Kellion

by Marian Tee

  I tried not to sigh in relief when he accepted the change of subject. I scribbled again. YOU MAKE ME SOUND LIKE A JAPANESE DISH.

  His smile widened. “It’s worse.” Before I could react, he had popped another strip into my mouth. We didn’t talk after that, our hands remaining entwined while he continued feeding me.

  His phone beeped once, and Kellion took it out, his face impassive as he read the message before returning his phone to his pocket. When he ran out of cotton candy, he asked, “Shall we go?”

  The question startled me. If I was honest, it disappointed me a little, the fact that he had said the words first. I looked at him and realized that he had changed. Without even me knowing, he had changed.

  The man next to me had turned into a cold stranger, and an intimidatingly blank mask had fallen over his gorgeous face.

  Why? I wanted to ask the words but I couldn’t. Did it mean he had lost interest in me? One moment he was warm and wicked, doing his best to tease me into reacting. And then all of a sudden, he was…not. All of a sudden he was everything I had feared someone like Kellion Argyros would be.

  Unreachable.

  Especially for someone like me.

  Chapter Six

  Dear Ashton,

  When you grow up, you need to be careful with how you interact with girls.

  If you’re just going to hurt them anyway, then don’t try to be their friend in the first place.

  Love, Your Big Sis

  “Someone misses someone.” KC was utterly tone deaf but she sang the phrase over and over anyway, her voice making the waitresses we walked past giggle.

  “We’ve reserved your usual table for you.” Emma pointed towards one of the corner booths. Nectar was designed like a classy diner, with red leather booths and mahogany tables. The restaurant had a lovely cozy ambiance, but the real reason why we liked the place was because it was a fifteen-minute drive from both Christopoulos University and Northwest College.

  I glared at KC as we took our seats. Shut up.

  KC only sang louder.

  Emma skated towards us with a menu on hand. “We’ve got new milkshake flavors.”

  KC was immediately distracted. “Really? I’ll try one.” Her eyes scanned the menu. “Avocado please.”

  “Got it.” Emma typed the order on her tablet. “What about you, Aria? The usual?” We came here so often the entire staff didn’t just know us by name. They pretty much had our tastes down pat as well.

  I nodded.

  “Spaghetti then.”

  As Emma typed, a girl with long curly blonde hair came flying towards us. “Sorry I’m late.” Lace pulled out a chair and collapsed on it. Even dressed in a loose white shirt and cutoffs, her curves remained alluring, causing every male in the diner to look at her.

  KC and I both looked at her as well, but the difference was that we weren’t leering at how voluptuous she was.

  “You look so tired,” KC said in a concerned voice. Lace was the team manager of Northwest’s varsity basketball team, a position that was both unofficial and unpaid. But it was a position she took very seriously since her dream was to be the first female coach in the NBA.

  “Hello, Lace,” Emma greeted her. “And yes, you do look tired.”

  Lace sighed. “I know.” She glanced at her watch. “Practice was supposed to end an hour ago, but…the team’s just not there yet, and it’s worrying me.”

  Emma nodded in sympathy. Since her son was one of the players Lace looked after, she knew exactly what Lace was talking about. “Just give it your best. That’s all you can do.”

  Lace sighed again. “I know.” She glanced at the menu, her gaze longing as it rested on a photo of Nectar’s famous burger and fries combo. “Just fresh mango juice for me.”

  All our jaws dropped.

  Lace’s shoulders slumped. “Don’t make me feel worse, you guys.”

  Emma’s eyes were twinkling. “Oh, right, this weekend is your detox time, right?”

  KC frowned. “Just because your team has to diet doesn’t mean you have to as well.”

  Lace shook her head. “We’re all one team so what they have to do, I need to do as well.”

  “Well, if you’re sure,” Emma said.

  Lace let out another sigh. “I’m unhappy about it, but yeah, I’m sure.” When Emma skated away with our orders, Lace immediately turned to me. “So, what’s this about you being dumped by a biker?”

  My head snapped towards KC. Blabbermouth!

  KC only lifted her shoulders in a helpless shrug. “But you didn’t tell me I wasn’t supposed to tell her.”

  I scribbled on my board. THAT’S NOT WHAT I’M MAD ABOUT. Erasing the message after KC had read it, I scribbled another message and showed it to Lace. I WAS NOT DUMPED.

  Her gaze was doubtful. “Well, I guess you could use another word, but really…if a guy goes from walking you to school every day the entire week and then suddenly not showing up…”

  I shook my board to emphasize my point. I WAS NOT DUMPED.

  Lace threw her hands up. “Okay, okay, I get it, don’t get mad.”

  “Have you found out from Bobby or MJ though?” KC asked.

  I gave her an affronted look. Like I’d ask.

  KC rolled her eyes. “Pride, thy middle name is Aria.”

  My eyes narrowed. Look who’s talking.

  KC reddened.

  Ever protective of her best friend, Lace said loyally, “What happened between her and Himura’s different.” Both of us noticed the way KC winced at her ex’s name, and I felt instantly guilty for even bringing up the topic of her past. KC was such a nice person it was physically painful to see her smile fade. It was like watching the sun set, forever.

  “Going back to your biker,” Lace began, an obvious ploy to distract our friend.

  I nodded encouragingly. For KC, I was willing to talk about anything.

  “Do you think maybe it’s like in the movies? He took a bet, tried to see if he could get you in his bed in a week?”

  Slowly, I shook my head. Right now, I really did think Kellion Argyros was the biggest jerk on the planet but I just couldn’t see him being that…shallow. He was a very confident guy, enough to know that he didn’t need to take bets to prove he was a man.

  “Mm…then I just don’t get it. Are you sure you didn’t do anything to turn him off?”

  I lifted my shoulders in a shrug. I really didn’t know.

  Lace hesitated.

  I cocked my head to the side. Go on. Say it.

  “Maybe he suddenly thought dating you was…a complication he wasn’t ready for?”

  Oh.

  I fell back against the booth.

  Stupidly, I hadn’t thought of that. Weird. That should have been the first thing to come to my mind, right? But it hadn’t. Because…because the way he had been with me all those days, he never made me feel…different.

  I pressed my hand to my chest. It had started tightening up again. So, so tight.

  ****

  On my way home, I received a text message from Bobby.

  Bobby: Want to earn an easy fifty?

  Me: I’m not going to talk for fifty.

  Bobby: How about a thousand? Just kidding. MJ has a package for Needs Heard at the club’s headquarters. I don’t have time to pick it up. Could you…?

  Me: No.

  Bobby: Is it because of Kellion?

  I gritted my teeth. Evil redheaded queen. She just knew when she said that, my pride would force me to deny it.

  Me: I’ll get it.

  Bobby: Knew you would.

  Me: Evil redheaded queen.

  Bobby: Haha. I know you all call me that.

  Me: SUPER EVIL redheaded queen.

  Bobby: Say hi to Kellion for me, please?

  I shoved my phone back in my pocket. Bobby Granger would always have the last laugh. Why couldn’t I just learn to accept that?

  It was a full twenty-minute walk to get to the Afxisi’s new headquarters. The old one ha
d looked no different from other frat houses on campus, but ever since it had been burned down – the incident used to cover up MJ’s kidnapping – the Afxisi hadn’t bothered to pretend it was an ordinary college club with their new home.

  This time, they went all out. The multi-story building was protected with a state-of-the-art CCTV system, round-the-clock armed security, and windows made of bulletproof glass.

  Since I was not a member of the club, I had to give security my school ID before I was allowed access to the elevator. I expected the guard to punch the floor for the club’s work lab, but instead he pressed the button for the officers’ private floor.

  My eyes widened. Umm…

  When the elevator doors opened, a smiling MJ was already waiting for me. Even though she was now the wife of one of the richest and most famous underground bikers in the entire world, there was nothing about her clothes or attitude that indicated it. She was still dressed in her usual checkered polo, tank top, and jeans, her sneakers cute but obviously worn.

  Behind her was the President. Helios Andreadis. At six-foot-seven, he was definitely godlike, and the way his admittedly handsome face rarely showed any expression only added to his intimidating aura.

  “Hi, Aria.” MJ stepped forward to give me a quick hug in greeting. “I’m so glad you agreed to take the, umm, package.” As she spoke, Helios’ arm went around her waist in a hold that was both protective and possessive. Their love story was epic, something that had every girl in uni shedding tears whenever it was brought up in conversation.

  The President’s face wasn’t as hard now, as if he was only able to relax when he had MJ in the safety of his arms. I instinctively straightened when his leonine gaze rested on me, feeling like a rookie soldier under scrutiny. I was almost, almost tempted to salute.

  His lips suddenly twitched, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking about.

  “Bobby,” the President murmured, “told me lots of things about you. Soldier.”

  Drat. He did know what I was thinking. Evil redheaded queen. When would she stop haunting me?

  MJ was frowning at her husband in exasperation. “Helios, stop trying to intimidate her.” She was such a tiny thing, but the way she confronted the President so fearlessly was terribly cool.

  The President frowned back. “I was not trying to intimidate her.” His gaze moved to me, and his voice was silky as he said, “You tell her. Was I trying to intimidate you?”

  I shook my head firmly. No, sir.

  This time, the President smiled. “I can see why Kellion’s so attracted to you.”

  My amusement faded. I had thought Helios Andreadis was an incredibly smart man, but I guess even men like him made mistakes.

  MJ said hastily, “Anyway, let’s go get the package.” She took my hand and dragged me further into the hallway, the heels of our shoes leaving tiny clicking sounds on the marbled floor.

  We stopped in front of the door closest to the balcony. “Here we are.” She opened the door for me, and I automatically stepped in.

  The door slammed shut on my face, and my whole world was plunged in darkness. What was happening?

  Outside, I heard the key turning and I felt myself paling. Did…did MJ just lock me inside a room?

  A few seconds later, my phone beeped.

  MJ: I’m sorry, but Bobby and I thought this was the only way for you two to clear things up. Both of you are just too proud and stubborn.

  Me: Open the door!

  MJ: Just give him a chance.

  I banged my fist against the door hard. Repeatedly. Before I could bang on it the sixth time, someone groaned behind me. “Who the fuck is that?”

  I whirled around.

  In the darkness, someone groaned.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Dear Ashton,

  In vino veritas. But don’t you Google what that means! I mean it!

  Love, Your Big Sis

  I moved back and groped for the light switch on the wall. The first one had incandescent corner lights coming to life, illuminating the room with an intimate golden glow.

  The lights had me blinking for a bit, but then my vision cleared and I realized I was in a bedroom.

  Kellion Argyros’ bedroom.

  The room was decorated in bold colors, with splashes of green amidst a black and white background. Unlike his beast, his bedroom was exactly how I pictured it would be.

  His bed was huge, bigger than anything I had ever seen. He was lying on the center of it, the covers bunched around his waist and one arm slung over his face. While I had seen him without a shirt countless times in photos, this was the first time I had seen his naked chest in person. All that naked skin, all those lean, hard muscles, and God, those tats. I knew from photos that he was inked, but seeing them up close placed them in a whole new sexy light, one that had me gulping several times. I hated that he affected me so much, but even so, I couldn’t help it, the same way I couldn’t stop my pulse from racing.

  Slowly, my feet started to move.

  Before I could even think of what I was doing, what I was risking, I had crossed the room and found myself standing right next to the bed, looking down on him.

  He looked different when he was asleep. Angelic. When other students talked about the officers of the Afxisi, it was the club’s Secretary, Yuri Athanas, they always described as angelic. Never Kellion because he was the wickedest, the most promiscuous of them all.

  But when he was sleeping—

  It didn’t seem like it at all.

  Before I could stop myself, I was already talking.

  “Were you just playing with me?”

  It hurt to speak, and it wasn’t just because my vocal chords felt raw from disuse. The pain came from deep within, too, the parts of me that I had protected for so long but Kellion Argyros was able to reach so easily.

  Kellion’s eyes slowly opened.

  I gasped, and I gasped again when his arm shot out to hold me. In a second I had tumbled down against him. I tried to struggle even as I felt his arm wrap around my waist, imprisoning me to his body. His other hand went up, fingers digging into my hair. His grip tightened, and then he was making me look at him—

  Our gazes collided, and I almost recoiled at what I saw in his eyes.

  Who made you cry?

  He had asked me that once, and now I wanted to ask him the same thing. Smiles didn’t always mean happiness, and the absence of tears didn’t always mean people weren’t hurting.

  “Aria?” His accent was thicker than before, but more than that, his voice was slurred and I realized that he was drunk. Completely drunk.

  A second later, I realized another thing.

  “I missed you so damn much, Aria.”

  Kellion Argyros was a talkative drunk.

  His eyes were lost, but his voice was lucid.

  Evil redheaded queen. Bobby had always told me she liked killing two birds with one stone, and that was exactly what she had done tonight.

  All the answers I wanted were within grasp now.

  All I had to do was speak.

  Evil redheaded queen.

  I didn’t know if I wanted to kill her or thank her.

  “Aria? Is it really you?”

  Kellion’s voice had me looking down at him. Belatedly, I realized how intimate our position was and again I tried to push away, pressing my fists against his chest.

  He shook his head. “Never letting you go again.”

  His words hurt. He sounded like he meant it, but if he did, then why?

  “Promise me you won’t go.” His voice was a hoarse plea.

  I bit my lip hard, unwilling to speak. I wouldn’t, couldn’t. Not after what he had done.

  “You’re mad, aren’t you?” He stroked my cheek. “Sorry.” A slurred apology, but even so the emotions behind it were undeniable. Tenderness. Regret. Longing.

  I squeezed my eyes shut. If I looked at him a moment longer, I was done for.

  “Sorry.”

  My chest started f
eeling tight again. Stop apologizing. Please stop.

  “Never wanted to hurt you.”

  So, so tight. And now it was so hard to breathe again.

  “Can’t bear it. If you’re mad at me.”

  “Then why?” The words were torn out of me. Whispers that hurt in more ways than one. And once I started, I realized I couldn’t stop. “Why did you suddenly disappear without saying a thing? Without explaining?” More words, more tears, burst out of me. “Why did you make me like you and then—”

  Kellion pulled my head down, his mouth covering mine, his lips swallowing the rest of what I had to say.

  A kiss.

  My first kiss with Kellion Argyros.

  My first kiss ever.

  A sliver of sanity had me struggling, but it only made Kellion kiss me harder. His tongue slid inside my mouth, bold, forbidden, warm, and thrilling. His hands started to move, cupping my face so he could kiss me more deeply. His tongue stroked against mine, his teeth nibbled on my lips, and with each moment, my resistance waned, and whatever sanity I had left disappeared.

  He whispered against my lips, “Tell me again. Tell me you like me.” The words were both a plea and a temptation, and they destroyed the last few vestiges of my self-control.

  “I…like…you.” It hurt to speak, but I had to. When he asked me like it would kill him if I didn’t, I knew I had to.

  Kellion groaned, pulling my head back down, his lips more insistent, and his kiss rougher and sweeter. “Again,” he growled.

  My toes curled at the command, and the way my body responded to the order had me dazed. Who knew? Oh, who knew I would like having a guy tell me what to do?

  “Like…you.” My arms wrapped around his neck. This time, he didn’t have to make me say it. “Like you.” When my body melted against his, he jerked, and then he was kissing me harder, his hold on me tightening possessively. He groaned, the sound ragged. I moaned, the sound just as ragged.

  We kissed and kissed, and even though he was intoxicated, his expertise remained, undeniably masterful as he taught me how to kiss him back with every movement of his tongue.