Dangerous Beauty: Part Four: Beautifully Broken (21 page)

He’d sat in his car for fifteen more torturous minutes and watched Reanna in the arms of another man, and not once—other than the first time he’d gotten out of the car—did he move to kill the bastard.

He’d actually been incredibly proud of himself for making it through that without losing his cool. It had been much harder than he’d thought, seeing as Kyle had never been one to defer a desire to kill, but he’d done it … for her. Because he wanted her, because he wanted to prove himself to be the man that she deserved. Never—not ever—had Kyle put forth so much effort, and right about now, as he stood, staring at the woman he desired wearing a
very sexy
piece of lingerie, he feared that his effort was all for naught.

This was not for him.

Don’t get him wrong, he fucking loved what she was wearing. In the thirty seconds since she’d opened the door in it, he’d already pictured himself fucking her in at least four different areas of her living room, but still … this wasn’t for him. She’d come to the door expecting someone else, someone that she obviously wanted to fuck.

That blond professor looking motherfucker
, Kyle thought, his jaw tightening with anger.

This set Kyle back; all the calm he’d achieved in that fucking car … gone.

Closing his eyes, he let his head fall back as he released a pained groan.
Shit!
Please, dear Christ, do not allow me to fuck this up with my jealousy.

“Kyle,” she whispered his name once more.

Kyle had heard her do it before, but he’d been too busy trying to calm himself again. He needed to focus on Mickey’s words, now more than ever. He didn’t want to fuck this up before he even got a chance to explain himself. He did this. It was his fault that she was expecting another man, so he just had to deal with it, and move on.

Now determined to charm his way into her home, Kyle released a long breath, and lifted his head once again, finally ready to speak to her.

“Baby,” he greeted, giving her his most charming, yet soft, smile, “you look beautiful.”

Though she hadn’t intended for his to be the eyes fortunate enough to see her in such an outfit, Kyle would do as his brother had said, and take comfort in the knowledge that he would be the only man to ever see her in such attire. After all, she was his.

He watched as her eyes widened slightly at his comment before her expression returned to its relaxed state.

Smiling slightly, he noticed her hand loosened on her robe a bit, and she nodded. “Thank you …” she murmured, then looked up at him once again, her eyes filled with confusion. She shook her head. “But,” she frowned, “what are you doing here, Kyle?”

Her confusion is understandable
, Kyle thought, as he leaned lazily against her door frame. He had never really journeyed to her house for a visit without Sofia before, and definitely had never come over so late. But here he was. Standing at her door, looking a bloody mess. The woman had more than enough right to be confused by that …

He thought maybe to explain to her his reason for coming over, but then quickly decided against it. His brother’s advice had been not to frighten her, overwhelm her, or force himself on her. Telling her that he’d come to her home in the middle of the night to confess his complicated, yet increasingly strong feelings for her would be a bit too heavy, so instead, he decided to follow Mickey’s initial advice.

Charm the woman, Kyle.

Running his hand over his face, Kyle looked into Reanna’s eyes, feigning subtle agony. “I’m afraid … I find myself without a place to sleep tonight.”

As expected, her frown of confusion only deepened at his words.

“What?”

Kyle wanted to smile, but he resisted the urge. Instead, he mindlessly lifted his hand to the curls that lay so beautifully at her shoulder, twisting them gently between his fingers.

“There seems to be a problem at the apartment …” He lifted his eyes to hers once again. “Monsters …”

“Monsters?” she asked, once again making him want to smile.

Kyle held tight to his composure and nodded his head. “Frightening monsters,” he confirmed. “It seems they’ve taken over my home, and begun invading my dreams again.”

Her features softened immediately as concern replaced her confusion. “Oh …” she whispered, looking as if she wanted to say more. But she didn’t.

Though Kyle rejoiced inwardly at the discovery that she still cared for him, he continued his explanation in effort to keep her mood light.

He released an exaggerated sigh. “Normally, Sofia and I are able to battle these monsters in our home together,” he explained, then shrugged sadly. “But it appears my dear daughter has found a trip to Disney World with her grandparents far more appealing than battling frightening monsters with her father.” He gently pushed the hair back from her shoulder, then let his fingers glide down her silk-covered arm. “Her absence seems to have left me without an ally.”

“In the fight against the monsters in your home?” she asked, her eyes brightening as she said the words.

Kyle nodded in response.

She nodded her head, glancing away from him. Though she feigned seriousness, Kyle could clearly see the smile in her eyes.

“So … you came here tonight looking for an ally?”

When she lifted her gorgeous dark brown eyes back to his, Kyle had to look away for a moment, in effort to resist the sudden urge to kiss her.
God
,
she’s so beautiful
. With no effort at all, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

Looking back to her, he fought to maintain a relaxed expression. “I am,” he answered.

“Hmm.” She nodded again, biting down on her bottom lip. “And you want that ally to be …”

“You.”

“Me?”

They spoke at the exact same time, both of them trying their best not to laugh.

Kyle sighed again. “Sofia spoke very highly of your abilities to defeat such enemies.”

“Did she?”

Kyle nodded emphatically. “She praised you. Insisted I do whatever I could to get to you as soon as possible.”

Reanna broke. A soft, sweet laughter fell from her full lips, as she gazed up at him with the softest smile.

“What could I possibly do to protect you from any monsters, Kyle?” She shrugged. “I’m not much of a warrior like your sweet Sofia.”

Smiling, Kyle took a small step closer to her—making sure, though, to remain on the outside of her door.

“Well …” he said, gazing into her eyes. “The funny thing is that you don’t have to do anything, Reanna. Sofia and I believe that your presence alone is enough to defeat them.”

She gave him a small smile of disbelief. “Just my presence, huh?”

“Yes,” Kyle answered with a nod, then remembered yet another piece of his brother’s advice.

Don’t be afraid to reveal how much you need her.

“We feel that these monsters have only flooded my dreams because I’ve been a bit … distressed lately.”

Her eyes widened in concern again. “Distressed?”

Kyle nodded. “Yes,” he answered truthfully. “And it seems that you are my only hope in achieving solace.”

“Me?” she murmured.

Kyle lowered his eyes, then lifted them back to her once again. “Yes, baby … I miss you,” he confessed. “Desperately. And it seems that peace won’t come back to me until I have you in my arms again.” Reaching forward, he took her hand in his. “This is why I’ve come to you,
mia colomba.”

Reanna caught her bottom lip between her teeth as they stood for a moment, staring deeply into each other’s eyes. Kyle was anxious, nervous even, but only because he’d just put himself out there emotionally, which was something he’d never done before.

It wasn’t until her hand tightened on his, and the door opened wider that his heart immediately began to calm. She pulled him into her home, released his hand when he entered the living room, then closed the door behind them …

He’d done it. He’d charmed his way into her home. On to the next step.

He was in distress … He missed her ... He wanted her in his arms again?

Every single word that came out of his ridiculously perfect mouth made her
ache
for him.

This was what he did to her—wrapped her up in a nice little fantasy of what it would be like to truly be wanted by him, needed by him. To be the woman that
his
heart ached for. And he was so freaking good at it, too. From the way he looked at her, smiled at her, to the way he made every word that came out of his mouth
his bitch
, manipulating them so incredibly to get the results he wanted. Charm, charisma, his looks, his personality, the humor she loved so much, and the unrelenting desire to be needed by him. He’d used
all of it
against her and obliterated every bit of resolve she’d developed over the past two weeks in the snap of a freaking finger!

Dammit!

It was like she had no control of herself around him. This was not what she’d wanted. She’d wanted Braden to be at that door, not Kyle. Braden was free, he was single, and best of all, he was in love with her. Kyle wasn’t. Kyle just … Reanna didn’t even know! She didn’t know what he wanted from her because he’d never told her before. All he did was throw her a host of mixed signals on an unhealthily regular basis.

‘Reanna I need you, I miss you, you’re beautiful, you’re sexy, mia colomba, I want you in my arms … but not right now, though. Right now I need you to babysit so that I can screw Aniyah Clark. But then I promise we’ll cuddle, okay, baby?”

No.

No. No. No. No!

No more! Reanna put distance between herself and Kyle for a reason, and the reason was simply because she lacked brain faculties when he was around her. She did stupid shit, like invite him into her home in the middle of the night because he so obviously needed her, and gave him the pair of sweat pants she’d once taken from his apartment months before, then tell him to go take a hot shower in her beautiful sanctuary of a bathroom while she stayed in the kitchen and made him some dessert that she knew he’d love to eat with a warm glass of milk before she then took him to her bed …

Nope. A smart woman wouldn’t have told a man that had a girlfriend—
that also happened to be her dear friend
—to do all of that. Absolutely not. A woman with all of her faculties working in perfect harmony would tell that man to go home, or better yet, go call the woman he was sleeping with and tell her what he was up to!

“Oh God …” Reanna cried softly as she cut Kyle a hefty piece of chocolate cake.

She was hopeless, a mess. This wasn’t going to work out, she had to tell him to leave.

“What are you in here pouting about woman?”

With a startled jump, Reanna gasped, quickly turning to face Kyle when he suddenly entered the room. “When did …” Her words faltered as soon as she laid eyes on him.

Yep. Grey sweat pants, no shirt … definitely her favorite look for Kyle Valente.

One by one Reanna’s ‘faculties’ began to kick rocks until the idea of asking that beautiful, half-naked giant to leave was nowhere in sight.

“When did, what?” he asked, walking into the kitchen. “You didn’t finish your sentence.”

Reanna took in a deep breath, shaking her head. “It’s nothing,” she lied, then motioned toward one of the tall seats at the kitchen island. “Sit down.”

“Sit down,” he repeated.

She looked up at him, nodding her head. “Y-yes,” she stuttered. “I made you something to eat …”

He stood, staring at her for the longest time, and for a second, Reanna was almost positive that he could read her thoughts.

She swallowed.

Some people would hate that. Hate when someone looked at them as if they knew every secret they’d ever had, and usually, Reanna despised such attention. But not with Kyle. She couldn’t explain why, but she
loved
when he looked at her like that, like he knew what she was saying even though she hadn’t said a word. It was that freaking connection that she had with only him. That intimacy that she didn’t want anymore—not because she genuinely
didn’t want it
, but because without the complete fulfillment of truly having all of him, the intimate relationship they had with one another caused her too much pain.

“Kyle,” she said, getting his attention.

She needed to limit the long gazes, and the reading of each other’s thoughts for the remainder of their time together tonight. Her only goal right now was to sever their connection, not revive it.

But how can one revive something that never died
? her conscience asked her.

Reanna lowered her eyes. She didn’t need to think like this, not right now. She just needed to get through tonight without slipping back into the way things were. Then tomorrow, she’d have a talk with him. Set some boundaries if they were to remain friends.

That would be better.

Trying not to look up at him, Reanna motioned for the chair once again. “I’ll be over there in a second …”