Kellan blinked, briefly thrown off by her casual confidence, before realizing he’d been played. But instead of anger, a grin tugged at his lips.
“So, you’re just going to tell me all this upfront, huh? And you’re not worried I’ll snap? You must trust me more than I thought.” As he spoke, he casually pressed the elevator button, as though they were merely discussing the weather. “Need a ride home?”
“No, thanks.” Allison made a show of twirling her car keys in front of him. She knew he wasn’t offering her a ride out of courtesy; obviously, he just wanted an excuse to find out where she lived. “I’ve got my own ride, Mr. Lloyd. I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you. Besides, we’re not close enough for rides home, are we?”
“Aren’t we?” Kellan arched a brow, his voice dipping low. “Have you already forgotten that night?”
Kellan’s face remained as neutral as a cloudless sky, but the subtle tightening of his fingers betrayed the storm brewing beneath his calm exterior.
He hadn’t expected Allison’s response to be even more flippant than his own. Without the slightest flicker of embarrassment or discomfort, she casually remarked, “Doesn’t count. That night? Let’s just say your performance didn’t exactly blow me away.”
His gaze darkened, the memory of the paltry tip left on the nightstand flashing across his mind like a bitter aftertaste.
Allison’s head lifted slowly, their eyes locking, and in that moment, a spark ignited between them-so intense it felt like the air was charged with invisible lightning.
Kellan’s pulse quickened, his voice dropping to a low, gravelly tone. “Care to let me make up for it?” His words dripped with challenge.
Her response was dismissive, laced with amusement. “No, thanks. Missed opportunities don’t come knocking twice. Mess up once, you’re done. No second chances from me.”
The elevator doors parted with a soft chime, and they both stepped inside.
For a moment, silence blanketed the space, heavy with unspoken words.
Just as the doors began to close, Kellan suddenly rose from his wheelchair, and at the same instant, Allison grabbed his tie, yanking him forward with startling force.
Their eyes locked again, and in that fiery exchange, neither needed to speak to know exactly what they both craved.
“Nice tie, Mr. Lloyd,” Allison teased, her voice light but edged with mischief.
“Your eyes are nicer, Ms. Clarke,” he replied smoothly, his hand slipping behind her neck as she held a firm grip on his tie.
Their gazes intertwined, and in that split second, it felt as though their souls were laid bare-raw and vulnerable. Kellan could hear the pounding of his heart echoing in his chest, the intensity of the moment crashing over him like a tidal wave.
In a synchronized move, they leaned in, and their lips collided with the force of a lightning strike. The kiss was searing, fierce, unapologetically assertive. Unlike their previous chaotic encounter, this one was deliberate-a silent challenge woven into every touch.
Neither was willing to concede. Both pushed for control, their combined tension sparking like two blades locked in combat.
Allison’s grip on his tie tightened, nearly cutting off his breath, while Kellan’s fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her closer as if he intended to merge their very beings into one.
A low, strained hiss escaped between them, neither willing to yield. The connection between them crackled like an electric storm, a game of chess where one false move could mean total surrender. Yet, the thrill of the battle kept them locked in place.
This battle of wills, this intoxicating rivalry, thrummed through their veins, resonating with something primal and deep.
As the elevator descended rapidly, it arrived at the underground parking lot, bringing a cool gust of air laced with the faint scent of gardenias. The doors slid open with a soft ding.
Just as swiftly as they had come together, they pulled apart, as if the searing exchange had been nothing more than a fleeting illusion.
Allison walked toward her car, casually twirling her keys between her fingers as though nothing had transpired. “Goodbye, Mr. Lloyd,” she said over her shoulder, her tone calm and uninterested.
Without a second glance, she drove off, leaving him standing there in her wake. The way she departed, with such ease, reminded Kellan of someone dressing and leaving after the act-cold and detached, as though the moment had never held any real meaning.
It wasn’t until her car had disappeared into the distance that Kellan registered the fire still coursing through his veins, a slow burn that had taken hold of his entire body. “Goodbye, Ms. Clarke,” he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to the empty air.
Women had never been more than a distant afterthought for him, let alone something as intimate as a kiss. But this kiss had been different from the one they’d shared before. If their earlier encounter had been raw instinct, a surrender to base desires, then this one carried the weight of every smoldering emotion and unspoken power play between them.
Kellan couldn’t begin to untangle the web of Allison’s mind. She was like the calm surface of the ocean, concealing a whirlpool of dangerous currents underneath. Whether in lust or intellect, Allison always seemed to have the upper hand, as though she was playing a game only she understood.
Reflecting on it, Kellan let out a quiet, bitter laugh.
“She’s playing me for a fool.”
She had kissed him and then walked away without a second thought, leaving him to stew in the aftermath. No matter how long he pondered it, he couldn’t unravel the enigma that was Allison.
The faint scent of gardenias still lingered in the cool air, hanging in the parking lot like a ghostly reminder of their intense, private moment.
As the floral scent teased his senses, Kellan couldn’t help but think of the flower’s meaning-eternal love and promises.
Allison glanced at Kellan through the rearview mirror, her thoughts spiraling like smoke rising into the air. His kissing skills had surprised her, though she hadn’t analyzed the moment beyond its natural intensity. The kiss had simply felt… right-an impulsive reaction to the charged atmosphere between them. The DNA test had already confirmed they weren’t related by blood, and that strange pull she felt toward him, that deep, soul-stirring connection, was undeniable.
She wasn’t naive or inexperienced when it came to matters of the heart. Far from it. She knew Kellan felt something too-it was there in his eyes, in the heat of his touch. What it was, though, remained elusive, like trying to catch fog in her hands. Still, drawing closer to him would undoubtedly make gaining access to his grandmother far more straightforward.
“He’s got moves, I’ll give him that. But why’s he wasting away in that wheelchair?” Allison muttered to herself as she steered the car. Kellan presented a cold, detached mask to the world, but that kiss-so full of passion, so expertly delivered-betrayed an undercurrent of fire he’d kept hidden.
Recalling that fleeting kiss, packed with raw, almost destructive energy, she realized they had been on the verge of combusting together. Beneath their calm exteriors simmered a mutual madness, just waiting to detonate. It was what made Kellan so irresistibly captivating-cool and composed on the outside, but dangerously unhinged underneath.
“How does a guy like that even enjoy ceramics?” The thought amused her-the idea of someone as intense as Kellan indulging in such a meticulous, serene art form felt almost comical.
By the time she reached home, Rebecca greeted her at the door with a glass of iced water, her face lit with curiosity. “Allison, darling, how was the class today? Any misbehaving little monsters?”
Before Allison could answer, Rebecca’s sharp eyes zeroed in on something unusual-Allison’s lips, slightly swollen and glossy with a faint sheen. With Allison’s naturally full, striking red lips, the extra flush only made her more alluring.
Rebecca’s brow shot up. “Spill it. Your lips don’t look like that from teaching. Who kissed you?”
Grabbing Allison’s arm, Rebecca continued, her grin growing wider. “Come on, what are you hiding?”
“Uh… mosquito bite,” Allison said, quickly touching her lips in an instinctive defense.
But Rebecca clearly wasn’t buying it, so Allison took a quick sip of the iced water, smoothly shifting gears. “I did teach a talented girl today, though. She only needed one demo and nailed my technique perfectly. Her hands are steady as a surgeon’s, but she’s so wrapped up in her own little world, it’s a shame. You know, art requires more than skill-it needs inspiration from life. If you’ve never truly felt nature, no matter how well you recreate a landscape, it’s still just an imitation. Her work lacks soul, but I have a soft spot for her. She’s autistic, and that’s a tricky road to navigate. But we’ll take it slow.”
Rebecca, uninterested in the intricacies of ceramics, raised an eyebrow and asked, “So, you went to the Lloyd family’s house today. Any breakthroughs?”
“You mean clues? Nothing so obvious. No one’s leaving breadcrumbs for me to follow.” Allison’s tone was casual, but then she dropped the real bomb. “But did you know Kellan wears a necklace?”
Rebecca blinked. “A necklace? No, I never noticed.” Not surprising, really. Kellan always kept his collar buttoned to the top, looking like he was straight out of a business magazine. Who’d think to look for a necklace under all that formality?
“The design matches the snake bracelet my mother left me,” Allison continued. “The craftsmanship is identical. He says it was his mother’s.” Rebecca’s eyes widened, genuine shock on her face. She knew how long Allison had been chasing down leads about that bracelet. Finding this connection at the Lloyd Mansion was completely unexpected.
“You’re kidding. You two aren’t secretly siblings, are you?”
Allison shook her head. “Nope. DNA results came back clean. No blood relation. Kellan is his mother’s biological son. His mother, Gianna Lloyd, died years ago, though, so she’s not my link. That only leaves his grandmother, Kinslee. I need to meet her-whatever it takes.”
Rebecca nodded slowly, understanding the gravity of Allison’s discovery. “You know I’m in if you need help.” As the conversation drifted back to more serious matters, Rebecca seemed to realize that Allison had deftly dodged the original topic. Her smirk returned, playful and sly.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.