Kai kept his eyes on the road while they drove. “What was all that about earlier?”

Coral tensed, but she quickly regained her composure. “In the parking lot?”

He nodded silently.

“Long story,” she said with a shrug.

Kai glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Interesting,” was all he said.

He didn’t pry, and for that, Coral was grateful.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that he could see through her. But that was ridiculous. He couldn’t know that she was planning to drug him and take his valuables. No way. He might suspect she was up to no good. It didn’t look like he cared all that much about it, though.

Finally, they showed up at his house. “House.” That wasn’t the right word. “Fortress” was more appropriate, but not a medieval fortress. The architecture was modern with strong horizontal lines and glass curtain walls. It was surrounded by a tall concrete wall and large iron gates that welcomed them at the entrance. It wouldn’t be an easy escape for Coral to make.

Play it cool, Coral.

She settled back in her seat and smiled. She’d hit the mother-load. All she had to do was drug this man, steal his valuables, and be on her way.

When Kai entered the code for his gate, Coral watched the reflection in the mirror as he pressed the numbers, and she memorized the combination: 5062. She repeated the number in her head until it was practically engraved inside her—after all, she would need it later.

As Kai drove them through the iron gates, Coral kept an eye out for guards or staff members.

“Do you live here alone?” she asked.

He laid a hand on her thigh and gently stroked it. “Yes.”

She looked over at him and smiled. Coral didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she felt excited by his touch. Goosebumps formed on her skin, but in her mind, she blamed it on the air conditioning in his car. He kept it way too cold.

He grinned. It was the first time that she noticed, but he had very sharp canines, like those of a lion. Weird, but she’d seen weirder. One guy she met had two knobs coming out slightly from his forehead like a demon, which was creepy as hell, but he claimed that he had been born with them, so she let it go. It wasn’t her business to judge.

The inside of Kai’s house was just as extravagant as the outside. Coral inhaled sharply when he escorted her inside. If she had sketched a dream house in her mind, Kai’s house would have been it. Like the outside, the décor was simple with straight lines. The furniture was white, but he had the most magnificent art that added splashes of color. Some of the art depicted beautiful ocean scenes, while other paintings were historical portraits of warriors throughout time. Strangely, the men all bore a certain resemblance to Kai, but Coral could tell that the paintings were much older than him.

“Ancestors?” asked Coral jokingly while motioning to the paintings.

“Yes,” he said.

“Oh! Wow! That’s amazing that you can trace your ancestors back so many years. I definitely see the resemblance.”

“Well,” he added with a smile, “that’s how genetics work, right?”

She couldn’t stop staring at the paintings. They were Kai. She was sure of it. Every portrait shared his same eyes, the same smile, the same chiseled bone structure.

She tugged down her dress to expose more of her cleavage, which seemed to drive every guy nuts. The pill to drug him was in her purse. It wouldn’t hurt him, only knock him out long enough so that Coral could get away with enough valuables to pay her rent, get something to eat, and pay Josh and Earl. She was ready. Now, all she had to do was get him to swallow the pill and she’d be off like a bandit.

As they walked through his home, she caught a glimpse of an old grand piano.

“Do you play?” she asked Kai. He briefly glanced at the instrument.

“A little…”

She sat back and crossed her arms. “I don’t believe you.”

“I do,” he assured her.

Kai looked at her and she wilted for a moment. Yes, there was no doubt: she was interacting with a professional womanizer.

“Prove it.”

He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. Just put the gun down,” he teased.

He sat down at the piano and set his fingers on the keys. A smile came to his lips and he ran his finger across the piano from the deepest to the highest notes. Coral walked over and stood behind him to watch as his fingers took over. They moved quickly across the piano, coaxing forth a beautiful melody. It was fast, peppy, and just a plain thrill to listen to and enjoy. Every note left her wanting, craving more.

She playfully slapped his shoulder. “You said you just knew a little!”

“This is a little,” he replied with a laugh.

“What are you?” she cried. “You’re protective, and obviously strong. I still don’t know how you overpowered Earl. You live in this amazing house, and you have unparalleled musical talent.”

His fingers kept flying as he looked at her. He was splitting his concentration between talking to her and playing, which was impressive.

“I’ve had a while to practice.”

She shook her head. “Teach me?”

He scooted over on the bench to make space for her.

“Please,” he said, taking his fingers off the keys.

She missed the music immediately. It had been so warm and nice, like a hug from an old friend. Once it was gone, she felt cold and empty.

Coral sat next to him and set her purse down. When she was in grade school, she grew close to her music teacher, who had given her free lessons after school. Coral always had a love for playing piano, but had never had the money to buy one or even to afford long-term lessons.

The piano keys were cold, smooth, and oddly familiar, though Kai’s piano was much more opulent than the one that her teacher had used.

Coral let her subconscious take over and she played a little tune. It was shaky. She hadn’t played in years, but she was still rather impressed that she remembered any of it.

“Hey, that’s nice!” Kai encouraged. “You play?”

“A little, but nothing like your definition of it.”

He laughed. It sounded like water running over a bed of rocks in a river. It was a beautiful sound, one that she immediately wanted to hear again.

She mentally stepped back. She was going to rob him and vanish off into the night. She wasn’t allowed to like him. It wasn’t okay. Robbing someone you considered a friend was a thousand times harder and worse than robbing someone you will never see again.

He placed his hands over hers and guided her to a certain spot on the keyboard. His hands were still abnormally warm, but Coral didn’t worry about it. She let herself enjoy the moment. For once, she was actually having a good time with a rich stranger. Too bad she couldn’t just stay there, in his fortress, forever, where Earl and Josh couldn’t find her with their guns and threats. The guilt was overwhelming.

But even more overwhelming was her fear of showing up empty-handed the following morning.