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For all the girls who think smart is sexy. (And who know the quiet ones are the freakiest).
“I’m translating the book into Latin.” He flipped the page and scribbled another sentence without looking up or touching his drink. “Why?” “It’s relaxing.” I blinked, certain I’d heard him wrong. “You think translating a five-hundred-page novel into Latin by hand is relaxing?” “Yes. If I wanted a mental challenge, I’d translate an economics textbook. Translating fiction is reserved for my downtime.”
She’d touched down in my life like a tornado, gotten my drink wrong during her first shift at Valhalla, and hadn’t left my thoughts since.
“I have many other places to be.” A brief light illuminated the shadows in his eyes. “But I chose to be here.”
“I’m afraid not.” Kai’s voice could’ve melted butter. “I don’t like sharing.”
“Twelve,” she said, her tone sweet enough to induce a cavity. “I’m happy to lend it to you. It might help loosen you up so you don’t die of a stress-induced heart attack before age forty.” I’d much rather have you loosen me up instead.
No smiling. No thinking anything she does is adorable.
“Do you think I’m boring, Isabella?”
“Isabella,” Kai said again. “Hmm?” “Unnecessary detail.”
Shouldn’t. What a strange word, considering I couldn’t think of a single reason why we shouldn’t do anything. In fact, I couldn’t think much at all.
A choice. I could go home, pretend the kiss never happened, and move on with my life. Or I could go upstairs.
“That’s it, love.” Gravel transformed Kai’s soft words into a rough command. “Be a good girl and come for me.”
erstwhile
New word alert!
Her coworker said something, and another burst of mirth poured out of her. Even if it hadn’t, I would’ve known she was the laugh’s owner. She radiated the same wild, uninhibited energy.
“If you’d left with him, you would’ve had to endure two minutes of assuredly unsatisfying fornication on a dirty mattress without a bed frame, so you should thank me. Given how he ran off, I doubt he could find enough rhythm to clap along to a basic nursery song, much less make your night worthwhile.”
Kai... Sassy! I love it!
“Go upstairs and tell your friends you’re leaving.” I curled my hand around the back of her neck, my voice so low and dark I hardly recognized it. “You have five minutes, sweetheart, or you’ll find out firsthand that I’m not always the gentleman you think I am.”
Is anyone else hot, or is it just me?
A shiver ghosted over my skin. God, the way he said my name was indecent, like a wicked lover stealing kisses in shadowed corners. Smooth silk layered over dark velvet. Deceptively proper yet dizzyingly sensual.
“Isabella.” I forced a swallow down my throat. “Yes?” “Shut up and let me kiss you.”
“You had someone standing guard the entire time?” And he’d led me to believe we were one drunken partygoer away from flashing the entire club. Unbelievable. “Of course. I couldn’t very well have someone walking in on us.” “Because photos of the Young heir engaging in carnal activities at a bar would put his CEO candidacy at risk.” “No. Because if anyone saw you like that, I’d have to kill them.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “But I thought you knew.” This time, I was the confused one. “Knew what?” “That there’s no going back after this.” His admission was a warm breath on my skin. “You should’ve never let me take you, Isabella. Because now that I have, I won’t be able to let you go.”
umbrage
New word #2
Sneaking away at an event filled with our peers and journalists was dangerous enough, but trying to stay away from her was like asking the ocean to stop kissing the shore. Impossible.
Pyrrhic
#3
“Look on the bright side. Whenever you come across an obstacle, you know it can’t be harder than reading a full page of Pride and Prejudice out loud while someone’s trying to make you come.”
exacting
#4
“Vizcacha?
#5
quetzals
#6
wunderkind
And 7! Kai is helping me expand my vocabulary here!
“I’m Filipino Chinese. I speak English, Tagalog, Hokkien, Mandarin, and Cantonese. I’m surprised you didn’t think of that, given all your education and breeding.”
Yeeeeeeees Isabella!!!!
ad hominem
#8
Being small was easier than putting myself out there for other people to judge.
“I can’t believe you remember that.” “I remember everything when it comes to you.”
I'm melting!!!
She was everything I shouldn’t want, but it didn’t matter. I wanted her anyway. So much so, I couldn’t breathe.
she’ll come around. Even if she doesn’t, I’m an adult. I don’t need my mother’s approval to be with who I want.” My voice softened. “And I want you.”
That's my type of man!!!!
“That’s unreasonable.” “I don’t care. This isn’t about reason. It’s about love, and there’s nothing reasonable about love.”
SCREAMING! GAGGING!!! THROWING UP!!!!!!!!! Kai 🥹🥹🥹
I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. Smart. Strong. Beautiful. Imperfect by your own standards but so wonderfully perfect for me.”
It's the last sentence for me! 🥹🥹🥹
I thought nothing tasted better than victory. Then I met you.”
If a man doesn't confess his love to me like this, I don't want him!!!!!! 🥹🥹😭😭😭
“I never really lived before you,” I said. “And I don’t want to imagine living after you.”
“Syzygy
#9. Seems like Kai keeps receiving 9s 😉
