Ava hadn't expected to feel the weight of Kai's touch long after his hands had left her body. But that night, lying alone in the guest suite she had chosen on purpose, the ghost of his grip still burned against her skin. Every nerve pulsed with memory. And it wasn't just the sex—it was the way he looked at her afterward, like he had tasted something forbidden and wanted more.
She didn't like being wanted. It made things messy.
The moonlight streamed through the wide bay windows, catching the edge of her silk robe. She walked to the minibar, poured herself a glass of whiskey, and sat by the window with her knees drawn up. The city lights blinked back at her like stars had descended to earth.
She needed to refocus.
Lucien had agreed. The deal was set. In two days, Ava would be planted inside Kai's corporate tower—this time, not as a guest or a pawn, but as a player.
And Kai couldn't stop her. Not if he wanted to keep his war with Lucien from exploding.
---
Kai knew everything. Or almost everything.
The moment Ava stepped off the elevator and onto the marble floors of Kai Dominion Enterprises, she felt the temperature change. Every pair of eyes followed her. Men stared. Women judged. The receptionist swallowed her envy and pretended to smile.
"Ms. Sinclair? Mr. Draven is expecting you."
Ava's heels clicked like gunfire as she followed the assistant to Kai's office. She wore black slacks and a crimson silk blouse that dipped low in the back, exposing a strip of bare skin like an invitation.
The office door opened.
Kai stood by the window, his back to her, clad in a gray tailored suit that made him look carved from stormclouds. He didn't turn.
"So this is how we're playing it now?"
Ava shut the door behind her.
"I warned you I'd be unpredictable."
"You warned me," he echoed, turning slowly, "but you didn't say you'd bring Lucien Cross into it."
"You killed every other man who tried to stand beside me. Lucien's the only one you can't touch."
Kai crossed the room in a single breath, crowding her against the wall, his hand pressed flat beside her head.
"Don't test me."
She smiled. "But isn't that what turns you on?"
He growled low in his throat and kissed her. But this wasn't heat. This was fury restrained. His mouth punished her, his grip bruising. And Ava gave it all back. Her nails raked across his jaw, her hips grinding against his, her breath stolen like a thief in the dark.
They didn't undress. They tore.
Kai pushed everything off his desk and bent her over it. Her blouse ripped. His belt clanged. Her moan echoed through the glass windows that shielded them from the world.
---
"You're playing a dangerous game," he said after, breathless, his hand on her thigh.
"And you're addicted to danger."
He smiled grimly. "I'll break you, Ava. One way or another."
She rolled over, touched his chest.
"Then you better hurry. I'm not waiting forever."