DK steps aside, but not before I catch his scent. The same one that had been all over the hotel sheets. All over me. I struggle not to inhale as I walk past him.
“Gabriel, I’ll be back for the call,” he says behind me. “I’m going to walk Rayne out.”
“See if you can get her campaign secrets,” Diablo jokes.
DK laughs.
I don’t.
He’s the damn secret.
I wave goodbye to Millie and the staff, avoiding any small talk, and make a beeline for the elevator.
“Loo-nah,” he says. Soft. Intimate. My body responds with want, but my mind stays sharp.
“Don’t call me that,” I hiss, glancing around to check that nobody’s within earshot, then jab the elevator button. Once. Twice.
“We need to talk.”
I shake my head as the doors slide open. I step inside, and he follows. We’re not alone, so he stays silent, but I can feel his eyes on me over the heads of the other passengers.
When we disembark, I move fast. Panic. Optics.
“Just give me a minute,” he says, gently catching my wrist. “Please.”
I tell myself I don’t want to make a scene as I let him guide me to a quiet corner of the lobby, the warmth of his touch seeping into my skin.
I pull my hand back. “I can’t be seen with you like this—upset and freaking out.”
“I’m reeling too.”
“It doesn’t look like it.”
“My heart’s beating out of my chest.” He presses a palm to it. “I didn’t expect this. I didn’t know you were Rayne Webber. But seeing you there…” His voice dips even lower. “You’re as beautiful as I remember. I haven’t stopped thinking about you.”
The deleted app flashes in my mind, and before I can stop myself, the question snaps out. “Then why didn’t you contact me?”
Emotion fill his eyes. “Because you said you didn’t want the distraction.”
“So I wasn’t worth another shot? No attempt to see if I still felt that way after our night?”
“Luna, you were worth everything.”
I’ve been fooled too many times to fall for word candy. But DK didn’t strike me as a player. Our night rolls back in a vivid montage—the way he listened like I mattered, the sweet note he left behind, how he held me until I fell asleep. Nothing about it felt fake. But?—
“It would have led us here anyway. I’m running for mayor, and you’re Diablo’s campaign strategist. You stand on the other side. Against what matters to me. We can’t be anything else.”
That harsh reality settles between us.
“Luna—”
“Please.” I cut him off and extend my hand. For anyone watching. But mostly to draw a line I hope I can hold. “Good luck, Dakarai.”
He looks at my hand for a long moment before taking it.
“Good luck, Rayne.”
His grip lingers, letting me see the regret in his eyes.
