Page 183 of King of Ruin

Without another word, Xavier carried her straight to the door.

He stopped in front of the keypad and lowered his gaze to her hand as she reached forward. His eyes followed every movement of her fingers as she entered the passcode, silently committing each number to memory. The lock clicked open.

Xavier pushed the door open with his shoulder and carried her inside.

The automatic lights flickered on the moment they stepped inside the apartment, flooding the space with a warm glow.

Xavier didn't stop walking.

Still holding Elise against him, he carried her straight into the living room before finally setting her on her feet. The moment she was standing, he reached for the purse hanging from her shoulder, pulled it off, and tossed it carelessly onto the floor. Her phone disappeared from her hand the next second, landing on the coffee table with a dull thud. Then he dug into the pocket of his trousers, pulled out his own phone, keys, wallet, and cigarettes, and threw them into the corner of the room without so much as a glance.

His entire focus remained on her.

"What are you doing?" Elise asked, staring at him in shock. Her brows knitted together as she looked around at the mess he had made before her gaze snapped back to him. "What's wrong with you?" she demanded, taking an instinctive step backward. "You just broke into my apartment, Xavier. What the hell are you doing?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, he closed the distance between them, slipped his hands around her hips, and lifted her off the floor once again as though she weighed nothing.

"Xavier—"

Ignoring her protest completely, he carried her farther into the apartment.

Two doors stood at the end of the hallway.

He pushed open the first one with his shoulder, glanced inside, and saw a bedroom. Without stopping, he backed out and opened the second door instead.

The bathroom.

Still carrying her, he stepped inside and reached toward the wall, his hand sweeping across the switches until the lights came on.

The bright light flooded the room.

He walked directly to the glass shower enclosure, slid the door open, and stepped inside with her still in his arms. Only when they were standing beneath the showerhead did he finally lower her onto her feet.

The moment her shoes touched the tiles, Elise shoved both hands against his chest, trying to push him away and slip past him.

"Xavier, move." Her voice came out breathless, equal parts angry and confused. "What is wrong with you?"

He didn't let her leave.

The moment she tried to slip past him, his arm wrapped firmly around her waist, pulling her flush against his body before he reached behind him and turned the shower on.

Ice-cold water came crashing down over both of them.

Elise gasped, her entire body jolting as the freezing water soaked through their clothes within seconds. The fabric clung to every inch of them, her hair quickly plastering against her face and shoulders. Instinctively, she pressed closer to him, trying to escape the cold, but Xavier didn't move. He stood there with the water pouring over both of them, his eyes never leaving hers.

She tried to push past him again, but he only tightened his hold around her waist.

Then his hand slid to the back of her head.

Tilting her face up, he lowered his mouth to hers once more.

This kiss was different.

Gone was the frantic desperation from the elevator. Instead, he kissed her slowly, almost reverently, as though trying to convince himself she was really there. His lips moved gently over hers, lingering with a tenderness that contrasted sharply with the fierce grip he had on her waist. Every kiss carried everything he had been unable to say—the fear of losing her, the jealousy that had been consuming him, and the desperation that had left him unable to think of anything except her.

The cold water continued to cascade over them, drenching them completely, but neither of them seemed to notice anymore.