his forehead, and his knuckles were white from clenching them. Kai felt like a wall of pain he refused to tear down. I couldn’t imagine the responsibility of being tied to a family you hated. “I want nothing to do with the drugs or the violence. Abuse runs through these veins, and I escaped it as much as I could. I have to play nice to honor my mom, but there is no love between Lex and me. And if he hurt Violet…”
Kai’s eyes narrowed and turned a shade darker. He didn’t have to finish his sentence for me to understand exactly what he was thinking. It was in this moment that I knew, without a doubt, Kai did not kill Violet. His vulnerability softened my own anger, and before I realized what I was doing, I reached out and brushed his cheek with my thumb.
Kai looked surprised at my touch. The look on his face was enough for me to remember that he was grieving. I started to drop my arm, but he caught my hand in his and brought it back up to his face, the fresh stubble biting at my skin.
“Breeze,” he rasped as he moved his other hand to my waist and pulled me closer.
A million thoughts swam through my head all at once. Kai’s touch electrified every cell in my body. All I wanted was to feel good again, and his skin on mine pumped adrenaline through my veins. It was so wrong, and I didn’t want it to stop. I wasn’t thinking about anything. My mind was wholly consumed with Kai. His tenderness. His passion. His pain.
Kai moved his hand to the back of my neck and drew me in. Without hesitation, I reached up and brought my lips to his. He kissed me back fiercely. His mouth parted, and his tongue explored my bottom lip before breaking through to find my tongue.
Heat flooded my body, settling between my thighs. My worries were replaced with a deep need to be as close to Kai as possible. I pressed my body against his and held him tight as our tongues moved furiously against each other.
Kai’s hands wandered down my back and gripped my ass. He lifted me up easily, positioning my legs around him, and carried me to the bedroom. He laid me down on the simple black sheets and then lowered himself on top of me. His weight on top of me brought me back to reality. Oh my God, what are we doing?
“Kai…” I whispered, my voice full of pain.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen.” He pulled away from me, and his eyes cleared.
“I wanted it to,” I admitted. “But I’m just not sure it’s a good idea.” I started to stand up to leave.
“Stay,” Kai demanded, though his voice sounded deceptively tender. “Stay the night. I don’t want you going back to an empty house. I promise nothing will happen.”
I didn’t really want to go back to an empty house either; I felt safer with Kai. Lex was undoubtedly dangerous, and there was still so much to learn. I was shocked that Violet considered him a friend. “Okay.”
Kai gave me one of his oversized shirts to wear, and I got changed in his bathroom. The entire time I was in there, I obsessed about what we’d done. How could I do that to Violet? Why did I want to do it again? Once I came back out into the living room, a folded blanket and pillow were sitting on the leather couch, and Kai had already disappeared inside his partitioned bedroom, giving me space.
I stared at the door and gnawed on my lip. “Goodnight, Kai,” I whispered to the closed door before going to the couch and lying down. I cuddled into the blanket and closed my eyes, trying to let sleep take me away, but it wouldn’t come.
Visions of Lex and Violet held my thoughts hostage. Why would Violet go to Lex’s without Kai? It was the type of place she would never set foot in if she didn’t have to. I could imagine her crinkling up her nose at the flies circling the trash can.
Then images of Violet and Lex intertwined on ratty stained sheets invaded my thoughts. I didn’t want to believe that Violet was cheating on Kai, and definitely not with his brother. There had to be another reason for her going there on her own. I tossed and turned, wrestling with the idea of