{Julian’s Pov}
I shouldn’t have kissed her. I leaned against the wall in the hidden room, staring at the photo of my mother with that baby. It wasn’t me. And I had no damn clue who it was. But I couldn’t focus on that. Not right now.
Because all I could think about was Hailey. Her mouth on mine. Her body pressed against me like it belonged there. She kissed me back. That was the problem.
I told her it changed nothing, but that was a lie. It changed everything. She wasn’t supposed to get under my skin like this. She was supposed to be a problem. A storm to ride out. A thief who took my legacy. Instead, she was fire, and now I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
I lit a cigarette. The lighter clicked too loud in the silence.
“i***t,” I muttered to myself.
By the time I made it back upst
