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Chapter Twenty-One: The Promise of a Kiss!

The last step slid from beneath my feet like a curtain being swept away, the world opening up before me like a veil shifting.

There are moments like these in life: moments where you're walking along and it's normal, the world is spinning and you're on your way to do something like any other day. And then there are these types of moments: moments where you take a breathe and it feels different - like you've finally realized that you're alive. That you could do or say anything and no matter what, you would continue to breathe and the very idea of how fragile and beautiful and powerful that idea is, makes your skin tingle.

I shivered, the balmy, summer air feeling suddenly cool as a soft breeze ruffled my hair and Kyoya's head tipped to the side, his gaze finally drifting to where I stood just out of sight at the base of the stairs. His eyes widened slightly and my breath stuttered out on a cough. Because - because he looked so handsome.

For once, he had decided to wear contact, the lack of them making him seem softer, less calculating. His eyes arched, the lamplight catching the inky depths and lighting a stray sliver of slate and cocoa in their depths. His hair, usually tousled and finger-ravaged was slicked back, a few ebony locks falling across his cheeks in a way that made him look older.

The suit that he was wearing was a finely pressed ebony, somehow tailored to highlighted both his impressive height and the tapered lines of his body. The only splash of color in the whole ensemble was his tie, which was a striking silver that seemed to shimmer in the amber glow of the lamps above.

I gulped. He looked like a sophisticated businessman, his face delicately chiseled, his eyes cool. My gaze darted down to the silky material of my own outfit.

I had never felt so utterly out-matched before.

"Sweets?" I jerked at the nickname, momentarily dazed by the rough edge to his voice. Right. I took a deep breath, hands clenching at my shawl. I was his date for the night. I was a Houshakuji. And I most certainly wasn't going to stand awkwardly at the bottom of these stairs contemplating how utterly besotted I was.

Lifting my chin higher, I straightened my spine and made my way quickly toward where he stood at the curb, his eyes tracking my movements like he was viewing something dangerous and altogether surprising stalking him. Was that a good thing? I pushed that away. Pushed away how handsome he was. Pushed away how much taller he was, how I had to look up at him, how he made me feel safe, how his lips had felt against mine, how they would feel again-

"My apologies for being late." The words gushed from me, sounding closer to a thick sludge gurgling from a spout instead of the care-free breezy manner I was going for. I winced, catching the way his eyes were still wide, roaming over my features, down to the line of my neck and then further to where my dress hugged my breasts. His adam's apple bobbed, his eyes darkening to charcoal. "I-I forgot my purse… and had to go back for it-"

Whatever I had planned to blabber on about, slithered away from me as one of Kyoya's hands extending, hesitating for the barest of seconds before I felt the cool glide of his fingers press along my wrist. I stopped breathing, freezing at the unexpected touch. His brows knit together, a look of confusion slipping in to groove his usually calm face.

He was staring at his hand, I realized, watching as it brushed along the back of my wrist, grazing higher to my elbow before rubbing the fine material of my shawl. My head lightened as those fingers curled, massaging slow circles into the sensitive skin above my elbow, the silk a thin barrier between us. I couldn't breath. My vision narrowed to the fine lines of his face, the curve of his lips as they tipped down a bit in… confusion? Agitation? I couldn't tell.

"You're…" His voice was rough, gravel-ridden for a moment before he blinked and finally met my gaze again. "You're beautiful."

Why did he sound so earnest?

I fumbled, a now-familiar warmth seeping into my stomach, catching fire and lighting my whole body. In my golden heels, my toes curled.

"You've - you-" I stopped, taking a long, unsteady draw of air before I was forcing myself to meet his gaze. He had leaned closer, his neck craning down like he always did when we were near each other. The whole effect was disconcerting in its honesty - and yet, it felt like I knew this moment. That is had happened so many times before… My brows furrowed. "You keep saying that - that I'm… beautiful."

Saying it out loud made me feel foolish. Like I was playing into a game that he knew better than I. Was I imagining it? That was the first thing you would say to win someone over, wasn't it? That they were attractive? Was it a way to make me drop my guard?

His eyes were penetrating, that hand still massaging my elbow gently. He was looking at me like he was trying to calculate what I was saying, digesting my words and expression in a way that was wholly disarming and completely unfamiliar.

Mrs. Mercier's words came back to me with searing accuracy: sometimes it's better to come to a person bare instead of riddled with thorns.

My eyes slammed to the ground, unwilling to blurt out the next words when I could see how they affected him this close. "It sounds like you're flirting. But no one's around to make it worth our bet." My words were coming out halting, stilted in a way that I couldn't control. Heat burned my neck and cheeks. "It's...it's confusing - and - and if you're not...flirting or… or it doesn't mean… more… than you should probably...stop…"

I was panting, short, muggy puffs of air tearing from my throat as I saw the top button of the ebony vest beneath suit jacket rise on a breath. Silence stretched on, broadening between us until I found myself regretting every single word that I had said. It was stupid to expose such an obvious weakness-

"I am." My whole body burned, catching fire as Kyoya leaned closer, his lips grazing along the shell of my ear. The fine lines of his chest grazed along my chest, making my insides bubble and fizz. His breath was cool against the increasing heat of my skin, a smile turning his words into a teasing push. "Flirting. Both, perhaps. Flirting and the more that you mentioned."

My eyes snapped up, colliding with his as he leaned away, a startling smile curving his lips up mischievously. I didn't know what to say. It was an answer. My brows furrowed. But also a way to avoid an answer as well.

Gently, still smiling that secretive little smirk, he guided me to the back of the car, opening the door and pushing me in with nothing more than a glitter of his eyes before closing the door.

And leaving me to stew in the back as he went up and talked to the chauffeur before getting in. He had thrown me off. I glowered at the clean, leather seats and sparkling wine chilling next to the glasses in a center console. I hated him. He always knew how to answer a question in a way that confused me. Or more like, gave a direct answer followed by actions that confused me.

He seemed to delight in throwing me off-balance which made our interactions… complicated. I was never able to catch my breath. Never able to disengage from our meetings and handle them without emotions. It was a new experience. And a wholly unwelcome one at that.

The back flooded with the overhead lights as Kyoya slid inside and shut the door with an ease that set my teeth on edge. He had slipped into the seat beside me, a small space between us that seemed to be shrinking by the minute. Not that he seemed to notice; his eyes had drifted to the window as the car slid smoothly from the curb.

Restlessly, I crossed my legs, surprised at the way that Kyoya's eyes snapped around at the motion, pinning onto the newly exposed patch of thigh that the position allowed. Which was… interesting.

"You haven't told me what this event is for," I prompted, watching in bemused fascination as his eyes dragged away from my thigh, foggy. Was he…? I shivered, watching as the usually gray planes of his eyes dilate, darkening to nearly black.

For a moment, he didn't answer, some odd, unfathomable calculation narrowing his gaze before he swallows, his adam's apple bobbing. He blinked, shaking his head quickly before riffling in his pocket and pulling out his phone. "My apologies. An auction." His lips thin, eyes finally tearing away from mine as he shakes his head again, seemingly unhappy with something. I can't determine what's darkened his mood, the sudden change confounding in and of itself. For a moment, his gaze is locked on the darkened screen, unmoving before he quietly whispers: "I'm sure you've attended a number such as this one."

I watch in confused interest as a tiny muscle in his jaw twitches and he suddenly unlocks his phone and begins typing rapidly, sweeping from one screen to the next in rapid concession. Curiosity tipped my body to the side, my eyes searching for a way to more easily see his screen. But, it's like he knows me -

"Ko." I jerked back, my eyes narrowing as Kyoya's gaze flicked up to meet mine, his phone going dark again. A slow, knowing smile tipped his lips up as he caught my huffy expression. His eyes took me in for a moment, assessing before he finally speaks. "Renge slapped me."

That wasn't at all what I was expecting. I blinked, thrown once more and then glowered. Why did he always have to say such unexpected things? At this point in the ride, we would be talking about the weather. Or perhaps how the trade in China was going. Maybe a summer house in Germany. Maybe some petty money that was squandered.

I quickly took in his dark gaze, the startling fan of his lashes as they flicked down and then up again. Perhaps that was why he was doing this. He had to know that this wasn't how meetings were made. My breath caught as he swept a hand through his hair, ruffling it into slick chaos.

"I deserved it." It was spoken so softly that for a moment I wondered if I had made them up. But then those striking gray-black eyes were sweeping to me and I was sure that I had heard correctly. "I want you to know… that I would have done it differently."

I blinked, confused for a moment before his eyes were catching me once more, drawing me in until the rest of the car disappeared. It was just him and me, sheltered from the rest of the world. I could feel my heart beating slowly, could smell the sweet scent of ink mixed with tea - so distinctly Kyoya.

"If I could kiss you for the first time again, I would do it right," he whispered and I shivered, drawn in by the silky tone, so decadent and low that I blushed. His eyes swirled a deeper shade of gray, tainted by cocoa. "I wouldn't steal it from you in a dark corner. I wouldn't take it from you like that. If I could do it again, I would wait for you to ask me."

I was slipping closer, my eyes straying to the fine line of his lips. Kiss… The kiss before had been nice. Really nice. I gulped, remembering the darkened section of the music room, the sound of voices reaching us from a distance and then his lips on mine, his tongue -

His next words were deeper, roughened like sandpaper eating away at oak. "That's why I won't kiss you again, Ko. I'll wait for you to be ready. I'll wait for you to ask me."

My fingers were curling into the front of his suit - a motion that I hadn't even known I was doing until the silky material was clenched in my hand. I wanted to kiss him again, I realized. Right now. My skin tingled, lighting for a moment as I imagined the feel of his hair against my fingers again. The feel of him against me. I wanted-

"We're here." I jerked, slamming my head against the passenger door with a thunk that sounded ten times worse than it actually felt. Which made it ten times more embarrassing. At least, if I had been knocked out I wouldn't have had to see the amused slit of a smile curling Kyoya's lips, his eyes alight as he stared across the limo seat at me. His gaze danced over my reddening form, his tongue darting out to wet his lips in a movement that was purely predatory.

My insides shuddered.

"Time to go on a date, sweets," he whispered.

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