I didn't sleep much after the elevator incident.
I lay in bed, clutching my pillow like it could anchor me to reality, but all I could see was Knox—the way he crowded my space, the way his voice wrapped around me like silk dipped in poison.
And the worst part?
I wasn't scared.
I was excited.
God help me.
By morning, I was tense and jumpy. I smeared on a fresh coat of lipstick like armor and tried not to remember how he'd called it out. Tried not to wonder what else he noticed. What else he'd say if he saw me now.
Get a grip, I told myself.
This was a job.
This wasn't high school where I could afford to fall for a bad boy. I worked at a billion-dollar company where reputations meant everything. And yet, the second I walked into the office, my skin prickled.
He was nearby.
I didn't need to see him. I felt him.
And then—
"Kaia."
Finn.
I turned. He smiled at me, impossibly put-together in a navy suit, his hair still damp from a morning shower.
"I'm headed to a pitch meeting in twenty. You're coming."
"Me?"
"Bring your tablet. You'll take notes. Watch. Learn."
That fast, he turned and walked down the hall, expecting me to follow.
I barely had time to grab my things before I was beside him, walking through the marble atrium of Ashbourne Global's Manhattan tower, heels clicking like gunshots.
As the elevator took us down, Finn leaned close.
"You okay? You seem… tense."
I forced a smile. "Just nerves."
"No need. I wouldn't bring you if I didn't think you could handle it." He paused, then said more softly, "My brother can be… distracting."
My stomach tightened.
He knew.
Finn stepped off the elevator first. "You're new. He's curious. It'll pass."
"But if it doesn't?"
Finn's mouth twitched—humorless. "Then I remind him who's in charge."
The pitch meeting went smoothly—on the surface.
Finn charmed the boardroom like a seasoned performer. I sat beside him, typing notes, smiling when needed. But something felt off.
As he wrapped up the presentation, a door opened at the back of the conference room.
Knox.
He walked in like he owned the air.
Everyone straightened—no one questioned his presence. Not even Finn.
But the tension in the room doubled.
He didn't speak. Just leaned against the wall, arms crossed, dark eyes fixed only on me.
I tried to focus on the numbers Finn was rattling off. I tried to breathe. But Knox's gaze pinned me in place like a predator deciding how to eat me.
When the meeting ended, everyone filed out.
Except Knox.
And me.
He waited until the door shut, then walked over, slow and deliberate.
"That was cute," he said. "The little assistant act."
"I was doing my job."
"No. You were playing his."
I stepped back. "Why are you always like this?"
He smirked. "Because you respond to it."
I hated that he was right. Hated that every time he got close, my body betrayed me. My pulse thudded in my throat. My thighs clenched.
"Do you ever stop?" I whispered.
"Why would I?" His eyes swept over me. "You're the first thing that's made this place interesting in years."
"Well, stop," I snapped. "I'm not some toy for you to stalk between board meetings."
He stepped forward, backing me up until I hit the long glass table behind me. "You're right."
His voice dropped.
"You're not a toy. You're the flame."
"And you think you're the one who won't burn?"
He leaned in, his mouth inches from mine. "No. I want to burn."
My breath hitched.
Then, suddenly—he stepped back.
Just like that.
Control snapped back into place like a loaded gun.
"I'll see you at the gala Friday," he said.
"What gala?"
He smiled. "You didn't think you were just going to take notes forever, did you?"
He turned and walked away.
I stood there, trembling. Hot. Furious. Flushed.
And more confused than ever.
Back at my desk, I found a note left under my tablet.
In Finn's handwriting.
"Don't let him get in your head.
You're better than his games.
—F."
I stared at the note, heart twisting. I wanted to believe Finn was right.
But every part of me knew…
Knox didn't play games.
He was the game.
That night, I stayed late, finishing my onboarding modules and trying to get ahead on a client file Finn had handed me. The floor was almost empty—just me, the janitorial staff, and the hum of the city outside.
I was halfway through typing when I felt it again.
The shift in the air.
I looked up.
Knox was leaning against the glass wall across the hall.
Watching me.
I stood slowly. "Do you live here or something?"
He didn't answer.
I walked over to him, arms crossed. "Why are you doing this?"
His eyes glittered. "Doing what?"
"Following me. Watching me. Making me feel like I'm about to explode every time you're near."
"Maybe I like seeing you on edge," he murmured. "Maybe I like knowing I can ruin your day just by breathing near you."
"That's toxic."
He shrugged. "You're the one who keeps breathing it in."
I stared at him. "Why do you want to break me?"
His expression changed. Softer. Darker.
"I don't want to break you," he said. "I want to peel you open until there's nothing left but truth."
"Why?"
"Because you hide." He stepped closer. "You smile for Finn. You behave. You follow rules. But I see it under your skin—something wild. Something filthy."
He leaned close, lips brushing my ear.
"I want that version of you. The one you try to choke down."
I shivered.
"I'm not that girl," I whispered.
"Liar."
The heat between us ignited—then shattered.
Because Finn's voice cut through the hall.
"Kaia?"
We sprang apart.
Finn was walking toward us, blazer slung over his shoulder, brow furrowed.
"You're still here?"
I cleared my throat. "I was finishing the Trent file."
His eyes flicked to Knox. "Everything okay?"
Knox smiled. "Just saying goodnight."
Finn's jaw clenched. "Good. Because she's off-limits."
Knox raised a brow. "Is that official?"
Finn didn't blink. "Yeah. It is."
My stomach dropped.
Like I wasn't even standing there.
Like I didn't get a say in which Hart brother I wanted to set on fire.
Knox looked at me, slow and deliberate.
Then back at Finn.
"Some things don't stay off-limits for long."
He walked away.
And the second he was gone, Finn turned to me.
"You okay?"
I nodded.
But I wasn't.
Not even close.