Page 160 of Holy Hearts
I’ve resisted the pull of Malakai Ravage for almost two decades. I tell myself I can’t risk losing Sophie—not even for him.
But maybe it’s already too late.
This morning, Sophie cried after sex, trembling in my arms as she admitted how much she misses him. And I know. I feel it too.
We’re not just afraid of losing him. We’re terrified that, somewhere along the way, we already have.
I finish my last set, catching my reflection in the gym mirror. The weight of the last month is carved into my posture, the worry etched deep in my face.
Sophie and I will always be solid, that much I know. But without Kai… the life we’re building feels incomplete.
He’s not like the others. The men Sophie’s met before were fleeting—forgotten by morning, no strings attached, never to be thought of again.
But Kai fits. With Sophie. With me.
And the thought that he might be the only one who can complete us, that we might never find this balance again, fucking terrifies me.
I need to get him back.
I just don’t know how.
As if the universe is answering my siren call, I catch sight of Kai on the other side of the gym in the mirror. He’s at the leg press, wearing joggers and a fitted T-shirt.
I stop breathing, and my pulse speeds up. Everything feels hot, and I can feel my neck flushing at the sight of him. Of course he looks good—better than I remember. His muscled arms gripthe sides of the chair as he pushes his legs against the flat platform. His brows are scrunched in concentration.
He hasn’t seen me yet. I could walk away—leave him be.
But I don’t.
His gaze shifts in the mirror, locking on mine.
Shit.
I see the flicker of recognition, the tension that hardens his posture. He doesn’t smile. Doesn’t wave. He just watches me, unreadable as ever.
I wait for him to make the first move, but he doesn’t.
Of course he doesn’t.
Grabbing my things, I slowly walk over to the leg press. He finishes as I walk over, swinging his legs over. I attempt to avert my gaze from the way his abdominal muscles poke through the thin T-shirt, or how good he looks with a bit of heavy scruff. His hair is longer, too, and I’m finding that I very much enjoy this version of him.
His eyes slide up and down my body, too, and it sends a shiver through me.
“Hey,” I say, standing awkwardly a few feet away.
“Hey,” he answers. His face is blank, neither happy to see me, nor upset.
His gaze lingers on me for a long minute before he tilts his head slightly, as if he’s come to some sort of conclusion in his mind. The air between us feels charged, like it always does.
But even more so now because it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.
The tension stretches between us like a taut wire.
Kai wipes his face with his shirt, the flash of his abs making my breath hitch. He doesn’t seem to notice, or if he does, he doesn’t acknowledge it.
“Didn’t think I’d see you here,” I try again.
He shrugs. “Needed a change of scenery.”
