Page 105 of Us Dark Few

“Watch yourself, Kanes. You’re treading on thin ice,” he growled.

Khalani was too far gone to stop, and she raised her chin. “Go ahead.” She lifted her hands and stepped up to his large frame. “I’m not afraid of you. Hell, I might understand you better than I understand myself. You’re not like Barron or the other guards here. You’re the person who dropped out of school to protect your mother. You killed another guard to protect me.

“But you’re also a total mystery and too damn complicated of a puzzle to evenwantto solve. Your lips say one thing, but your eyes say the complete opposite. You go from hot to cold because you are scared that I might be more than just a dirty, disgusting criminal that deserves to die in prison.” Her pulse raced like she was crossing a battlefield.

Takeshi stiffened, and the air held still, as if the floating dust and bodies within the paintings were paying attention to her every word.

“When I first came here, I was completely empty. If you were to scream inside my mouth, your voice would echo back at you across the empty spaces. So, you want the truth? All of it? I can’t tell you because somehow, through all this shit, I developed feelings for you. I don’t know how it happened because you annoy the hell out of me and get under my skin like it’s your mission in life. But that simple fact burns inside me so often, I don’t even remember what it’s like to not feel the pain.

“I feel so damn much that at any moment, it could all come blurting out and I’d make myself look like the world’s biggest idiot. So, there it is, Takeshi! I like you. And my deepest secret doesn’t mean anything because you don’t feel the same about me. We are worlds apart. And that’s where we’ll always stand.”

By the end of her speech, she was panting. Takeshi’s eyes widened, and he seemed to stop breathing as well.

At that moment, it was like Khalani had an out-of-body experience, and she replayed every nonsensical utterance that escaped her mouth.

“Oh my God.” Her eyes widened in horror. “Just forget everything I said, Takeshi. Don’t worry about it.”

“Kanes.”

“No, seriously. I was being stupid, and it didn’t mean anything,” she explained in a rush. Khalani glanced at the ceiling, wishing for one of the painted angels to fly down and strike her on the spot.

“Kanes.” Takeshi stepped toward her, his broad chest a few inches from her face.

“Please. Do me a favor, and let’s just pretend this conversation never happened. I need to go ba—”

“Khalani!”

Her muscles froze solid. It was the first time Takeshi had ever called her by her first name. The sound of it rolling across his tongue and lips was like liquid fire through her veins.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up,” he rasped. “We were never worlds apart. If we were, you wouldn’t be everywhere inside of me. When I look at you, my chest feels like it’s about to crack open, and all the emotions I’ve beaten down to submission come roaring back with a fucking vengeance.”The power beneath his voice shook her.

“For every scar visible on your body, I have to prevent myself from seeking out your assailants and slashing each one of their throats. I’ve watched you fight through every battle, despite the trials and tragedies you’ve faced, and it never ceases to astound me. Just staring at you right now makes me want to take you every way imaginable, andnothingabout it is innocent.”

Khalani forgot the concept of breathing.

Heat rushed through every inch of her body, and her heart threatened to burst into a million pieces.

His energy dominated the room, and all the barriers she futilely built against him came crashing down. Takeshi was her black hole, sucking every detail of her in until she finally stopped resisting and dove headfirst.

“You know I was never innocent.” She lifted her head, pulse racing. “That’s why you met me in prison.”

His eyes blazed sinfully, and then he grabbed her by the back of the neck and kissed her.

26

You’re the story I read slowly. I want to savor and memorize every word of you.

The moment Takeshi’s full lips touched hers, fiery energy raced beneath her skin, kickstarting her heart and lungs. Every muscle worked overtime to keep her body standing upright. Khalani gripped his shirt to steady herself but found her hands tugging Takeshi closer.

When her lips moved against his, Takeshi tightened his hold, deepening the kiss even further.

All the tension, frustration, and intimacy built between them spilled and overflowed like a beating wave.

They were no longer in Braderhelm, no longer in Apollo.

For a brief moment in time, they were the sole occupants of the earth, without fear, without thoughts of right or wrong.

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