Where the Sun Hides (Seasons of Betrayal #1)(84)

“I can’t do that,” Kaz said, making sure his brother heard every word. “She’s under my skin, and I want to keep her that way.”

Ruslan didn’t say anything, not for a long time, and whatever he saw in Kaz’s face had him shaking his head. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

But that question didn’t require an answer, not when the evidence of it was behind the closed door of his bedroom.

“Is she worth the trouble that’s going to come your way?” Ruslan asked, then smiled, the sight of it breaking up the tension in the room. “Because your ass isn’t.”

Laughing, Kaz shook his head. “She wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t.”

“Right. Call me later, once you’re actually alone.” Ruslan said opening the front door, startling the delivery man that stood ready to knock on the other side. “Be careful out there, Kaz.”

Ruslan disappeared down the hall, boarding the elevator once the doors opened. Once he had grabbed the food and tipped the man, he closed the door, dropping the bag on the counter.

Standing there, it was almost like a weight was lifted from his chest. He couldn’t explain why Ruslan knowing almost felt like a good thing to him.

Even as he was glad for it, it was just another reminder that this wasn’t going to be easy for them.

Ruslan had reacted as Kaz expected, calmer even.

And that only meant that everyone else’s reactions would be exactly as he thought.

Violent.





Violet listened in the bedroom doorway as the apartment quieted of voices. She kept clutching the large beach-sized towel around her body, not sure if she should run back to the bathroom and lock herself in, or just stay where she was for another minute or two.

Just to be safe.

In all the many times she had come to Kaz’s place, no one had ever interrupted their time. Not during the evenings, and certainly not in the mornings. Sure, he’d gotten calls—work, she suspected, for his father—but it had never been so immediately important that he needed to leave her there and handle it.

Kaz had never warned her that someone might show up, either, and she strongly believed that was because he didn’t think someone would without prior notice. Violet might not know every little detail about Kaz, his business, or his family, but she knew enough.

Enough to say he wouldn’t put her in that kind of situation if he could help it.

“Violet?” she heard him yell from the kitchen.

She started on the spot, brought out of her thoughts with a bang.

“Yeah?” Violet called back.

“I know you’re waiting back there. It’s safe.”

“I’m indecent at the moment.”

She swore he was smirking in that f*cking way of his when he replied, “And that makes a difference how?”

“Let me pull something on, Kaz.”

“You’re no fun this morning.”

Violet let him have his complaints as she bolted back for the bathroom. Knowing she had to at least try to preserve the cleanliness of her blue lace dress from the night before—the damn thing needed to be dry-cleaned, not just shoved into a washer—she snagged a red, plain cotton T-shirt from Kaz’s closet, and pulled on a pair of clean boy-shorts from her messenger bag.

At least she was remembering to keep an extra pair of those on hand, now.

Violet eventually made her way back to the kitchen, tossing Kaz a sly grin when she caught his gaze roving over her figure before she took a seat at the bar.

He already had the bags of food emptied, and the containers waiting to be opened. Violet grabbed one he pushed toward her, plucking up a plastic fork to go with it.

She couldn’t help but notice how he didn’t say a thing about his visitor.

“Kaz?”

“Hmm?”

“Your brother was here,” she said, never taking her gaze off her French Toast.

“He was,” Kaz replied at the same level.

“And I take it … he knows now.”

“Ruslan has a pretty good idea, yes.”

Fantastic.

Violet didn’t want to be worried about the fact Ruslan knew, given that Kaz seemed so unbothered by it all, but the panic was still welling in her gut and spilling into her throat.

One person might lead to two, and then three.

She glanced up to find Kaz watching her, and she wasn’t the least bit surprised. He always watched her like that whenever he could, but especially when he thought she wasn’t looking at him. Almost liked he enjoyed the sight of her when she was inside her thoughts, unaware and quiet.

Violet liked it a lot—she liked it a little more each time she caught him doing it, and he didn’t look away.

She didn’t have the first clue what to make of that at all.

To feel like she was important—significant—to Kaz, simply because she graced him with her very person, and her time, and he didn’t ask for more.

People always wanted more.

“You know,” Kaz started to say, tossing his fork into his container, “you always get a little dimple in your right cheek whenever you think too much, or you’re frustrated.”

Violet’s brow lifted at his admission. “Do I?”

“Among other things.”

“Like what?”