Page 26 of Velvet Corruption

I barely breathed as he moved farther inside, his gaze sliding across the room in a play at ignorance before landing on me. Our eyes met. And Kieran…damn him, he smiled. Slow, familiar, like no time had passed at all.

With that smile, a flood of memories rushed back—late nights in Southie, stolen kisses, the reckless passion of our youth.

I wasn’t ready for this.

Not today.

Kieran made his way over, weaving through the crowded room with the ease of a man who knew he belonged wherever he chose to be. I considered packing up my things and leaving, but it was too late. He was already here.

“Ruby,” he said, his voice smooth as ever. He pulled out the chair across from me and sat down, uninvited.

I straightened, my guard up. “It looks bad for me if you sit here.”

He mulled that over for a few seconds. “And how bad would it look if I made a scene?”

My eyes narrowed, trying to read his intentions. Kieran was never one to bluff, but he also wasn’t the type to play dirty—at least not in the way that would publicly ruin someone. Back when we were hooking up, he kept his promises. We were discreet. He never sought me out at work. He did everything on my terms…until he ghosted me.

Still, I was old enough to understand that people changed.

“It would look desperate,” I said, taking a calculated sip of my capuccino. “And very un-Kieran-like.”

He chuckled, a low rumble that I felt in my chest. “You always did know how to disarm me, Ruby. I’m not here to cause trouble.”

Yeah, hesaidhe wasn’t here to cause trouble, but this man was trouble wrapped in expensive jeans and a leather jacket. And my name on his lips…I remembered how he’d said my name when we were tangled in the sheets, how he’d dragged orgasms out of me like it was a game.

“Then why are you here?” I said, keeping my voice flat.

“I’m a free man getting a cup of coffee, meeting up with an old friend. Is that illegal?”

I sighed. “Where’s your friend?”

Kieran leaned back in his chair, studying me with those blue-green eyes that had once made me forget everything else. “I’m looking at her.”

I took another sip of my coffee, letting the silence build a wall between us.

He leaned back, unfazed, a smirk playing on his lips. “I think this will look good for you. Already in talks with the Callahans. Cleaning up the streets of Boston.” He gestured around the coffee shop. “It’s been a minute.”

I froze at his words, the weight of our shared history hitting me like a tidal wave. Eight years ago felt like yesterday for a moment, but I quickly masked my emotions. I couldn’t let Kieran get under my skin.

“Some of us moved on,” I said, trying to maintain my composure.

He shrugged. “How’s the campaign going?”

I glanced at my notes, then back at him. “Busy.”

“Running for DA. That’s ambitious, even for you.”

“Is there a point to this, Kieran?”

“Does there have to be a point?”

I turned back to him, my anger starting to simmer. “What do you want?”

He leaned in, and for a moment, I thought he was going to say something important, something that would cut through the years of silence between us. But he just smiled that infuriatingly charming smile.

“You’re doing good,” he said. “With the husband, and the little girl, and the house in…what neighborhood is it again? It looks expensive.”

“You know where I live,” I remarked, cocking my head. “Charming.”

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