Page 5 of Unmatched Devil

“Mhmm. Well. You ran away yesterday, so I had to come to you. Come. We have lunch reservations.”

Kylian didn’t respond. He couldn’t. Rian had a lot of nerve thinking Kylian would go anywhere with him willingly.

A heart-stopping smile touched Rian’s lips. “Please? I promise you won’t be harmed.”

It turned out he was the one who was a nut. He felt himself dip his head in agreement. It was like he was trying to get himself killed.

Rian McKinley didn’t do reckless. That wasn’t in his character set. His father had raised him to be ruthless and thorough. Mistakes were made when people got sloppy. But Rian was also smart, and he was very good at reading people. He had nothing real to fear from Kylian, but there had to be a reason they couldn’t stay away from each other.

The satisfaction that roared through him as Kylian left with him had to be unhealthy. He didn’t think Kylian was stupid. No doubt he knew exactly how he would kill Rian if forced to do so. That was actually kind of hot when Rian thought about it.

It took them just over twenty minutes to get to the restaurant on the coast. Since he had made the trip, Rian might as well enjoy some fresh lobster. They sat outside on the patio where Rian could stare at the water. Instead, he watched Kylian eye the menu.

“Have you eaten here before?”

Kylian’s light blue gaze lifted and focused on Rian. He looked so innocent and opposite of Rian in every way. “Yes.”

“So you’re just avoiding my gaze by staring at the menu.”

A gorgeous smile snapped to Kylian’s lips. “I’m looking at you right now.”

Rian enjoyed having his attention. Maybe a little too much. “What do you usually eat here?”

Kylian didn’t answer. His gaze skirted away.

Rian couldn’t help but smile. “You get the chicken, don’t you?”

A slight blush rose on Kylian’s cheeks. He sounded guilty when he spoke. “I don’t like seafood.”

“It’s not too late to go somewhere else.”

Kylian looked adorably outraged at the suggestion. “This is obviously what you want, and it’s a beautiful spot. It won’t kill me to stay and eat chicken.” He looked thoughtful for a second. “Unless you plan to poison me.”

“Why would I kill such a beautiful creature?” Especially when he could break him instead.

“You’re so weird.”

A snort escaped Rian. He couldn’t help it. Kylian looked genuinely irritated by the compliment. Their server arrived. They took turns ordering. When their menus disappeared and they were alone again, they went back to focusing on each other.

“Why are you really here?”

Rian hadn’t expected Kylian to be so direct so quickly, but he should have. That was who Kylian was. “For you.”

Irritation etched Kylian’s features. “Be for real.”

“I am,” Rian said with a laugh. “After our conversation last night, I decided we need to meet and hash things out between us. I can’t have you stalking me. No doubt, you’d also like to be free of any kind of retribution. So let’s talk.”

Kylian gave him a sharp nod. “My dad’s part in Archer’s warehouses is finished. He’s well past having moved on to other projects with other clients. It doesn’t do you any good to threaten him.”

“I’m aware.” Rian took a sip of water from the wineglass in front of him. He was more than a little thankful when it tasted normal. He was a bit gun shy with Kylian around.

For a moment, Kylian didn’t respond. He looked thoughtful before finally speaking. “Before you had that huge asshole manhandle me, I didn’t know my dad had any clients like that. I thought I had to take a guard with me everywhere because of Dad’s money. Obviously, I knew there had been threats, but I assumed people were out to kidnap me for ransom or something like that. I’ve never involved myself in Dad’s business.” Kylian squared his shoulders. “Did you shoot up our house?”

Rian hadn’t expected that one. “Your dad has a lot of enemies.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Obviously, I didn’t. I’m still sitting here alive,” Rian shot back.

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