Page 12 of Two Chambered Heart

“You should ice that,” Kayden said, pushing the ice pack across the counter.

Corey pulled out a bar stool and sat down, pulling the espresso and milk towards her. She poured just a splash in the mug and brought it to her lips. She pulled in a big breath through her nose before drinking, seeming to savour the powerful aroma, her eyelids fluttering closed.

Kayden watched as she touched the ceramic to her full lips and sipped. The moan that followed was downright sinful, and Kayden wanted to hear it again.

“Good?” he asked her.

“It’s been a while.” That blush he liked so much was creeping back into her cheeks.

Kayden prowled around the island, eyes fixed on Corey as she sipped her coffee greedily. He could tell she was tracking his movements.

Kayden came up beside her and turned her face towards him.

A wicked smile pulled at Kayden’s lips as he watched her gulp.

He had no idea what she was thinking, and the thrill of that absolutely delighted him.

Kayden brushed his thumb over her bruised cheek, applying more pressure with each stroke. Her eyes hardened with a challenge. Kayden watched as her resolve to hide the pain crystalized.

He wanted to break it.

He pressed harder, and then harder still.

Finally, she jerked her head back.

Her eyes were watering.

Kayden licked his lips.

He grabbed the ice pack from the counter and brought it up to her wounded cheek, holding it there until her hand came up to take over.

She just looked up at him with those wide blue eyes. He started to count the freckles spattered across her face, but she turned away from him before he could finish.

Kayden went back to the sink to continue making his smoothie.

The scraping of the metal stool legs on the granite floor was the only sound he heard before Corey was gone from the kitchen. He flipped the blender on at the same time as Jason’s heavy metal music spilled out from their home gym.

Kayden didn’t even bother trying to hide the smile on his face. He hadn’t felt this excited in a long while, and a flurry of plans to keep her materialized in his mind’s eye.

Chapter eight

- Corey -

Corey woke to the glow of the city lights winking through the windows and her stomach grumbling loudly. Coffee had stemmed the hunger pains, but they were back in full force now that she was awake. Her head was still killing her. The rest of her body was too, but she had gotten used to that in the last few years. Her watch told her it was 11:00 p.m. She’d slept the entire afternoon.

She stretched in the bed, luxuriating in the fact that shehada bed, and that she was alone. It had been a long time since she’d slept so much. She’d been burning the candle at both ends for quite a while, and she considered trying to go back to sleep for the rest of the night.

A cramp from her empty stomach made the decision for her.

Corey slid out of the bed, wearing the sweatshirt and boxers one of the twins had left for her, and padded over to the bathroom.

Her cheek was swollen. The ice pack had helped to ease some of the acute pain, but now that she could see it, it hurt just as much—a dull ache ringing up the side of her face into her head. It didn’t look pretty either, the blood having pooled under her eye as she slept.

Corey splashed some water on her face. She didn’t have a toothbrush, and she scrounged through the cupboards for some mouthwash. She only found various-sized towels. It was otherwise empty.

Corey considered whether the guys would be awake. She needed to sneak some food from the kitchen and then check out the elevator door. She didn’t think she was going to escape tonight. Even though she was essentially a prisoner, Corey felt surprisingly comfortable. They hadn’t bothered her at all while she slept, and they had even let her shower and change clothes. And a guy hadn’t made her coffee in ages, never mind offering her his own fancy espresso.

But still, having all options open was necessary. Them doing the bare minimum didn’t mean she could trust them.

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