The Boss’s Runaway (Possessive Kingpins)

Silence fell after Dami and Hana left, and the various boxes of side dishes my mother had carted over to fill my fridge—and had decided to use as weapons instead—were cleaned off the kitchen floor.

Kat wandered off for another shower, and I gave her some clothes. I couldn’t have her wandering around in the sheet, even if I now considered it the sexiest outfit I’d ever seen. She was a stunning woman beneath the dirt, and looking at her could easily become an addiction.

Everything was clean, and the smell of lemon soap hung in the air when she wandered into the kitchen later. I didn’t like mess, and I didn’t like staff. Strangers in my personal space made me tense, so I had a cleaner come in while I was out, a chef who left ready-to-go meals in my fridge, and my men who stood outside my apartment door for security.

Kat was the first person to have spent the night in longer than I could remember. I never brought women here. It wasn’t safe to let the location of a boss’s home be public knowledge, especially if you lived alongside ordinary people in an apartment building. Sure, it was the penthouse, I owned the entire thing and had more security measures in place than the Tower of London back in its day, but still, it was a risk.

And I didn’t take risks or chances. I didn’t gamble – until today.

Kat had rolled the waistband of the sweats I’d given her, and the t-shirt slipped off her shoulder constantly, exposing creamy, pale skin. The clothes dwarfed her, and yet, she pulled it off. I couldn’t keep my eyes away.

She was a gamble—my first in a very long time.

“So, your mother’s nice,” she said as she joined me on the couches in the window and looked out over the impressive view.

“I’ll be sure to tell her you think so.”

“Nah, don’t bother. I’m sure she’ll have me killed before then,” Kat breezed.

That tore a surprised chuckle from me. I jolted at the sound while she merely smiled. She had no idea how long it had been since I’d last laughed at anything. My life was grim at best and painfully dark at its worst.

“So, fiancée? I wasn’t expecting that. You think she’d believe a guy like you would want to marry a woman like me?”

“Why not? You’re beautiful, magnetic almost, and you can hold your own against her. Don’t be confused. Dami reacted like she did because she saw you as a threat.”

Kat laughed, and I had to force myself to look away from the clean, elegant line of her neck. “Wow, I don’t know whether to be flattered by that or to start making funeral plans.”

“No harm will come to you when you’re with me,” I told her, already putting plans in place in my mind to ensure her safety.

“You sound confident,” she mused, her pale eyes lingering on my face.

I had the impression she liked what she saw, which made my body hard, and my blood hot. “I am confident. I can take or save a life in this city with a word.”

It was a plain truth that could sound intimidating or grandiose, but Kat merely nodded. “I’ll make sure to stay on your good side,” she said, wrapping her arms around her chest. “What do you expect from me?”

The way she said it, in a lower voice, with a hint of something intriguing in her voice, made it clear we were talking about more than a show. “Play along as my fiancée until my mother ceases her relentless urge to marry me off. In return, you’ll be protected and provided for.”

She moved closer, turning her slim body toward mine, and I stiffened. She raised a hand slowly toward my face.

I caught her fingers when they were only inches away from my cheek. “What are you doing?”

“Pretending. I wanted to see what it would be like to pretend with you,” she muttered, her hand still caught in mine.

“I don’t like to be touched,” I said simply and let her hand drop. Her skin was so warm. It had that same addictive quality that looking at her did.

She watched me steadily for a long moment and then nodded. “Okay, boss, whatever you say. Just tell me where you want me, and I’m there.”

I wet my lips, my mouth suddenly dry at her phrasing. Dark, lustful images filled my mind. Of her sinking to her knees and crawling to my room, her lips wrapped around my cock while I fisted her white-blond hair and fucked her mouth.

“First of all, you have to look the part, and as pretty as you might have looked in the sheet, Dami will be back, and you need clothes. Get ready. We’re going shopping.”

Kat’s eyes widened, and just when I thought she’d resist or make a fuss, she clapped her hands together and gave a little scream of excitement. I couldn’t remember when I’d gone shopping with a woman who was as excited as Kat. Her mood was infectious, and I found a grin trying to sneak on my lips as I watched her run around, looking for shoes that would fit. I didn’t know nearly enough about this intriguing woman, but one thing was for sure—I was going to find out.