Page 32 of Kingpin's Secret Baby

His voice softens as he leans closer. “Do you remember that night in the library? The time you snuck out of bed, and we sat in front of the fireplace until dawn?”

The memory surfaces unbidden. I was sixteen, raw and furious with Achilles for assigning me a bodyguard after I went out to a party without telling him. I’d stormed through Wesley Hall in my nightgown, shaking with anger, and stumbled upon Piers reading in the library. He hadn’t said a word when I collapsed into the armchair opposite him, just pushed a glass of water across the table and let me fume.

“I told you I wanted to run away,” I whisper, the words trembling on my lips.

“And I told you I’d find you no matter where you went,” he finishes, his voice like a thread tying me back to that moment. His words weren't just a promise to protect me- they were his way of showing he cared, like a big brother, nothing more.

“You said it wasn’t fair,” I murmur, looking back at the memory of his face- so calm, so serious, but never once making me feel like I was anything other than someone worth caring for.

Piers nods, his forehead nearly brushing mine. “Because you deserved a world that didn’t make you feel like running was the only option. You still do.”

I clutch at his shirt, his words pressing into me as surely as his arms. “And yet here we are,” I say bitterly, though my voice wavers.

“And yet here we are,” he repeats, but softer, his lips ghosting over my temple. “Still here. Still fighting.”

I pull back just enough to look at him, my breath catching at the intensity in his eyes. The firelight dances across his features, softening the hard lines of his face. The determination there is unwavering, unrelenting.

“I meant what I said that night,” he whispers, his thumb brushing a tear from my cheek. “I’ll always find you, Fantasia. Always.”

His words sink into the hollow spaces inside me, filling them in ways I didn’t think possible. My hands slide up his chest, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as his lips hover over mine.

“I’m tired of running,” I admit, my voice barely audible, a breath away from breaking.

“Then don’t,” he murmurs, and this time, when his lips find mine, there’s no hesitation.

I’m greedy for this comfort. No matter how good his touch feels, I need more to satisfy the void in my heart. It’s been eating away at me for so long that it’s possible it’ll never be filled. But god, I want someone to try.

I want Piers to try.

No matter what I’ve said or done, I want this.

And if there’s no future for me, then it really doesn’t matter if I reach out and take it.

Chapter 16

Piers

Ilean down to capture her lips in a gentle kiss and lose myself in her taste, the warmth of her mouth, the soft gasps she makes. She tastes of salt and sweet, of pain and longing. I want to take it all away, to absorb her hurt and leave her with nothing but pleasure.

Slowly, I pick her up and carry her to the rug by the crackling fire. I lay her down gently, like she's something precious, something breakable. Because she is. She's the most precious thing in the world to me.

Her hair spills across the plush rug like a dark halo, the flickering firelight catching the deep red undertones. My arms bracket her on either side, hovering above her like a tempest on the verge of breaking, ready to consume her with every inch of my being. Her chest rises and falls in shallow, uneven breaths, and her eyes lock onto mine.

“Let me take care of you,” I whisper, leaning closer, my voice low and steady as I dip my head and brush my nose lightly against her bruised cheek.

She nods, lips parting as her breath quivers. “Don’t stop.”

Her arms slide around my shoulders, pulling me down toward her, breaking the gap between us.

I shift my weight, easing onto my side so I’m no longer hovering but sinking closer into her warmth. My lips trace the line of her jaw as I whisper, “For so long, you were just… the little Fantasia I had to protect. It wasn’t like I was blind to how you grew up- how you changed- how I changed.”

Her fingers slide through my hair, a soft gasp escaping her lips as I press my body into hers, the closeness of her making everything sharper, more urgent.

I kiss the curve of her neck, murmuring, “But one day, I looked at you and realized… that girl I swore to keep safe had grown and become someone I couldn't ignore.” My hand moves slowly, grazing down her side, sending a shiver through her. “Not because I had to protect you anymore, but because I... I wanted you in a way I shouldn't have.”

Her breath hitches, and I feel the pulse in her throat, thumping beneath my lips as I draw her firmly into my arms.

I slide my hand under her sweatshirt, gently tracing the warmth of her skin, my voice husky. “It hit me the night you came back from that trip to Paris.”

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