Chapter Eight
Iris
I barely finished my sentence when Kian lifts me off his lap and places me gently next to him. Standing up, he pushes a hand through his short strands and begins to pace in front of me.
Springing to my feet, I grab his elbow to force him to look at me.
The sight of him distraught and shaken is killing me.
“Talk to me, love.”
His eyes clash with mine as he hurls a series of questions. “How could you possibly know her? Since when have you known? When were you gonna tell me?”
“I found her diary in your room at your father’s house.
Nathan had invited me to his parents’ anniversary, where he introduced me as his girlfriend.
I accidentally entered your bedroom.” My cheeks heat as I reveal, “I started going through your things, and the little notebook fell from a shelf in your closet. At first, I thought it was yours. I was tempted to take it, but I moved to put it back. I panicked when I heard footsteps and put it in my purse.”
“You kept it.”
“I couldn’t resist the temptation, knowing it could be yours, so I decided to read it.
Except, it belonged to some woman. There was no name.
She talked about the affair, how she worked as your father’s assistant.
The pages where she wrote about being pregnant were torn.
Rakesh blackmailed her into skipping town, leaving you behind. ”
Kian becomes livid, his whole body vibrating with it. We both know his father is powerful enough to do it. Heck, he did the same to Kian.
“It’s not too late to look for her,” I cautiously suggest. “You’ll have the proof to convince Nathan you had no choice in staying away from him.”
“Do you still have the diary?”
“Yes. At the apartment.”
“I want to see it.”
“Of course.” Inching closer, I dare to ask, “Are you mad at me? I figured it out after you told me Nathan is your half-brother.”
“God, no, Iris,” he exhales, hugging me with an arm around my shoulders. “I’m fuming at my father. Of course he’d do something like this.”
“He’s a despicable man.” He alienated Kian from every person he ever loved. His mother. His brother. He needs to pay for his crimes. “What are you going to do?”
“Nothing for now.” His hand massages my back. “My priority is making Nathan back off and finding the man who attacked you.”
Shit. It slipped my mind in the whirlwind of the past two days.
This isn’t the right time to tell him about this, nor do I have the energy.
However, Nathan can’t know that Kian and I are still together.
Leaning back, I meet his gaze and shock him by saying, “I want to take you to my house.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“You’ll have to meet the rest of my family at some point.” Circling his waist, I rasp, “I may not be able to introduce you as my boyfriend yet, but I still want them to know you.”
“Yet, huh?” he smirks.
I playfully hit his chest, loving that his mood has lifted. At least, until we have to face our demons head-on tomorrow. It was cathartic sharing about my past.
“Isn’t it late?”
“No one goes to bed at my house until eleven.”
“I’d love to come. I want to see where you grew up.” Kissing my temple, he orders, “Stay right here while I bring the car around.”
“Okay.”
As he saunters away, I gaze around at the park that holds so many memories. The man I daydreamed about, watched for hours, has become mine.
It feels so surreal, a soft laugh trickles out of me.
My heart could burst.
If the wildest dreams straight out of a fairy tale like mine can come true, then I need to have faith that Kian and I can overcome any obstacle thrown our way until we have our happily ever after. We’ve already crossed the biggest hurdle.
I startle, feeling my phone buzz in my jeans pocket. Kian’s name flashes after I pull it out. Gazing outside the park, I don’t see his car anywhere.
“Hey, love,” I say after picking up. “Where are you?”
“I see you.” Something in his deep and velvety voice makes my breath hitch. “I didn’t back then, but I do now, and, Rainbow, you steal my breath away.”
I twirl around, frantically searching for him.
Then I see him.
My scary reaper.
Across the distance, standing in the center, in the same spot where I saw him for the very first time. His tall silhouette illuminated by the streetlight. One hand is in his pant pocket while the other holds his phone to his ear.
“Just like when I saw you on the stage at the engagement party for the first time. You stared right at me, looking like an angel sent from heaven in that stunning blue gown, and my first thought was that she belongs in my arms. I felt the pull too, but I wasn’t brave like you and resisted it.
” His voice becomes deeper, as though he has traveled back to that moment.
“Until I caught you sneaking into my room, listened to your voice, and I was hooked. I came to congratulate my brother; instead, I wanted to steal his bride.”
“I would’ve run away with you.”
“I know, baby.”
Both of us take a step toward each other.
“Everything you’ve felt ever since you saw me, it’s not one-sided,” he rasps, as we keep moving closer.
“Had I seen you in the park, I would’ve approached you.
Walking away would’ve been impossible. Then you would’ve known I could never be out of your league.
You’re every man’s dream. The one for whom they’d annihilate the world. ”
We take another step.
“What would you have asked me?”
One final step.
We stop before each other and lower our phones at the same time.
“Nothing.” His stormy gaze darkens. “Because I would’ve done this.”
He swoops down and kisses me, hauling me against his chest. I melt against him and part my lips, letting our tongues collide.
I’m lifted into his arms as his mouth claims mine in a slow dance.
Until air becomes secondary.
His kiss says more than words ever could. That our bond is too deep and earth-shattering to be lust at first sight. It’s so much more.
Ripping my lips away, I take his face between my palms. Our pants mingle in the space between us as I lock my eyes with his, feeling the world slip away.
“I love you, Kian.” It isn’t until I taste salty moisture on my tongue that I realize I’m crying. Smiling through them, I profess my devotion, “I love you more than life itself. You’re my first, last, my one and only love.”
“Rainbow,” he murmurs in a guttural tone.
“I know you said you don’t believe in love,” I say, pressing my finger against his lips. “Well, I never believed in love at first sight. But it’s what happened when I saw you. So, you don’t have to say it back until you’re ready. I just couldn’t keep it inside any longer.”
Bending closer, I kiss him sweetly until he kisses me back, pouring everything into it.
It’s enough for now.
Because I know one day that he will say it back and mean it with every fiber in his being.
***
It’s eleven-thirty when we return after having dinner with my family. My mom was over the moon at my impromptu visit, especially for bringing over an extra guest she could feed. Meanwhile, both my dadu and dad were delighted to meet the man who helped me hire the home nurse and thank him.
Throughout the night, I kept stealing glances at Kian.
My family couldn’t tell, but I knew he was overwhelmed by the treatment he received from them.
Half the time, he gazed at us like we were alien creatures because of how loud and energetic we were.
It was an experience he had never felt, but deserved.
My brooding man deserves a family who cherishes the ground he walks on. Come hell or high water, I will give him one.
Exiting the elevator onto our floor, we walk into the apartment and go straight to the guest room where I kept my suitcase. I had brought the diary here, so my mom doesn’t accidentally get her hands on it while cleaning my room back at home.
“When you see Nathan, let him believe his backstabbing worked,” says Kian from behind me.
I stop and look at him.
How did he read my mind?
“He isn’t thinking clearly, Iris. He blackmailed you and then used the same secret to turn me against you. If he finds out it didn’t work, he will do something reckless. I don’t want to see you get hurt by him more than you already have.”
“Okay.” I hate that he’s right. With the information I learned today, Nathan won’t let me back out of our union without severe repercussions. “I have to be at the opening party of Rosa’s animal shelter next week. Nathan and I will have to show up together.”
Kian’s jaw tightens ever so slightly.
“If it wasn’t for Rosa, you know I wouldn’t go,” I say apologetically, when he stays silent and broody.
The vein in his temple stops throbbing as his features relax. Bridging the distance, he runs a knuckle down my cheek. “I know. It’s only temporary. I’m counting down the days until we don’t have to hide.”
“Me too.”
Turning around, I take him to the walk-in closet. Kneeling on the carpet, I pull out my suitcase and flip it open. Unzipping the pocket, I extract the old and tattered diary. The brown leather is torn at the edges, but the pages inside are intact. Except for the ones cruelly ripped out.
As I run my hand over it, I don’t get the same satisfaction I usually do after solving a mystery.
It represents the love lost between a mother and her son.
Standing up, I pass it to Kian. “Here.”
He stares at it with a vacant look, like it’s a skeleton he’d rather lock back in the closet. Tearing his gaze away, he takes my hand. “Let’s go.”
He goes upstairs to his office with the diary while I trudge into his bedroom. I make my way to the bathroom, removing my clothes along the way, and step naked into the shower. I tilt my head as the water sprays down on me, feeling divine against my tired muscles.
Large hands roam over my ass and the body heat circling me from behind sends an electric shiver down my back. I sigh in pleasure as Kian’s front presses flush against me, while his intimidating erection gets trapped against the small of my back.
The memory of holding him in my palm is engraved into my psyche. His size equally frightens and excites me. It’s a good thing I enjoy the bite of pleasurable pain he inflicts, because I don’t want him holding back his sadistic urges.
I reach back, wrapping an arm around his waist. His fingers explore the countless love bites and marks he left on my skin this morning. Caressing his initials on my hip, he grabs the bodywash off the shelf, and squeezes a small portion on his palm before lathering me up.
I do the same to him, kissing my name on his chest along the way. His hand drifts into my hair, while I leisurely stroke and rub every hard ridge. Rinsing off the suds, followed by drying off with towels, he carries me nude to the bed.
After laying me down on the left side, he climbs in and bundles me against him.
Somebody loves to cuddle.
Kissing the top of my head, he whispers, “Sleep, Rainbow.”