Kissed by the Killer

Chapter Eighteen: Rhythm of Ruin.

Vincent Virenson.

Violet Virgilson. God help me, the very thought of her made my blood run hotter than any gunpowder I'd ever handled. She was here-my apartment, my territory-and every instinct in me screamed both warning and exhilaration. She wasn't supposed to be this... disarming. Dangerous. Irresistible. I had spent years building walls, mastering patience, honing control-and then she waltzed in, hair wild, eyes bright with defiance, and tore all of it apart with one sarcastic quip.

She sat on the edge of my leather couch, knees tucked under her, arms wrapped around them like a human fortress. Her gaze flicked to the floor, then back to me, challenging me without a single word. I leaned against the doorway, hands in my pockets, trying to keep the grin off my face. That was always the first mistake: trying to look unbothered when she existed. Impossible.

"Relax," I murmured, voice low, deliberately slow, dragging out each word so it could crawl into her ears and ignite every nerve. "You're in my apartment. You're safe."

Her laugh-soft, incredulous, a little bitter-echoed against the walls. "Safe? From you? That's rich."

"Exactly." I took a step closer, letting the shadows stretch across her like a predator circling its prey. "I'm rich, dangerous... and apparently, irresistible. Safe has nothing to do with it."

She flinched slightly, though she tried to hide it behind a tilt of her chin and a smirk that was way too controlled. "Irresistible, huh? That's the polite way of saying I'm about to die from whatever disaster you've planned."

"You like disasters," I countered, taking another step until I was mere inches from her. "You've always liked the dangerous option."

Her eyes narrowed. "And you think I want... this?" She gestured vaguely to the space between us, the tension thick enough to choke on.

"I don't think. I know," I said, voice dropping to a growl. "I've seen it in your pulse, your fingers, your stupid, stubborn jawline. You're dying to admit it. Hell, you almost did last night."

Her nostrils flared. "Almost doesn't count."

"Almost counts when it's you," I said softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face, letting my thumb graze the skin just below her cheekbone. "Because you never almost do anything without meaning it."

Her chest heaved, sharp inhale catching in the air between us. "Vincent-"

"No," I interrupted, pressing closer, letting the tip of my nose graze hers. "Not yet. You're not allowed to speak yet. You listen. You feel."

Her hands clenched in her lap, nails digging into her skin, but her body betrayed her. She leaned slightly forward, subconsciously seeking the proximity she claimed to hate. My grin widened.

"You're a terrible influence," she hissed, voice trembling with the mix of anger and desire I craved like oxygen.

"And you... love it," I replied, letting the words slide like a velvet dagger into her mind.

She blinked, startled by my certainty. "I-no. I don't..." Her voice faltered, giving me exactly what I wanted: vulnerability wrapped in defiance.

I leaned even closer, lowering my voice until it was a dangerous whisper. "You do. You know it, Violet. You're in my apartment. Not yours. Every muscle, every nerve, every thought... mine, now. Admit it."

Her head tilted, fighting, challenging. "I'm not..."

I silenced her with a finger pressed gently-but firmly-to her lips. "Stop pretending. Your body isn't lying. Your mind wants to, but your body... your body already surrendered. And I will remind you, every single day, until you stop denying it."

The tension crackled, a storm waiting to break. My fingers lingered, tracing the line of her jaw down to her collarbone. She shivered, but didn't pull away. Did she dare? Or did she crave this as much as I did? The answer was obvious in the way her breath hitched, shallow, rapid, as if every inhale was a battle between reason and need.

"You're impossible," she whispered finally, voice low, dangerous, and I almost laughed at the irony.

"And yet... you're here," I countered, eyes darkening with hunger, fingers brushing over hers as if testing the truth of her submission. "You didn't leave. You could have run the second you saw me, but you didn't. You stayed."

Her lips parted slightly, a confession unspoken. "I... didn't run," she admitted, eyes flicking up at me, bright with both fear and a challenge.

"Exactly." I grinned, leaning down, close enough for our foreheads to almost touch. "You didn't run. And neither will you. You're mine tonight."

She pulled back suddenly, rolling her eyes, feigning exasperation, but I caught the tremor of her pulse beneath my palm. "Mine? That's... bold, Vincent. Do you hand out ownership certificates now? Or just assume things?"

I smiled darkly. "I assume. I take. I take what I want."

Her jaw dropped slightly, not from shock-she wasn't that naïve-but because she knew I was utterly serious. "You-"

"Shh." I pressed my lips to her ear, letting my words caress her skin like fire. "Every argument you have left... I'll win. Every protest, every warning... pointless. And don't think about Rudolpho. Don't think about your vows. Don't think about anyone but me, because right now... I'm the only thing that matters."

Her back arched involuntarily, a silent, human admission that she felt it too. Desire. Temptation. The sharp, delicious line between restraint and surrender.

"I-" she started, then stopped, trembling, eyes darting away.

I cupped her face, forcing her gaze back to mine. "No. You finish. You say it. You don't hide it from me."

"I..." She swallowed hard, eyes glistening. "I... want... this. I want you."

The confession hit me like a bullet fired straight to the chest. Sweet, dangerous, intoxicating. My grin widened, teeth flashing. "I knew it. And I'll remind you every second you try to deny it."

She groaned, dramatic and frustrated, but it only fueled the fire between us. "You're insane."

"And you love it," I whispered, brushing my thumb over her lower lip.

Hours passed-or maybe minutes; time bent around us, an endless loop of tension, teasing, and touches too dangerous to ignore. We were a battlefield and a dance floor at once, words clashing like swords, fingers brushing like sparks striking steel. Every glance, every smirk, every breathless laugh was another step deeper into chaos.

She tried to fight me, but I was patient, methodical. Every teasing remark, every sharp comment, every sarcastic barb I hurled her way wasn't just for amusement. It was strategy. Control. Seduction. War. And I was winning.

"You're ridiculous," she muttered finally, voice tight, chest rising and falling with shallow, heated breaths.

"Ridiculous? Maybe." I leaned back, pretending nonchalance, though my pulse hammered like war drums. "Dangerous? Absolutely. Irresistible? You tell me."

She rolled her eyes, cheeks flushed. "You're... not exactly subtle, you know."

"Subtlety is for cowards," I said, voice low, dark, almost a growl. "And you, my dear, deserve a war, not a whisper."

She laughed, sharp, musical, but the sound had a tremor. "You're going to ruin me," she said softly, almost in surrender.

"I don't ruin," I corrected, stepping closer. "I claim. I conquer. I make you see how much better life is when you stop pretending and just... let go."

Her breath hitched, lips parting slightly. She tried to protest, tried to find some moral high ground, but the battle was already lost. And I smiled, knowing she knew it too.

"You're unbelievable," she whispered, eyes dark with confusion, desire, and just a hint of fear.

"And you're hopelessly hooked," I said, my grin widening as I closed the last few inches between us. "Hopeless. Deliciously, infuriatingly hooked."

Then came the knock. Sharp, insistent, jarring against the charged air of the apartment.

We froze. Violet's eyes widened. "Who-"

I didn't answer. I already knew. And my grin shifted into something darker, sharper. Dangerous.

I could feel her trembling beside me, not from me-but from what waited beyond the door. Someone had crossed the line into our territory.

I placed a finger over her lips. "Stay," I ordered softly, almost a growl. "No matter what happens, don't move."

Her pulse raced, every nerve alert, as the knock came again. Louder. More demanding.

I reached into my jacket, fingers brushing the gun tucked inside. A smirk tugged at my lips. "Perfect timing," I whispered. "The rhythm of ruin is about to play."

And with that, I moved to the door, ready to face whoever dared disrupt us, knowing this night-this symphony-was far from over.

This is my Rhythm of Ruin!