Chapter 6
Mila’s POV
My feet froze. He cannot be doing this–not when Franny is so close and could see us. The onyx ring on his index finger glinted under the rays the setting sun streaming through the glass–fronted wall of the shop.
“What about this?” he asked, pointing at a pendant on a silver chain displayed on the counter. Our hands were just a breath apart. I remembered those fingers brushing against my lips yesterday, and I could imagine what it might feel like to fall back into his arms. I shook off the thought and tried to step out of his personal space–or so I thought–but my feet seemed to have a mind of their own. I ended up flat against his chest. Damn it!
He circled his arms around my waist, à faint sinile playing on his lips. He’s devastatingly beautiful. His hold was steady, but my heart was racing
“Are you always this clumsy, or is it me who makes you slip?” His voice turned my insides to liquid, but his words made me narrow my eyes.
Fuck off, I wanted to say, but instead, I swallowed the words and settled for a quiet, “Sorry” I stepped back, putting some distance between us. If I didn’t react, he’d lose whatever interest he had. Don’t act Keep it neutral. The strategy almost always worked. I couldn’t let him know how much he affected me
“Don’t be,” he said, tilting his head. The darkness in his eyes could’ve turned anyone’s blood to ice, but I was drawn to them. The danger they held pubsed through my veins, yet behind all of it, when he looked directly at me, there was something akin to tenderness. That mix might just be lethal to my hear
I stepped back again, and he followed. I raised a hand to stop him, but he only came closer, his eyes challenging me and chipping away at my resolve
“Mr. Knight you should stop,” I said firmly. I needed to make things clear. Avoidance wouldn’t work with this man.
“What did I tell you to call me!” His tone held a threat, turning husky toward the end. Before I realized it, I was cornered between two shelves. hidden from view.
“You have to stop,” I repeated, looking straight into his eyes. I wasn’t afraid of him.
op what?” He raised a hand, resting it on the shelf beside me, caging me in. Suddenly, I felt small under his intense gaze.
“Stop
“No, I don1” The teasing glim in his eyes and the faint smile softened his face, heat blooming in my checks. I looked away.
“You’re
““Flirting with me,” I said through gritted teeth. Saying it out loud felt ridiculous. “You’re married. Maybe you don’t have principles, but I do!” My- annoyance was evident, though it frustrated me more that my body betrayed the ground him. I tried to push him away, but he caught my hand. pressing at flat against his chest
“You’re being absolutely inappropriate—ah” Something tuggest painfully at my hair. I reached back, but he was quicker, concern flashing across his face. He came closer, inspecting it above my head, his scent–like freshly brewed coffee–enveloping me.
-Don’t
cas, warmth washing over
move, love,” he murmured, has other hand cradling the back of my head. I relaxed as he untangled whatever it was, wa
“Here you go. Are you alright?” He straightened my hair, sofily pasting the back of my head. Looking at him now, he seemed younger, more bandhume Our eyes met briefly before I looked away.
He pulled something out from my hair. “I think dus likes you too” li was an anklet with a Our of my strands of hair was caught in it. It was beautiful.
hua thun sal
ver chain and a pinkish–blue shell at the center
“Besides,” be added, his gaze trailing from my eyes to my lips, then lower. “I haven’t started being inappropriate yet.”
1 grabbed his chin, forcing him to look up, warming hum salesly
“And technically. I’m not—‘
couldn’t hear the rest of h
rest of his words
“Mila!” Franny called from the back of her shop. My hund fell from his chin, but he caught it mid–way. I looked at him, wide–eyed and pleading, as Franny’s footsteps grew louder.
10:00 AM
Chapter 6
He kissed my knuckles and smiled. “I’ll g
ere his lips had touched.
He disappeared quickly, leaving me to exhale in relief, though my skin still burned where
Dinner was just as boring as it had been the day before. My father had already spoken with Mr. Knight, and I could see the stiffness in his posture. Adeline’s bitter glances in my direction only added in the tension. It seemed like this trip hadn’t gone the way they’d hoped.
The only silver lining was that no one had seen me with Killian, Was I the only one hyper–aware of his presence? Kate was doing her best to keep the conversation alive, with Adeline joining in reluctantly, and Framy occasionally chiming in. At some point, Franny mentioned something about the poolside, though I wasn’t paying much attention. Then Kate suggested we spend our last slay relaxing by the pool. Franny eagerly agreed, followed by Adeline and my father. Even Nicolai nodded along.
Kate turned to me with a smile that felt practiced. It always seemed like something was missing when she played the gracious host,
I nodded absentmindedly and returned to my food.
“What do you say, honey!” Kate’s voice was li
was light, but there was an undercurrent of ex
expectation.
I’ll let you handle it. I won’t be joining tomorrow.”
That made me look up. Killian’s words were directed at Kate, but his eyes were fixed on me. Kate froze mid–sentence, unable to ask the question severyone was thinking.
“I have errands to run,” he added, his gaze unwavering. It felt as though the explanation was meant for me alone.
I looked down quickly, trying to shake off the strange weight of his stare. Why does it even matter? He’d be gone tomorrow, and so would I. Whatever was happening between us would end before it could begin. I excused myself early, skipping dessert, and walked outside to the front garden
Sitting on one of the garden chairs, I tried to clear my head. But Killian’s piercing gaze lingered in my mind like a shadow I couldn’t escape. Why can’t he think about his image for once? My family was obsessed with appearances. That’s why they had let me attend college instead of hiding me away until my twenty–first birthday. After my grandfather died, everyone knew of my existence. If I didn’t make appearances or attend college, it would have damaged the Anderson reputation. That tiny crack in their control gave me the sliver of freedom 1 had now.
But Killian Knight? He was a different story entirely. A married man. A master of an organization that literally breeds killers. Everything
was wroug
Let out a tired sigh.
Thanking of me!
of marks
I gasped and turned sharply, using his eyes capturing mine. He was close enough to kiss
Kilhan was leaning over the back of my chair. I immediately looked away, all too aware of his proximity.
“No,” I said firmly, denying him outright
about this
Why would I?” I scoffed, folding my arms against my chest. And what do you know of my mu?” with a new resolve: 111 lust you know I am not
He caround the chair, utting beside me with one arm resting behind me
“What? Interested in me?” The tile of his head, the teasing smile, and his sharp gaze unnerved me
“Are you sure about that
“We are not close enough for you to finish my sentences,” I said, my voice nearly breathless.
| to face him this time, bracing myself
“Oh, darling, we are close enough for me to know every thought you thank between your breaths” he said, leaning closer. My eyes couldn’t look
and I cannot bork away frorn you
“I know your cannot look away from me,” his breath brushed against my lips, straling the air from my lungs, “and I cannot look
My heartbeat quickened at his admission
“For a moment, don’t think“
And I didn’t dunk. He leaned in, and I leaned forward. Our lips met
