We’d barely gotten through the door when I dropped my purse on a table and turned to Kane. He set the pizza box next to my purse and reached out toward my cheek, cupping it in his palm.
When he bent his face to mine and kissed me softly, I wrapped my arms around his neck, melting against his solid chest. His fingertips edged up the bottom of my shirt, skimming across my bare skin. I inhaled sharply and eased him toward the couch.
He got the message, bending and picking me up effortlessly. His big palms squeezed my bottom as he carried me to the couch and set me down. I laid back, moaning softly as he leaned over me and then covered my body with his, his lips returning to mine for a deeper, more insistent kiss.
“Viv,” he said in a low tone against my mouth. “You make it really fucking hard to be a gentleman.”
I arched my back and wrapped a leg around his hip, humming a moan against his lips. “You were a gentleman last time. That’s good enough.”
He buried his face in my neck, the soft scruff of his beard brushing over my skin sending a shiver through me. It never seemed to stop; the touch of his lips and tongue to my neck sent fresh shivers down my spine. There was another one when he squeezed my ass and I felt his thick erection pressing against my core.
I pulled his shirt loose from his pants in the back and slid my palm beneath it, needing to feel his warm skin and taut muscles. He stiffened and pulled back, looking down at me with a mix of arousal and confusion.
“Fuck.”
“What’s wrong?”
He ran a hand over his short black hair and sat on the edge of the couch, shoulders slumped.
Still breathing hard, I put my fingertips on my lips, feeling the tingle of his rough kiss and the smooth scratch of his beard. Silence hung thick in the air until finally, he spoke.
“You don’t want me, Viv. I’m not a good guy.”
I wrapped my arms around myself. “I do, though. I thought we both wanted it.”
He turned his dark gaze on me. “Hell yeah I want it. What man doesn’t want to make a good girl be bad?”
“So, then?”
Shaking his head, he turned away. “It’s not right. You’re a good person, Viv. You’re the kind of person who helps people up when they’re down. I’m the guy who kicks ‘em in the first place.”
“No, you’re not.”
“You don’t know me,” he said sharply. “A couple dates isn’t enough to see what kind of person I am. Don’t be so na?ve.”
I drew back slightly at his harsh words. “You’re the kind of person who saved me from being raped.”
“That’s what this is about, isn’t it?” He sprang to his feet. “You think I’m some sort of white fuckin’ knight, when really I’m just a guy who doesn’t allow shit at his club.”
“You would’ve stepped in wherever you saw that happening.”
He shrugged. “Maybe not.”
“You tell yourself that, Kane, even though it’s bullshit.” I smoothed out my hair and tucked my legs beneath a blanket, suddenly self-conscious.
“You just don’t seem to see me, Viv. Everyone else does, so why don’t you? I’m a criminal. An asshole. I’ve hurt people.”
“I’ve hurt people, too. Haven’t we all?”
He sighed heavily. “I don’t mean it like that. I’m talking about ruin. Taking things that are good and destroying them. That’s what I do. And I’m not doing it to you.”
My heart skipped erratically. What was he saying?
“Kane, I think you just need—”
He cut me off with a murderous glare. “I need to stop pretending with these fancy clothes and dates with a goddamn lawyer.”
I felt my expression crumbling. Maybe he was right. Maybe he was an asshole.
“I like you. And I thought you liked me,” I said, hating the note of desperation in my tone.
“I do. That’s why I’m leaving.”
He didn’t even look back. He just opened the door, walked out and slammed it, leaving no doubt.
I sat on my couch for a long time, staring into nothingness. I didn’t cry. The shock just left me numb, wondering how things had taken such a bad turn so quickly.