SINFUL DESIRES 1

"Where the fuck are you?"

The text on the screen pulsed with Kai’s impatient energy. Jess stared at the glowing rectangle, her thumb hovering.

"Why don't you go and find me?" she typed back.

The three dots appeared instantly. "I'm not playing games with you, Jess. Where are you?"

She leaned back, a jagged smirk cutting across her face. "What are you going to do when you actually find me?"

"Nothing that you'll enjoy."

"Hmmm," Jess tapped out, the fabric of her blouse rubbing against nipples that had gone rock-hard at the threat. "I don't think so. I quite enjoyed last night. xx"

"I was giving you a let's-be-fair last night," the reply snapped back.

"Suuuure."

"You wouldn't be able to endure an actual punishment, Jess. You'd be fucking begging me to quit. Weeping. Fucking sobbing. But I wouldn't because you can't learn otherwise."

Heat flared low in her gut, a sharp, liquid clench that made her shift in her seat. She didn't have time to savor the ache. The screen changed. A notification from her brother, Ethan, slid over the chat.

Grades are posted.

The flirtatious heat died, replaced by a cold, leaden weight in her stomach. She navigated to her student portal with trembling fingers. One unread message from Professor Orion Welles sat at the top of the inbox like a digital executioner.

Jess, I'm disappointed in your performance. Come by my class to talk about your grade on the last test. If you are actually doing the reading, you know better than this. Don't want it to get back to your father that you failed again.

The words blurred. She’d spent three weeks locked in the library, caffeine-sick and hollow-eyed, memorizing every goddamn footnote. And still, she’d hit the dirt. If her father saw this—if he saw another failure—he’d cut the cord. No more tuition. No more Ashwood. Just the suffocating silence of the family estate and the slow rot of being the "disappointing Vaughn."

Her phone vibrated. Kai again. She swiped it into silence. The screen stayed dark for a second before lighting up with his name again. She slammed the phone facedown on the desk.

Kai Rylan's jaw ached from the force of his grind. He shoved through the glass doors of Jess's apartment complex, the security guard not even bothering to look up as Kai’s predatory stride cleared the lobby. He reached her door and hammered his fist against the wood.

Silence.

"Where the fuck is she?"

He pivoted on a heel and headed back to the one place she’d likely crawl to when she was being a brat: Elysium.

The club was a low-thrumming beast of bass and expensive perfume. Kai bypassed the main floor and stormed into Alethea’s office. His sister sat behind a mahogany desk strewn with the latest prototypes from their sexual wellness line—slick silicone and chrome.

"Did you see Jess?" Kai demanded.

Alethea didn't look up from a weighted glass toy she was inspecting. "Who?"

"The woman from last night. Is she here?"

Alethea’s lips quirked into a slow, knowing pull. "Why? Got a thing for her, big brother?"

"You're infuriating." He turned, his coat billowing as he stalked back toward the exit.

He hit the front door at the same time a body slammed into his chest from the street. The impact jarred him. Jess. She was hunched, arms wrapped tight around her middle like she was holding her organs in.

"Sorry," she muttered, her voice a raspy friction. She tried to push past him into the club.

Kai’s hand shot out, fingers clamping under her chin. He forced her head up. "Where were you—"

The words died. Her eyes were bloodshot, the rims raw and puffy. A single tear tracked through her foundation, leaving a pale streak against her flushed skin. He felt his grip soften instinctively, his thumb brushing the dampness away.

"What happened?"

"Nothing." She tried to jerk away, but he held firm.

"Don't bullshit me."

She bared her teeth, a trapped animal snarl. "I said, nothing happened! I'm here to fuck you, then leave. That’s the deal, right?"

Kai’s nostrils flared. He didn't say a word, just wrapped his fingers around her wrist and hauled her back inside, away from the biting fall wind.

"Off me!" She shoved at his chest the moment they cleared the vestibule. "You've got fucking tears in your eyes, Jess. What’s wrong?"

"Maybe someone face-fucked me as hard as you did last night," she spat, the venom thin and shaky. "Drop it. Why do you even care?"

"I'm not dropping it. And I'm not fucking you again until you tell me what’s going on."

That did it. Her bottom lip wobbled, the defiance crumbling into a ragged sob. She swung a fist, hitting his chest with a dull thud. "Why not?"

"Because you're a mess."

Her eyes went wide, the hurt fresh and bleeding. She turned, stumbling back toward the door. "All I wanted was to relax. You have to be an asshole? Fine. I'll be a mess somewhere else. With someone else."

She made it ten feet onto the Ashwood Promenade before Kai caught her. The cold air bit at them, but he didn't let go of her arm.

"Get off me. I’m going home."

"No."

"What do you mean, no? You don't get to decide—"

"I do when you're too hysterical to drive a straight line." He began pulling her toward his parked sedan. "Have you eaten?"

"No."

"It's ten o'clock, Jess."

"I've been busy crying! Now let go!"

He released her, but only to open the passenger door. "You’re coming with me. I’m feeding you. No complaining."

She stood there, shivering in the wind, her brow furrowed as if he’d just spoken in a foreign tongue. "You're... going to feed me?"

"Yes." He held out a hand.

The silence stretched. Then, a small, cold hand slid into his. "Fine. But only because I'm hungry. Then I'm leaving."

The kitchen smelled of garlic and heavy cream. Jess sat at Kai’s island, her legs kicking rhythmically against the barstool as she shoveled a forkful of fettuccine into her mouth. The heat of the food felt like a physical bandage on her raw nerves.

"I didn't know you could cook," she said around a mouthful.

"Like it?"

She shrugged, though she was already reaching for a second helping. "It’s okay."

Kai set his fork down, his eyes locking onto hers with a gravity that made the air in the room feel thick. "Are you going to explain the tears now?"

"Just a bad day."

"What happened, Jess?"

She looked at the remains of the pasta, the weight of the failed grade and her father’s looming shadow pressing down on her. "I failed a test. A big one. My father... he’s looking for an excuse to discard me. This is it."

Kai didn't offer a platitude. He didn't say it would be okay. He just watched her, his gaze dropping to her mouth. "You're too smart to fail. You're just distracted."

"By what?"

"By this."

He reached across the table, his hand sliding behind her neck, his thumb pressing into the sensitive dip behind her ear. He pulled her forward. The kiss wasn't gentle. It was a collision of teeth and tongue, tasting of salt and wine.

He hauled her off the stool, his hands diving under her thighs to hoist her up. Jess wrapped her legs around his waist, her skirt riding up as he slammed her back against the cool marble of the kitchen counter.

"Kai—"

He didn't let her finish. His mouth was on her neck, biting, sucking, marking her as his. He fumbled with his belt, the metallic clink loud in the quiet room. He freed himself—thick, heavy, and pulsing—and she felt the blunt head of him press against the damp lace of her underwear.

He didn't strip her. He just shoved the fabric aside, his fingers finding her slick and ready. He entered her in one brutal, agonizingly perfect thrust. Jess’s head hit the backsplash, a sharp cry tearing from her throat.

"Look at me," he growled, his voice a low vibration she felt in her marrow.

He began to move, his pace frantic and unrefined. It wasn't a dance; it was a reclamation. His weight was a solid, grounding force, pinning her to the stone. She gripped his shoulders, her nails digging into the expensive fabric of his shirt as he pounded into her, each stroke hitting the back of her throat.

He flipped her suddenly, shoving her face down against the counter. The cold marble bit into her chest. He grabbed her hair, pulling her head back as he drove in from behind, his hips hitting hers with a wet, rhythmic slap.

"Please," she whimpered, her legs shaking so violently she could barely stand.

"Please what?" He gritted his teeth, his breath hot against her ear. "Tell me you're mine. Not your father’s. Mine."

"Yours," she sobbed, the climax hitting her like a freight train, her internal muscles clamping around him in a desperate, pulsing rhythm.

He followed her seconds later, a low groan vibrating through his chest as he emptied into her, his forehead resting against the back of her neck, both of them drenched in sweat and the sharp tang of sex.

He stayed inside her for a long minute, his heart drumming against her spine. When he finally pulled away, the loss of warmth was immediate. Jess slumped against the counter, her limbs like water, the stinging heat between her legs a vivid reminder of the last ten minutes.

Kai reached around, turning her back to face him. He didn't look satisfied. He looked haunted.

"You're staying here tonight," he said, his voice dropping an octave.

"I have to go, Kai. My brother—"

"Ethan can wait." Kai grabbed her chin again, his eyes dark. "Because we aren't done. That was for the tears. The next round is for the grade."