Page 22 of Villainous Kingpin

My heart, soul, and mind were in agreement here. I’d stay. I wanted this. Him. Was it smart? No, probably not. But that wouldn’t stop me. Not when it came to all these new feelings swelling inside my chest, and we had barely gotten started.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I breathed.

He grabbed the back of my neck and tilted my head so I’d stare in his eyes, our noses were inches apart. “Once you’re mine, I won’t let go.”

His words were deep. Smooth.Final.And God help me, I felt like I washisalready.

My family wouldn’t approve. Uncle wouldn’t. Mother definitely wouldn’t. I wasn’t even sure that Juliette would be on my side with this. And all my life she’d always taken my side. None of that stopped me.

The tip of his nose brushed against mine. “Your family will probably know my reputation,” he said.

Fuck if I cared at this moment. His hand felt warm on my skin, his fingers firm on the back of my neck, holding me in his control. My heartbeat ricocheted erratically in my chest and excitement swam through my veins. That was all I cared about. This was stronger than my passion for ice skating.

“I don’t think you’re all bad,” I murmured. “There is good in you, Bas,” I whispered softly. Maybe I was stupid, but I was convinced of it. A bad man wouldn’t have come to my rescue. A villain would have demanded a higher price to help me. “And my family will see it too.”

I was certain of it.

If only I wasn’t proven wrong.

* * *

We shared sushi, water, and stories for hours. It was hands down the best date I’ve ever had.

“Juliette, my cousin, is a bit on the wild side,” I told him, when he asked me about my family. “It’s just her, her brother, and I. Her brother stayed with Uncle,” I told him. Uncle Liam and Killian were active members of the underworld so I withheld their names. “Jules stayed with me and my mom. So we were really raised like sisters.”

“I bet she got you into trouble all the time,” he mused.

It seemed he read my cousin well without even meeting her. “Here and there,” I admitted with a smile. “But she’s one of those people that would never betray me. She always stands by me. No matter what.”

He nodded. “I have a few cousins like that too. It’s important to have people that will stand by you, no matter what.”

Something told me he spoke from experience. Though who would dare to betray him or be so stupid was beyond me.

“I’m lucky to have Davina and Ivy, along with Jules,” I told him. “Juliette and I only met Davina and Ivy when we started Yale, but we hit it right off. Ivy and Juliette are a tad bit on the wild side. Davina is too serious.”

“The girl quad squad, huh?” Amusement lurked in his eyes and I’d bet all my money he had watched the surveillance of the crazy four of us burning down Davina’s ex’s house.

“You come here often?” I asked him instead, trying to change the subject while glancing back at the view. It’d be better to focus on Bas than think about secrets I couldn’t unravel about my uncle and Killian.

“No, not since I was like five.”

I tilted my head regarding him. He met my gaze but there was something vulnerable in it that pierced me right through my chest. Without thinking, my hand reached out to his free hand.

“You okay?”

And just like that, his expression was wiped out of all emotions.

“Before my mother left, she brought me here,” he said, his voice detached. His explanation shocked me. I expected everything but that kind of admission. “She left me here and took off with my baby sister. She was still an infant. My father didn’t tolerate disobedience. Nor betrayal. He found her. She died.”

The unspoken words were clearer than the starfall sky night. And a shudder ghosted through me. His father killed his mother. I’d stake my life on it.

“Why did you bring us here?” I asked quietly, squeezing his hand gently. “Do you want to go?”

He was quiet for a moment, his dark eyes meeting mine. My heart ached in my chest for him even though he wiped out any trace of vulnerability in him.

“We can replace it with a better memory,” I offered softly, watching him.

A corner of his lips lifted and he regarded me with a hooded expression. It felt like looking into the sun, getting blinded by his darkness, and loving every second of it.