Page 10 of Unmatched Devil

Kyliangavehimselftwoweeks to talk himself out of this crazy plan before leaving for Jersey. His dads had teased him about wanting to get back to his boyfriend. They had no idea. While Rian and he had only shared that one hot kiss, Kylian hadn’t stopped obsessing over it. They had gone dancing. Rian had held him close for every slow song, singing against his ear. Then he had walked Kylian to the door at the end of the night with a sweet kiss on the cheek. Kylian was a mess about the entire situation.

His stomach and hands shook with nerves on his trip home. He didn’t know how long it would be before he saw Rian again, but being closer to him was enough to eat at Kylian’s brain. It drove Kylian insane how badly he wanted to see the man who had once kidnapped him. Surely, he must be completely crazy.

After grabbing his luggage from the carousel, Kylian headed for the door to catch a cab. Before he made it, Kylian spotted a familiar face. Warden held a sign with Kylian’s name on it. Kylian froze in his tracks. They made eye contact. Rian was one thing, but Warden was the one who actually kidnapped him and terrorized him. Well, he had snatched Kylian off his feet and drugged him. Kylian was technically the only one who caused damaged that day. Still, he didn’t know what to do.

Warden smiled. That didn’t help. Warden headed his way. Kylian tried to decide what to do. He didn’t know if he should run or call for help. Warden’s smile never wavered. “Hello again, Mr. Long. Mr. McKinley sent me to fetch you.”

“Do I have a choice this time?” Kylian had always hated being harsh with people. His mom had ensured he was too scared to backtalk.

Warden’s smile turned oddly understanding. He motioned for Kylian to pass him the luggage. “Rian is waiting in the car. Understandably, he can’t stand out here—exposed—to greet you personally.”

With more than a little trepidation in his heart, Kylian passed his suitcase to Warden. At least, if the man’s hands were full, he would be less likely to attack.

With a nod toward the door, Warden motioned for them to go. “This way.”

Kylian fell into step beside him and tried not to wring his hands.

“I’m sorry about what happened between us. It’s likely little consolation to you, but I was only doing my job.”

The apology surprised Kylian. He glanced Warden’s way. “I’m sorry about the nose.”

Warden flashed him a bright smile. “Don’t be. You acted exactly as you should in that situation. Someone obviously taught you well. Either that, or you’re definitely a fight person in a fight-or-flight situation.”

Despite everything, Kylian laughed. “As you likely know, since I’m sure you know everything about us, one of my dads used to be my other dad’s personal guard. He’s taught me a lot.”

“That’s what good fathers do.”

King was a good dad. That was why Kylian had asked him to adopt him after King married Kylian’s father. They had a bond. An odd memory came from nowhere about the night Rian had hired someone to shoot up their house. That night, Kylian had come home, and his dad had been asleep in King’s bed. Everything changed between the two after that. If that shooting hadn’t happened, maybe his dads wouldn’t have ended up together. Maybe everything had been predestined. That shooting had brought them closer. Made them stop hiding their feelings for each other. In an odd way, Rian was responsible for giving Kylian the second parent he had always wanted. He was still fucking crazy to be willingly going to him.

As they reached the parking garage, a pearl-colored Range Rover came into view. The back door opened, and Rian stepped out. Their gazes met. A bright smile lit Rian’s face. Kylian didn’t doubt he looked the same. He was ridiculously happy to see Rian. It didn’t matter to his heart that this whole situation was dumb.

Warden headed to the back of the SUV with Kylian’s bag. Rian wrapped his arms around Kylian and kissed his temple. “Hey there, beautiful. How was your flight?”

Warmth spread through Kylian’s chest. He wasn’t supposed to feel this way. Not about Rian. Yet here they were together and Kylian didn’t want to stop. “It was fine. I’m surprised you’re here.”

Rian motioned Kylian into the back seat and then joined him before responding. “Why did you think I wanted to know your flight number?”

Kylian shrugged. “To make conversation.”

The way Rian smiled had Kylian biting his bottom lip, hoping to hide his happiness. They got lost staring at each other. Kylian was the first to look away. He caught Warden staring at them in the rearview mirror, smiling.

Rian saved him from embarrassment. “I hoped, if you’re not too tired and since I have no meetings today, maybe we could try an idea of mine.”

“That’s ominous.” Kylian’s cheeks hurt from smiling.

Warden snorted.

Rian shook his head at their reactions. “I’ve been researching trends and comparing them to things I think you’ll enjoy. There’s a thing I’d like to try. It’ll take about an hour and is right up your alley. I swear it’ll be fun. Hopefully.”

Kylian couldn’t even imagine, but he still shrugged. “Okay. I get the feeling you’re a genius when it comes to business, so let’s do it.”

“You have no idea,” Warden said, throwing in his two cents.

Oddly, it set Kylian at ease that Warden felt comfortable inserting himself in the conversation. From Kylian’s experience, if people stayed quiet around someone, they were either unhappy or scared. Warden obviously considered Rian a friend.

While Kylian mused over the entire situation, Rian’s hand creeped his way. Kylian’s gaze dropped to watch its progress. He couldn’t stop smiling. Before Rian could take his hand, Kylian swiped the pad of his finger across Rian’s knuckles. Rian turned his hand palm up. Kylian linked fingers with him. He had no idea why this was the man who finally got under his perpetually single skin. Obviously, Kylian was sick in the head.

Truthfully, while Rian might be a business genius, he had spent the past two weeks scrambling. He needed to find a way to create a dream from nothing so Kylian would stay nearby. Kylian probably didn’t want to hear Rian’s true opinion on things. Kylian was meant to be a trophy husband. He had been raised in wealth and sheltered. While he was obviously well educated and kind, some people weren’t meant for a mundane nine-to-five kind of life. Kylian was meant to be pampered and adored—like a treasured pet. There wasn’t a single thing Rian wanted Kylian to force himself to do every day except sit at Rian’s feet or cuddle in his lap. Unfortunately, he had to kill time by throwing Kylian into things that—on the surface—seemed legit and were fun for him.

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