KESTER.
She stood there, her wide, curious eyes scanning the lavish space as if trying to piece together the reason she was there. I dismissed the escort with a subtle flick of my fingers, my attention solely on her now.
“Mine?” I called, pushing myself up from the plush seat.
Her curiosity tugged at something deep inside me, an unfamiliar warmth blooming in my chest. I liked seeing her like this-intrigued, a little cautious, but drawn in. It made me want to do more for her, give her more, just to see that spark again.
She didn’t necessarily ‘need’ any of these. She had them in abundance. Her life was already filled with luxury. But I’d learned that it wasn’t about the things themselves-it was about the gesture, about experiencing something together, about watching her smile because she knew this wasn’t just about material things. This was about her.
“What are we doing here?” She asked curiously.
“Shopping,” I said simply, moving toward her, closing the distance between us. I stopped just in front of her, close enough to hear the way her breath hitched ever so slightly.
Her cheeks were faintly flushed, her lips parted just enough for me to see the war waging in her mind. She wasn’t used to this. To me-not like this.
“What do you think?” I murmured, reaching up to caress her cheek, my fingers gliding down her chin. I let my thumb brush over her bottom lip, feeling the soft warmth of her skin beneath my touch.
She shivered.
“That’s… Thoughtful. But you didn’t really have to…” She protested, and I could hear her heart hammering in her chest, too fast, too loud. If I listened closely, I could almost taste the nerves rolling off her.
I almost smirked. She was nervous as fuck, but she hid it well. I shook my head internally. That was fine. She’ll soon get used to this side of me… Of us.
“Come on. Let’s go and see what you’d like to get,” I said and leaned down, planting a soft kiss on her lips -just a taste. A tease.
It took everything in me to pull away.
I swear to fuck, I wanted more. Wanted to deepen it, to pull her closer, to claim her breath along with that sweet little gasp she had just given me. But I couldn’t.
Not here. Not now.
Not when I knew that if I let my demons wake, this mall wouldn’t survive the disaster that followed.
I led the way, and she followed.
She walked beside me, her fingers brushing against mine every so often as we moved deeper into the store, flanked by two impeccably dressed sales assistants.
Kasmine, for all her initial hesitation, seemed to adjust quickly, her eyes flicking between the displays of highend perfumes and silk robes, her curiosity overtaking her shyness. It was almost endearing until we reached the lingerie section.
And then everything went to hell.
The moment I realized where the assistants had brought us, my steps slowed, my body tensed, and something in my brain outright refused to process what was about to happen.
She had to pick lingerie.
Right in front of me.
Fuck.
The other day, I had bought lingerie for her, which wasn’t as awkward as this. Probably because I did the shopping myself. But this? Watching her choose? It made my palms sweat a little.
I cleared my throat, rolling my shoulders as if that would somehow loosen the tension coiling in my gut. She hesitated, too, her fingers hovering over a sheer lace set before retracting as if realizing exactly what she was about to do.
Yeah. This was awkward as fuck.
“I uhm…” She cleared her throat, turning her gaze to meet mine, “I don’t think I need these.”
“You do, Kasmine,” I said with a calm that didn’t betray all the wars going on in my head. “Come on. Help her,” I told the assistants, and they were more than happy to help.
Kasmine swallowed before slowly returning her attention to the line of laces displayed before her.
How can I stop myself from listening to the frantic beating of her heart? It made my dick hard.
I swallowed hard, watching as the assistants picked up a lot of sexy lingerie, some barely anything at all, just strips of fabric meant to drive a man insane. I loved that. I loved everything they had picked for her.
“Take these,” I said, dropping the few selections I made into the cart.
The rest of the shopping wasn’t as tense as the lingerie shopping. Kasmine had eased up a bit, enjoying the rest of the evening as she picked up lots of her favorite perfumes, including new brands to try out, clothes some I had to scrutinize before letting her have them, skin care products… Everything and anything she wanted.
“Thank you for shopping with us,” the receptionist from earlier said, offering me a handshake, and I took it. But then, I felt something being slipped into my palm A thin card.
My entire demeanor shifted in an instant. The easy calm I’d worn throughout the shopping trip vanished, replaced by something dangerous. I didn’t have to look to know what it was. But I did anyway.
I let go of her hand and held up the card between two fingers, tilting my head slightly. A name. A number. A bold fucking move.
The receptionist’s confident smile faltered as she realized-too late-that she’d been caught in full view of everyone.
“Is this how you flirt with all your clients?” I asked her in a voice so low that I was surprised she even heard me.
Kasmine came forward to stand at my side, probably knowing the storm that was brewing. She wrapped her delicate palms around my arm to calm me down.
“Kester… Let it go,” she said softly, and I wouldn’t deny the calm her voice had brought to my raging spirit.
The woman’s face drained of color. Her mouth opened, then shut, then opened again like she was trying to come up with a defense-something to salvage her dignity. “I-uh, I just thought-”
I let the card drop to the sleek marble counter, watching as it fluttered down like something filthy.
“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today,” I said, slipping my hands into my pockets. “But I don’t tolerate unprofessionalism. Consider yourself unemployed as of this moment. I’ll speak to your employer about this.”
The receptionist gasped. “Wait-please, I didn’t mean-”
I didn’t give a fuck what she meant.
I turned on my heel, walking away without another word.
*
“Thank you, Kes,” Kasmine said as our car came to a stop in the parking lot.
“You liked them, right?” I asked, turning to face her. I decided to drive us home. The driver and escorts were dismissed at the mall. I needed some alone time with Mine.
“Yes. I do,” She replied with a nervous smile.
My gaze flickered to her lips before resting on her eyes again, “I have another surprise for you inside the house,” I said and watched how her eyes lit up, “We’ll be spending the evening together… Alone… In your room. I have everything all set.” I informed her, and I heard her heart skip a beat.
She bit her bottom lip nervously, and fuck, how I wanted to be the one biting those lips.
“But I’d like to spend some time with Mum tonight before she leaves tomorrow,” she said, and I couldn’t argue that. She was correct. I had kept her very occupied in the last two days, so much so that she hadn’t spent quality time with her mum. But that wasn’t the problem. The problem here was…
“Mum left earlier today,” I announced, and she froze.
“What? She did what?” She asked, and I could see the flicker of disappointment in her eyes, the way she tried to suppress it and fuck, I hated it. I didn’t want her feeling like that-not tonight, not when I had already planned so much just to see her smile. I wouldn’t let her ruin it.
“She had an urgent matter to attend to at the pack,” I explained.
“And she never called or texted me about it?” She was on the verge of tears.
That woman was Kasmine’s biological mother. But I seemed to know more about her than her daughter does. Kasmine always expected too much from Mum, and she always ended up getting hurt.
“Come here,” I gestured to her.
Slowly, she leaned toward me until she was close enough. I reached out, cupping the back of her neck. My fingers splayed against the warmth of her skin, my thumb brushing over the soft edge of her jaw, “Don’t let that ruin your mood. I’ll take you home to see them next week. How about that?”
She narrowed her brows in displeasure, “What about tomorrow? I have to report to school, Kes.” The disappointment in her voice broke me. But there was nothing I could do about it. Sadly.
“I already told you. You don’t have to report unless absolutely necessary,” I reminded her. She parted her lips to protest again, but I never gave her the chance to do so. I seized the opportunity and seized her lips.
The kiss was slow, intentional, and surprisingly passionate.
My tongue slid against the seam of her lips, testing, tasting, and when she gasped, I took the opportunity-dipping in, savoring the soft, warm sweetness of her. It wasn’t rough. It wasn’t desperate. It was controlled, excruciatingly slow, and fuck, I was drowning in it.
This woman was bringing out a side of me I never knew existed.
She sighed into my mouth, and I groaned low in my throat, feeling the way her body pressed just a little closer, the way her fingers tightened against my chest.
I wanted more.
Fuck, I wanted to pull her onto my lap, tangle my fingers in her hair, and devour her until she forgot every damn thing that had made her sad tonight.
I pulled back-barely-just enough to let her breathe, just enough to watch the dazed look in her eyes as she stared up at me, “You’re making me soft, Mine,” I murmured, my thumb brushing over her swollen lips, my own still tingling from the taste of her. “And I don’t even care.”
She smiled, and each time I brought her to the edge, I saw the same need leaking at the edges of her restraints. It wouldn’t take long for her to finally lose herself to me.
I smirked, running my fingers down her jaw before I pulled away completely, leaving her there, breathless, needy, and probably just as fuckedup as I was.
“Come on,” I said, sliding my hands back onto the wheel. “We still have the night ahead of us.”