Kashi lay against him, her back pressed to his chest, one of his arms resting loosely around her waist. For once, she wasn't fighting him.
Wasn't challenging him.
Wasn't looking at him like she was trying to decide whether he was a threat or a temptation.
She was simply there.
And somehow, that was far more dangerous.
Chaos stared at the ceiling.
He had faced guns pointed at his head. Walked into rooms knowing exactly how many people wanted him dead. Built an empire by understanding fear.
But this—
This terrified him.
Because Kashi Saints was not a possession. He knew that.
She would hate the very idea.
Kashi belonged to herself. Always had.
And yet every instinct inside him screamed to hold on tighter.
To make sure she stayed. To make sure nothing touched her.
No one hurt her.
No one took her away.
His fingers shifted slightly against her side.
Kashi stirred. "Chaos." Her voice was quiet.
He looked down. "Yes, Wildflower?"
His mind drifted to every moment he had almost lost this. Every time he had stepped back. Every time he convinced himself distance was safer.
Every time he told himself wanting her was selfish.
Maybe it was.
Maybe that was the truth.
Chaos had never been a good man.
He knew that.
But lying there with her in his arms, he found himself wanting something far more dangerous than power.
A future.
A simple one, something he had never allowed himself to imagine.
Kashi Saints.
The woman who could destroy companies before breakfast. The woman who spent years keeping everyone at a careful distance. The woman who looked at the world as though she had to conquer it before it could hurt her.
She had let him in and she had no idea what that meant.
Chaos pulled her closer, burying his face against her back as he breathed in her scent as a dangerous calm settled over him.
He had spent his entire life being denied things.
Love.
Family.
A place where he belonged.
He learned early that wanting something was dangerous.
Wanting made you weak.
Wanting gave people something to take from you.
So he stopped wanting. He took, he built, he conquered.
Until her.
Kashi had ruined that.
Because he didn't want to take her. That would have been easier.
He wanted her to choose him.
His fingers moved carefully against her skin. The thought almost made him laugh.
Chaos Riegrow.
The man who had terrified people twice his size. The man who watched others beg for mercy without blinking. Lying completely still because he was afraid of disturbing one sleeping woman.
Ridiculous, pathetic and beautiful.
She had no idea what she had done.
Kashi had opened a door and he was never walking away from it.
Not now. Not after years of imagining what it would feel like to have her this close.
Not after convincing himself that wanting her from a distance was enough.
Distance had never been enough.
He had tried.
Gods, he had tried.
He watched her walk away. Watched other people stand beside her.
Watched the world touch something he had wanted since he was young.
And he endured it all because he believed wanting her meant accepting he might never have her.
But now? Now she was here.
Something dark and possessive curled quietly inside him.
Not the kind that wanted to cage her.
Never that.
Kashi would burn the cage down and probably insult him while doing it.
No.
He wanted something far worse. He wanted to become impossible to leave.
He wanted to be the person she searched for first.
The person she trusted without thinking. The person she reached for when the world became too heavy.
He wanted every version of her. The ruthless heiress, the arrogant woman who drove executives insane and woman who pretended she didn't care and cared far too much.
All of her.
His.
Chaos closed his eyes.
This was dangerous, he knew what happened when he cared about something.
He either ruined it or destroyed anything that threatened it.
And Kashi?
Kashi was the one thing he would never allow himself to lose.
Not because he believed she belonged to him but because he knew she didn't.
That was what made it worse. She could leave.
She could choose not to stay.
She could wake up tomorrow and decide Chaos Riegrow was too much.
Too dark and broken.
The thought alone sent something cold through him.
He wouldn't let that happen.
He would prove, every single day, that choosing him had not been a mistake.
He would become the safest place she had ever known.
Even if it killed him.
Especially because it might.
Kashi shifted slightly, her fingers brushing against his hand.
Chaos immediately looked down. Even asleep, she searched for him, a small, almost disbelieving smile touched his mouth.
She would ruin him and he would gladly let her.
Chaos pressed his lips against her back.
"You really have no idea what you've done, Wildflower." His voice was barely a whisper. "I want to worship you for the rest of my life."
Kashi didn't answer. She only moved closer and that was enough.
Because Chaos Riegrow had spent his entire life fighting to survive.
Now?
Now he had something worth living for.
And he would burn the entire world before he let anyone take it away.
💜~~~~~~
Kashi woke to the sound of her phone ringing.
She ignored it. It stopped. Three seconds later, it started again.
Her brow tightened against the pillow. Whoever was calling at this ungodly hour had either lost their mind or developed an unhealthy attachment to unemployment.
Without opening her eyes, Kashi reached across the bedside table, found her phone by touch and answered.
"What?"
"Ma'am." Zach's voice flooded through the speaker with enough urgency to drag her halfway towards consciousness. "Grey Enterprises is here."
Kashi's eyes opened. Wide awake. She pushed herself upright. "What?"
"The Grey Enterprises delegation. They arrived about thirty minutes ago. They're waiting in the executive conference room."
Kashi stared ahead for several seconds.
Grey Enterprises. The meeting. Damian.
Right.
"Okay." Her voice came out remarkably composed for someone whose brain had only just rejoined civilisation. "I'm on my way."
She ended the call.
Kashi sat there for a moment, then reached for her phone again and checked the time.
11:26 a.m.
Oh.
Good.
She threw the covers aside and got out of bed.
Twenty minutes later, Kashi stood before the mirror, fastening an earring.
The woman staring back at her looked considerably more prepared to dismantle a corporation than she had half an hour ago.
Black tailored suit, fitted blazer, matching trousers, heels and minimal jewellery.
Her dark hair fell smoothly around her shoulders.
Kashi adjusted the earring, then reached for the other. Her hand paused. Something darkened the skin near her neck.
She frowned and leaned closer to the mirror. "Is that—" Her fingers touched the mark.
A hickey.
Kashi stared at it, the mark stared back and her expression slowly soured. "Oh, damn you, Riegrow."
She tilted her head, inspecting the damage from another angle.
The bastard had left evidence somewhere inconvenient.
Kashi pulled several strands of hair forward and arranged them carefully over the mark.
One side, then the other, covered, acceptable. Her gaze lingered on her reflection before drifting to her dark hair.
A small frown appeared. She touched one strand.
She would deal with that later. Right now, she had a company to ruin.
Kashi picked up her bag and left the room.
Downstairs, Dante was already waiting. He stood near the entrance, dressed and ready, every trace of yesterday's chaos replaced by professional composure.
The moment Kashi appeared, he straightened and gave her a polite bow.
"Good morning, Miss Saints."
Kashi slowed. Her gaze rested on him for a beat. "Good morning, Dante."
He opened the door for her. Kashi walked past without another word.
Dante followed her outside.
Minutes later, Kashi settled into the back seat while he took the driver's seat. The car pulled smoothly onto the road.
She crossed one leg over the other and turned towards the window.
By the time she arrived, Grey Enterprises would have been waiting well over an hour.
Her mouth curved faintly. They could wait a little longer.