Kian

  two questions to ask. That was the first.

  There was no hesitation. “Yes.” He meant what he said.

  My knees almost buckled.

  I had one more. “Enough to leave your family for me?”

  There it was—the second question. I had to know. No regrets. If he lied, I’d see it. I would have to see it, so I moved closer, watching his eyes. There couldn’t be any flicker of emotion there. Forgetting everything else, this was why I came back.

  “Yes.”

  It was so quick, so instant, and there was no inflection from him. He meant it.

  Kian was staring right back at me, letting me see inside him. I saw love there. It was powerful and consuming. I felt it come into me, and it swept over me. Tears slipped down my face, he wiped one away.

  If he were lying…

  If he were, then I’d deal with it. I loved him so damn much.

  He asked in a whisper, “Do you love me, too?”

  “Yes.” A thousand times yes.

  His eyes darkened. The corner of his mouth lifted before falling flat again. “I know what my sister told you. It was all a lie.”

  My knees really did buckle then. Kian caught me. His hand grabbed my arm and steadied me. I clasped on to him.

  “There were some investors who didn’t approve of me, but they left the company. They were bought out, and the proposal that my dad congratulated me on is for a new foster care building. I want to build an entirely new building, just for the foster-care headquarters, and I want your input. It’s something I wish you’d had. I want it to be a place where foster kids can go if they want. It’ll be their constant over the years, like you should have had.”

  He tugged me closer to him, so I was standing between his legs. One hand rested on my hip, and the other cupped the side of my face. “That was why I came here, or that was the first reason. I wanted to get your help. I want you to help me with raising awareness about the building, letting everyone know about it.”

  My hand closed over his on my face, and my fingers sank in between his fingers. Our hands laced together.

  “Why didn’t you just say something in the beginning?”

  “Because you were hiding. How could I ask you to leave your normal life?”

  I closed my eyes, drawing in a breath. My God. I’d almost left him. Hearing this…an ache tunneled its way below my chest. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, Jordan.” He leaned forward, his forehead resting on mine. “I didn’t tell you, and I should’ve. I should’ve prepared you for my sister, too. She’s somewhat apologized to me.”

  A slight laugh left me. I looked back up to him. “Your sister’s a bitch.”

  He grinned. “That’s an understatement.”

  My hand tightened around his. This, right here, was mine now.

  His thumb caressed over my cheek, tenderly moving up and down. “Jordan, I have some things I have to come clean about.”

  I sucked in my breath, but I waited.

  He started so quietly, “When I saved you, it wasn’t all about you. Some of it was about saving my sister, or at least that was why I went to your house. I saw you in that window, and something came over me. I didn’t know what it was then, and to be honest, I didn’t ever analyze it. I just knew that I had to protect you. If I didn’t, I knew I’d be losing something integral to me. It was like I’d be losing a part of me. When I went to your room, I stopped thinking, and I only felt. I was acting on a deep primal level in me.

  “The trial happened then, and you came to watch. You were there most of the days. I never told you how much I appreciated you coming, but I did. You never said anything to me, but I knew you were supporting me.”

  I was. He’d saved me.

  He kept going, his chest rising as he drew in a pocket of air, “I was watching you when they gave the verdict. You started crying when they said I was guilty.”

  More tears fell down my face.

  He wiped them away and smiled up to me. “That meant more than anything to me. Honestly.”

  “You gave me a life,” I whispered to him, looking away. “And they were taking yours.”

  His hand tightened on my head. He tilted me back to see him. There was nothing—no resentment, no anger, no bitterness. Nothing. Only warmth. Only love. I was becoming a blubbering idiot because of it.

  His eyes roamed over me. “Going to prison sucked. I can’t say otherwise. When I was in prison, I never blamed you. I stabbed him seventeen times. A part of me should’ve been there in prison. Seventeen times is excessive. The verdict was right. I’m not saying I wanted to be there, but I understood it.

  “Getting released early was a gift, and it’s not one I’m taking lightly. I have bad stuff inside of me. What I did was bad. That was dark and maybe even evil, but I want to do right. I have to. That’s what the foster care building is for me. It’s my way of giving back. It sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I want to build a place where it’s better, where foster kids can go any time. It’ll be their constant when they move from home to home. I wanted your input on the building, and I was going to ask if you’d help me raise awareness for it, but then I found you and I knew I’d be asking you to ‘come out.’ I would be ruining your life again.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “Asking you to come out of hiding? You wouldn’t be normal. You won’t be now either, but somewhere down the line, it stopped being about the building, and it became about seeing you. I was falling for you more and more.

  “I wanted to protect you, then and now. I sent my team away. I didn’t want their input. They were there to help protect me in case the DA tried to charge me again. They wanted to make sure I wouldn’t do anything that could incriminate me. They were never about hurting you. I swear to Snark, I never would’ve allowed it either.”

  I nodded, letting his words wash over me. My lips twitched. Snark would’ve loved that comment.

  “I fell deeper and deeper in love with you.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded, cupping both sides of my face now. “Yes. I think I fell in love with you the moment I saw you in that window.”

  That moment…it was the worst one in my life. Now it was the best.

  My throat wasn’t working. No words could get out. My entire face was wet from my tears. I couldn’t get them to stop either. Nothing was working, so my hands closed over his, and I just held on.

  “I love you, Jordan,” he said. “I should’ve said all of this to you last night, or hell, even before then. When I woke up this morning, I felt it in my soul that you were gone. I just can’t lose you. That’s all I know. I love you, Jordan Emory.”

  A baseball-sized lump was at the bottom of my throat, but I needed him to feel how much I felt the same. My hands gripped his so hard. “I love you, too. I don’t know when it happened, but I realized it after the interview. I haven’t been able to stay away from you.”

  Relief showed on his face before his lips were on mine.

  After that, as I wound my arms tight around his neck, pressing myself to get as close to him as possible, nothing else mattered. Everything would be fine. The public, the media, school, and even my job would all work out. It would have to because, for once, I wasn’t going to hide anymore. I loved Kian. I was going to stay by his side, no matter who came after us. There was just no other way. I couldn’t stay away from him.

  I clasped on to him tighter, and I wasn’t going to let him go. As if feeling everything I was thinking, Kian lifted me. His lips never left mine. I knew where he was taking me, and my legs wound around his waist. I’d stay all day with him in bed. All day. All night. All week. Just us. That was it. Screw everyone else.

  As he took me to the bedroom, laying us both down onto the bed, I welcomed his weight. I savored it because he was here.

  He was mine.

  When Kian told me he wanted to take me somewhere, I didn’t question the time. Three in the morning was almost normal for us now. That was when we went places, like earl
ier in the week. We filmed our first interview together. It was kept a secret. I was nervous, but Laura said it went great. And if Kian’s publicist approved, that was all that mattered. I was learning it was better to get along with the petite and feisty bombshell, then go against her. She proved to be invaluable. Since my own interview, when I mentioned Justin by name, social media exploded. Someone found out his full name, and outed him where he went to college. A girl came forward, saying he raped her. A second. A third, and two more. Laura sent someone from her team to the town to monitor the situation. She worried Justin would speak out against Kian or myself. He had no grounds to speak publicly against us and she had no idea what he would say, but she was waiting to see if he threw any retribution our way.

  That was the reason we went out this morning. Kian told me we had a meeting with Laura, but he turned into my old job’s underground parking lot.

  I was mystified. “We’re meeting her here?”

  Kian only grinned. “Come on.”

  My frown grew when he pulled out keys for the restaurant. It deepened when he led me to a back private banquet room. I didn’t want to meet with Laura where I used to work. It was after closing time, but sometimes the employees stayed behind. Someone could find us, and eavesdrop. I opened my mouth, ready to tell Kian my thoughts when he flipped on the light.

  Erica was standing five feet from me. “Surprise, Jordan!” Her hands spread wide in the air.

  It’d been five months since my interview, and life hadn’t lessened up. Instead of being hated and blamed, people were enamored with me. Well, they were enamored with Kian. He never left my side. Anytime I had to leave the hotel for something, he was always beside me, holding my hand and shielding me if he could. We hired official security, too, but everyone could see his love for me. They were enthralled with it, much like how I was.

  A lot changed over the months. I worried I would lose my job and my scholarship for school, but I was reassured by both that my positions were still there whenever I could return to normalcy.

  Erica laughed when she found out I wanted to return to being Escape’s hostess. She shook her head and waved her finger at me, saying, “If you think you’re going to be a hostess again, you’re not looking around you, Jordan. You’re a full-blown celebrity. The attention hasn’t faded, and I don’t think it ever will, especially because you don’t want this. That’s so obvious.” She’d grunted in laughter. “I swear, that makes the public love you even more.”

  I sighed when she said my name.

  There were still some mix-ups with her, Wanker, and even Jake. They all started to say Jo first, faltered, then attached the rest of my name. This was the first time Jordan came easily from Erica’s lips, and it brought tears to my eyes. It felt like a part of my old life was still there, with me. It was like my old self hadn’t completely vanished.

  And Erica said my name now, she beamed at me.

  My mouth dropped.

  She wasn’t alone. An entire group of people stood behind her. Wanker was next to Erica, smiling, as he readjusted his glasses. Jake was behind them alongside Tara, who gave me a tentative wave and smile.

  I gazed around the group.

  My old boss, Paul, was standing to the side. Bruce, the bartender, lifted his drink in the air. Even Henry was there. He was standing next to the bar. There was no welcome on his face though. He had a glazed look in his eyes, and his mouth was twisted, so he was half-smiling and half-frowning. Bruce noticed the look and cleared his throat. When Henry glanced to him, Bruce gave me a pointed look. Henry’s eyes widened, and a forced smile was plastered over his face right away. He was dressed in Escape’s uniform. A tray was set on the bar between Bruce and him, and I realized then that he wasn’t there for the party, whatever party it was. He was there to work.

  Genuine laughter bubbled up then.

  Henry had to serve me. I was going to make his night hell. Well, I’d make him take a few drinks back to the bar for me. Bruce would know it had nothing to do with the drinks but making Henry sweat a bit. My former work nemesis had it coming.

  Erica came up to hug me then, whispering, “Happy birthday!” She squeezed me harder. “Kian told us your real birthday date.”

  “Oh.” I laughed lightly. That’d been another lie from me. New person, new life, even a new birthday. “If it makes you feel better, I forgot it was my birthday today.”

  Pulling back, she gripped my hand. “Don’t forget some things, not the important things. You don’t have to hide anymore, Jordan.”

  I held her hand back. “Thank you.” I meant it.

  A wave of emotions rose up in my throat, choking me, but she moved aside. Wanker was next, then Jake, and finally, Tara, who seemed tentative while hugging me. Her body relaxed when I hugged her back.

  Before she stepped to the side, she said, “I know Jake told you, but I wanted to tell you myself. Susan and I aren’t friends anymore. I just wanted you to know.”

  I nodded. “Thank you.”

  Susan hadn’t gone away like I hoped. Even though everyone got over the fact that I’d been right under the paper’s nose, Susan hadn’t. She was trying to dig up any dirt she could on me, despite that everyone knew my worst secret—Edmund. That wasn’t good enough for her.

  I was worried about how far she would go, and I told Kian, too, after receiving an ominous email from an unknown address the other night.

  It said, You’ll pay.

  Kian’s private detective found the computer it was sent from—one of the paper’s computers, and the most obvious person who sent it was Susan.

  Kian reassured me Susan would be taken care of. When my eyebrows arched up at those words, he gave me a small grin before placing a tender kiss on my forehead. He added, his lips a caress before he pulled away, “Not in that way, but she will be handled. She can’t hurt you. I won’t let her.”

  I hadn’t asked, and I hadn’t heard from Susan again, but one never knew with her.

  “I’ll admit…” Snark stepped in front of me, bringing me back to the present. Folding me in his arms, he held me for a second before letting go. “I wasn’t a fan of your boyfriend, but he’s grown on me.”

  I glanced over my shoulder. Kian had migrated to the back corner. He saw me looking for him and gave me a reassuring nod. Paul stepped toward him, and Kian’s attention was pulled toward my old boss.

  Watching them now for a moment, I wasn’t surprised Kian removed himself to the back. That was how he operated. He was always at my side, but if I was okay, he’d return to the shadows. Not that he really was in the shadows with how he looked—his dark features, his black hair, the high cheekbones, his lean physique, and the pure deadly aura that clung to him. He was powerful. People were drawn to him. He liked to step back when it was possible, but he was never really hidden.

  Looking around the room, even now, everyone kept glancing at him. They watched him like he was a beautiful but dangerous predator. Catching a slight look that Tara sent him, a wave of possession and pride rolled over me.

  He was mine. And I was his.

  Snark mused into my ear, distracting me, “He owns this place.”

  “What?”

  “Oh, yeah. You didn’t know?” Snark shook his head, a good-natured grin on his face. “Why am I not surprised by that fact either? He bought it right before he was released. I don’t think he knows that I know, but I followed the paper trail back to him. You might want to talk to him about it.”

  “I will.” Feeling that Snark was going to step aside and someone else was next in line, I gripped his arm. “Thank you for coming to my birthday party.”

  A small breath left him. His eyes washed over me, a different look appearing in them. He murmured, almost too quietly for me to hear, “You’ve become like a daughter to me. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

  We were both starting to tear up, so he moved aside.

  After that, the party became a blur. Some of my old coworkers were there. Some of the paper’s staff that Erica
got along with were there, too. It wasn’t too big of a party, but Erica told me later that phones weren’t allowed inside. Each person got snuck in with security, and they were searched. If anyone refused to be searched, they were asked to leave. It was that simple. Follow the rules and join the party, or don’t and leave.

  A cake was brought out and they made Henry sing. His voice was good and it surprised everyone, but then the drinks really started flowing and everyone forgot about my nemesis. A second bartender, Kami, slipped behind the bar to help Bruce, and I got some satisfaction from seeing Henry being put through the wringer. He was sweating within an hour.

  He brought over a single drink on his tray and held it out to me. “Made just for you, from Bruce.”

  “Thank you.” I took it. “Tell Bruce thanks, too.”

  Henry nodded, tucking the tray under his arm. He started to leave but turned back. “I had no idea who you were.”