Page 40 of Reign of a Billionaire

He didn’t wait for my reply. Instead, he turned on his heel and disappeared behind another door. His bedroom, I presumed. So many strange emotions warred inside me at the thought of what that room might look like,smelllike.

I sighed, and with one last glance at the darkening skyline over the city, I made my way to the guest bedroom.

Once inside, I looked around. Simple. Just the barest of furnishings—four-poster bed, nightstand, dresser. Closing the door behind me, I rummaged through the drawers. They were empty, aside from some clothes that still had tags on them.

I walked to the bathroom, closed the door, and locked it behind me. The man might be helping me today, but tomorrow I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to kill me.When I try to kill you, I’ll succeed.His words rang in the back of my mind, promises of what I could expect from him loud and clear.

I leaned back against the door and closed my eyes. Kingston was underestimating me, and when he finally did try to kill me, I’d beat him to the punch.

I turned on the shower and waited for the water to warm up as I stripped my bloodied dress off. I threw a glance at the mirror, staring at my reflection.

I was covered in blood and looked… broken.Just like him.I reared back. I had no clue where the thought came from, but it was there. I was as sure about it as I was about my own brokenness. I wasn’t a naive girl with hopes and dreams anymore. I had been born into this world of crime; I’d likely die in it.

There was no way out.

I stepped under the spray of water, letting it wash away all my sins, sweat, and grime from the day. I watched red-tinted water rush down the drain along with another small, innocent part of me. Soon, there’d be nothing of the old me left.

The events of the day rolled through my mind, but it wasn’t the murders I’d committed that plagued it. It washim. Eyes ablaze, his control lethal and his strength unwavering as we tackled the enemy together.

And then there was this animalistic attraction to him. Something deep within me responded to the very essence of him. It was confusing me, throwing me off course.

A shiver ran down my spine even under the scalding hot spray.

I desperately tried to calm my erratic heart, but the longer I remained unmoving, the more unsteady my breathing became. My inhales and exhales were a fast, fractured rhythm. Then, in one jolt, a memory rushed to the forefront of my mind.

“Kiss me, sunshine.”

What was that? I’d never heard those words before. I fell forward, bracing myself against the white tile. I closed my eyes, but it wasn’t enough to lift the spell. More words came crashing in, fuzzy images warring behind my eyelids.

“Kiss me like there’s no tomorrow for us.”

The voice was a little rough. The touch on my skin was a lot gentle. Lips dragged across mine, then kissed me deeply, devouring me.

It was then that the scent registered—vanilla, musky, and clean.

Likehim. Like Kingston Ashford.

Chapter 20

Kingston

Icarded a hand through my hair and pinched the bridge of my nose.

What the fuck was with me lately? It was stupid to bring Liana back into my penthouse. Reckless. Out of character for me.

I never broughtanyoneto this condo, yet here I was playing knight-in-fucking-armor for my enemy’s daughter.

Promise.

Yes, that had to be it. I was just fulfilling my promise to Louisa.

I poured myself a glass of whiskey and gulped it in one go, then slammed the glass on the countertop of the bar. How fucking long would my pain hover around me?

I closed my eyes, images of Louisa flickering through my mind on a reel. Her face. Her smile. Her eyes.

Fuck!

The images of Liana and Louisa were starting to intertwine, confusing me. The same face. The same smile. Why didn’t the memories hurt now that Liana was in my vicinity?