He would play both sides of the coin while they were married, pushing her to work all while putting down her small cosmetics company every chance he got, and then when it became a global sensation, he tried to take all the credit and consume all the profits. Luckily, my mother was smarter than him. She documented everything. Secretly recorded him verbally abusing her. Took photographs of her bruises when he was physical. Could prove his promiscuity. My dad didn’t have a leg to stand on, but that didn’t stop him from trying to make our lives a living hell. It was pretty rough for a long time, but once we were out from under his thumb, the freedom was phenomenal.
Freedom. That’s what I need. Freedom from the fucking crazy that has plagued my life.
I turn the shower on and rip my clothes off as the bathroom fills with steam.
I’m washing off the whole bad experience with Ky Parish and then hibernating under my covers for the rest of my life. Okay, that’s a bit dramatic. Maybe just for the rest of the night.
4
Ky
I pullup to the obnoxiously pretentious mansion settled on a hillside in the Malibu Hills. We’re so close to the ocean I can hear the waves crashing in the dark.
I can’t fucking believe I’m here. I can’t fucking believe I’m actually doing this. Just looking at the front door makes me drip with disdain. I can’t believe my father actually lives in a place like this. It’s a far cry from the modest, one-bedroom condo he left behind. Or the dated, drafty bar I inherited when he walked away. The Lion’s Den may be two studs short of a shithole, but it will always be my home away from home. It will always be the place I feel most myself. Most at ease. Surrounded by the people I trust the most. The name is appropriate. It is a den — a den of solace and of protection. I still can’t believe Kira strolled right in. The girl has got some balls, I’ll give her that, even if my guys nearly scared the holy living shit out of her. She left with her pride shaken but intact. It’s more than I can say for others who dared to enter the den.
I collect my bearings, banish all the rage into the pit of my stomach, and dismount my bike. Here goes all the shit.
I ring the doorbell and wait, blowing hostile air out of my mouth. I ring the bell again, still waiting, punching my fist against my hand.Come fucking on.I bang on the door this time, straight up annoyed.I know you’re here, Snow. Your little red Matchbox is parked in the drive.
To hell with all fucks. I try the door handle. To my surprise, it’s unlocked. I see myself in.
“Kira?” I voice, but the house is so quiet that her name echoes. Walking slowly through the extreme beach house outfitted in all white, I absorb my surroundings. The place is absurdly rich, and pristine, and so unlike my father’s taste. This has to be the makings of her, his new wife, and her decorous daughter.
I continue through the house, making my way to the stairs. I creep up the staircase, on the lookout for any sign of life. Jesus, it feels like I’m climbing forever before I make it to the second floor. That’s when I hear it, the running water carrying faintly down the hallway. I should probably stop right here and wait for her to come out, but where’s the fun in that?
My interest, andahem, my excitement piques, as the thought of a quick glimpse of Kira’s naked body proves a high probability.
I follow the sound, passing several rooms until I find the one that’s hers. I walk in, not a creak under my boot alerting my presence, and poke around her room. It’s as white and pristine as the rest of the house, with a huge, ornate, king-sized bed situated right between two gigantic sets of French doors that lead out to a sweeping terrace overlooking the pool and the vast Pacific.
Fucking hell. These people don’t need for nothin’. A spark of anger ignites inside me. All this shit. All the overindulgence, the lavishness, the flagrancy. No wonder Kira just waltzed into my bar without a second thought. She’s probably never been denied a thing in her life.
I’m curious if she cried on the way home after I kicked her out on her ass. It shouldn’t, but the thought scratches at a depraved part of my soul. The idea of her suffering tickles me on an all-too-dark level.
I shake off the wicked feelings, not wanting to fall back down that black, disturbing rabbit hole. The place I found myself after my father abandoned me and everything he’s ever known.
I crack my knuckles and my neck, the stress tightening my tendons. That’s when I notice the silence. The shower has been turned off. Like the creeper I have suddenly been reduced to, I stalk across her dark room and peek through the crack in the door to her bathroom. I’m consumed by what I see. A dripping wet Kira, skin perfect and tan, hair long and thick and sun-washed blonde, and body like a goddess blessed straight from the heavens. I grab my crotch in pain. If I thought I wanted her before, I more than fucking want her now. More than fucking yearn or desire or crave. I fucking ache for this woman. The lust brought forth by just the sight of her. It’s inhuman, ungodly, a demonic possession. I’ve met her all of once, and she has a hold on me like none other before her. Salivating as she rubs herself dry, I squeeze my cock to alleviate the pulse that is struggling to take hold of my entire body. When Kira slides the towel down her torso to pat between her legs, all hell breaks loose in my pants.
“Fuck,” I murmur, fighting back the flare of arousal. That’s when she notices me. Her eyes fly to the door as she wraps the towel around her naked form. There is visible fear on her face. If I doubted her act at all this afternoon, I definitely don’t now. I know fear. I understand it. It has breathed down my neck, danced in my eyes, and taken hold of my heart.
“Who’s there?” She freezes on the spot. I say nothing. I know I should make my presence known, but being caught a creeper? Not my MO. I’ve never had to creep on a woman a day in my life. It’s not a trait I want to adopt now.
Kira suddenly moves, grabbing something off the vanity, and rushes the door. Her little body doesn’t have enough force to barricade through me and the door, so she ends up propelled back on her ass. I open the door and stalk in, finding my very alluring Snow in a very compromising position.
“Were you going to attack me with a hair brush?” I laugh. The idea is utterly preposterous and utterly adorable.
“It’s solid steel.” She works quickly to cover up her half-naked body.
“You don’t have to on my account.” I stare down at her like the starving wolf I am.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Ky? How did you even get in?” Kira stands, clutching the cream-colored towel to her chest.
“Door was open.” I thumb behind me.
“What door?”
“Um, the front door.”
“No.” Kira shakes her head feverishly. “That’s impossible.” She pushes past me like a cute little raging bull. “I locked the door,” she insists as I follow her down the hallway. “I put on the alarm.” She continues down the stairs in a flurry to the entryway. “I’m not crazy.” She punches a few buttons furiously on the keypad.
