Twins of Ruin

chapter five

Ariella’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking as the unmarked car pulled up to an old building on the edge of the city

The driver, an older man Kai had apparently trusted with her safety, gave her a respectful nod but said nothing as she stepped out.

The building looked abandoned from the outside with faded brick windows on the lower floors. But when she typed the code Kai had sent into the heavy metal door, it clicked open smoothly.

She climbed two flights of stairs, her heart hammering louder with every step.The door at the end of the hallway opened before she could knock.Kai stood there in a black t-shirt and gray sweatpants, his hair still damp from a shower.

There was an intensity in his eyes as he pulled her inside and locked the door behind her.His apartment was nothing like the penthouses she knew. It has exposed brick walls, a large worn leather couch, a kitchen that looked barely used, and a heavy punching bag hanging in one corner.

Dim lamps cast warm pools of light. It smelled like him, like soap, faint leather, and something uniquely Kai.

“You came,” he said, in a low voice. He didn’t waste time. His hands framed her face as he kissed her, deep and slow, like he’d been replaying their garden kiss for hours

Ariella melted into it, her fingers curling into his shirt. When they finally broke apart, she rested her forehead against his chest.

“I shouldn’t have,” she whispered.

“My father has security watching closer now. I told them I was meeting an old friend from boarding school.

”Kai’s hands slid down to her waist, holding her there. “Then we don’t have long. Come sit.”He led her to the couch and pulled her onto his lap so she straddled him and she was close enough that she felt the heat of him through their clothes. His palms ran up and down her back in soothing strokes.

“Tell me what happened after I left the garden,” he said.Ariella traced a finger along the scar on his jaw.

“Damien was suspicious. He kept watching me the rest of the night. He said he doesn’t like secrets.” She let out a bitter laugh.

“The irony.”Kai’s grip tightened. “He doesn’t get to demand honesty while they force you into this sham. Does he touch you?”

“Not really. A hand on my back. A kiss on the cheek.” She felt him tense beneath her. “Kai… he’s trying to be good to me. In his own way. That almost makes it worse.”

His eyes darkened. “Good?” He cupped the back of her neck with his thumb stroking her pulse point.

“Does he make your heart race like this?” He kissed her throat.

“Does he make you sneak out in the rain just to breathe?”“No,” she breathed.

“Only you.”she said in a breathy voice

The kiss that followed was hungrier. Kai flipped them so she lay beneath him on the couch, his body pressing her into the cushions.

His mouth moved from her lips to her neck, leaving a trail of heat. Ariella arched into him, a soft sound escaping her.“God, Ariella,” he murmured against her skin.

“I’ve thought about this every night since you first showed up at the fights. You in my space. You choosing me.”“I am choosing you,” she said, threading her fingers through his hair.

“Even if it’s only in the dark for now.”He pulled back slightly, eyes searching hers

“For now.” The words sounded like both a promise and a threat.

“But I’m not a patient man. And watching you stand next to him last night nearly drove me insane.”She touched his cheek.

“You were really there the whole time?”

“I stood outside, in the trees like some obsessed shadow.” He gave a self-deprecating smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I told myself I’d just make sure you were safe. Then I saw his jacket on your shoulders and I wanted to break his arms.”

The raw possessiveness in his voice should have frightened her. Instead, it sent warmth blooming through her chest.

“I left it on the chair,” she said softly. “I didn’t want to wear it.”Kai’s expression softened a fraction. He rolled them again so she lay on top of him, her hair falling around them like a curtain.

“Tell me what you want,” he said.

“Right now. No bullshit about duty or family.”Ariella hesitated, then answered honestly. “I want to stop pretending. I want to fall asleep next to you instead of lying awake thinking about you. I want to stop feeling guilty for wanting the wrong brother.”

“I’m not the wrong brother,” he growled. “I’m the only one who sees you. Not the Grayson heiress. Not the alliance prize. You.”

Tears pricked her eyes. She kissed him again, slower this time, pouring every conflicted feeling into it. His hands roamed her back, slipping under her sweater to touch bare skin. The contact was electric.They stayed like that for a long time, kissing, talking in low voices, trading pieces of themselves.

“I never wanted the family business,” Kai admitted later, as they shared a bottle of whiskey on the floor with their backs against the couch.

“Dad pushed Damien into the spotlight the day we were born. I was the spare who got too loud, too angry. So I found my own ring.”

Ariella rested her head on his shoulder. “You’re incredible in it. The way you move… it’s like the rest of the world disappears.”He chuckled darkly.

“It does. Until you started showing up. Now the only thing that disappears is my common sense.”

She laughed, but it faded quickly. “The public announcement is in four days. There’ll be photos, interviews, the whole circus. I’ll have to smile beside him and act excited.”

Kai’s jaw clenched. He took her hand and laced their fingers together.

“Then you act. But every time they take a picture, remember this.” He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Remember whose bed you really want to be in.”

The intensity in his gaze made her shiver. She straddled him again, cupping his face.

“I’m scared, Kai. Not of you. Of what this could cost us. My father could cut me off completely. Your family—”

“Let them try.” His hands settled on her hips, holding her steady. “I’ve survived worse than being disowned. But losing you?” He shook his head. “That’s the only thing that terrifies me now.”

They kissed until the city outside grew quieter. Until Ariella’s phone buzzed with a warning text from the driver that her window of time was closing.

Kai walked her to the door, reluctant to let go. He pinned her against it for one last kiss

“Text me when you’re home safe,” he said. “And Ariella?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t let him kiss you. Not on the mouth. Not yet.” His voice dropped. “That still belongs to me.”She nodded,

“It does.”The drive back was silent. Ariella stared out at the passing lights, her body still humming from Kai’s touch, mind spinning with everything they had shared.

She didn’t know that Damien had already received photos from a private investigator. Blurry images of a woman in a burgundy sweater leaving an underground fight venue. Or that Victor Visconti had started asking questions about his troublesome younger son’s latest distractions