Page 7 of Unmatched Devil

The way Kylian looked at Rian made him want to do anything to keep him staring at him just the way he was—like he thought Rian hung the moon. “Give me a day to think about it. I won’t string you along. This is just a big decision for me.”

Rian dipped his chin. He could give Kylian a day, especially since Rian intended to take the rest of Kylian’s life.

Chapter Four

Kylianlingeredbythefront door for much longer than necessary before letting himself inside after his lunch with Rian. He didn’t know what to tell his dads. Kylian had come home to spend the summer with them. He had planned to relax and fret over going back to college. Now, everything felt so insane. He was scared of how much he liked the fear of being on the precipice of something unknown. Maybe Rian set him up for something horrible. Kylian felt a bit sick at how badly he wanted to find out.

Still, he dragged his feet while heading toward his dad’s office. The day had been so nice. Why had it been so nice? Jesus. He felt like he had lost his mind. Rian was awful in every way. Kylian should hate him, but neither of those things were true. Not really. Without thinking, Kylian pressed his hands to his hot cheeks. He was enthralled. He felt dumb as hell. Rian would eat him for breakfast. Kylian had to guard his heart. He couldn’t fall for the charming accent and gorgeous eyes. Kylian couldn’t forget who Rian was and the things he did. But Kylian wanted what Rian offered. He genuinely needed to find a path. What could one summer hurt?

With his mind still all over the place, Kylian headed inside his dad’s office. Bryson had his head bent over paperwork while King sat nearby, playing on his phone. They looked up as Kylian came through the door.

He pasted on a bright smile. “Hey, guys!”

Their smiles matched his. “Hey, angel. How was your date?”

Kylian rolled his eyes at Bryson’s question. “It wasn’t a date.”

Bryson looked confused. “That boy drove all the way from Jersey to take you to lunch. That sounds like a date.”

Dang. Rian should have told him he had lied about driving from Jersey. It was hard for Kylian to keep track of lies he knew nothing about. “Thatboyis twenty-eight.”

“Oh. That’s not terrible. That’s about the same age difference as us,” Bryson said, motioning toward King.

King didn’t look as pleased. “Should I investigate this guy?”

He definitely should not do that. Kylian rushed to fix things. “You’re both being over the top. It wasn’t a date. Rian came to offer me a summer job.”

“Oh.” Disappointment etched Bryson’s features. “He’s very charismatic and obviously comes from money.”

Kylian snagged a chair across from Bryson’s desk and sat. “I wouldn’t think you’d care about the money thing.”

Bryson shrugged. “You’ll be taken care of no matter where you land in life, but it would be nice to know someone isn’t pursuing you for money.”

That was true.

King cut in. “You said he offered you a job.”

Kylian saw his chance to drop some hints. He shrugged, acting as if the conversation wasn’t as important as it was. “I’ve been struggling with finding my place in the world. Princeton is pretty adamant about me having a path, but I don’t. I mentioned this to Rian. He’s brilliant when it comes to business, so he’s offered to help me find my path this summer.” As the spiel left his lips, something occurred to Kylian. He didn’t think he had told Rian any of that. Kylian strained to recall every word exchanged between them. He couldn’t remember.

There was a deep line between Bryson’s eyebrows and King stared at Bryson, as if waiting for the words to click. Kylian had confessed to King over winter break about his inability to fit in at college. Now they equally waited for Bryson’s reaction. The last thing Kylian wanted was to disappoint his dad.

Bryson did exactly what Kylian feared. “If you’re not happy at Princeton, then choose something else. As proud as I am of you for getting into Princeton, it isn’t necessary for you to stay there if you’re unhappy. I can afford to send you wherever you want to go. We’ll sell the house in Jersey, and you can enroll at the school in California with Cheyenne. Your happiness means more to me than knowing you’re a Princeton graduate.”

Everything inside Kylian cringed. He felt like such a spoiled brat just listening to his dad speak. Plus, it wasn’t the school. It was him. “Maybe…” Kylian took a deep breath for courage and tried again. “What if college isn’t for me?”

King chewed his bottom lip and stared at Bryson, obviously trying to stay out of the discussion.

Bryson’s expression closed. His gaze never wavered from Kylian.

Kylian fidgeted in his seat. He had known his dad would be disappointed in him. That was who Kylian was on the inside. His mom had beaten him severely when he was a child, trying to torture the evil from him. He had never forgotten her lessons. Kylian was bad and a disappointment. No matter what choice he made, he would fail.

Panic rose in Kylian’s chest. He shot to his feet. A fake smile stretched his lips. He couldn’t wait around for his dad to say the words Kylian already knew were true. “Never mind. Forget I said anything. I’d be crazy to walk away from Princeton. What’s three more years of my life?” He felt sick thinking about it.

“Kylian, if you’re—”

“It’s fine,” Kylian said, cutting off his dad. “Forget I said anything.” He hurried from the office without looking back. Kylian couldn’t see this disappointment in his dad’s eyes, and he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. He escaped to the sanctuary of his bedroom. Kylian wrung his hands and paced. He could do three more years, and then… he didn’t know. Frustration welled in his chest before choking him. He wanted to grab his things and run. Just the thought of disappearing made tears well in his eyes. He was such a ridiculous child. Kylian had everything. It was so stupid to be unhappy.

His gaze landed on the French doors that led to the pool. He spotted Sean on a lounge, smothered in thick sunscreen. A smile tugged at Kylian’s lips. Sean was such a pale guy. He probably turned into one huge freckle if the sun got ahold of him.

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