Chapter Ten
Kylie
It was bigger than her bed.
Kylie lay in the middle of the shower, water pouring down on her from the ceiling while she stretched and tried to reach the four walls all at once. It was impossible. The most she could get was two, if she worked her way into a corner. Otherwise, they were well out of reach. Not just by a few inches, but several feet. She figured it had to be eight feet a side, if not more.
“Just a little over the top,” she mumbled through the water splashing down on her.
Getting to her feet, she finished luxuriating and killed the water. Grabbing a towel she stepped out, the in-floor heating immediately warming her feet, feeling it even through the mat that absorbed all the water.
“I could get used to this.”
Her eyes flew open at that statement. It was the truth. Kylie could easily come to enjoy living this lifestyle. And all she needed to do was to keep staying with the criminal she was supposed to be overseeing. The same criminal whose lips had nearly burned her forehead with his touch the night before. She’d known he was hot, but his skin had grown so warm as he held her, she’d thought she was entering the sauna.
Then there was the preposterous claim by his roommate that they were both dragon shifters with boatloads of treasure that they’d used to buy the penthouse suite. The only thing that kept her from immediately dismissing it as a joke was the fact that it was such an outrageous lie in the first place. Who came up with such an excuse, and spoke it so easily?
There was something fishy going on, and despite her confused and growing feelings for Corde—could she truly be confused if she knew that she was developing feelings for the protective giant?—Kylie swore she wasn’t going to get too involved. Already it was insane and so against the rules it wasn’t even funny.
She could get fired for this. All her efforts to help the others down the drain. For a man she barely even knew.
That wasn’t entirely true. She didn’t know much about him personally. But she knew he was kind, caring, generous, polite, chivalrous, giving, protective, understanding, and a criminal.
“Oh boy. You were supposed to keep it uncomplicated, Kylie. I think you’ve done just about the exact opposite. You let him kiss you on the head, and you didn’t even tell him not to do it after the fact!”
She hadn’t? A quick replay of the events told her that no, she hadn’t. She’d not really said anything. Instead all she’d done is stare at him through the warm glow that had infused her body after he’d pressed his lips to her forehead. That wasn’t good, not at all. It meant that on some level she wasn’t ready to acknowledge, she was okay with what he’d done.
It had to end there, though. Kylie was doing him no favors by letting her physical desire interfere with her responsibilities. She was supposed to show Corde the errors of his ways, and help keep him off the streets so that he didn’t reoffend. That was her job, and that was what she needed to do. Not give in to fantasies of being swept off her feet by his powerful arms. Arms which had felt oh so nice when they were holding her, gentle and caring, and yet could easily defend her from those that would seek to do her wrong.
“I’m in so much trouble,” she said, falling back onto the bed.
If she let herself get involved with Corde, it would mean that he wasn’t truly learning his lesson. Instead he was just bending the system to his will. Kylie opened her eyes and looked all around the spare bedroom suite. On second thought, with all this money, he was probably used to bending the system already.
There was just so much that was unexplained. Corde had been charged as a criminal, but she couldn’t shake the fact that maybe, just maybe in his case, there was a shred of truth to his claim that ‘it had been a misunderstanding.” It was a dangerous thought path for her to follow, but too much about him didn’t add up.
On top of that, there was his money, and his giant size. Come to think of it, she thought, Vanek was also a massive muscular giant. He was attractive as well, his long black hair and soulful brown eyes definitely noticeable, but he didn’t hold her attention the way Corde did.
Corde, who had moved with a speed and grace that seemed almost…inhuman…when he’d fought off Jose and his group. She hadn’t really thought about that too much until now, but the more she did, the more she wondered just who he was. A dragon was absurd of course; they didn’t exist. But he was obviously some sort of…of…hell, she didn’t even know! All Kylie knew was that there was more to him than met the eye.
In the end though, he’s still a criminal. If a judge ever saw you like this, or found out, you’d be fired immediately! You’re breaking every damn rule of the job, not to mention every one of your own rules. Rules you put in place after Rich. You’re going to get yourself hurt if you keep going down this path.
There was a knock on her door. “Kylie, time to get up. Breakfast will be ready shortly.”
But he’s making me breakfast. Rich never made me breakfast.
Rich had also not done a lot of things Corde had. But he was still a criminal with good looks that she’d decided could be saved if she just loved him hard enough. Or married him. Or tried to bear children with him. Yet it had never quite been enough, now had it?
“Coming,” she called, feeling more confused than the night before right after he’d kissed her.
Why was life so contorted? Why couldn’t it just tell her what to do so she could do it properly, without the hurt and heartbreak that came with learning lessons?
Because then the end wouldn’t be worth it. You need to keep your distance from him. Don’t give in.
But it would be so easy to let herself be seduced by him.
***
Corde climbed into the cab behind her and pulled the door shut. She sat back into the seat and relaxed. Being around him had that effect on her. She felt secure in his presence.
She watched as he adjusted his muscular bulk to put the seatbelt on. In the process his knee rested against hers. Finding the buckle, he clicked it in and settled back into his seat.
His knee didn’t move.
Neither did hers.