Page 47 of King of Violence

“What happened?” he asks, his voice low and careful.

I pull away from him, putting some distance between us. “My apartment was broken into.”

He stiffens, his jaw tightening. “Are you okay?”

“Do I look okay?” I snap, the words sharper than I intended. I cross my arms, trying to keep my voice steady. “They tore the place apart, Julian. And they took everything—my research, my laptop, even my notes. This wasn’t random. They knew exactly what they were looking for.”

His brow furrows, concern darkening his features. “You think it was?—”

“Don’t,” I cut him off. My voice trembles with barely contained anger. “Don’t play dumb. We both know who it was.”

Julian steps closer, his expression shifting from concerned to defensive. “You think my family had something to do with this?”

“Who else would it be?” I demand, my frustration boiling over. “Who else has the resources, the connections, and the motive?”

He opens his mouth to respond, but I hold up a hand to stop him. “Don’t lie to me, Julian. Not about this.”

For a moment, the room is silent except for the sound of my ragged breathing. Then Julian speaks, his voice low and steady. “I didn’t know about this, Felix. I swear. But if my family’s involved, I’ll find out. And I’ll fix it.”

The sincerity in his voice gives me pause, but it’s not enough to quell the storm inside me. “Fix it?” I laugh bitterly. “You can’t just wave a magic wand and undo this, Julian. This is my life. My work. And your family just took it like it was nothing.”

He takes another step closer, his eyes locking onto mine. “I’ll make it right,” he says, his voice soft but firm. “I promise, baby.”

The words hang in the air, heavy with everything unsaid. I want to trust him. I want to believe that he’s different from the rest of them. But after tonight, I don’t know if I can.

But the look in his eyes, the way his fingers graze over my skin…damn it. He was made for me. Crafted by all the demons in hell just to tempt me.

A knock from the door rumbles through the office. “Hello? Is this rented out?”

“Fuck,” I say under my breath. “I’m on a call! One moment.”

Julian pulls away from me and ducks under the desk. I sit in the chair, scattering papers across the surface to make it look like I’ve been working, not having a steamy argument with my not-quite-boyfriend.

“Come in!” I call. I hear Julian snickering under the desk. I kick him in the side to shut him up.

A petite blonde guy sticks his head in, his round glasses sliding down of his nose. “Oh, hi Felix.”

I have no idea who this boy is. “Do I...?”

“We had the same Gen Ed. You don’t remember? Calculus.” He continues to explain the boring class I don’t remember taking. He’s about a year or two younger than me, and I can tell he idolizes me. A lot of the younger law students do.

I’m about to tell him I don’t care what he’s saying and I have this room booked when I feel Julian pull down the front of my track pants.

God fucking damn it.

“Listen, Eddie,” I start.

“Alfie,” he corrects just as Julian’s mouth closes around my cock.

I pinch my nose, trying not to groan from the feel of Julian’s tongue. “Alfie...”

A graze of teeth.

I clear my throat. “I have the room signed out until 9:30, and it’s currently?—”

Julian’s hand slides up my shaft without any resistance.

“8:45.” My voice cracks. “So you can have it at 9:30 on the dot.”

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