Chapter 9 #3
It never crossed my mind that I was in danger and should probably leave.
“And what does that say about me, then?” I ask, genuinely curious.
He ponders my question. “That you’re special,” he finally replies.
I’m not sure what that means. I’ve never been called special before. “Is that a bad or good thing?”
He chuckles, the low, husky sound soothing me.
“It’s a good thing.”
I wait for him to elaborate.
“We both came here to neutral ground. It seems that out there”—he points, indicating outside these walls—“we can’t be ourselves. But in here, it’s just us. So tell me, what’s your name?”
Panic rises.
Does he know who I am?
I need to keep my cool.
“Olivia,” I state.
The lie feels like poison on my tongue.
Kit is quiet. “You don’t look like an Olivia.”
“I didn’t realize one can look like a name,” I quip, hiding behind my humor.
“Sure they can. What do I look like?”
I turn in my seat to look at him. Like, really look at him. It’s as if the darkness offers me the courage to openly study him without judgment.
He is utterly masculine.
He smells delicious.
He too turns to face me, allowing me to undress him with my eyes.
There’s something so raw in this. A moment when pretenses are dropped, and we are simply two people who have an explicable connection that confuses us both.
I have the advantage, however.
I know who he is.
But he, he can never know the real me.
“What do you see?” he softly asks, the mood shifting.
Heat creeps up my neck, tinting my cheeks crimson. “A man who everyone wants, but no one really sees. A man who is forever searching, but not sure what he’s looking for.”
Kit’s mouth parts.
It appears I’ve caught him off guard too.
“And what do you think I’m looking for?”
I mull over his question and answer with one simple word. “Peace.”
That word is heavy with meaning as it can represent so many things. But I don’t elaborate because Kit seems to understand. And at this moment, I realize Kit is hiding a secret too.
“What have you seen?” he asks, shaking his head.
He senses something different in me.
He recognizes the anguish I’ve lived through, and that’s because he’s lived through it too.
Does he know I’m damaged goods?
I don’t answer his question.
I simply lock eyes with him, leaving that open to interpretation. This way, it doesn’t feel as though I’m lying to him.
“My name is Kit.” He extends his hand, which I shake.
“Nice to meet you, Kit.”
I don’t let go of his hand.
He doesn’t let go of mine.
I don’t know what’s happening.
But it doesn’t feel wrong.
This is the first time anything has felt right.
“Who are you?” he whispers, shaking his head in wonder.
This time, I know he means that in a different way, as in, he feels this electricity too and is just as confused by it as I am.
“Olivia,” I whisper, edging closer to him.
Words are soon forgotten as Kit mimics my movements until we’re a mere hair’s breadth away.
“I won’t stop.”
“Stop what?” I ask, licking my lips.
Kit hungrily follows the sweep of my tongue. “I won’t walk away. But I don’t chase. When I want something, I’ll do anything, everything to make it mine. I’m patient. And I’ll wait. I’ll watch because I know what you want.”
“And what do I want?” I whisper, a tremble to my question.
The line has been crossed, and I am nothing but a slave to Kit Rivers.
“To be mine.”
There’s no point denying it.
He’s right.
“But you don’t chase,” I state, using his arrogance back on him. “And I sure as hell won’t be running after you.”
“Yes, you will,” he confidently counters, his breath warm on my cheeks. “You will chase because curiosity will get the better of you…just how it did tonight.”
Damn him.
Damn Kit Rivers to hell.
“So run, beautiful girl. I’ll give you a head start because I promise, when I catch you…I’ll never let you go.”
And with that, Kit Rivers has won this round.
He sweeps his thumb down the middle of my mouth, lingering on my bottom lip. He sashays back and forth, before slipping it into my greedy mouth.
He hisses when I flick my tongue over the tip.
The thought of being touched or kissed literally made me ill in the past, but now, I am ill for another reason.
I am heartsick.
It’s too much.
I am slick between my legs, and my breasts feel heavy.
I want Kit all over me.
“But I do love a good chase.”
Game.
Set.
Match.
He has ruined me.
“Hey!”
Speaking of ruined…
A bright flashlight blinds us, shattering the illusion that the outside world does not exist.
A wicked grin spreads across Kit’s cheeks before he grabs my hand and takes off into a dead sprint.
Adrenaline courses through me. It vibrates from Kit into me.
We take the stairs, two at a time, and dash past the security guard who doesn’t stand a chance. He follows in hot pursuit, demanding that I stop.
The chase only animates us even more.
I think over what Kit said and realize how much trouble I truly am in.
We burst into the night, chasing our freedom. But as Kit leads me toward my car and orders me to get in and drive, I realize I’ve given up freedom and am now a prisoner to Kit Rivers.
But I come willingly, and that’s what scares me.