HIS MAID

You Shouldn't Have Kissed Me

POV: Ameera

I told myself it was a mistake.

That the kiss meant nothing.

But when I woke up the next morning, my lips were still tingling like he’d branded them with a secret.

I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. My cheeks flushed red every time I remembered how his mouth tasted. How close he’d gotten. How much I wanted him to go further.

And worse… how much of me had wanted to let him.

I twisted the sheets in my fists and groaned into the pillow. “Get a grip, Ameera.”

I had no business craving a man like that. Not when my nanny’s medical bills were piling up. Not when I still had floors to scrub and dishes to dry. Not when I was his employee and he was my goddamn boss.

Killian didn’t show up at breakfast.

Which was fine. Great, even. Maybe we could pretend it didn’t happen. Maybe I could go back to being the invisible maid who cleaned with her head down and kept her mouth shut.

Miss Agnes narrowed her eyes at me when I nearly dropped a stack of crystal glasses.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Something like that,” I muttered.

“Stay sharp. He’s entertaining a potential investor tonight. Don’t ruin the silverware.”

Investor.

Right.

Back to business.

I kept my head down and did my job. Polished until my fingers hurt. But my mind kept replaying last night. The way he looked at me. The way his fingers curled at my waist like he was holding back something feral.

I shouldn’t want him.

But every time I blinked, I remembered the heat of his mouth.

That night, after the kitchen was cleaned and the guests were gone, I slipped outside for air.

The garden was cool and still. A soft breeze teased the hem of my uniform. I leaned against the railing and closed my eyes.

And then I felt it.

Heat. Behind me. Presence.

My body tensed before I even turned.

“I thought I told you to stay out of the dark,” Killian said.

My pulse skipped.

“I needed air.”

His voice was lower now. Rougher. “Air can be dangerous. Especially when it’s shared.”

I turned to face him, and regretted it instantly.

He looked like sin itself. Black dress shirt still unbuttoned at the collar. Hair a little messy. Eyes darker than night.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I whispered.

He took a slow step forward. “Like what?”

“Like you want to ruin me.”

He didn’t blink. Didn’t deny it.

“I told myself it was a mistake,” I said. “What happened last night.”

“It wasn’t.”

My breath hitched.

“I shouldn’t want you,” I whispered.

He closed the distance between us in one step.

“But you do.”

I swallowed hard.

His hand reached out, brushing a stray curl behind my ear. His knuckles trailed along my jaw, light as a feather.

“You’ve been in my head all day,” he said, voice barely audible. “Do you know what that does to a man like me?”

I shook my head slowly, breath trembling.

His palm curled behind my neck. “It makes me want to forget everything I promised myself.”

My lips parted.

And that’s when he kissed me.

It wasn’t soft this time.

It was fire.

Hot and urgent and demanding. His mouth claimed mine like it belonged there. His hand slid to my waist, gripping tightly. Our bodies molded together like we were created to collide.

I gasped when his tongue slid against mine.

He swallowed the sound like he’d been starved for it.

His hands were on my hips, pulling me close, like he couldn’t stand the space between us. One hand slid up to my ribs, his thumb grazing the underside of my breast through the thin fabric of my uniform.

I arched into him, heat pooling in my core, thighs clenched tightly. His kiss wasn’t just passionate—it was possessive.

And then—

He broke away, chest heaving.

“Dammit,” he rasped. “You’re going to ruin me.”

I could barely breathe. My legs were trembling. “Then stop kissing me like you own me.”

He didn’t flinch. “Maybe I already do.”

I stepped back, shaken, but not sorry. “You shouldn’t have kissed me.”

His lips curved, just barely. “And yet, you didn’t stop me.”

I didn’t sleep much that night.

But every time I closed my eyes… I saw the look in his.

And I wasn’t sure if I wanted to run from it.

Or drown in it.

****** *******

Ouu… did it just get hotter in here? 😏