~Kai~ My nails dug crescents into my palms, taking in the distance growing between Benny and me. She dressed the part of being a bait - too fucking good. She was oblivious to the eyes she gathered, swaying those hips, sashaying towards the VIP lounge. Molars grinding, I pulled deep breaths and belched them out in succession. It took a fucking lot of restraints not to throw her over my shoulder, drive her back to our apartment, and lock her away from these hungry wolves. Benny exchanged a few words with the bouncer. The bulky, bearded guy recognized her and let her through. God fucking dammit. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood as she ascended the stairs. Her dress was too short, her mile-long legs and perfectly round ass were a sight to behold; my cock knocked on the zipper of my jeans. I couldn’t even wrap my brain around this entire plan. Why the fuck would Klaus use Benny as bait? Did he lose a screw in the head? He cared for Benny too much that this plan surprised the team.
~Kai~ Amanda’s sultry and bold facade crumbled at the first sign of danger. Anyone with eyes would know that she’s merely a pawn, doing her master’s bidding, but I won’t let her off easy. “P-please.” she gasped, eyes misting, clawing at my hand around her throat, losing precious air by the second. “Name,” I growled. “Be… Benny,” she choked. My brows furrowed, my hold on her tightening. “D… danger.” I released her throat, looking over her shoulder. Benny was not in her seat. Fucking hell! I inwardly groaned. How the fuck did I fall for this trick? Like a rag doll, I tossed Amanda on the cushioned couch. She heaved and coughed, scrambling on her feet. Anger pulsed through my veins. I gripped Amanda’s wrist, panicking blue eyes glanced up at me. “Please. I don’t know anything. He said I just need to distract you.” Deep breath. I raked my hair, contemplating for two fucking seconds, and decided to pull out my phone, taking a picture of Blondie. Every second counts. Even if I ha
~Kai~My heart pounded in my head. A deafening silence hung in the air; you could hear a pin drop. Her confession froze me on the spot, and I watched helplessly as a lone tear rolled down Benny’s cheek.“Benny,” I whispered, lifting a hand to wipe her tears. She faced away from my touch, and I felt the pain of her rejection. She swallowed hard, clearing her throat. “I have to go back inside.” Her voice was as cold as winter, contrasting her warm hand against my chest as she pushed me away, evicting me from her personal space.She left the bathroom without another glance. The moment the door shut, my mind started to function correctly.I had to make things right with Benny. This cannot go on for long.I ran after her, catching her before she could round the corner back to the lounge. I gripped her wrist, tugging her backward. She stumbled on her heels and collided with my chest. She hissed, regaining her footing. The dimmed hallway light didn’t hide the annoyance she pinned on me. “Wh
~Kai~I meant to protest, tell her I can’t be her friend, not when every fiber in my body screams to make her mine. I was used to having things my way, taking what I wanted without a nip of regret or shame, or thinking twice about the consequences. And that’s precisely what brought me to this situation.“Okay,” I said.Benny gave me an unapologetic look and said with complete sincerity. “Thanks, Kai. You know I’ll always cherish our past, but that’s what it was. Past.”“Good.” Fucking liar.My gut twisted, objecting. I wanted to give her what she wanted and be content with what she could offer. But I can’t. My mind reeled with how I could turn this conversation so she’d change her mind.Her smile faltered. “Great.” And I knew right then that I wasn’t the only one lying in this conversation.The warm light from the cafe illuminated her face, clad with that sweet smile. I’m sure that veneer got through a few troubles and mishaps, but she forgot I could read her.I leaned in my seat, smi
~Benny~Huddled in one corner of my room, Kai held me as if I was made of glass; one mistake and I’d break. He wasn’t wrong.I woke up drenched in sweat, screaming. The darkness never bothered me, but tonight it did. I don’t remember how I ended up curled between my desk and my dresser. I just know I must keep quiet, or something bad will happen.The entire place was silent. My heart thumped in my ears as the seconds ticked by.“Can you at least try?” Kai’s gray eyes were gentle, his touch was soothing, and his presence eased my nerves.I swallowed hard to moisten my parched throat, considering all options on deck.Kai was being too kind, too understanding. This reminded me of our time back on the island. I appreciate he didn’t take advantage of my situation. It’s dumb as fuck, but sex numbed the fear, the pain, and the sadness. It had been my escape from everything I didn’t want to face. I was a druggie, and sex was my poison.“If… if I try, will you give me what I want?” I sounded t
~Benny~Waking up cocooned by Kai’s delicious scent was a great way to start my day. Granted, our relationship was hanging in the balance, but who was rushing?The fact of the matter was he didn’t sleep with me last night - not for the lack of opportunity. It proved there was truth in his ‘do things right’ claim, whatever that entails, and I sure as hell was going to savor these sweet little moments.He’s been awake for a while, judging from how his hold on me tightened; he knew I was too. It’s like we’ve fallen into a trance, wanting to stay in the safety of my room, spooning in my bed, sharing each other’s warmth.Kai was always so warm. He’s like a portable furnace.He started to draw little circles with his thumb; it rested over my tummy under the material of my cotton top. I sighed, melting against him. His rough stubble tickled the exposed skin of my shoulder as he drew me closer.“Good morning.” His breath caressed the shell of my ear, then I felt his lips nibbling my earlobes.
~Kai~“Benny…” I groaned as she tightened her legs around my waist, keeping me from walking away.Her perky ass rested on the breakfast bar, my body slotted between her parted legs. We just finished breakfast and had to meet Ghost ten minutes ago. He’d been staying close in case we’d need assistance, along with Rain.“What?” The little vixen pouted, fluttering her long lashes. She knew what she was doing to me, rubbing her barely clothed pussy against my crotch. I jerked off in the shower, but like I said, nothing would satisfy me apart from feeling her sweet pussy choking my cock.I squeezed her ass with one hand, the other fisting her hair, tugging her head backward. “I need to leave.”“I’m not stopping you,” she murmured.No, she wasn’t. She wanted me to make the choice by torturing me, offering herself on a silver platter.Such a naughty vixen; I wanted to punish her. I wanted to take her so fucking bad. Ghost was a patient man. He’d wait for me even if I was an hour late. That w
~Kai~“Can you get more info about Adelar’s wife?” I asked, reversing out of the cafe parking lot.Ghost typed the therapist’s address on the GPS. Her current residence was thirty minutes away.“Sure,” Ghost was already on his phone. “What do you have in mind?”I shrugged; the car was crawling out of the busy train station. “She died in a boat accident around the same year Benny started seeing a therapist. I want to know if Benny’s fear of the waters is connected to her somehow.”“Huh,” Ghost sounded lost, not lifting his attention from his phone. “They had to be connected somehow,” he suggested.I growled, hitting the car horn repeatedly. The pedestrians loitered the streets as if it was a fucking park. “I don’t know, Ghost. But I think it’s worth looking at. Benny said she doesn’t remember anything past high school.”His head snapped in my direction. “And you’re telling me this now?”I stomped on the gas once we reached the highway. “I’m telling you,” I pressed. “And I trust you’d k
~Benny~ In the pregnant silence that followed, Klaus’ grin morphed into a frown of confusion and rage, then a mask of indifference. His emotions were suddenly sucked into the black hole of his passive expression as he pushed from the chair, eyes trained on Kai and me. Rylee’s hand covered Klaus’, gripping the knife he used in cutting his fillet. I sucked in a breath. His hands were terribly shaking. Worry raged in my mind. Kai, on the other hand, was as calm as the August wind. His thumb was even drawing circles on my knuckles beneath the table. Like an emotional iceberg, Klaus turned, exiting the dining room towards the lawn. A few moments later, a motorcycle heading for the estate’s entrance rumbled until the sound faded. “I think that’s our cue to leave,” Ghost murmured. “Thank you for inviting us over.” And the rest of Klaus’ men followed him out. Markus, Rylee, Kai, and I remain sitting at the dining table for twelve, with empty plates and glasses. This dinner started so wel
~Benny~Hiding my excitement that Kai and I were finally engaged was like wearing a mask of indifference all day. Rylee caught me too many times grinning like a demented fool to myself, and all those times, I lied about why I was on cloud nine. She knew it had something to do with my weekend escapade in LA, and she’s trying to find out why.But Kai said, for his safety, I had to keep my mouth shut about our engagement. It’s because of Markus and Klaus’ stupid bet. I’ve been on a mission to get Rylee to spill hints about what was at stake.“So…” I bumped Rylee’s hip with mine. “Do you know what Klaus has been up to these days?”Rylee pinned me with a sideway questioning glance. We were in the kitchen, preparing dinner for the family and our guests. Klaus invited his team to celebrate successfully putting up MiRa Investigation and Security. He named his security company after Mikael and Ramona.“He’s always up to something.” Rylee turned back to the three fillets in the cutting board, s
~Benny~I tripped once and almost fell on the bathroom floor while freshening up and changing into the red baby doll I bought specifically to seduce Kai. My heart drummed in my chest as I entered the bedroom; Kai sat on the edge of the bed.His gaze lifted to mine, a crease on his forehead, his eyes traveled down the length of me.I shifted in my bare feet, chewed my lip, and wondered if I’d get punished for not following his instruction. The danger lurking in those darkening gray eyes should bother me as he took in the thinness of my dress, but I felt the opposite. It stirred my libido to life. A zeal for the dark promise of his heavy-lidded gaze started to brew in my belly.I didn’t wear anything underneath this see-through dress. My nipples were pebbled hard, poking through the fabric, yearning for some relief that I knew Kai could give.“Come here,” he commanded in a low growl. My pulse quickened. This is what I want. This is what I’d been waiting for since the night I confessed
~Kai~“Can we have sex now?” Benny grumbled with a pout.The beer I was sipping went down the wrong pipe and came out of my nose. That shit fucking stings. I coughed, slammed a fist on my chest, and stared wide-eyed at Benny. “Damn, baby. Warn a man, won’t you?”We had moved to the balcony. Benny’s bare feet rested across my lap as we languidly drank our preferred alcohol. Wine for her, and I was on my third bottle of beer.I planned to make love to her. My cock had been knocking on my pants since she arrived, but I didn’t want to come as a sex-starved man when I was anything but.We discussed our plans for the next few weeks and agreed to keep our engagement a secret for now. If my assumptions are correct, Klaus will throw a fit if he loses the bet. And I don’t want to be around when that happens. That man does not deal well with losing.Benny blushed, crossing her arms over her chest. “What? We haven’t had sex since Paris. That was two months ago. I thought you won’t be able to get
~Kai~New York dragged longer than I anticipated, effectively slashing the prospect of seeing Benny before I flew to LA off the tables. Klaus dipped into the business of private security. He had the team secure office and training facilities, permits, and background investigation on the staff, which will continue the process we’d started. It had to be strategically planned, from putting up private security to hiring our people and targeting our market. After the fiasco with Dominguez, Kino, and Davide, Klaus had been particularly meticulous in hiring employees. Cleansing Martinelli Holdings was a grueling process, like weeding the garden so the flowers could bloom, and bloom did the company did. And Klaus saw the need to have his own legal private security for all their businesses. As the current security manager of Martinelli Holdings, Klaus tasked me to establish security in their newly opened hotel. Even with Klaus’ people working with me, I was hands-on in every step that neede
~Kai~Kissing Benny had always been out of this world, always better than the last, and tonight it was sweeter, hotter, and steamier. Maybe because our feelings were finally out in the open.I struggle to pull away from her, remembering where we are. It was fifteen minutes before eleven. Although I wanted more time with her, keeping my word to Markus was at the top of my priorities.Still breathless from my kiss, Benny toyed with the ends of my hair. She was on her tiptoes, lips plump and red from my sucking and nibbling. My hands circling her waist dug into the exposed skin of her tank top, drawing her closer.“Are you sure you don’t want to take me back to your hotel?” she asked coyly, desire sparkling in her eyes.I groaned, grabbing a handful of her ass, rubbing her against me. “Stop, temptress. I promised to get you home by eleven. This is me keeping my word.”A sultry smile tugged at her lips. “Technically, you did.”She was playing me, and it’s fucking working. I missed her so
~Benny~I fought off the smile that was about to tear my face in half, watching Kai slow his motorcycle to a complete stop in the mansions’ roundabout. He was the image of a magazine model in his rugged jeans, vintage gray tee, leather jacket, and biker boots. His hair had been mused to perfection as though he ran his fingers through them a couple of times; either way, he looked good enough to eat.He grabbed the bouquet of roses sticking out from his backpack and jogged the stairs until he stood before me on the threshold.“Hi.” His blinding smile made my heart swoon. “Hey,” I greeted back breathlessly, taming my prancing heart and knocking my ribcage walls.He offered me the flowers, and their soft scent instantly hit my senses. He hesitated for a beat, biting his lower lip before dipping and planting a gentle kiss onto my mouth. “You look beautiful.”Heat bloomed on my cheeks, and I was glad an hour of fumbling over my closet paid off. He told me to dress casually; I ended up with
~Benny~“He asked me out on a date!”Without even a hello, I dropped breathlessly into the couch of Tracy’s office.She smiled at me, her inquisitive brown eyes roaming over my face. From the floor-to-ceiling glass window where she stood, her heels tapped against the sandstone floor as she strutted towards the couch opposing mine.Tracy was in her late thirties, her doll-like face made her look younger than her age. “Did you say yes?” she asked encouragingly.I sank further into the couch, tipping my head back onto the backrest. “I haven’t given him an answer.”It had been a week since Markus’ birthday. Since then, Kai and I have been talking every night, shooting messages back and forth during the day. Our late-night conversation had been the most anticipated part of my day. I waited for his messages and calls like a love-sick puppy.“Is something holding you back?” A slight frown creased Tracy’s forehead. “You’ve been waiting for him to ask you out.”Sitting up straight, I mulled ov
~Kai~My brain went to a gruesome war against my body. Every cell in my body wanted to deepen this kiss, plunder her sweet mouth just like I pictured every day since she left. My brain understood my need, barely muting a protest that we were in a public place, a gathering for her father’s birthday, no less.Reluctantly, I ended the kiss. Benny’s mouth chased mine as I pulled away. My cock jerked. She wanted that kiss as much as I did.I kept my hand around her waist, staring down at her, admiring the red stain on her cheek.Heartbeats passed, yet my mind needed convincing that she was really here. I cupped her jaw and skimmed her plump lips, opening my mouth to speak, but she beat me to it.“I love you.”My heart stills. “What?”Her emerald eyes widen as dinner plates, as surprised as I am. Mouth gaping and closing like a fish out of water, she pressed her eyes shut, gathering her bearings.I was still recovering from her confession when she said, “but we can’t be together.”My wide e