Page 16 of Devilish

That meant paying a visit to Libertine, the secret and exclusive club I was not only a member of, but also one of the owners, a.k.a. Kings. There were seven of us in total, my brothers and closest confidants, and one of them—Alessio Trentacappelli—just happened to be a tech genius. If anyone could dig up dirt on that fucker Rupert, it was him.

But that was a project for another day. Right now, my focus was on getting back upstairs and seeing if I still had a house guest. It could go either way. But after breakfast this morning, and finally having some sort of conversation with Kai, I was hoping I’d made a breakthrough with the young man.

I unlocked the door and headed inside, doing a quick sweep of the living area, trying to spot him. But he was nowhere to be seen, and disappointment settled in the pit of my stomach.

What had I expected? He’d run last night, so why wouldn’t he run again? But as I tossed my keys on an entry table and moved farther into my place, I noticed the guest bedroom door open and Kai’s leather pants and clothes strewn across the end of it.

Maybe he was in the kitchen.

I wandered through the dining room and noted the breakfast plates were gone from the table, and half expected to find themon the kitchen island. Instead, I was shocked to find the place all neat and tidy, not a dirty plate in sight.

Curious if my suspicions were correct, I opened the cabinet I’d gotten the coffee and tea set out of and saw it put away as though it hadn’t been used. I chuckled, trying to imagine how Kai had gotten it back in place, considering it was on the top shelf.

Had he climbed up on the counter? Used a chair? He was so short that I would’ve paid good money to watch him boost himself up there and carefully place each item back.

Okay, so not downstairs, but still here…

I glanced up the staircase, smiling as I thought about the different rooms he might’ve stumbled into up there, then made my way up.

The doors were all shut, so I was going to have to play a little hide-and-seek before I found him, but that was okay. I’d wanted him to feel comfortable and to explore, and I was curious as to where he’d ended up.

I pushed open the door to my playroom, the one with my favorite swing and the purple lights, and while I might’ve secretly hoped to find him curled up in that naughty little apparatus, I wasn’t exactly shocked to find it and the room empty.

Shutting the door, I made my way to the next room, my library. This felt more up Kai’s alley—quiet, cozy, tucked away from everyone and everything—and when I gently pushed open the door, I spotted him curled up on one of the oversized couches.

Kai’s eyes were shut and an open book rested on his chest. He was the very picture of peace and tranquility. So much so that he didn’t even hear me as I slipped inside.

I kicked off my shoes and made my way to one of the other couches in the room, and as I lowered myself into it, Kai shifted.My body stilled, and for a second I thought he would wake, but instead he snuggled deeper into the pillows.

My chest tightened at the sight of him. So small. So fragile. I wanted to scoop him up in my arms and tell him everything was going to be all right. But considering he kept at least a six-foot distance between us at all times, I’d have to settle for knowing he’d not only decided to stay here until I got home, he’d let his guard down enough to fall asleep in a room without locking the door.

Wanting him to get as much rest as he needed, I pulled my phone out and decided to go through several emails waiting in my inbox. I answered a few that were club related, then replied to a couple of Libertine messages. But even as I worked, my eyes kept drifting away from my phone to the sleeping man opposite me.

WhowasKai Daniels? What was his story?

I was just about to go back to my emails when Kai shifted again on the couch, but this time his eyes fluttered open. He blinked several times, and I smiled.

“Hello.”

Kai’s eyes widened and he scrambled up the couch, the book falling from his chest to his lap as he pulled his legs up under himself.

“Uh… Hi.” He looked around the room, toward the door I’d left open, and when he saw that escape was still an option, he visibly relaxed. “I’m sorry, I was looking around a little and saw all your books and?—”

“Hey, hey, it’s all right.” I chuckled as I looked toward the shelves I’d filled throughout my travels over the years. “I bought them to be read, so it’s nice to have someone other than me looking at them.”

Kai smoothed his hands over the cover of the book he’d chosen, holding it like a rare artifact—which it actually was.

“What story did you end up choosing to read? There’s several in that one.”

“‘A Knight’s Tale.’ I only got a little ways in when I fell asleep.” Kai sprang to his feet, his eyes darting back to the space on the shelf he’d taken it from. “But I’m done now.”

Without thinking, I reached for him, taking hold of his wrist, and Kai’s feet froze. I could feel his pulse jackhammering beneath my fingertips as I stared up at him—and just as I was about to let him go, Kai slid his tongue along his lower lip.

Hmm, curious…

I couldn’t tell if he was nervous or something else altogether. But when he didn’t yank his arm away, and instead glanced down to where I had a hold of his wrist, I wanted to ease any worry he might have.

“You don’t have to put it back.” I grazed my thumb over his soft skin and gestured to the book. “I was just going to ask if you were enjoying it.”

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