Page 40 of All's Fair In Love & War

She laughed genuinely this time. “Girl, if he did, I definitely wouldn’t tell you. I’m loyal to my brother—that’s it,” she replied honestly, and I smiled, but still considered her someone to watch.

If Khalil thought sending in his sister would shake me, he underestimated just how well I played the game.

We continued our little standoff, her standing by the window with a flute of sparkling water Mrs. Deleon had all but shoved into her hand, and me, still perched on the velvet settee like a girl raised in money and taught never to flinch.

When the front door opened and shut, I stayed seated, but my eyes slid toward the door. Khalil was home, just as I knew he would be after this morning’s display.

Sophia glanced over her shoulder, one brow raised. “Well, speak of the devil.”

I didn’t have to look long to put my eyes on him. He walked in seconds later with his suit jacket draped over one arm and his white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar. His eyes cut straight to me, and I stood slowly, smoothing down my robe, letting enough thigh show to make a statement.

“Baby, you’re home,” I said softly, walking toward him like we were lovers.

His expression didn’t change, but his eyes tracked every step I took, narrowing the closer I got. I stopped just short of him, tilted my chin, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips—a lingering, deliberate kiss, one meant to catch him off guard and make him question the version of me he’d walked in on. He didn’t move, and he didn’t touch me, but his posture shifted. Hishand twitched, like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to grab me or shove me away.

Behind us, Sophia cleared her throat, the sound sharp enough to slice through the air. “Guess I’ll leave y’all to it.”

“That’s not necessary. I was just about to head upstairs,” I said before Khalil could get a word in.

He pulled me into him, one hand sliding around to rest on my lower back, his fingers pressing in firm and possessive, like he needed to remind me who held the leash.

I smiled up at him, my hand resting lightly against his chest. Not to push him away, yet, but to anchor him for what I was about to do.

Rising onto my toes, I kissed him, soft but deep and long enough to give him a taste of what I had to offer. Khalil didn’t flinch and didn’t seem thrown off by my actions. Instead, he wrapped his arm tighter around me and shoved his tongue down my throat, full of confidence in his skill. I was the one who had been thrown off kilter.

What I hadn’t expected was for stars to burst behind my lids the moment our mouths touched. His lips were warm and unhurried, molding to mine with a kind of authority that made my toes curl despite myself. The kiss started with me in control, but quickly unraveled into something molten and magnetic. His hand tightened on my waist, and the silent tug-of-war for dominance and surrender ensued.

His tongue swept against mine with maddening precision, not greedy, but deliberate, like he was savoring me, studying me, taking inventory of every gasp and flutter I tried not to give him. My body betrayed me, and I leaned in as if it needed more, and I let it, for just a second.

I pulled back before it could go further, my breath slightly uneven, though I masked it with a smirk. “Spend time with your sister, baby,” I whispered loudly enough for Sophia to hear, myvoice dripping with endearment. “And when you’re done… meet me in the shower.”

His hand stayed planted on my back, thumb brushing the fabric of my dress. “You sure you’re ready to play this kind of game?” he whispered, voice low, and with warning. “’Cause if I meet you in that shower, I’m not leaving till you can’t walk.

I gasped, unsure of what to say, but I didn’t step back. That would’ve looked like I was retreating, and I’d be damned if I gave him that.

Khalil didn’t wait for a comeback. He let me go with a maddeningly calm smile and turned toward Sophia like he hadn’t just stripped me bare with a sentence. His hand slowly slid from my waist like he wanted me to feel the absence of it, and I did.

When I looked over, Sophia raised a brow, but said nothing as she leaned against the counter like she hadn’t just witnessed a live-fire power exchange. With my head held high, I forced my legs to move, pivoting on my heel with the grace of someone who hadn’t just been mentally clotheslined. My heart was hammering in my chest, but I kept my expression cool and unbothered.

Each step up the stairs felt heavier than it should have. What I’d started with Khalil was chasing me. However, I didn’t dare look back, though I felt his eyes follow me until I disappeared from view.

Once inside the guest room that had become my prison and my palace, I shut the door behind me and fell into it. I stood there longer than I meant to, pressed against the door so it could hold me up. My fingers hovered near my lips, and for a second, I hated how shaken I felt. I’d kissed him to throw him off, to make him sweat, and I couldn’t believe my plan backfired on me.

That kiss had shifted me in ways I hadn’t prepared for. It gave me a high that I hadn’t felt in weeks. It was supposed tobe just part of my strategy, but that didn’t stop my thighs from clenching or stop my skin from feeling too tight.

Dragging in a deep, grounding breath, I finally pushed away from the door and walked across the room. I had to force myself to move with the same grace I’d faked downstairs because my body was buzzing.

Clothes. I needed clothes.

I opened the wardrobe Khalil had stocked for me and quickly picked out fresh clothes. After lying them on the bed, I grabbed a towel, tossed my sexy undergarments over my arm, and made my way into the en-suite. I needed to clean up the mess Khalil had made. My panties were soaked, and I needed a shower so I wouldn’t have blue pussy.

A few minutes later, the water was hot, and steam curled against the mirror. I let it fog over my reflection before peeling off my dress and sliding the shower door back. The moment I stepped inside and the water touched my skin, I sighed with relief, closed my eyes, and let the heat soak into my bones.

I knew I was playing with fire, but I doubted Khalil would actually join me for a shower. When he first kidnapped me, he said he wouldn’t touch me unless I begged for it, and said it with conviction. However, after that kiss, I couldn’t tell if he meant to keep that promise or break it just to prove a point.

On the chance that he called my bluff, I was ready. He might not fuck me tonight, but he wasn’t walking away untouched, and neither was I.

“Relax, Cookie,” I said, giving my pussy a light tap to calm down. “Stop letting him get under your skin. He's not coming up here to do anything to you.”

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