Deception. Betrayal. Mistrust.
It seems the closer Rayne gets to the truth, the more she finds herself wanting to run away from it. It's complex and terrifying-more than she ever fathomed.
New family members, good and bad, pop out at her like a br...
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"𝗪here are you taking me?"
Mason's grin crossed from ear to ear as Kai lifted his hand and caught his palm just before he teetered too far to one edge. Balancing on the raised stone structure, Mason was finally taller than him. And when he regained his equilibrium, he was warmed by the fact that Kai didn't let go.
His fingers intertwined into his with stability and strength—the type he never thought he would feel for someone who turned out to be such a reckless endeavor. But maybe that was why the sensation liquidated his guts and melted his glass heart until the walls were nothing but sand and the beats no longer ricocheted shards.
"We're almost there," he replied simply.
"That's not an answer," Mason pouted.
Kai shook his head, not responding any further than that, to which Mason took as his opportunity to jump off the wall and onto him. His laugh bounced between their chests as Kai let out an aching groan and stumbled into the road while Mason righted himself, still on the sidewalk.
"Are you trying to get me killed?"
"Maybe," he grinned.
"You don't want to marry me that badly, huh?"
A cheeky smile obstructed the lines of his lips as Kai stepped toward him and hooked his hands on his waist, drawing him close in a way he couldn't resist even if he tried. Their bodies collided, and Mason's eyes fluttered at the halfway-racing tune bumping beneath the flesh he wanted to make his home.
Kai's thumb delicately grazed the underside of his jaw, pushing up to give him access to the most intimate part of him—his mouth. He leaned in and brushed his lips against Mason's in such a quick manner, neither of them had time to close their eyes—to savor it.
And it brought a new level, a new growth, to the butterflies lingering in his gut. Months ago, he would've sought refuge in his stormy-blue eyes, desperate to hide in his hurricane, and now, glancing at him with a sparkle he could only hope was reserved for him, clear sincerity shown back.
Mason knew he would love him for the rest of his life.
No matter how many times he ran away, no matter how many people or actions stood between them, he would love Kai until his last breath. And he knew without a shred of doubt, Kai felt the same way.
"I want to marry the hell out of you," he whispered.
The corners of Kai's mouth quirked up in a languorous way that had his knees buckling. His fingers scaled down his chin, over the hills and valleys of his upper arms, all the way to his left hand—left ring finger—almost as if he was still making sure this was reality.
The heat of his skin burned hotter than the ring glistening in the morning light.
"You better."
Kai gave him one last peck before interlocking their fingers and pulling him down the rest of the sidewalk.
