him’ could be.”

I hesitated.

“Camille,” he said in a warning voice.

“If I ask anything, I’ll be careful. I promise.”

His grip tightened on me before he let me go. He took in a deep breath and started pacing.

“Fuck!” he said. “I don’t need this, Rebel. I don’t need you going off on some wild goose chase with me worrying that you’re putting your life in danger. It’s bad enough that…”

“Bad enough what?”

He stopped pacing and shook his head, placing a hand on each of his hips. “It’s bad enough I lost Ava. I don’t want to lose you, too.”

My jaw almost dropped. We’d gotten closer the last few days, sure, but for him to say that so bluntly…

He came up to me and cupped my face in his hands. “We might be new, and we might be temporary, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t grieve if something happened to you, Camille. I’ve grieved so much already and I’m not done. Don’t make me take on more.”

“Okay,” I said quietly. “I won’t ask questions about Ava.”

He looked relieved before giving me a light kiss. “Good girl. Now, are you hungry? That Zelda’s pizza is calling to me.”

“Sure.”

I didn’t say it, but by the time we arrived at the chateau, I already regretted making that promise to Kage. I wanted to help find Ava’s killer, not just to prove my innocence but to give Kage and his family closure. To give Ava’s soul peace. But I didn’t want to fight with or worry Kage either.

Back at the chateau, we ate our pizza in the theater room. It had big, plush, comfortable recliners and a huge screen that would make movie-watching a special experience. After we cleaned up, Kage led me into his bedroom where he closed and locked the door.

I smiled. “Are you going to lock me in here all night?”

“Would you like that?”

I tilted my head. “Seriously. With you being all that you are?” I waved my hands, gesturing at his big, muscular body. “So long as you didn’t skimp on the water and food, I’d be happy. In fact, with the tests I have coming up, can I convince you to lock me up indefinitely?”

He gently took me by the shoulders then backed me against a wall. “Be careful what you joke about. Locking you in this room with me is exactly what I want to do. But I wouldn’t stop there. I’d strip you naked and tie you to the fucking bed.”

I took in a shaky breath then licked my lips, my body tightening at the way his eyes followed the movement. I remembered what Dante said the last time we were together, that if I wanted his mouth, I had to take it. The results of me doing so had been so fabulous that I wrapped my arms around Kage’s neck and pulled his head down so I could kiss him.

His lips were soft and warm as they pressed against mine. When I opened my mouth, his tongue moved slowly, curling around mine like he was on a mission to destroy me. I moaned and pulled him closer, parting my legs a little, rocking against his thigh. He cupped my jaw, our kiss getting firmer, deeper, lesscontrolled. He kissed me like he wanted to devour me and God, Iwantedhim to…

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps thundered up the stairs outside and was followed by the loud slam of a door. I jumped.

Ty was home.

Kage pulled away, ending our kiss. He pressed his lips to my forehead in a sweet gesture, then stepped back with a sigh.

“That didn’t sound good,” he said, studying me closely. “Do you want to check on him?”

It was insane but I did. Only I wasn’t going to. “He doesn’t want anything to do with us, remember?”

“He’s a fucking liar, at least when it comes to you.”

I dragged a hand through my hair and shook my head. “Lies or truth, I don’t want anything to do with him.” I forced myself to smile to cover up my own lie.

“Alright, Rebel. I won’t push. And as much as I want to pick off where we just left off, we have all night. Do you want help studying for your tests?”

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