In Love With My Stepbrother

Chapter 2: A Taste of Control

The heavy click of the private elevator’s lock sounded like a trap snapping shut.

I was pressed flush against the cool glass of the mirror, but the heat radiating off Kai’s body threatened to melt every bit of my remaining composure. His towering frame blocked out the light, his amber eyes burning with a dark, possessive intensity that made my heart hammer uselessly against my ribs.

"Let go of me, Kai," I breathed, trying to sound firm, but the tremor in my voice betrayed me.

"Or what, Sienna?" His deep voice was a rough whisper against my collarbone. He leaned in closer, his lips brushing the exposed skin of my neck as he spoke. A shiver shot straight down my spine, pulling a soft gasp from my lips. "Are you going to yell? Call security? You know everyone in this building answers to me."

He raised one long, calloused finger, lightly tracing the line of my jaw down to the hollow of my throat. Every place his skin touched mine felt like it was catching fire. He wasn't touching me inappropriately, but the sheer power and unspoken promise in his touch was suffocating.

"I’m not the weak little girl you used to push around," I whispered, holding his gaze even as my pulse raced out of control. "I don't belong to you. I don't belong to anyone."

Kai smirked, a dangerous, arrogant curve of his lips. His hand shifted, his broad palm flattening against the small of my back, pulling my hips an inch closer to his hard frame. The subtle contact sent an electric shock through my lower belly.

"You live under my roof. You eat at my table," Kai murmured, his thumb lightly caressing the bare skin of my waist where my dress cut low. "And as long as you carry the King name, no other man touches you. Archer West learned that lesson tonight. Do you need a reminder too?"

Before I could answer, the elevator dinged, announcing our arrival at the penthouse suite.

The doors slid open, but before I could step out, Kai grabbed my wrist—not tightly enough to hurt, but with an iron grip that left no room for argument. He pulled me out into the dimly lit, luxurious foyer of his private quarters. The floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the glittering skyline of Los Angeles, but my focus was entirely on the man dragging me toward his study.

"Where are we going?" I asked, tugging against his grip.

"We need to talk about your little stunt tonight," Kai said, shutting the heavy mahogany doors behind us. He let go of my wrist, tossing his suit jacket onto a leather couch. He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his black dress shirt, exposing the thick muscle of his chest and the dark ink of his wolf tattoo sneaking up his throat.

I swallowed hard, forcing my eyes up to his face. "It wasn't a stunt. I came back because my mother asked me to."

"Your mother asked you to return for the family merger," Kai corrected, walking slowly toward me like a predator cornering its prey. "She didn't ask you to wear a dress that barely covers your back, or to flirt with my trashy teammates."

"I wasn't flirting with Archer! He grabbed me!"

"And you let him get close enough to touch you!" Kai’s voice dropped an octave, deep and vibrating with raw anger. He stopped right in front of me, his shadow completely swallowing mine. "Do you have any idea what kind of men attend these galas, Sienna? They aren't high-society gentlemen. They're wolves. And you just walked into their territory looking like a feast."

"I can take care of myself!" I fired back, stepping into his personal space, my chest rising and falling heavily. "I spent six months training! I'm not afraid of them, and I'm certainly not afraid of you!"

Kai let out a low, dark chuckle that sent goosebumps across my arms.

"Is that so?"

In a lightning-fast motion, he grabbed my waist and lifted me slightly, sitting me down on the edge of his massive executive desk. Before I could process it, he stepped between my knees, trapping me completely. His hands rested on the wood on either side of my hips, leaning down until our noses almost touched.

The scent of cedarwood, expensive bourbon, and pure male dominance overwhelmed my senses. I could feel the heat radiating off his chest, inches from mine. My eyes instinctively dropped to his lips—full, sharp, and dangerously close.

"Look at me," Kai commanded softly.

My eyes snapped back to his. His pupils were blown wide, surrounded by that hypnotic ring of gold.

"Your heart is racing, little sister," he whispered, his eyes dipping down to the frantic pulse throbbing in my neck. "Your skin is hot. You claim you're not afraid, yet every time I get close, you forget how to breathe."

"It's not fear," I gasped out, my hands gripping the edge of the desk behind me to keep from reaching out and touching his broad shoulders.

"Then what is it?" Kai asked, his hand slowly coming up to gently cup the back of my neck. His fingers tangled into my dark hair, holding me in place as his gaze locked onto mine. "Tell me what it is, Sienna. Tell me to stop."

The tension in the room was pulled taut as a wire. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to pull away, but my muscles refused to move. The unexpressed desire hanging in the air was so heavy I could taste it on my tongue. He was my stepbrother. It was wrong. It was taboo. But the dark gravity pulling us together was undeniable.

"You're playing with fire, Kai," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

"Then let it burn," he murmured.

Suddenly, a sharp knock echoed through the heavy oak doors, shattering the spell.

"Boss?" a voice called out from the hallway. "It's Marcus. We have a problem with the underground shipments in the docks. The West family is making a move."

Kai didn't move immediately. For three agonizing seconds, his golden eyes stayed locked on my lips, his thumb brushing over my lower lip in a slow, possessive stroke that sent a wave of heat straight through my body.

Slowly, reluctantly, he pulled back, stepping out from between my legs. The cold air rushed in to replace his heat, leaving me breathless and aching on the desk.

"Go to your room, Sienna," Kai said, his tone instantly shifting back to the cold, ruthless leader of the King syndicate. He picked up his suit jacket from the sofa without looking back at me. "And lock the door. Because if I have to come back up here tonight... I won't be so gentle."