8. Michael
Michael
The morning light cut across her bare back like it was painting something holy.
Kate was still asleep, curled on her side, her skin flushed, marked in all the places I touched—bit, sucked, claimed. I could see the faint red imprints of my fingers on her hips. Her hair spilled across the pillow, and one leg was draped over the twisted sheets like she owned the bed.
She didn’t.
I did.
And her.
I sat back in the leather chair across from the bed, coffee in hand, ignoring my phone vibrating on the table beside me.
I didn’t give a shit who was calling. She was the only thing I wanted to deal with this morning.
I’d never brought a woman here before—never let anyone into this place except my inner circle.
This lake house was more than just my retreat—it was my temple, my escape, my war room when shit went sideways.
Now she was in it.
She’d been in my head for months. But last night, she got into my fucking bloodstream.
My cock twitched, remembering the way she’d ridden me in the hot tub, how tight she’d been.
How she’d whimpered when I slammed her against the shower wall and made her take every last inch.
She was fire and ice, wit and wildness, and her smart mouth only made me want to shut her up with my tongue, my fingers, my cock.
She shifted under the covers, blinking slowly. Her eyes met mine. Sleepy, wary, still swollen from our marathon night.
“You’re watching me,” she said, voice hoarse.
“Damn right I am.”
She pulled the sheets up around her chest. “Bit intense for a one-night stand.”
I stood slowly, taking my time crossing the room. “You think that’s what this is?”
“Last night? Felt pretty one-night-y.”
I stopped at the edge of the bed, my eyes on hers. “You don’t get it, do you?”
She swallowed. “Get what?”
I reached out and took her chin in my hand, tilting her face up. “You don’t walk away from me, Kate. You opened a door that doesn’t close. You’re mine now. I came in you. Bare. Multiple times…”
Her brows knit together, but she didn’t pull away. “You can’t just say that.. do that…”
“I can. I did.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Maybe,” I said, pressing my thumb to her bottom lip, watching it bounce back. “But you’re in my bed, soaked in my seed, and you haven’t run yet. So maybe you like my kind of crazy.”
She bit down on my thumb—just enough to make me hiss.
“I agreed to one night,” she said.
“Yeah. You said that. Then you came all over my cock—multiple times. You think that resets us to zero?”
Her cheeks flushed, but her stare didn’t break. “This doesn’t mean you own me.”
“No,” I agreed. “But I do own last night. And if you stay in this bed, I’ll own the next night too.”
“You’re insane.”
“Maybe. But I’m the only man who knows how to make you beg.”
She tried to push me away. I grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head, climbing over her body on a mission. She struggled—half-heartedly—then stilled when I ground my hips against hers.
“You feel that?” I whispered into her neck. “I woke up hard for you. I stayed hard watching you sleep. Every second, I wanted to be back inside you.”
“Michael…” she whispered, her legs twitching.
“You can leave,” I murmured, brushing my lips along her jaw. “But not until I make you scream again.”
The cabin phone rang. Then my burner. Then Brett called twice.
I ignored all of it. Until I saw the red notification flash across my watch.
Incoming: Kaim.
Fuck.
Krystal’s brother.
The third in charge. Pit boss. Muscle. Money.
And furious.
I answered the call, already rubbing the bridge of my nose.
“You better take my damn call, Michael.” He was muttering not realizing I had answered already.
“It’s Saturday, Kaim.”
“You think I give a shit? You torched the deal. You dropped my sister like trash?—”
“She wasn’t part of the long game. You knew that.”
“You used her.”
“I strategically positioned her. Don’t call my phone again until Monday. Boardroom. 10 a.m.”
I snapped the phone shut and tossed it onto the counter.
Kate walked out of the bedroom, wrapped in one of my white shirts, barefoot, cheeks flushed from the heat of the shower.
“I need to go home.”
My pulse stuttered. Was she running again?
“You okay?”
She hesitated. Bit her lip.
“My golden retriever probably chewed through my couch. Amber. She’s never alone this long. She needs to be let out and fed.”
I blinked, then laughed under my breath. “That’s why you’re bailing?”
“Don’t call it bailing. I’m a responsible dog mom.”
I walked toward her slowly, then lifted her chin. “Let me drive you.”
“No drivers, no guards, no black SUV. I just want to go home like a normal person.”
I smirked. “You’re not normal, baby. Not after last night.”
She flushed. “Still. I need to breathe.”
“Fine,” I said. “But I’m coming inside. I want to meet the dog that outranks me.”
She smiled at that. I leaned in and kissed it off her lips.
And just like that, the next round was already burning in my bloodstream.
I unlocked the cybertruck and she blinked at it.
“Really?” she said. “A bulletproof tank?”
“Blends in much,” I muttered, opening her door.
She climbed in awkwardly, tugging my T-shirt down to cover her bare thighs. Her clothes from last night were unsalvageable. She was makeup-free, her skin flushed and dewy from the shower, and she smelled like my body wash. My eyes dropped to her legs—soft, bare, mine.
She noticed.
“You’re staring.”
“Can’t help it,” I said, starting the engine. “You look like you just survived a sex marathon. Which… you did.”
She rolled her eyes but smirked.
I kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting on her bare thigh as we curved through the wooded back roads.
“About last night,” she said quietly.
“What about it?”
“I’m on the shot. So no morning-after awkwardness.”
I flicked my gaze toward her, one brow raised. “You think I’d regret it?”
“Wouldn’t blame you if you did.”
“I don’t regret shit, Kate. Especially not what I claimed last night.”
She bit her lip and looked out the window.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled into the lot beside a narrow waterfront condo tucked between the docks and a bakery. Her place. Small. Coastal. Discreet.
I killed the engine and looked around, putting the puzzle together.
“So this is how you ghosted me last summer,” I murmured.
She paused. “What?”
“You just took off your heels and ran home like Cinderella. Slipped through alleyways and across the docks?”
She didn’t answer.
I reached for her hand. “You really thought I wouldn’t come after you?”
She smiled sadly. “You didn’t the first time.”
I gritted my teeth. “Because I didn’t know where to look. But I’ve learned a lot since then.”
Her eyes flicked to mine. Something unspoken passed between us.
I was about to find out just how hard she was still trying to run—and how far I was willing to chase her.
I should’ve driven off. Should’ve dropped her at the door and vanished like any smart man would. But there I was—still in the damn truck—watching her unlock her front door like I belonged in her world.
She turned back to me, biting her lip. “You can come in if you want. Just for a minute.”
She didn’t need to say it twice.
Amber greeted us like we were royalty, tail thudding against the walls, tongue lolling out. Kate bent down to ruffle her fur, laughing as the dog rolled to her back, begging for attention. Watching her like this—easy, soft, unguarded—I felt something shift in my chest.
I was in uncharted waters.
“I need to feed her, walk her,” Kate said, standing up. “Give me ten to change and I’ll take her out.”
I stepped in front of her, cupping her face with both hands, kissing her slowly. Deeply. My thumb brushed along her cheekbone. “Put some clothes on. I’ll walk your dog.”
She blinked. “You?”
“Me.”
Her brows lifted, lips twitching. “In Armani and aviators?”
“Even mobsters have hearts.”
She laughed, flushed, and pointed to the door. “Leash and bags are over there.”
I grinned. “That’s what bodyguards are for.”
She whipped around, eyes wide. “What?”
“You didn’t notice them?” I smirked. “I never roll out alone.”
She shook her head, muttering something about insane men and designer leashes as I grabbed Amber’s leash and headed out.
I’d never walked a dog in my life.
But for Kate?
Hell, I’d learn.