Chapter Sixteen
Iris
“Where were you?”
“Afraid I ran out on you?” I scoff at Nathan, whom I run into in the deserted hallway outside the ladies’ room.
“I was worried.”
“Oh, so now you give a shit about me.”
His lips curl at my snarky tone. “Just protecting my asset.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
“Everyone’s waiting for you. The dinner is about to be served in a few minutes.”
“I need to make a phone call. I’ll join you afterward.”
“Who?” His tone is suspicious and way too bossy for my liking.
Kian is the only man who gets to be domineering with me. Unlike Nathan, his demands are laced with protectiveness and seduction, not rudeness.
“My mother,” I retort. “Who you very well know I call every night.”
He has the decency to look sorry. “Fine. Come soon.”
Once he disappears around the corner and I’m certain he’s gone and not eavesdropping, I pull out my phone and dial Kian’s number. I already talked to my mother on the car ride over here.
He picks up on the first ring.
“Rainbow.”
My whole body lights up at his deep and velvety voice. An electric rush goes down my spine. “Love.”
“Are you enjoying the evening with your friends?” he asks. “Or is my brother being too much of an ass?”
“Both, actually,” I say with a laugh. “I am missing you terribly and would much rather be with you in our bed.”
“You will be soon.”
“Are you at the club?”
“Yeah. You’re occupying my mind, though,” he admits in a raspy tone. “Send me a picture of you. I wanna see what you’re wearing. Your heels too.”
“Okay.” My pulse skips a beat. “Give me a minute.”
I slip inside the ladies’ room once more and stop before the floor-length mirror. I take a picture, angling my body in a way so he sees the plunging back. Lifting the skirt, I snap another of my open-toe heels in a shiny metallic gold.
A surprise gift from Kian, as if him buying a whole company wasn’t enough.
“Sent,” I tell him.
A second later, I hear his sharp intake of breath through the phone. My stomach flips at the masculine sound.
“God! You look exquisite, little siren.”
“Thank you, love.”
“I can’t wait to eat you out while those heels dig into my back.”
A sharp ache pulses to life in my pussy and my walls clench around nothing. My breathing turns heavy as I whisper, “Don’t say things like that or it’s all I’ll think about the rest of the night.”
“Why else do you think I said it, baby? I want your tight cunt dripping all night long. So when you come home, I’ll have a nice meal waiting for me between your thighs.”
“Kian,” I whimper.
“Wet already?”
The smirk in his rich tone tightens my nipples into aching points. “Please.”
“Soon, Rainbow,” he coos. “You’ll get my mouth soon.”
Leaning against the wall, I try to get my breathing under control. “You drive me crazy, Mr. Singhania.”
“Not nearly as much as you drive me wild. I’m hard just from staring at your picture. You should be kneeling at my feet and serving my cock with your mouth.”
“I know, sir. I’m sorry.”
“You will make it up to me.”
“Yes.”
“Good girl.”
His praise washes over me in an invisible caress. His filthy words still echoing in my head, I sass, “Now I wish I had worn this dress in front of you.”
“You wouldn’t have made a step out of the door.”
“It’s a good thing I didn’t then.”
“Quite the opposite.” His voice turns dangerous and vicious. “I want to blind every man who’s been staring at you all night.”
“I’m not the only beautiful woman here, Kian.”
“No other woman exists for me but you. For the record, you outshine them all.”
My knees buckle at his powerful admission. I press a hand against my breastbone, scared my thundering heart will beat out of my chest.
“It’s the same for me,” I murmur. “There’s no one but you.”
“I know, Rainbow.”
I open my mouth to reply when another call comes. I look at Rosalie’s name flashing. Shit. I must have been gone for too long. “Kian, I have to go.”
“Okay.”
“Love you. Bye.”
I hang up and put my phone in my purse after switching it to silent mode. Exiting the bathroom, I hurry back to the ballroom. I see my big group of friends standing in a circle in the center of the room.
They’re all my people. My found family.
Well, minus one now.
As I gaze at my girls from afar, who’d take a bullet for me and vice versa, I wonder why I am so scared to tell them the truth.
I know they will never judge me. The only thing stopping me was Nathan.
I felt it wasn’t just my secret to share.
However, under these new circumstances, I no longer owe him my loyalty.
I won’t share about his betrayal, but I’m also done hiding the fact that we used to be nothing but friends. That my heart beats for Kian.
Steeling my spine, I cut through the masses and stroll toward my friends, intending to confess my past.
“Iris!” exclaims Rosalie, noticing me first. “Where have you been? I was about to send a search party for you.”
I laugh, joining the circle. Unfortunately, I find myself right beside Nathan, who has his charming smile in place. Our eyes connect briefly, and I almost forget he’s become my enemy from the soft way he looks at me.
I remind myself it’s just a facade and glance away.
“Sorry, the call took…” I trail off when suddenly Rosalie’s eyebrows shoot to her hairline as she looks over my shoulder.
The atmosphere in the spacious ballroom instantly shifts into something enthralling. Thrilling. Coveting.
The loud chatter switches to low gasps and hums.
An electric current slithers down my spine as an acute awareness sinks into my bones. The kind that makes every atom in my body sing in obsession and potent yearning.
Before I even turn around, I know he’s here.
My scary reaper .
Nobody else would elicit such a spellbinding reaction in me.
With my heart hammering behind my ribs, I twist around.
And there he is, across the room and just past the entrance, staring right at me with a smoldering intensity.
His eyes lock me in a trance so compelling that my gaze doesn’t make it down his rugged face to his sinewy and ripped body.
What is he doing here?
Why didn’t he tell me he was coming?
My fingers twist in the silky material of my dress as I fight the urge to run to him. Having him close to me in the flesh and not being in his arms is agonizing. I didn’t know it would be this hard to hide he’s mine.
A burning sensation starts in my eyes. I bite the inside of my cheek to hold the tears at bay.
“Am I tripping or did Kian the captor come out of his cave, Iris?” mutters Rosalie from somewhere behind me.
“Ro!” scolds Bianca.
“He doesn’t strike me as someone who cares about dogs.”
“Probably ’cause you threatened to get him eaten by Bunny.”
“To protect Iris!”
I jolt when an arm winds around my waist. Nathan’s mouth drops to my ear, and he quietly orders, “Stop looking at him. Everyone’s starting to notice.”
The temperature drops to chilling degrees as Kian’s expression turns violent. As scary as a hailstorm racing your way.
I feel trapped. Exhausted. Empty.
Hopeless .
I can’t… I can’t do this anymore.
“Nathan, let—”
Kian takes a step, cutting me off mid-speech. I freeze as he confidently heads in our direction while people part for him like the Red Sea. Nobody dares to approach him, lest they want to be bulldozed out of his way.
Panic bubbles up in my belly.
Good Lord! Is he going to punch his brother? In front of everyone?
I barely get a chance to dislodge Nathan’s grip when a lethal Kian stops an inch away from me. The world disappears as his intoxicating cologne invades my lungs.
Everything happens in slow motion.
His fingertips glide on the inside of my arm to my hand and lace through my fingers.
With a gentle but firm tug, I’m pulled out of my fiancé’s grasp and into his front.
One hand cupping the back of my neck and the other circling my waist to yank me up onto my toes, his mouth swoops down and claims mine in a possessive kiss.
My body—hell, my entire soul—recognizes him as my soulmate.
Without any fear, I reach up, cupping the sides of his face, and kiss him back.
I let him consume me until it’s just us.
Sensual and deep, his tongue strokes mine once before he pulls his lips away. It seems like we were kissing for ages, but it was mere seconds.
Like a bolt of lightning, reality hits.
My eyes widen as it dawns on me that I kissed my fiancé’s older brother in public.
Oh god!
There’s a deafening silence in the spacious room. Every single person seems suspended in suspense, eagerly awaiting what will occur next. Probably expecting a brawl between the two brothers.
Even I’m clueless.
Nervous.
Waiting for the wrecking ball to slam into me any second now. But then I glance at Kian, the reverence in his gray eyes melts my heart with warmth. Without breaking out connection, I feel him slowly slide the engagement ring off my finger.
Keeping me flush against his chest protectively and in a blatant show of ownership, his features harden into stone as he aims a withering look over my shoulder.
I twist my head in time to catch him slamming the diamond ring against the chest of a stoic and fuming Nathan.
“The wedding’s off, little brother,” declares Kian. “Stay the hell away from my woman.”
Nathan’s jaw clenches, making no move to grab the ring and letting it clatter to the floor. The sound sends a trickle of terror down my spine.
I wait for him to out me as a spy in retribution.
He stays quiet, which doesn’t ease the ominous feeling in my gut. However, it’s not as big as the overwhelming weightlessness and respite in my being. Because whatever mayhem is about to come our way, Kian and I are in it together.
My attention is stolen when Kian grazes a knuckle against my cheek, murmuring, “Ready to go home, Rainbow?”
The word home brings a smile to my face.
In a thick voice, I utter, “Yes, love.”
Then, for the first time in three years, I finally walk out on the arm of the right man.
The right brother.
My other half.