And there, we both fell asleep, my world completely changed.
I just didn’t know if it was for the better.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
I woke and rolled over. It was still dark outside.
Kai sat on the edge of the bed, his back to me, his elbows resting on his knees. I sat up, scooting over to slip my legs around both sides of him. He tensed at first, then relaxed as I rested my cheek to his back, breathing him in.
He caught one of my hands, tugging it to his chest. “Do you regret anything?” he asked, his back rumbling with the question.
I held still a moment. He was asking so much.
“No.” I relaxed. I squeezed his hand. “Not one thing.”
He raised our hands, pressing a kiss to them. “Good.” Instead of turning to me, he reached behind him and dragged me around to straddle his lap. I raised my arms, resting them on his shoulders. I grinned at him, easing back to take in his entire face.
His hair was tousled. I could see soft lines of tiredness around his mouth, but his eyes were alert. Awake. He reached up, his fingers sliding to cup the back of my head.
He drew me close, my forehead touching his. “You’re here now.”
“I’m here now.”
“I have things to do here.”
“I know.” My hand twitched. He felt it, raising his eyebrows.
“Will you be okay with that?”
“I came to see my father.” But there was more. I’d come for him too. I just didn’t know it until I got here.
He nodded, his fingers tracing my sides. “I want to remove your father from his company.” He paused, observing me intently. “And I want you to replace him.”
I leaned farther back to really take him in.
There was a guardedness, a resigned expression behind his eyes—as if he was warning me, but also waiting for…something. I didn’t know what.
“Okay?” I asked.
“Are you willing to do that? I can have someone replace you, if you want. If you’re willing to help me.”
I grinned. “We’re back to the original proposition then?”
His grin was rueful, but ominous at the same time. “You came here of your own volition. I won’t send you away. I’ll only make you do something if it’s for your safety. That’s it. I promise.” He looked me over. “I don’t promise often.”
My mouth was suddenly parched. “Okay. I mean…” I licked my lips. “Yes. I’ll do what I can.”
“I need to remove your father from the Bello Company, and I’ll put you in his place. If you stay, it’s up to you. It can be real, or it can be for show. I can have Tanner come down to act as your spokesman. That’s all up to you.”
Why was he telling me this?
What else was going to happen?
But I nodded. “I’ll do it.”
And as soon as I said those words, the butterflies were back, and this time they had steel-edged wings. That meant so many things: I would reveal myself as not being dead to the public. I would have to face my father. It had been a nightmare for half my life, a revenge-filled dream, a goal, and now—I gulped—a reality. A whole tornado kicked up inside of me.
“What about my cousin?” I asked.
Kai shook his head, closing his eyes and tugging me against him. I looked into his eyes, seemingly closer to him than I’d ever been before. He wasn’t guarded now. He seemed to be seeking comfort in me, in my embrace.
Some of the tornado lessened.
He moved to kiss my neck and breathed out, “She won’t be a problem.”
I tipped back, a finger under his chin as I raised his face.
“Why not?”
A shudder went through his chest. He gripped my hand and held it between my breasts, his thumb sneaking out to graze one. “Because she’s a non-factor. She’s not his daughter. She’s not related to him by blood at all. She is his mistress. That’s it.”
“Not girlfriend?”
“Mistress is more appropriate. Trust me.” His gaze hardened. “She doesn’t matter to him, not after he sees you again.”
“Is she the only one who might have a claim to his position, though?”
“Only if they were married. They’re not. I checked.”
“I thought they were engaged.”
“An engagement doesn’t beat out a daughter. And when you’re presented to him, he’ll champion you. I promise.”
The dark shivers I’d begun to equate with Kai went down my spine again. He was planning something, but this time, I wasn’t on the other side. This time, I knew I needed to trust