Page 4 of Unmatched Devil

Everything inside Rian hummed at having his question thrown back his way. “Nothing.”

Kylian shoved his hand between his knees. He looked uncomfortable for the first time. “So, you got nude and decided you’d call?”

“That part was just a coincidence.” Silence grew between them.

Rian couldn’t look away from Kylian. Kylian didn’t appear to be in any hurry to stop talking to him.

“Are you bored with life?”

Kylian smiled at the question. “Why? Do you plan to kill me over a little ipecac?”

So that was what Kylian had slipped him. That made sense. Smart. The espresso would cover the bitter flavor. “No. I could use someone like you.” Rian could use him in so many ways. He wondered if Kylian was a virgin. Rian could teach him so much. Twist him.

“Me? Hmm. I can’t see myself working for the mafia.”

Rian’s eyebrows rose. Kylian’s intelligence continued to shock him. “Not every aspect of my operations is illegal. You’re obviously smart as hell and crafty. Beautiful.”

Kylian’s gaze dropped to the floor, unknowingly hiding his expression from Rian. He drew his knees up to his chest. “Honestly, I’m pretty useless. There’s nothing I can imagine you’d need from me.”

“You should be terrified of me.”

Kylian’s head lifted. His set expression made the breath catch at the back of Rian’s throat. “I’m not.” He truly wasn’t. Rian had never been more turned on in his life.

“You have to know I can get to you anytime I want, but I’ve left your family alone. I did that for you. So, I guess you’re not so useless after all.”

Kylian leaned his head back against the edge of his bed. Silence grew between them. Neither of them broke it or seemed in any hurry to end this.

Rian decided he wouldn’t push his luck anymore tonight. “Goodnight, bunny.”

A sweet smile touched Kylian’s lips. “Goodnight, Rian.”

Rian disconnected the call and killed the live feed. He wouldn’t torture himself anymore tonight. One day soon, Kylian would tell him goodnight under different circumstances. Rian felt that within his grasp.

Chapter Three

Longafterthesunrose, Kylian stayed in bed. He stared at the ceiling, seeing nothing. Rian’s thick Irish accent played through his mind. Kylian couldn’t decide why he was so obsessed with this. Objectively, Rian was incredibly handsome. His jet back hair clashed with his clear green eyes. Those eyes were unique. They were the clearest green Rian had ever seen. The guy bled power. Kylian didn’t know how else to explain it, except he had met Archer Woods once. Archer was a crime lord and scary as hell. Just being in his presence made a person uneasy—like they might get cut down any second. When Kylian met the guy, he’d had a hard time looking away from him because it had hit Kylian: Rian was the same. He was dangerous. So why wasn’t Kylian afraid?

Rian claimed he had left Kylian’s family alone for him. Why? He had offered Kylian a job. Why? Kylian rolled onto his side and stared at the wall. He supposed he could stay in bed all day and obsess or get up and distract himself. Kylian blew out a sigh and rolled from the bed. He padded to the bathroom. Kylian lingered in the shower much longer than necessary. It felt pointless to get ready for the day. He had no plans. His best friend, Cheyenne, had gotten accepted at a college in California and had no plans to come home this summer. Not to mention, they had stopped talking about halfway through their first year in college. She was always too busy for him. Kylian didn’t blame her. Life was going much better for her in California than it had been for Kylian at Princeton. She had made lots of new friends. The more he thought about things, the deeper his depression went. He had known things would change when they went their separate ways, but he’d hoped they wouldn’t, and he hadn’t expected it to happen so fast.

After his shower, he just went through the motions of taking care of himself. With his hair styled and his skin moisturized, Kylian pulled on some cute clothes, determined to pull himself from his funk. If Sean was up and about, maybe Kylian would drag him out for a day of shopping. Betty, his Jeep Wrangler, had been sitting for three months. While King took care of it, it didn’t get driven. Kylian would hit the road and force away these blues. If that didn’t work, then he would spend the afternoon by the pool. Kylian was home and in his happy place. He had a couple of months to decide what to do next. Maybe he would drop some clues about leaving college, so no one would be surprised if he went that direction.

With a plan in mind, Kylian headed down the hall. The house was huge, but his father had insisted the entire place be one level. It was built almost like a horseshoe. There was a large pool in the center that could be seen from every window in the house, and accessed from every bedroom, as well as the family room. Kylian stared at the bright blue water as he passed, wondering if he should skip going out and just get some sun. He could order a pizza and just relax. Before he made up his mind, Kylian heard it: that deep, sexy Irish brogue. For a moment, he froze in his tracks, wondering if he had lost his mind. He strained to listen, wondering if he only heard what he wanted to hear, which was crazy, of course. Horror raced through Kylian. He couldn’t make out the words being said, but it was definitely him. Kylian picked up the pace, fighting the urge to burst into the room like a crazy person. He rounded the corner and there he was, looking drop-dead gorgeous with the evilest of glints in his eye.

“There he is.”

Bryson spun at Rian’s claim. He was all smiles. “Hey, angel. I thought I would have to drag you from bed. Your friend has been waiting a good ten minutes.”

“No worries. I would’ve waited ten more.”

Bryson laughed at Rian’s words as if they had been hilarious, as if they hadn’t come from a goddamn mafia king. His dad flashed him a smile. “Since you’re here, I’ll let you get to your date.” Kylian nearly choked at the words. Bryson looked Rian’s way. “It was good to meet you, Rian. Hopefully, we’ll see you again.”

Rian shook Bryson’s hand. “It was good to meet you as well. I’m certain you’ll see me around.”

His dad dipped out, leaving them alone.

Rian put his hands in the pockets of his expensive dress pants and eyed Kylian. The sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up to his elbows. Everything about him was perfectly polished, including his mischievous grin. “Good morning, bunny.”

“You’re in my house.”

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