Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger

19. Moving On

Chapter 19

Moving On

I t’s been years since I slept so soundly. Kai is pressed against me, his arms wrapped around my body. I’m barely able to move, but it’s soothing to be held like this.

I nuzzle my face into his chest and inhale deeply, taking in his scent. A friend once told me that a man’s smell reflects his worth, and if that’s true, then Kai’s worth is incalculable.

“Good morning, love,” he greets roughly.

“Hi. Did you sleep well?”

“Better than ever.” He nuzzles my shoulder.

“Are you going to let go of me soon?”

“Never.” Kai gently kisses my upper lip as if testing the waters before deep diving. “Do you want me to let you go, now?”

“What? No!” I gush out without thinking it through.

But a pressing need interrupts our intimate moment. My bladder protests, reminding me of its existence.

“Kai,” I start, a flush of embarrassment creeping up my neck.

He pulls back slightly. “Huh?”

“I... uh... I need to go to the bathroom.”

Understanding dawns on his face, and he chuckles. “Yeah, me too.”

I disentangle myself from his embrace, immediately missing his body’s warmth. With a sheepish smile, I make a quick escape to the bathroom, followed by him.

When he returns, I’m snuggled up with a pillow.

“Better?” he teases, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

I hide my face in the pillow, trying to regain composure. “Much, thank you.”

He wiggles in the space beside me, inviting me back. “Come here, cutie pie.”

Giggling, I settle back into his embrace.

“I’m not letting you go anywhere this time,” he says before crashing his lips on mine.

My response is immediate, my lips parting as I welcome his intensity. The world outside our stolen sanctuary fades away in the dim morning light. He breaks away for air, his eyes searching mine in a silent question, and I answer by pulling him in for another kiss.

Please, Seito, let me be courageous enough to ask him to stay with me.

“Come on. We must hit the road if we want to reach our destination at some point. The drive isn’t going to happen by magic,” I say.

He snaps his fingers and closes his eyes. “Did it work?”

“Yes.”

His eyes fly open, and he looks at me before bursting into laughter. It’s the deep, carefree chuckle I only heard once.

I love that sound.

We gather our things, and while Kai takes a shower, I pick his jeans up to fold them into his bag. I grab his jacket and pull it to my nose to inhale Kai’s scent.

A buzz from my phone announces a text message, and I put the jacket down to reach for my phone on the desk.

And the world ices over.

Eric Sullivan —

Hey, Princess, I hope you…

I close my eyes, centering myself before a sad smile paints the picture of memories I once cherished on my face. Like a war scar. The water running in the bathroom drums in my ears. It sounds like a giant fall. A cascade of free water splashing down on a past I don’t want to belong in anymore.

I don’t know why, and it doesn’t make sense, but I know in my guts Kai is my future. Eric belongs to the past.

It’s like I can finally uncurl each finger wrapped around my throat until I can breathe again. And my smile warms.

Since I got out of the hospital three months ago, I haven’t opened or answered his texts, thanks to Victor and his “breakup sponsorship.” Now is the time for something bigger.

I release myself of the guilt that once threatened to suffocate me and breathe with intention before pressing on the transfer icon. Arietta will receive months of manipulative, cruel texts from Eric to me. Maybe some dick pics as well. She’ll know what to do. She always does.

I type away a message that repairs a bit of my broken heart.

Ari, I’m deleting Eric for good. Do not call me yet. Please hold on to these until I’m ready to deal with it. I’m so sorry for not telling you. I wasn’t strong enough to share that part of my darkness until now. Your friendship kept me alive. I love you. P.S. I wore the dress. Winky emoji face.

- Care Bear.

I press “send,” and tears roll down my cheeks in silence. The fatigue and stress of always being on high alert make me crash to my knees, shaking like a newborn gazelle trying to find a way to stand on wobbly legs.

The reply makes my heart twitch

Ari —

Not calling you... But Care Bear, damn! WTF?

But my best friend’s text doesn’t stop there.

Another message comes through:

Ari —

Are you shitting me? He sent you this stuff? I’m livid. He’s (ramen bowl emoji). Imma make a bonfire with his (ballerina emoji) for us to dance around. I love you to pieces, but I can’t stand knowing this creep hurt you. Heart emoji.

Oh, god.

Me —

We’re both on vacay here, captain. Not dealing with this until I return. Then we can (spaghetti emoji) his (ballerina emoji).

I hope Kai is going to take care of it the way we talked. With me. But Arietta could have one smash... out of friendly sharing.

Ari —

Ooh. Talking dirty to me, now. I love it. You know I could have him (military helmet emoji), right? EASY.

Arietta tends to be so bright and colorful that I sometimes forget she’s a high-ranking officer in the military and, therefore, has formidable reach and means. Even if Donovan’s a cop, he’s first and foremost her sub. I’m not familiar with all the details of their dynamics, but Arietta is Don’s priority—the four-inch letter tattoo of her name on his chest proves it, and so does the O ring leather bracelet he always wears.

Me —

Stand down, captain.

Arietta doesn’t take orders well, but it’s worth trying.

Ari —

For now. Kissing emoji.

My heartbeat thunders in my ears, and I press a hand to my chest, trying to steady myself.

I delete Eric’s text without reading farther, the finality in the motion more liberating than I expected.

No matter what the message says, it’s irrelevant. But I’ve never been strong enough to erase him from my contacts.

Part of me thought I’d go back to him. Be one of those sad, sad statistics who end up in the hospital again and again until I die.

Delete contact?

“Yes,” I whisper as I finally erase him from my life.

Block?

“Yes.”

Air flows in my lungs, and I’m glad it does for the first time in years. I’m happy my heart beats. I clutch the phone to my chest, the warm glow of healing pumping in my veins and slowly erasing the gloom that overshadowed every second of my past.

I call Victor, but I am unable to resist sharing that small success with him. After three rings, it goes to voicemail. Anxiety pricks at me. That’s weird. I text him.

I deleted him. It’s done.

My thumbs hover over the “send” icon. My breath catches, fingers trembling.

Why am I hesitating?

I press “send,” my heart rolling like a tumbleweed in a tornado.

Unknown —

Require clean up?

What the fuck? Is my phone on surveillance? By who?

Confusion freezes me, my jaw dropping. My heart hammers, fear and disbelief intertwining.

I might connect the dots well, but I fail to link those events. Information doesn’t add up. I’ll have to ask Kai.

But then, my phone rings, causing my brain to reset. Incoming call: Victor Salem.

“Hi…” I answer, voice unsure.

“Hey, Care Bear. Congratulations! That’s a big move,” the old man’s voice reaches into my core, and I smile. “We’re talking about the ex here, right?” he asks with a half-joking tone.

“Who else would I be talking about?”

“Victor Salem, security of any kind.”

I gather mentally everything I know about Victor. The text must’ve been an error. I think my phone number might be on the wrong list. Eric probably scrawled my number in a public bathroom somewhere, out of spite. That makes more sense to me than Victor asking if I killed a man and need assistance.

Silence briefly blankets the line before he chuckles, dry and husky. “Just joking, Care Bear. How do you feel?”

I exhale, the phone pressed against my ear. “Lighter, somehow.”

“That’s my girl.” Victor’s pride washes over me through the wire. “You just took back your power, you know that?”

The bubbling warmth of victory spreads through my chest as I acknowledge the weight of his words. “Maybe,” I admit, still a little unsure.

“How’s the vacation going so far?”

“Surprising,” I say while drying my tears with my palms.

“How so?” he asks, voice lower.

“I made a friend.” I don’t want to say too much too soon, but Kai is more than a friend. So much more.

The shower stops.

“I have to go, but I just wanted you to know I’m good, better than I expected.”

A sigh comes through the lines, and a bing announces a shared file.

“Enjoy yourself, Care Bear.”

“Bye.”

I open the shared file and heave out a relieved sigh. Victor sends a picture of him holding a green chip. Three months. My eyes narrow as I don’t recognize the background of the picture. It’s not Victor’s place, that’s for sure. It doesn’t look like the hospital, either.

Where is he?

But that’s when Kai steps out, water dripping from his toned body, a towel slung low around his waist.

My phone drops on the bed, my eyes locked on his black hair, wet and slicked back. He pauses to look at me, eyes intense as if sensing the shift in the atmosphere.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, crossing the room in two long strides.

“Nothing,” I lie, hoping he won’t pry further into the shadows of my past.

Sunlight streams through the curtains and catches in his eyes, revealing flickers of something I can’t quite place.

His jaw works, a sure sign he’s sorting through his own concerns. His gaze drifts toward the window and lingers there, lost in a thought only he knows. Kai grabs my hand and sits on the bed.

And just like that, the most painful half-smile I ever saw draws itself on Kai’s lips, and he closes his eyes. “We can pretend it never happened if you... if you have regrets about last night.”

My eyes trail over his hand covering mine, the dragon tattoo appearing to eat my palm. Last night, I rode that dragon.

“No,” I say, brushing my thumb over his wrist.

No regrets, but revelations.

His grip on my hand tightens ever so slightly, a silent plea for something more.

Can we be something?

But what I want to say isn’t precise enough to voice it.

Are you allowed to have a girlfriend?

“Okay,” he breathes out and stands, pulling me up with him. Our hands remain linked. “We need to pack.”

In silence, we begin folding and packing our clothes into duffel bags. But my thoughts are consumed with figuring out how to ask Kai to stay with me. To leave behind his old life and start something new together.

Silly me.

“Marianne?”

My eyes hook on his, and I swallow. “Stay with me in Nay.”

The words slip out, unguarded. The atmosphere thickens with my daring proposition, every breath heavy with possibility.

Kai studies me, his expression inscrutable.

He leans in, allowing me to count his lashes. “I thought you’d never ask,” he whispers.

The tension that had been coiled tight in my chest unravels. “Really?”

“Yeah,” he murmurs, thumb tracing my jaw line. “I’d love that.”

He takes my hands and places them on his chest. The gesture pulls me closer, his heartbeat a strong, steady rhythm beneath my fingertips.

My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I smile so wide it hurts. “Are we going, then?” I ask, trying to change the subject.

“Wherever you want, whenever you want.”

My eyebrows practically reach my hairline in surprise. Struggling to appear composed, I hear a fly buzzing around us before bursting out into an awkward laugh.

“I love traveling with you,” Kai says, sounding offended.

“Where should we go first?” I finally ask.

He takes a step closer, causing all sorts of vulgar words to run through my mind. Kai isn’t joking around.

“Mexico,” he declares, his intense gaze never leaving mine.

“You just want to get me drunk on tequila, don’t you?”

Yes, please!

“Just a little,” he admits with a smirk. “It’s easy to bribe people there, too.”

Kai is just one step away now. We study each other intently, lost in our own parallel universe. If I focus hard enough, I hear the faint sounds of the black hole that pulled me into this moment.

“It’d be hot,” I whisper, and my heart bolts with anticipation.

“Yes,” Kai responds. “We could have a house on the beach with huge windows so you can read in the sun.”

My eyes close involuntarily as vivid images flood my mind—lazy days spent lounging in the warm sun with a stack of books by my side as if on cue. “Kai...” I breathe.

The dream.

The knotted threads in my chest loosen.

“You would write my true crimes stories, love. I’ve got a ton. And I’d make sure you have unlimited ice cream...” he adds, his words like a sweet melody.

Somehow, my ribcage can expand more.

“And great coffee...” I say with a dreamy sigh.

His chuckle rumbles from his chest and reverberates through the space between us. “The best coffee.” But his smile disappears. “And me,” he whispers.

Oh, god, yes. “What if you get bored?” Of me. Like Er- no!

Kai’s eyes sharpened, and he gripped my waist with a possessive hold. “Impossible,” he says, the word wrapped in iron. “You’re everything, Marianne. Without you, I’m just a grim wandering soul.”

My pulse quickens at his sincerity. I press closer, feeling the beat of his heart through my clothes. It was as if a storm cloud had taken human form, with thunder rumbling in his chest and lightning crackling in his eyes.

The idea of Mexico dangles just out of reach—an oasis promising escape and a new beginning.

“Is it going to be dangerous?”

I don’t know why I asked because I already know the answer.

“Yes, but…” His hands caress down my back. “I’ll protect you, I promise.”

He won’t leave me.

His gaze doesn’t waver. The corners of his mouth twitch into a grin, half-amused, all serious. “I’m not leaving you, remember?”

I hope that’s a promise.

My pulse races, and my lower lip quivers. “You better not.”

Kai stares at me, all sorts of glints and glimmers exploding in his eyes, causing me to feel self-conscious.

“You’re sure about this?” I whisper, my arms snaking around his neck.

He leans down until his lips brush my ear. “Never been surer of anything in my life.”

My heart operates more efficiently, an unquenchable restlessness driving every pump as if it were suddenly done searching for the peace it could never find.

And its name is Kai.

I open my eyes slowly, meeting his gaze again.

Oh, god...I’m in love with him.