Sleep didn't come that night.
Not even close. Keigh lay in bed, one arm thrown over his eyes, the memory of Nara pressed into him with the stubborn persistence of a bruise, tender, warm, impossible to ignore.
He had kissed her and she had kissed him back. Not hesitantly or by accident, but with a soft, deliberate willingness that had nearly undone him.
His hand drifted to his jaw, remembering how her fingers had brushed there moments before their mouths met tentative, almost shy, as if she wasn't sure she was allowed to touch him. As if she wasn't sure he wanted her to.
God, if only she knew.
He exhaled, long and slow, letting the scene replay in painful, intoxicating detail. The way she had looked at him wide-eyed, a little breathless, unsure of the world and yet unafraid of him. The way her lips had parted when he cupped her cheek. The way she leaned in, almost imperceptible, like gravity had chosen him for her.
And then... the kiss. So soft, searching, too short, far too short.
He had meant to keep it gentle, something simple that wouldn't scare her. But the moment their lips touched, he felt everything he'd been holding back surge forward, months of restraint, quiet admiration, the maddening pull to her.
And underneath it all, something older, deeper, something he didn't dare name yet.
Keigh rolled onto his side, gripping the sheets. He had kissed a woman before. Women, probably. But none had embedded themselves under his skin the way Nara had. None had left him feeling both anchored and unbalanced in the same breath.
She wasn't like the women he grew up around, women who wanted his status, his name, the Dynamite empire. Nara didn't want anything from him except his presence. His attention. His sincerity.
She had no idea how rare that was in his world. No idea how dangerous it made her. A muscle in his jaw ticked.
He had seen the figure following her earlier that night. He had felt the shift in the air, the sense of being watched. His men had moved quickly, quietly, but still, the threat was real. Too real.
And after the kiss, after knowing what it felt like to have her close. He realized there was no universe where he could tolerate someone hunting her. His fingers curled slowly into fists.
If the Alarics or anyone thought they could use Nara to get to him, manipulate him, scare him then they didn't know him at all.
Keigh sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. The city outside his window was silent, but his mind was anything but.
He should stay away.
He knew that.
For her sake. For her safety.
But then he remembered the way she had whispered his name at the end of the kiss, soft, uncertain, almost pleading, and every bit of sense he had evaporated.
No! He wasn't stepping back. Not now, not after that kiss, not after seeing the fear flicker in her eyes when she realized she was being watched. Not when the world was starting to close around her without warning.
He reached for his phone, thumb tapping against the screen, considering whether to text her. Just to make sure she was okay. Just to hear from her but he stopped before he typed a single word.
She deserved calm. Normalcy. A life not tainted by the shadows he lived in. He would keep that for her as long as he could, so he placed the phone down and instead picked up another device.
A secure line.
"Double the surveillance around her building," he said quietly, voice colder than he felt. "No visible presence. I want ghosts on every corner."
A pause.
"And find out what the Alarics know. Move discreetly."
He ended the call, leaning back, letting his head rest against the headboard. The kiss replayed again, softer this time, almost like a dream. Keigh allowed himself a small smile, rare, private, fleeting.
"She has no idea," he murmured into the quiet room, "what she just did to me."
And when he finally closed his eyes, the world didn't fade. Only her. Only Nara, and the echo of her lips against his.