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The gray kitten was tiny, with white stripes around his nose. He seemed vulnerable, a little ball of fluffiness, unlike the hulking man who had just rescued him from a tree.
I looked at Kristoff. The moment our eyes met, that involuntary spark zinged through my body. I couldn’t stop it to save my life. There was no one on this planet who made my body and soul come alive like this man. None who had the power to hurt and destroy me like he did, either. That was what love was; giving another person the key to your heart, to hold it in the palm of their hand, to cradle it gently as he had with the kitten, or—in my case—to maul me into bits and pieces, squeezing me until I bled.
I didn’t want my body to react to him like it did. I cursed underneath my breath. Of course, he immediately noticed. Kristoff was a master at reading my body language. Too bad he didn’t have the same level of proficiency when it came to my heart.
For a moment I thought I saw a slight smirk on his firm lips, but it was gone before I could make a crass remark about it. It made me want to lash out at himandjump his bones. This was the reason I’d given him the silent treatment and refused to look him directly in the eye for days. It had been torture, yet given me peace of mind since it was the only way I could control my body around him.
Now a tiny ball of fluff threatened to destroy it all.
Kristoff immediately seemed to notice my weakness. He gave me a look, then brushed a finger under the kitten’s chin. The creature mewled and pawed at his finger. When Kristoffcontinued to pet the animal, its claws lashed out and a streak of blood appeared on his bronzed hand.
He frowned at the kitten.
I smiled at it. Clearly there was no love lost between the two.
“He’s so fluffy.”
“It might be aher,” he said.
I cradled the tiny fluffy ball. “Doubtful. Women don’t react to you the way this one does. Do you, Caesar?”
Kristoff quirked a brow. “Caesar?”
“Lately, I seem to have a thing for ancient Greeks.”
He crossed his arms in front of his chest. I quickly looked away, concentrating on the kitten, instead of salivating over his taut muscles.
“Yet it took you ages to finish reading the Odyssey.”
A pang of regret and nostalgia hit me as I was reminded of all the time we’d spent in the library together. Him going over his work, me reading a book in my favorite chair in the corner. Other than the sex, that was what I missed most. Just spending a lazy Sunday together. Kristoff was a busy man running an empire, yet he’d always made time for me. I never felt as safe or content as when I was in his presence. Perhaps that was what angered me the most; he’d taken away my comfy place.
I looked up at him but had no retort. I was still spitting mad for what he’d done, but most of all I was hurt because I’d poured out my heart to him, and I’d only been a cog in his war-of-vengeance machine.
“It did take me ages to read that book,” I admitted. “But I’ll never forget the story, the people in it, or how it ended. Like Athena, my memory is long.”
His eyes narrowed; he clearly got the message. Our gazes locked in a battle of wills. I refused to look away, as did he. A thousand unspoken words were exchanged between us. I couldalmost see the invisible tendrils arranging them together in sentences full of accusation.
I couldn’t look away, and judging by his tightened jaw, neither could he. Fascinated, I took in how his hands clenched and unclenched as if he had great difficulty keeping them from touching me. My shattered heart rejoiced. Every night this prince of darkness slept next to me, refusing to leave our bedroom. And every night I accidentally on purpose touched his firm body with my ass or rested my hand on his chest. Not once did he touch me back, though I could see, and feel, he was just as turned on as I was.
Every feeling, from hints of passion to regret and lust was etched onto his face for me to read. The unmovable kingpin, the man who was the best at hiding his feelings, was laid open bare before me. My heart started to pound through my chest, the sun’s heat not the only thing warming me. In that moment I wanted to let go of the mantle of rage, hurt, and my vow to leave him.
The only thing on my mind was that we didn’t have long enough before everything fell apart. I’d only been with him for a few days, rejoicing in the fact that he finally saw me, reciprocated my feelings, before he had forced me into a marriage. Those days, which seemed ages ago instead of only days, had been the best of my life.
“Katya…”
His voice was that of a seductive magician. I couldn’t stand the longing in his tone. I stepped closer to him, yearning to be near him.
Then the kitten made a sound, and the spell was broken. I blinked and stepped back. A muscle in his jaw jumped.
“He needs food.” Without giving him time to react, I spun around and bolted.
A muffled curse followed behind me and I smiled. I also made a decision in that moment—there was no way I was leaving that man. Not before I fought for him, and us. It felt as if I’d just crossed the Rubicon.
***
Caesar didn’t have a collar so I couldn’t figure out who his owner was. I wanted to keep him, but I knew that if it had been my kitten who had gotten lost, I’d want him back.
“You want some milk, fuzzy one?” I asked as I took him into the kitchen.
