Page 171 of Powerless

“Yes,” I answer softly. “I feel much better out here. Freer.”

He bends near the beds of flowers beside the stairs and plucks one from the soggy soil before rising to his feet.

“Good,” he says quietly, “because I am going to get very, very close to you.”

I let out a slow breath when he takes a step towards me. Then another. And another. He’s close enough now that I can feel the heat of his body, feel the heat that spreads through me when he gets too close.

I tilt my head up to meet his gaze, blinking at him as I try to see through the rain. I wipe at my eyes, suddenly aware that there is likely makeup running down my face before deciding that I don’t really care.

His lips are tugged into a smile as he holds up the flower to me, drooping and dripping with water. Its small petals are a stunning shade of vibrant blue that hints at purple.

“A forget-me-not, since you always seem to be forgetting who I am,” Kai says with a soft smile, a soft laugh. He lifts his hand, tucking the flower behind my ear before letting his fingers run through my wet hair.

“Oh, I know who you are,” I say breathlessly. “A cocky bastard.”

He shakes his head at me, his fingers still toying with strands of my hair. “I don’t give a damn if you forget who I am in title, so long as you remember who I am toyou.”

I stare up at him, and something must be amusing because through my rapidly blinking eyes I watch a slow smile spread across Kai’s lips. I open my mouth to say something only to snap it shut when he begins tugging off his suit coat. It slips from his arms, leaving him standing before me in a white shirt completely soaked through.

Well, that’s not distracting at all.

He steps even closer, and with the coat draped over his arms, he holds it over my head to cover me from the rain.

“Kai...”

The smile that lights up his face stops me short, steals my breath. It’s one of those rare, real smiles of his that I confessed I wanted to see more of. One that belongs to me.

Dimples.

Both of them on display. Both distracting. Both devastating.

“What?” I ask, my voice filled with laughter.

He shrugs, a smile still spread across his face. “I just love the sound of my name coming from your lips.”

I clear my throat that has suddenly become far too dry. “Well, Kai isn’t your real name, now, is it?”

He’s silent, nothing but a smile and a sudden intensity in his eyes, daring me to say his full name.Wantingme to say his name. And apparently, I want to say it too because when I open my mouth, one word falls out.

“Malakai.”

His eyes flutter shut, his head falls back, allowing the rain full access to his face. The smile on his lips and the column of his neck makes me swallow. His head is still tipped towards the sky, speaking to it as he says, “Only you can make my name sound worth saying.”

“Well, what would you like me to call you? Kai? Malakai?” My voice sounds so breathy, and I almost wish I could blame it on a panic attack.

His answer is simple, straightforward, as he dips his head down to look at me. “Call me anything you like. I’ll never pass up the chance to hear your voice, darling.”

I can feel a smile lifting my lips. “Alright then, cocky bastard it is.”

I wasn’t prepared for the laugh that escapes him. It’s a rich, beautiful sound I wish I had the time to commit to memory.

“Careful, Kai,” his smirk grows at the sound of his name once more, “You’re being a gentleman again.” My gaze flicks to the black coat he is still holding above my head to shield me from the rain. “But you do know I’m already soaked, right?”

“Yes, well.” He sighs and ducks his head so we are eye to eye. “As adorable as you looked blinking up at me in the rain, I want you to see me clearly when I tell you this.”

There goes that stupid flutter in my chest.

“I meant what I said. I can’t take my eyes off you. I can’t take mymindoff you.”

---