Closing my eyes, I lean my head back as I wait for him to return. I doze off until I’m woken by the loud slamming of the door. I jerk my eyes open, regarding him carefully. His mask is back in place as he kick-starts the engine and maneuvers the car back out onto the road. He refuses to look at me, or speak to me, and that suits me perfectly.
My gaze flits to his shredded, bloodied knuckles, and I turn my head toward the window so he doesn’t see my smile.
I’m getting to him.
And it feels good.
Fuck feeling guilty.
This is no time to grow a conscience.
After all the shit he’s pulled on me, I’m entitled to some payback.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Kai pulls the car into a parking lot of a small shopping mall and parks the car. He gets out, without uttering a word, rounds the front of the car, and opens my door. “Out.”
“Is that anyway to speak to your baby momma?” I chastise.
“You have ten seconds to get your ass out of that seat or I’m turning around and going back. It’s no skin off my nose if you want to continue borrowing Faye’s shit.”
I scramble out of the car, trailing behind him as we approach the row of storefronts. It’s bitterly cold today, and a harsh wind swirls around me, causing me to shiver uncontrollably. He comes to a halt in front of me, turning around as he unzips his jacket.
“I don’t—”
He places his hand over my mouth as he slips off his jacket. “Don’t test me.”
I say nothing as he puts the jacket on me, zipping it up to my chin, and I fight the delicious tremors running riot throughout my body as his hands brush against me. Taking my hand, he walks with purpose toward the store at the far end on the right-hand side.
“I’ll wait outside. Let me know when you’re done,” he says, without looking at me, when we reach our destination. Flattening his back against the window of the women’s clothing store, he settles in to wait, stretching out his long legs and crossing his ankles at the feet.
I move to enter the store when he clamps a hand down on my arm. “Grab a warm jacket. Weather forecast isn’t great for the next couple weeks. There’s even talk of snow.”
I bob my head before pushing through the double doors into the store. I grab a cart and start loading up on essentials. They don’t have a huge selection, and it’s hardly haute couture, but what they have is stylish and good quality, and it should last me until I can figure out a way to get the hell away from here. I toss some makeup and toiletries in the cart too, bringing them to the girl at the counter to ring up. Her eyes are out on stalks as she surveys my stash, and I’m guessing they get little business around here.
I poke my head out the door. “I need cash.”
Removing his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans, he pulls out a wad of bills, thrusting it in my fist. “If you need more, let me know.”
I pay the pretty cashier, and as I’m reaching for the bags, the door swings open, and I sense him invading my airspace. The cashier’s eyes light up in interest, and she unbuttons a couple buttons on top of her shirt and leans forward on the counter as Kai approaches, ensuring he’s got a perfect view of her cleavage.
If I wasn’t so pissed, it might impress me. Girl’s got game. And balls as big as any guy because it’s clear he’s here for me, yet that doesn’t stop her flirting her ass off. “Hi there.” She flashes him a blinding smile. “Is there something I can help you with today?”
“I don’t know,” he says, shooting her a blinding smile in return. “What are you offering?”
“Whatever you like,” she purrs in response, and she’s just short of jumping over the counter and throwing herself at him.
I might as well be invisible, and my claws come out. “Sorry, I didn’t get your name,” I say, turning around and inspecting her name badge. “Candy.” I shove the bags into Kai’s chest and plant my hands on my hips. “Someone should have a word with your parents. That’s way too sweet of a name for a dirty ho.”
Her face transforms, a look of heated indignation appearing on her features. She straightens up, attempting to look down her nose at me. “Excuse me?”
“I wonder what your boss would think about you flirting so obviously—and pathetically, I might add—with the customers’ boyfriends.”
Her shoulders stiffen. “He was flirting with me,” she says, all smug and superior. “And is it any wonder if he’s stuck with a bitch like you?”
I’m opening my mouth to retaliate when Kai drops the bags, reels me back, and leans forward, putting his face all up in hers. “That’s my baby momma you’re disrespecting, so I’d tread carefully if I was you.” His voice reeks of danger, and I just know he’s giving her one of his lethal stares. The kind to dampen your panties and scare the shit out of you at the same time.
She’s all flustered, and her mouth is opening and shutting like a fish out of water.
“Are we done?” I ask, inspecting my nails and sounding bored on purpose.
“We’re done, babe.” Kai pushes off the counter, grabbing my face and planting a quick hard kiss on my lips. My head is spinning when he slings his arm around my shoulders and steers me out of the store.
“You two nutjobs deserve one another,” she screams after us, and I burst out laughing.
“Truer words have never been spoken,” Kai deadpans, winking at me as we walk toward the car. “And I needed to prove a point,” he adds.
“Okay. I’ll bite.”
“You were jealous even though you knew I was provoking you.” He tightens his arm around my shoulder.
“I guess I deserve that.” Because I’ve made him jealous since I arrived.
He helps me up into the car, buckling me into my seat, purposely brushing his fingers against my body, and I want to wipe the smug smile off his face.
He climbs in beside me, securing his seatbelt, but he doesn’t start the car immediately. “It’s not for the reasons you think,” he says, peering deep into my eyes.
“Why then?”
“I wanted you to see that you already consider yourself mine.” He kick-starts the engine with another smug grin on his face. “You can deny it all you want, Abby. But we both know the truth. You just confirmed it back there.”
“What are we doing now?” I ask as Kai pulls up in front of the quaint diner on the main street in town.
He kills the engine, spearing me with a look. “What does it look like we’re doing?” He rolls his eyes.
“Do not roll your eyes at me.” He does it again, and I flip him off.
“You’re getting far too fond of that, and it’s beneath you.” He dares me to argue, snatching my hand before I can shove my middle finger up again, planting a kiss on my knuckles before I can raise an objection. “And we’ll both need to rein shit in when the baby comes.”
My heart does that twisty thing again, and I wrest my hand away. “Stop touching me.”
“You like my hands on you,” he says, climbing out of the car. Like before, he walks around to the passenger side, opens the door, grips my hips, and lifts me down.
“No. I don’t.” I pout.
“Every time you deny it, you just prove my point.” He laces his fingers through mine, pulling me up onto the curb. “So, continue lying, but you’re no better than me.”
“It is not the same thing, and you know it.”
He spins around, dropping his hands to my lower back and drawing me into his body. “Everyone tells lies, Abby. Especially in our world. But it’s the motivation behind the deceit that matters.”
“That’s the biggest load of bull crap I’ve ever heard and a convenient excuse to hide behind.”
“I’m protecting what’s mine, and I’ll never apologize for that.”
“You can’t keep lying to me, Kai, irrespective of the motive.”
He leans down to kiss me, and I turn my head to the side. His lips brush against my cheek, and I smirk, but my victory is short-lived. Cupping my face fir
mly, he holds my head in place as his mouth descends, and this time, I’m powerless to stop it. I clamp my lips together, refusing to kiss him back, and he chuckles against my mouth. “You’re driving me fucking insane, babe,” he says, thrusting his hips into my pelvis. “But it turns me on like you wouldn’t believe.” His tongue prods the seam of my lips, demanding entry, and my resolve is wavering.
“You’re sick in the head,” I retort, realizing my mistake the second the words leave my mouth. He seizes the opportunity, pushing his tongue into my mouth while angling his head and deepening the kiss.
And I’m a goner.
His kisses suck me in and claim every part of me.
I feel the seductive caress of his lips in every molecule of my being.
Filling me up.
Heating me on contact.
Confirming his truth, and making me a liar, but I can’t stop.
My body melts against him, and my hands have a mind of their own as they creep up his broad chest and circle his neck. Our kissing turns frantic, and I can’t get enough. I claw at him, pulling him closer, needing this connection as badly as I need air to breathe.
And we’re devouring one another.
On the sidewalk.
In broad daylight.
In front of everyone.
I know all this. But I can’t stop.
No one has ever kissed me the way Kai kisses me.
His mouth can worship and punish me at the same time, and he ignites an inferno in my body with every sweep of his hot lips.
I’m grinding against him as intense need floods my core, and I’m considering jumping his bones when a loud chuckle breaks through the lust-fueled haze in my brain, clearing my thoughts.
I rip my mouth from his, disgusted with myself.
“Young love.” A portly man with a mop of gray hair and a thick bushy mustache smiles warmly at both of us. “I remember it well.” His happy smile fades a little. “Enjoy it, young’uns, because the years fly by, and before you know it, your loved one is gone, and all you’re left with are the memories of her kiss.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” I say, feeling an overwhelming need to comfort him.
“You’ve got a good one there, son,” he says to Kai. “Make sure you hold on to her.”
“I’m trying, sir.” Kai’s response startles me. “But she isn’t making it easy.”
The man chuckles again, his melancholy forgotten. “Then she’s definitely worth fighting for,” he says, before adding, “Now, you two, have a good day.” He tips his hat and walks off, leaving us staring after him, both in a bit of a daze.
“Can we call a truce?” Kai asks when we’re seated in the diner a few minutes later, having just given our orders to the waitress.
“Why would I do that?”
“Because all this arguing can’t be good for the baby.”
“What do you know about what is and isn’t good for the baby?” I sip on my soda.
“I’ve had plenty of time on my hands lately, and I’ve been reading some pregnancy books.”
My jaw drops to the floor, and he smiles.
“I’m sure I’m as close to an expert as you can get. Lucky for you.” He waggles his brows before lifting his glass and drinking. I love the way his Adam’s apple bobs in his throat when he swallows—it’s sexy as fuck.
He smirks, and I lower my eyes, inwardly cussing. I can’t drop the ball although maybe it’s time for a slightly different strategy.
He’s called me out on the deliberate flirting, so perhaps a more subtle approach will work.
“It probably is lucky,” I admit, pinning him with puppy dog eyes. “Because I know next to nothing. I had no access to the net or books while I was at Parkhurst and no one to talk to about it.”
He frowns a little. “They didn’t check you out?”
“They did,” I blurt, furiously backtracking. “But they wouldn’t answer any of my questions.”
“We need to book a doctor’s appointment,” he muses.
“There’s no need. I’m only eight weeks pregnant, and they rarely conduct ultrasounds until week sixteen, so there’s plenty of time.”
“I thought you knew nothing?” he queries, leaning back in his seat as the waitress slides our plates in front of us.
I wait for her to leave, using the opportunity to calm down and keep a cool head. “The doctor in Rydeville told me that. She said she’d set up an appointment.”
“I’ll get Rick to organize something,” he says.
“I’ll be back in Rydeville in time to attend my appointment.” I hold my chin up defiantly.
He stops with his burger midway to his mouth, setting it back down on his plate. “You can’t go back to Rydeville. It’s not safe.”
“It’s safer than being on the run,” I retort.
“Not where your father is concerned.” He takes a massive bite of his burger. I stab a fry with my fork and pop it in my mouth, chewing slowly. “And we can’t be separated. I don’t want to miss a second of your pregnancy. I want to be with you every step of the way.”
Emotion clogs my throat, and I put my silverware down, unable to eat in case I choke. “Why?” I whisper.
“Why?” he asks, as if I’m crazy. “You’re carrying my child. It’s my responsibility.”
A different kind of pain slices across my chest. The type that maims and sucks all the oxygen out of your lungs. I’m in agony on the inside, and it’s too much pain to disguise.
He reaches across the table, clasping my hand. “Stop it, Abby.”
“Stop what?” I yank my hand back.
“Whatever that crazy hormonal brain of yours is telling you right now.”
“My crazy brain isn’t telling me anything. You’re the one that said it’s your responsibility.” I pierce him with a loaded look. “Don’t do me any favors, Kai.”
He grabs my hand more firmly this time. “That didn’t come out right. Yes, it’s my responsibility, but it’s much more than that.” He leans across the table. “Surely you see how much I care. I’ve never felt this way about any woman before. Ever.” His eyes are like laser beams burning me with intense heat. “From the moment I met you, you’ve consumed my thoughts. You are my world, Abby. I want this baby.” His jaw tightens, and his eyes blaze with determination. “And I want you.”
“That’s—” My ears prick up, and I whip my head around, my eyes almost bugging out of my head when my gaze lands on the TV. “Oh, fuck,” I whisper, staring in horror at my image on the screen. I read the headline with a mounting sense of trepidation.
MISSING MANNING HEIRESS IN GRAVE DANGER. SIZABLE REWARD FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO HER WHEREABOUTS.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Kai follows my gaze, shock splaying across his face. He throws a few bills down on the table. “We need to get out of here. Now.” His face flashes on the screen, and my stomach churns sourly as I lock eyes with the waitress. All the blood has drained from her face as she recognizes us.
Kai takes my hand as he walks with urgency toward the exit, but I tug on his arm, holding him back.
“Abby,” he hisses, as I step toward the waitress. “Don’t.”
“She could turn us in!” Fear bubbles to the surface as I look at him. “I need to try.”
He thinks about it for a few beats, nodding curtly. I walk to the counter as she eyes me warily. “Please,” I say, in a low voice, hiding my face behind my hair because the other diners don’t appear to have noticed us or made the connection. “Please don’t turn us in.” I level her with earnest eyes. “My father is a monster who has abused me for years.” I put my ring hand on the counter on purpose. “I ran off because I told him I was pregnant and engaged to the man I love. He’s someone he doesn’t approve of, so he’s concocted this fake story to find us.” I pray for forgiveness as I slide my hand across my tummy. “I’m begging you, on my unborn child’s life, not to report this.”
Kai slides his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on
top of my head. I place my hands over his, on top of my stomach, pleading with my eyes. Slowly, she nods, and I slump against Kai in relief.
“I saw you outside,” she admits. “And I could tell you were very much in love.” She looks over my shoulder at Kai. “But I still need you to look me in the eye and tell me you mean her no harm.”
“I promise I won’t hurt her. I just want to keep them both safe. If her father finds us, there’s a chance none of us will come out of this alive.” I can’t see his face, but his tone is even and sincere.
“I believe you,” she says, glancing anxiously around. “You should go now before someone else recognizes you.”
“Thank you.”
“Good luck to you both.”
We race out the door without looking back.
“Fuck.” Rick slams his hand against the wall in the living room. “This is a nightmare. Where the hell are we going to go?”
“We’re not going anywhere,” Kai says. “We’ll stay here, but you need to bring Harley and Joaquin back home, and you return to Harvard.”
“What about Dad?” Rick asks.
“What about him?” Kai snarls. “You three tell him nothing. If he doesn’t know where I am, he can’t get to me.”
“You know that won’t cut it with him.”
“Then tell him he’s dead to me! And leaving me alone is in his best interests, because if I get my hands on him, who knows what I’m liable to do.” Pure liquid venom spills from Kai’s mouth, and I’m shocked to see it directed at his dad.
“What if the waitress changes her mind and reports it?” Rick asks, changing tack.
“She won’t.” I perch on the edge of the couch. “I’m good at reading people, and she won’t say anything.”
“I agree,” Kai says.
“Wow.” Jackson grins, his gaze dancing between us. “This is progress.”
I poke my tongue out at him, and he chuckles.
“You did good, Abby,” Sawyer says, lifting his head from his laptop.
Twisted Betrayal Page 12
