Perfect Ruin (Unyielding #2)(21)

His brows rose. “Because you’re stubborn and rebellious. Although, it’s in a rather passive way.”

It was unnerving that he read me so well. As a child I’d never outwardly shout or throw a tantrum; instead, I’d be quiet and subtle about it. The silent treatment was a usual occurrence in my early teens.

“You’re not mad?”

A slightly amused grin and the butterflies lifted again into perfect formation.

“No,” he drawled.

“Why not?”

“Do you want me to be?”

“Well, no. It’s just that I thought you would be.”

“And yet, you still refused to follow the rule.” He nodded to me. “Clothes. Let’s try and live up to your nickname, braveheart.”

I thought about refusing for about one second. But I’d made this deal, not him.

I uncurled my legs and stood. The blanket dropped to the floor. I crossed my arms, grabbed the bottom edge of my T-shirt and pulled it over my head. My nipples were erect and aching as was my already pulsing sex.

His eyes traveled down my neck to my breasts, hesitated, and then went to my over-sized boxers. He sighed, but he had a mild grin on his face. “A beautiful woman should never wear anything as unflattering as those. I suggest you get rid of them.”

Maybe I’d purposely worn my most unattractive boxers that should’ve been burned years ago. It was a quiet rebellion, but I’d never been one to give in to anyone easily.

What was surprising was that he obviously had a sense of humor, although I was aptly aware that this man could change to a deadly adversary in a flash.

I walked into the kitchen, pulled off my boxers, then opened the cupboard and pitched them in the trash.

When I turned back around, he was leaning against the door with his arms crossed. Casual. Patient. God, it was like he owned my place, owned everything in here, including me. Maybe he did… at least for another three nights.

I slowly walked barefoot across the hardwood floor until I was a foot away from him.

“Undress me,” he said.

My eyes narrowed for a second as I considered his order. And it was an order. The uncertainty was what would happen if I refused.

But no matter how this started out and how it would end, I wanted him. I was turned on by the way he was. I liked that he was so confident that nothing could touch him. I liked how sometimes his eyes lit up with amusement. I liked how his hands felt on me and how he made my body submit to his.

And most of all, I liked that when I breathed in his scent, it comforted.

I also had no delusions as to what this was and once I fulfilled my obligation, Kai would disappear and I’d move on with my life without him invading my every thought.

I lightly placed my hands on his chest then undid the tiny buttons of his pinstriped dress shirt. When I reached the bottom, I had to take off his belt that had a leather casing attached to it for his knife.

I unbuckled it and it slipped from his waist, the weight of it hanging in my hand. I’d never held a weapon before. Any kind of weapon, and it felt powerful and magnetic and scary as hell to know that in my hand I held something that had more than likely killed. Or maybe it hadn’t. Maybe it was all a game. No matter what it was, I didn’t like the knife and I tossed it on the floor. It made a loud clunk as it landed.

I untucked his shirt from his dress pants then undid the last three buttons so the material parted.

My breath stopped when my gaze hit his chest and his name tumbled from my parted lips in a breathless gasp. “Kai.”

Angry, cruel, scars crisscrossed his skin. Some were raised white lines, others faint, but as my eyes trailed from one to the other, I couldn’t stop the tears from welling.

What had been done to him? Who did this? Why?

I slowly ran my hands up over the blemished skin, touching the horror of what looked like…. It was torture. It had to be. There was no other explanation for it. I shuddered at the thought as I traced one line after the other with the pads of my fingers.

When I finally looked up at him, he watched me, expression hard and unflinching. I didn’t understand what was happening. It was a clash of my fear, my desire and my compassion colliding.

“Kai… what… who did this?”

He didn’t say anything.

“Why? How could anyone do this to you?” A tear slid down my cheek and his lips pursed together, eyes darkening as his gaze followed it until he raised his hand then gently wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. “Kai? Please, tell me this won’t happen to my father.”

He didn’t say anything for a minute and my worry escalated at the thought of the danger my father was in. “No one will touch him. Or you.”

He said it with such certainty that I believed him. He’d kept his word so far and there’d been no reason for him to. He obviously worked for some powerful people who had no qualms about hurting or killing anyone. But Kai was protecting me. I knew that with every part of me.

“Finish what you started, London.”

I slowly ran my hands up his chest to his shoulders then slipped off his shirt. I turned to place it on the back of the chair when his arm curved around the waist. He swung me around so my back was against the door and the shirt fell from my fingertips, forgotten as his body pressed into mine.

That was it.

All control faltered for both of us as I fumbled with the button on his pants while his hands were all over me, scorching, hard and unforgiving. I unzipped his pants and they fell to the floor. He stepped out of them and kicked them away while he kissed my neck.