The sun was just starting to bleed through the sheer curtains, spilling soft gold over the room where they lay in disarray, tangled in sheets, tangled in each other. Alexis wasn't sure what time it was, only that Kai's arm was heavy across her waist, his presence still lingering, even if his breathing wasn't there to match it.
Because he didn't breathe.
Not unless he wanted to.
She should've moved. She should've gotten up and left.
But instead, she stayed perfectly still.
Kai was awake. Of course he was. He never truly slept, not like she did. His eyes were closed, but she knew he was watching. Listening. Always hyperaware of her.
"You're pretending again," he murmured, his voice low, lips brushing her shoulder.
She didn't deny it. "It's easier this way."
His hand slid slowly over her stomach, dragging goosebumps up her spine.
"Don't think about leaving just yet," he whispered.
She wasn't. That was the problem.
He rolled her over in one fluid motion, his strength effortless, his body pinning hers in place. His mouth crashed against hers, demanding, hungry.
The kiss that followed wasn't soft.
It was greedy. Wet. Possessive.
His hands roamed her body like he was trying to memorize her skin. She arched into him, already wet, already aching. He slid between her thighs, the tip of him rubbing right against her entrance, teasing.
"Beg," he whispered.
"Kai..."
"Say it."
She bit her lip, gaze locking with his. Her body was already betraying her, lifting into him, need raw and trembling.
"I need you."
He slid inside her in one hard thrust.
She cried out, nails clawing into his back.
He didn't stop.
Didn't give her time to adjust.
He fucked her with the kind of heat that left bruises. His mouth on her neck, sucking hard enough to mark. Her legs around his waist. Her head thrown back.
When she came, it was with his name on her tongue, her eyes wide and unseeing.
He followed, hips jerking as he spilled into her, voice ragged in her ear.
After, she lay against him, heartbeat erratic, trying to remember who she was.
But he didn't sleep.
He just watched her, fingers trailing idle patterns on her skin, eyes burning like midnight fire.
Eventually, she slid out of bed, pulling his discarded shirt over her sore body.
He didn't stop her.
She padded silently into the other room, her phone still in her bag. She pulled it out and tapped the screen.
Flight Confirmation: Frankfurt - Munich. Departure: 9 days.
Her breath hitched.
It had been ten.
Now it was nine.
She stared at the screen. Then hit refresh.
New Itinerary: 7 days until departure.
Her heart pounded.
It was like the universe was mocking her. A countdown she couldn't ignore.
Seven days.
She walked back into the room, standing at the edge of the bed, watching him.
Kai looked up lazily, but she saw the tension in his body, the way his muscles coiled, ready.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
She inhaled slowly. "I want to make a deal."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Seven days," she said. "We do whatever we want. Dates. Sex. Every dark, twisted fantasy you've got. But after those seven days… you'll never see me again."
He sat up, eyes narrowing. "Where are you going?"
She shook her head. "Does it matter? You won't see me after eight days."
He stared at her for a long moment. "You're giving me a deadline for obsession?"
"No. I'm giving me a deadline to survive you."
A tense silence stretched between them.
Then he stood, naked and lethal, and stalked toward her.
He cupped her jaw, leaning in close. "Fine. Seven days. But don't think I'll let you disappear so easily."
She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Then you'd better make them count."
He kissed her again.
And this time, it was war.