Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
“Did she see you?”
“I wouldn’t be here right now if she did.” Finding the words, I admitted, “Because I killed her husband.”
If he was surprised, he didn’t show it in the least.
“What do you mean, you killed him?”
“I mean… he was chasing me and then fell down the basement stairs behind me.”
“You’re sure he’s dea—”
“His neck snapped.”
His jaw clenched as his intense stare remained on me.
I reaffirmed for I don’t know who. “I didn’t mean to, though… It was an accident. I swear it.”
With the back of his fingers, he reached over and lightly caressed my cheek.
“I’m not a murderer,” I added, needing to hear it out loud.
He didn’t stop his gentle touch. “Not in my book.”
“Then why do I feel like I am?”
He simply replied, “Mind over matter, Kitty. But you’re safe now. You were safe the second we laid eyes on you.”
Sighing deeply, I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Despite Julius knowing the truth, it was different telling Kraven.
This wasn’t a confession.
It was trust.
Almost like he was stripping away my last bit of armor.
With my chest tightening at the thought, he spoke with conviction, “But for the record…” He allowed the silence to beat between us for a second, then out of nowhere, he acknowledged, “Through the chaos, our eyes still managed to find each other first, and they haven’t stopped since.”
I swallowed hard, letting him see every piece of me.
“Your piano saved my life, Kraven.”
It was true.
There was no reason to deny it anymore.
“It’s why I’m here with you right now. If I hadn’t heard you playing, I probably wouldn’t have come near you.”
“You would’ve heard Julius’s violin.”
“Maybe.”
“You’re right.” He firmly nodded. “Maybe doesn’t change the fact that you gravitated toward me first.”
“Kraven…”
His gaze trailed down my face as if he was trying to remember it before he stood, ordering, “Be ready by nine.”
“What?” I asked, confused by the turn of events.
He leaned down, close to my mouth, and I sucked in a breath as he murmured, “It’s time for me to do what I do best for you, Kitty…”
“Oh yeah? And what’s that?”
He smiled. “Make you forget.”
Kraven
As she stepped off the last stair, wearing tight jeans and one of those tops that showed off her stomach, my eyes were on her.
Fuck me…
“Is this okay?” she asked when she caught me staring.
“No,” I told her the truth. “It’s definitely going to be a problem for me.”
“Thanks.” She smirked.
“Don’t thank me yet.” I grinned. “I haven’t earned it.”
“So…” She glanced around the room. “Where are we going?”
Grabbing her hand, I spun her in a slow circle. “To show off my black Kitty.”
The underground rave was downtown in a shady-ass neighborhood, but it was fine. She wouldn’t leave my sight. The Uber arrived a little past ten, and we met Brian inside. The warehouse was packed, and I managed to find him in the back, where the music wasn’t as loud. And somewhat away from the sweaty bodies. I wasn’t much for being in the center of the crowd. I preferred staying in the shadows and watching from afar.
“Well, looky, looky what we have here…” Brian sarcastically remarked, “I guess Julius hasn’t found his way back home yet?”
I snatched the blunt from his fingers. “You let me worry about Julius.”
He laughed, nodding to Isla. “Hello, Red.”
“Hi, Brian,” she greeted. “How are you?”
“Not as good as you, apparently.”
“Brian,” I snapped. “Shut the fuck up.” Inhaling a deep drag off the blunt, I held it in for a minute. Through a cloud of smoke, I exhaled, offering Isla, “Want some? First time is always the best. Besides…” I tried to convince her. “It’s legal now.”
She giggled. “We’re not twenty-one.”
“Technicality.”
“Okay.” She chuckled. “But I don’t know how to—”
* * *
I didn’t give it a second thought before I tugged her toward me.
Chapter
Forty-Nine
Kraven
Lifting the blunt back to my mouth, I left it there and sucked in deeply. Her gaze didn’t waver from mine as I leaned in close to her pouty pink lips, catching her a little off guard. I caged her in with my hands on the wall behind her.
Her stare widened, but she didn’t push me away. I puckered my lips around the blunt and slowly blew smoke into her mouth. Shotgunning her a hit instead of her doing it herself. She mirrored my direction, gently sucking in the smoke.
When she’d had enough, I grabbed the blunt out of my mouth and ordered, “Hold it in for a minute.”
She did as she was told.
“Now breathe it out for me.”
Being surrounded by smoke coming out of our mouths and into each other’s was an experience I’d never gone through. This was as new to me as it was to her.
I didn’t do this with girls. I never cared enough to.
However, with Isla, in the smoke, we could pretend as if the world wasn’t there for a moment.