Morning passed quietly, but the silence between them was heavier than before.
Eric avoided her all day — or maybe Kiki avoided him. Neither of them could tell anymore.
By evening, the Reigns mansion was filled with soft piano music. Kiki sat in the living room, pretending to study, but every page of her book blurred into thoughts of him.
Every look. Every word. Every breath from that night replayed in her mind.
She wanted to forget.
But how could she forget the man who held her like she was the only thing that could quiet his chaos?
Her heart betrayed her every time she heard his footsteps.
Upstairs, Eric leaned against the balcony railing, tie undone, sleeves rolled to his elbows. The city lights reflected in his eyes — cold, distant, yet full of something he didn't want to name.
He hadn't stopped thinking about her either.
Every inch of control he prided himself on had vanished the moment his lips touched hers.
Now, he couldn't focus — not on work, not on his meetings, not even on the endless stream of calls from his company.
He wanted to go to her room, to apologize, or maybe… to make the mistake again.
But he didn't move.
He couldn't.
It was around 10 p.m. when Kiki decided to grab some air.
She stepped outside into the backyard garden — barefoot, wearing one of the simple silk dresses Eric's housekeeper had given her.
The night breeze was cool against her skin. She tilted her head back, staring at the stars, trying to breathe out the storm that had been building inside her.
She didn't hear him at first.
The quiet footsteps behind her. The soft click of the glass door.
Then — his voice.
Low. Rough. Dangerous.
"You shouldn't be out here alone."
She turned, startled. "You scared me."
He stepped closer, the shadows of the garden lamps outlining his sharp features. "You scare me too."
She frowned. "What does that even mean?"
He didn't answer right away. He stopped only when he was inches from her, the scent of his cologne mixing with the night air.
"It means I don't know what to do with you, Kiki."
Her lips parted, but no words came.
"You walk into my life like a storm," he continued, voice deep and steady, "and suddenly I can't think straight. I can't sleep. I can't even breathe without wondering what you're thinking."
Her heart skipped. "Eric…"
"You make me want things I swore I'd never want."
He reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. His fingers lingered near her jaw, gentle — too gentle for a man known to break people before they could break him.
Kiki didn't pull away this time.
Her pulse raced, and for a moment, she forgot about everything — the deal, the lies, the danger.
Just him.
"You said it was wrong," she whispered.
"It is," he murmured. "But I can't stop."
Then he kissed her again — slower this time, deeper, like a confession he'd buried for too long.
And this time, she kissed him back.
The world outside disappeared.
Only the sound of the wind and their racing hearts filled the air.
When they finally pulled apart, both breathless, Eric rested his forehead against hers.
"You're supposed to be my contract girlfriend," he whispered, voice trembling slightly.
"Then why does it feel real?" she asked softly.
He didn't answer.
He just closed his eyes and whispered, almost to himself —
"Maybe because it is."
⸻
The night held them in a fragile, trembling bubble — one that neither wanted to break.
Eric's hands slid down to her waist, pulling her impossibly closer. Kiki felt the heat of him, the solid strength of his body, and it made her shiver in a way that had nothing to do with the cool night air.
"You don't know how long I've waited for this," he murmured against her hair, each word a caress, a confession, a promise.
"I didn't know you wanted it," she whispered back, her voice small, but steady. "Or maybe… I didn't let myself believe it."
He lifted her chin gently, forcing her to meet his gaze. The intensity there made her knees weak. "I don't do this," he admitted, voice rough around the edges, "not feelings, not… whatever this is. But you… you're different."
Her hand rose on its own, tracing the line of his jaw, memorizing him like a map she didn't want to forget. "Different how?"
"Different enough to make me lose my mind," he breathed. "Different enough to make me want… more than just the contract. More than pretend."
A laugh, soft and incredulous, escaped her lips. "So we're just… doing what we're not supposed to?"
"Yes," he said simply, almost shyly. "Yes, and I don't care."
For a moment, the world seemed to tilt, suspended between reality and desire. Eric leaned down again, this time pressing his lips to her temple, then the corner of her mouth, each kiss a silent promise that he wasn't going anywhere.
Kiki rested her hands against his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat. It was grounding, real, and terrifying all at once.
"I'm scared," she admitted, voice trembling. "Of feeling this… of feeling you."
"Then let me be scared with you," he whispered, wrapping her in his arms. "We'll figure it out. Together."
And in the quiet glow of the garden, under the watchful stars, they let go of every rule, every plan, every fear — and gave in to something dangerously, impossibly real.
They stayed wrapped in each other's arms long after the night deepened, the only sounds their soft breaths and the whisper of leaves stirred by the wind. Time seemed irrelevant, suspended in the electric bubble between them.
Finally, Kiki pulled back slightly, enough to look into his eyes. "Eric… what happens now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
He didn't answer immediately. His gaze flicked to the garden, then back to her, a storm of thoughts behind his calm exterior. "I don't know," he admitted. "I know I'm not supposed to want… this. Not like this. But I can't stop thinking about you. About us."
Kiki's heart ached at his honesty. She'd expected bravado, a cold dismissal, or maybe a joke to mask the tension. Instead, she found vulnerability in him — raw and unguarded. "Then maybe we stop pretending," she said softly. "Maybe… we just see where this goes."
Eric's lips curved into a shadow of a smile, rare and fleeting, but it made her stomach flutter. "Dangerous words," he muttered. "You know that, right?"
"Dangerous," she agreed, stepping closer, her forehead resting against his. "But worth it."
He inhaled sharply, the scent of her hair intoxicating. "You have no idea what you do to me, Kiki," he confessed, voice low and ragged. "I'm a man who controls everything… except this. You've taken control of me."
She let out a soft laugh, a mixture of nerves and delight. "Then maybe you should let me," she teased, brushing her fingers over his hand.
A shiver ran through him, and suddenly the distance between them disappeared. His hands cradled her face, thumbs brushing over her cheekbones, and he kissed her again — slower, deeper, full of a need that neither could deny.
When they finally broke apart, their foreheads still touching, Eric whispered, "I don't know what the future holds… but right now, I know I want you. No contracts, no rules. Just you and me."
Kiki smiled, a soft, genuine smile that lit up the shadows around them. "Then let's start there," she said.
And beneath the stars, in the quiet garden of the Reigns mansion, they let themselves fall fully — recklessly, dangerously, beautifully — into a love neither had expected, yet both had secretly longed for.