Chapter 12

TWELVE

F allon relaxes after a while, clearly realizing no one here cares. There are no eyes or cameras, just us. She shops, we laugh, and we wander. She talks to people and gives it her all, and the shy smiles she shoots my way makes it all that much better.

The more we walk, the more it becomes clear her bag is annoying her, hitting her side with every step, so I grab it, and without skipping a beat, I slide the strap over my other arm. She doesn't even protest, which makes me smile.

We are walking around the outside stalls when I spot something and drag her over. "Pottery!" I tell her, pushing her to it and wrapping my arms around her from behind, resting my head on her shoulder. It's as natural as breathing, but she stiffens. I still don't let her go, however, and when the man running the stall starts to talk to her, she relaxes.

Call it delusional, but Fallon is totally falling for my charm.

I listen as my girl talks to the man about his wares and the workshop he runs. Her eyes light up with genuine happiness. It's clear she loves this hobby. I make a note of it and vow I'll make sure she gets to do it as often as she wants.

Anything that makes my girl that happy is a win in my book. I even sneak a leaflet and save his number. If I can learn, then I can help her, and it's something we can do together.

After another hour, we find the food court, and I sit her down with a kiss on her head. "Wait here, sweetheart." She sits nervously on the plastic chair at the small table. It's quiet here since it's early for dinner, and she looks around at the rows of food stalls apprehensively.

"Anything you don't eat?" I ask. I should have inquired before. I know from her interviews that she likes spicy food, but she doesn't like overly sweet food.

"Nope, no allergies," she responds almost automatically, still glancing around. "Um, would you like me to pick?—"

"Nope, stay here," I respond and then bounce off to grab my girl her food.

She is my girl after all. She just doesn't know it yet.

FALLON

Kage is . . . something else.

I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this.

I thought he just wanted me for the story, for the thrill, but he's still here. He bought a hotel and fired someone who offended me. He chased off my date. He buys me flowers, remembering how many times he has met me. He dresses to match me without a word. He's crude, obnoxious, demanding, and definitely unhealthy, but there's something about him . . .

I watch him bounce around the stalls. He's comfortable here, in his dark jeans and leather jacket, no designer brand name on display. He's just as happy in this tiny, backstreet market as he was at an awards show.

I don't understand him.

Most men I know wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this, never mind take me on a date here to impress me. It's like . . . he's not trying so hard to impress me, but to leave an impression, like he said, and make sure I enjoy myself, not just to experience this as a way to lead in to fucking me .

He comes back while I'm lost in thought and drops an armful of buzzers on the table. One goes off, then he gets up and runs off, and so it goes. He just gets back when another goes off. He has to snag two more tables and push them against ours as the food piles around us. There is so much, it might as well be a feast. I'm pretty sure he grabbed one of everything, and as I sit, wide-eyed, he smiles, waiting for approval.

Usually, I would be annoyed, but I reach for a random tray of meat with a cheese sauce and take a bite. He leans in, holding his breath, and when I swallow, I nod. "It's good."

He grabs a fork and dives in, trying a bit of everything, and I find myself doing the same. There's some candied fruit I'm not a fan of, but the stew is amazing.

"Here, try this." He holds out a spoon to me, his hand under it so it doesn't drop. I take the bite, leaning back as I chew and swallow. The flavor explodes in my mouth. It's spicy but not too much, and crunchy but soft.

"Wow, that's amazing," I admit.

"Right?" He leans over, wiping his thumb over the corner of my lip. "Sauce," he explains, and with a devilish wink, he licks his thumb clean and continues eating.

No, Kage isn't what I was expecting. On the outside, he looked dark and dangerous, but he's a softie on the inside. He carried my bag without a word of complaint, even though it's bright pink, and he let me talk and shop without urging me on or getting bored. He proudly wears the ring and feeds me more food than I've ever seen.

He's almost . . . cute. If, you know, he wasn't stalking me everywhere, but why does the thought make me smile?

By the time we are done eating, I can barely move. "I'm stuffed."

"Nah, that could be us later." He winks, and I groan at his bad joke. "Which was your favorite?"

I have no doubt he already knows. Kage watches every little thing I do with so much intensity, it should scare me, but it doesn't. "Why don't you tell me?" I prop my chin on my hand as I watch him.

Leaning back, he peers at me with his dark eyes. "You would probably say the goat stew, but I think it was the curry." I roll my eyes, and his grin deepens, flashing some adorable fucking dimples.

"What was mine, sweetheart?" he asks casually, but I hear the trap. He's trying to figure out if I watch him as much as he watches me.

Should I lie to throw him off so he won't get the wrong idea?

"How would I know?" I mutter, taking a sip of the fruit juice he got me.

"Guess then," he murmurs, not letting it go.

"Fine, it was the noodles," I mutter, but he catches it, and the smug grin he aims my way lets me know that. Standing, I start to stack the empty trays together to dump them when he slaps my hands away.

"Sit, sweetheart, no girl of mine lifts a hand around me." He clears it all away and brings me a hand wipe. I try to take it, but he kneels and grabs my hands, cleaning each and every finger with careful attention.

"Ready to keep going?" he murmurs, placing a soft kiss on the back of my hand as he stands.

Nodding mutely, I go to grab my bag, but it's already over his shoulder. He waits, taking my hand as soon as I'm close, ignoring my efforts to free myself. The man has no shame.

"Oh, look, a photobooth!" He drags me over to the white cubicle shoved in a corner and pushes me inside. I fall into the chair, and he steps in next to me. It's so small, we are pressed together as he shuts the curtain and hits some buttons.

"Kage," I warn, but he grins at me.

"Smile, sweetheart. I'm going to frame these."

I glare at him as there's a flash, and I turn to the screen just as he leans down and presses his cheek to mine as the flash goes again. "Kage," I hiss, but he turns my face and kisses me right on the lips. This time, the flash is behind my eyes, and then I lean back, ready to shout, but there's a reluctant smile on my lips as it flashes again.

His smile is gone, but his hand is still on my head, our bodies pressed together. There are no more flashes, just us, and I watch him glance down at my lips. "I kissed you to get you to smile, but I'm thinking if I don't kiss you again, I might just die. "

"I never said you could kiss me before," I murmur, my heart racing for some reason.

Nobody kisses me without permission. Nobody kisses me without it leading to sex. That's how it is.

"Good, then I don't need to ask this time." He leans down, pressing his lips to mine. His tongue sweeps across my mouth as his hand slides down, gripping my face. He presses his thumb into my jaw until I open with a gasp. Instantly, his tongue slides into my mouth, tangling with mine as he holds me prisoner in his brutal kiss, but when he pulls back, he lays a softer one on my lips.

I'm panting, my eyes wide as he sits up. "How about we go to the pier next?"

He kissed me just to kiss me? Not for sex or for anything else, just because he could?

Why didn't I stop him?

We end up at the fair, but I don't even remember getting there, still stuck on that kiss. Kage, on the other hand, is almost bouncing up and down. We started at the pier before we stumbled upon this. Now, he's playing every game and filling a bag with prizes for me. He's won more stuffed animals than I have ever seen, and I don't have the heart to stop him.

It's so fucking cute, even I can admit that.

Nobody has ever cared this much about me before.

It's terrifying because I know once he sees the real me, he won't want me anymore.

Nobody does.

As if he can feel my mood darkening, he grabs my hand and pulls me over to the Ferris wheel, wrapping his arms around me as we wait in line. It's busy this afternoon, since it's a weekend, so we stand together, and I let him pull me close.

I let myself believe that I could be someone this man loves, even though I never could be .

Kage is all sunshine, and I am nothing but a dark moon.

There is a group of teenagers before us, and their giggles only seem to get louder until I get curious and peek at their phones. My eyebrows rise. It's some paparazzi shots of Kage and me, his arm almost touching me as he faces me in the hotel lobby yesterday.

I shrink back, expecting rude remarks, but their next words stop me. "She's just so beautiful. Seriously, it isn't even fair. They look so good together. I definitely ship them."

"Nah, she's way too good for him."

"They are right," Kage whispers in my ear. "You are way too good for me, sweetheart, but that doesn't mean I'm letting you go."

"He's so hot," another says. "Look how he stares at her, and did you see that interview? I keep rewatching their edits on TikTok."

"Do you think I'm hot, sweetheart?" he flirts in my ear. I elbow him, but he just chuckles, not the least bit bothered.

"Do you think they are actually together, or is it just PR?" one whispers while shuffling forward as the line moves.

"Definitely PR," another adds seriously.

"No, I think it's real. Why else would he show up at her hotel? She hasn't been seen with anyone here, right? He's said how much he respects her."

Jesus, just how many interviews of us have they watched? It's impressive.

"I like them together. She's smiling. Look, when was the last time you saw her smile with anyone? She's always so serious," one remarks with a grin. "I think we should ship them until it's real."

"I agree with that," Kage whispers darkly. "Want to give them something to really talk about, sweetheart?"

I frown at him as the girls are directed to one of the cars and us to the next. Just as they slide in, Kage lets out a whistle. They turn to look as he lifts his hat, and then Kage kisses me on the cheek. The screams they let out are feral, and before they can pull out their phones, I dive into the cart. Kage laughs as he follows me, his hat back down.

I watch as they turn, trying to see us as we start to move, but it's no use .

Shaking my head, I grin. "They are going to follow us around all day now."

"Nah, I'm fast, baby."

I smirk. "Not what a girl wants to hear."

He gapes at me. "Was that a joke?" he exclaims. "I'm breaking you down one thing at a time." He lunges over to my side, draping his arm around my back and leaning into me. "Soon, sweetheart, you'll be in my bed and calling me yours."

I elbow him. "Doubtful."

When I turn to the view, I'm smiling once more.

The asshole.

Kage is right; he's fast. We race from the wheel when they call after us, looking like maniacs as we run from the fair and back out into the city. The excitement makes me laugh, a sound so carefree, I haven't heard it in a long time.

We end up walking for hours. My flight isn't until the middle of the night, so when we find a park overlooking the city, Kage disappears and comes back with blankets and a picnic. I don't even question how he got them. I relax, nibbling on the food as the sun begins to set. The sight is beautiful, but I have this strange feeling inside, like I have been missing so much beauty.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks, leaning back on one elbow. He's staring at me, not the sunset, but I shouldn't expect anything else from Kage.

"How often I spend hours waiting nervously for the night to come, not realizing the beauty it holds," I admit honestly, looking away so I don't have to see his eyes.

"Why are you nervous for the night?"

I glance over at him, meeting his dark, unjudging gaze. "Because my demons hide in the dark."

I look back at the sunset, waiting with bated breath. His hand covers mine on the blanket—no words, just a comforting hand, and I want to cry for the second time today.

"Personally, I like sunsets," he says. "They remind me that time keeps moving and that tomorrow is coming. It's a reminder that life goes on no matter what happens. That's what I used to think as a kid when I shared a room with my mom and siblings, cold and hungry. Those sunsets were a promise that no matter how bad things got, I had tomorrow and another chance to be better."

I meet his eyes once more, something bending inside me. I never thought of Kage's past. "You were hungry and cold a lot?"

He smiles softly. "I was. We grew up poor. Happy, but poor."

"I grew up rich and unhappy. What a pair we make," I murmur.

"Your home wasn't happy?" he asks.

"You would think so. I had everything you could ever want as a child—everything but parents' love. I was a thing to them, something to use. I wasn't a child and was never allowed to be. I hated nights the most because they were so long, and I was so alone. At least during the day, I had to attend school or shoots with them and be around people. When I was alone at night, I was scared."

"Just think, on nights you were staring into the dark, so was I. Both of us were hoping for tomorrow to come, hoping for a better future. Now, here we are together, despite everything, watching the sunset and knowing the dark can't hurt us anymore."

"Can't it?" I ask.

"No, Fallon. It can't. Nothing can hurt you, not with me here," he promises.

Others have made empty promises like that before, but I want to believe him.