Chapter 7 Chapter 7
REYNA
“Bella, I do not have a crush!”
“Then why are you looking like someone just showed you a picture of a shirtless man?”
I nearly choke on my juice.
“Bella!”
She slaps the table, laughing. “Oh, my God. There IS a man!”
“Keep your voice down!”
“Who is he? Is he handsome? Is he rich? Is he dumb? I need details, Rey. I’m your best friend. This is literally my job.”
“You’re unemployed in the friendship department.”
“And yet you’re still paying me in secrets. So, who’s the guy?”
I open my mouth, then close it. Because the truth is, I don’t know what to call whatever this is. Curiosity? Irritation? A temporary lapse in judgment caused by a man who looks like he was personally designed to test my patience?
Whatever it is, I can’t tell her. “Seriously Bella, it’s nothing…”
Before Bella can interrogate me further, her phone lights up on the table. She glances at the screen, and her eyes widen.
“Oh, shit.”
“What?”
“Thirteen missed calls from my father.”
I stare at her. “Thirteen?”
“He probably thinks I’ve been kidnapped, murdered, and buried in a ditch.” She snatches up her phone. “I need to call him before he sends half his security team looking for me.”
“Tell him you were busy being a terrible influence on me.”
“He already knows that. It’s why he doesn’t like you.”
I gasp. “Your father loves me.”
“He tolerates you because you have a pretty face.”
“Bitch!”
She laughs as she gets up to make the call, and I shake my head, smiling despite myself. A few minutes later, she returns, but the amusement has disappeared from her face.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“Not really. My dad needs me at the hospital.”
My smile fades. “What happened?”
“He says it’s nothing serious, but you know how he is. He won’t explain anything over the phone.” She grabs her bag. “My driver is already on his way. Come with me, please. I don’t want you going home alone this late.”
I glance at the time.
12:15 a.m. Shit.
The thought of returning to the Valenti mansion makes my stomach tighten. With my father away until tomorrow and my stepmother out for the night, I’d hoped to enjoy a few hours without anyone watching my every move. Going home now means returning to the same suffocating walls, the same ugly memories, and the same stepbrother I would rather avoid.
Still, I can’t go to the hospital with Bella. I need to be home before my father returns.
“I can’t, babe. I’ll order a ride. Don’t worry about me.”
“Rey—”
“I’ll be fine. Call me when you get there, okay?”
She hesitates before nodding reluctantly.
We settle the bill and head outside together. The night air is cooler than I expected, and the street is quieter now, with only a few cars passing along the road.
We’re standing near the entrance when a familiar voice calls out.
“Hey, ladies. Leaving already?”
I turn to see one of the men who approached us, mostly Bella earlier when we entered the restaurant. His name is Michael, if I remember correctly. He has blond curls, dark glasses, and the kind of easy smile that makes him look approachable.
He’s good looking. I’ll give him that.
And, unlike certain Russian mafia kings, he doesn’t look as though he might order someone buried for breathing too loudly.
“Hey,” Bella replies brightly. “You still here?”
“Johnny had to leave, but I decided to stay a little longer.” Michael’s gaze shifts to me. “I was hoping to get your friend’s number before she disappeared.”
Bella looks at me with an expression that says Oh, we’re definitely discussing this later.
I give her a warning look.
She ignores it.
“Rey, this is Michael. Michael, this is Reyna, but I call her Rey because she’s too dramatic to deserve her full name.”
“Excuse me?” I turn to her. “You’re the one who nearly gave your father a heart attack because you couldn’t answer your phone.”
“And yet I’m still the prettier one.”
“Debatable.”
Michael laughs. “I can see you two have known each other for a while.”
“Since we were five,” Bella says. “She’s been a pain in my ass ever since.”
“You’re welcome,” I tell her.
Her phone rings again, and she looks at the screen with a grimace.
“That’s my driver. He’s here.” She turns to me. “Please call me when you get home, Rey. And don’t forget what we talked about.”
“I won’t.”
She gives me a quick hug before hurrying toward the car waiting at the curb. I watch until she gets inside, then turn back to find Michael looking at me with an amused smile.
“So,” he says, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Can I have your number now?”
I should probably say no. I don’t know him, and the last thing I need is another complication in my life.
But then my mind betrays me again.
Dark eyes.
A deep voice.
A wicked smile.
Killian Kozlov has no business occupying this much space in my head. He’s supposed to marry Isabella, and I have a wedding to an old man looming over me. Whatever strange fascination I have with him needs to end before it becomes something I can’t control.
Perhaps flirting with another man will help. Besides, Michael seems nice enough.
I take one step closer to him and try to give him what I hope is a seductive smile. “You can have my number, but I must warn you that I’m a very demanding woman.” Big lie. I’ve never even gone on a proper date before.
His eyebrows rise, and then his smile widens.
“I’m sure a beautiful woman like you would be.” He takes a small step closer. “How about I take you out sometime? My father owns a yacht, we can sail on the sea with good food, good music, and excellent company.”
“Your company or mine?”
“Both, if I’m lucky.”
I laugh, surprised by how easily he makes me smile.
There. This is normal. This is what talking to a man should feel like. No threats, no mind games, no feeling as though I’m standing too close to the edge of something dangerous.
Just a handsome man flirting with me.
I can do that.
“Fine,” I say, holding out my phone. “Put your number in.”
His grin turns triumphant. “See? I knew you liked me.”
“Don’t ruin it, Michael.”
He takes my phone and enters his number before returning it to me. When he hands it back, his fingers brush mine, and he doesn’t immediately step away.
Neither do I.
He looks at my mouth, then back into my eyes.
“Can I kiss you, Rey?”
The question catches me off guard.
For one brief second, I hesitate. Not because I think he’s unattractive, but because I haven’t kissed anyone in so long that the idea feels unfamiliar. My last real crush is practically ancient history, and my current problem is a man I should never have been thinking about in the first place.
But Michael is right here. He’s handsome and sweet. He’s asking instead of assuming.
And you know what? Maybe I need to stop being too careful and letting someone else dictate my thoughts or behavior.
I give him a small smile. “Yes.”
He moves closer, giving me enough time to change my mind. I don’t.
Instead, I put my hand on his shoulder and rise slightly onto my toes, meeting him halfway. I’m doing this just because I want to. Not because I’m trying to prove anything.
Michael’s face is only inches from mine when a voice cuts through the quiet night.
“Step away from her.” The words are low, cold, and unmistakably dangerous.
My entire body stiffens in shock. Absolutely not.
Not now.
Michael turns toward the voice, his expression shifting from surprise to confusion. Before either of us can say a word, a tall figure steps out of the shadows beside the entrance.
Killian Kozlov stands behind us, his gaze moving from Michael’s face to the hand resting on my waist. Something dark flashes across his face, and the air around us suddenly feels colder.
“Um… is there a problem?” Michael asks, straightening.
Killian doesn’t even look at him. “Remove yourself.”
Michael glances at me, then back at Killian. “Listen, man, I don’t know who you are, but—”
Killian closes the distance between us in two long strides. “Then allow me to introduce myself.”
Before I can react, Killian reaches out and pulls me away from Michael and straight against his chest, one arm locking firmly around my waist.
A startled gasp escapes me.
“What the hell are you doing?” I demand, pushing at his chest.
He doesn’t release me.
Instead, he looks down at me, his dark blue eyes burning with an intensity that makes my breath freeze despite my best efforts.
“Didn't I ask you to stay out of trouble?”
“Talking to a friend is trouble?!!”
“No,” he says quietly. “You were too busy trying to kiss him.”
My cheeks burn with outrage. “That’s none of your business!”
His jaw tightens. For one terrifying second, I think he’s going to shoot me or something because of how furious he looks.
Then he turns his head toward Michael.
“Leave now.”
Michael’s expression hardens. “She can speak for herself.”
For the first time, Killian looks directly at him. And he smiles.
It isn’t a pleasant smile.
“You should be grateful I’m giving you the chance to walk away, boy.”
“Killian!” I snap, trying to wrench myself free. “Let me go!”
His arm tightens around my waist, holding me against him as though he has every right to decide where I stand and who gets to touch me.
Then he lowers his mouth close to my ear.
“Careful, firefly.” The familiar nickname sends a spark of fury straight through me.
“You don't get to order me around. You're not my future husband for God's sake!"
For the first time since he appeared, the amusement disappears from his face. His fingers tighten around mine.
“Get in the car, Reyna.”
I try to pull away again. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
His eyes flick toward Michael, then return to me. “Then I suggest you give your friend one last look.”
A chill crawls down my spine. “What are you talking about?”
Killian leans closer, his voice dropping so low that only I can hear him.
“Because if you don’t get into my car right now, this will be the last time you see him.”
My heart slams against my ribs. I look at Michael, who is still standing by the curb, confusion and fear written on his face.
Killian is really threatening to kill my friend if I don’t obey his orders. And from the feral look on his face, something tells me he would actually do it in a heartbeat.
Jesus Christ.
