Page 128 of Kiss Me Like I Didn't Kill You

I bit my lip, torn between awe and guilt. “I can’t accept this.”

His brows pull together, a flicker of offense crossing his face before it softens. “Why not?”

“It’s beautiful,” I said quietly. “But I don’t really wear mined stones. I usually buy lab made ones instead.”

He looked at me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then realization hit, and he let out a slow breath, his jaw tightening.

A heartbeat later, he took the box gently from my hands, snapped it shut, and sent it flying across the room. It landed somewhere on the floor with a thud.

Before I could even react, his hands were on my face, holding me still. “I’m sorry, ma lune,” he muttered, his voice rough. “I fucked up.”

I laughed softly, shaking my head. “Stop it. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s just… one of my preferences.”

He muttered something under his breath, still holding my face. “One that I should’ve fucking known.”

Before I could say another word, his mouth was on mine, firm and possessive. The kiss stole my laughter and replaced it with heat.

When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine.

“I’ll make sure you have so many gems you’ll run out of places to wear them,” he murmured, his voice low, his breath brushing my lips. “All lab grown. From now on, part of the Vass empire will go into creating them. That’s where I’ll put my inheritance.”

I smiled, breathless. “You’re ridiculous.”

He smiled too, barely, before kissing me again, deeper this time.

His hands moved slowly, tracing the line of my spine, the curve of my waist, until words stopped mattering.

The world outside that villa disappeared—no names, no families, no rules. Just him and me, lost somewhere between want and surrender.

Last night, for the first time, I let him in. It was soft and unhurried, like he wanted to learn every inch of me by heart.

Even now, I can still feel him on my skin, the warmth of his touch, the faint ache between my thighs, the memory that refuses to fade.

Chapter 45

Arlo

Present

I’ve done a lot of reckless things in my life, but buying a fucking hospital in London might top the list.

My father’s going to lose his mind when he finds out.

The deal alone will set off every financial alarm the company has, but I didn’t have a choice.

Not when Ophelia flatlined.

For thesecondtime.

In the damn helicopter from Elaris Isle to London Medical Centre.

When we landed, they took her straight into surgery. I didn’t know what they were operating on, no one would tell me a damn thing.

And when it was over, they moved her to intensive care and informed me I wouldn’t be allowed to see her, because I wasn’tfamily.

Fuck that.

I had two options, find someone to marry us on the spot, unconscious or not, or buy the damn hospital and make my own rules.