Chapter 4: Game On

Kain Wolf had no intention of staying long.

He walked into the Mazuka Hotel with steel in his veins and a ten-million-dollar check in his pocket—his exit strategy. Shake a hand. Drop the check. Smile like he cared. And vanish before dessert.

This wasn’t a date.

It was a chore.

A formality arranged by his meddling godmother. Her final plea to “fix” the love life he didn’t want anyone touching.

He wasn’t here for romance.

He was here to leave.

And then find her.

Jade Miller.

The only woman who hadn’t looked at him like he was made of headlines, inheritance, or sin. She’d looked at him like he was real. And that… had wrecked him in ways he didn’t understand yet.

He slid into his seat at table sixteen, tucked in the corner of the candlelit restaurant. Discreet. Strategic. Cold.

He pulled out the folded check—ten million, no strings—and set it by the water glass. He’d hand it over the moment the blind date sat down. A soft decline. A clean exit.

And then he’d go find Jade.

He opened the menu. Didn’t read a single word.

Because she was still in his head.

Jade, walking away from that auction ballroom like she didn’t owe anyone a damn thing.Like his name on a bid card hadn’t meant a damn thing.

God, he liked that.

Too much.

Then—

“Table sixteen?”

That voice.

Soft. Feminine. Familiar.

“I’m your blind date.”

His chest tightened.

He looked up.

And the world… stopped spinning.

Jade.

Standing there in a black dress that looked painted onto her skin. Short. Slit high. Neckline low enough to destroy a man’s focus. Her curves carved by temptation, her skin glowing under soft gold lighting.

She didn’t just walk in—she arrived.

Kain’s hand moved toward the check—

Then froze.

And slipped it back into his jacket.

Hell. No.

Fate didn’t just hand him women like Jade Miller twice.

And he wasn’t letting her walk out again.

She slid into the seat across from him, smiling like an angel that had just burned heaven down. Completely unaware she’d just torn up his exit plan and set his blood on fire.

But her eyes flicked toward the entrance.

Like she was waiting for someone else.

Someone who wasn’t him.

His jaw ticked.

Who the hell had her attention—and why wasn’t it already his?

He reached for her hand. Warm. Smooth. Made his palm itch to slide higher.

“Jade,” he said, voice low and rough. “Did you know it was me?”

She blinked. “No. I… didn’t.”

Her lashes fluttered. Her lips parted. She bit her bottom lip—nervous. Conflicted.

He wanted to ruin that composure.

To break her open and see what hid underneath.

Kain raked a hand through his hair, tension coiling in his chest. He hadn’t dressed to impress. He hadn’t expected her.

But now?

Now this wasn’t just a date.

This was a test.

And he intended to pass.

Then—she leaned in.

Close enough to kill.

“So… Mr. Wolf,” she purred, tracing the rim of her glass. “What would you say is your most dangerous trait?”

He nearly groaned.

He wanted to say: You.

God, he wanted to say you.

But her eyes darted toward the door again.

Her body stiffened.

She stood up, chair scraping.

Panic.

No. Not again.

He reached out, fast—fingertips brushing her wrist.

His elbow clipped the glass.

Water spilled.

Cold. Fast. Right across her thighs.

“Shit,” he muttered. “Let me—trust me.”

He dropped to one knee beside her.

His hands dabbed at her inner thighs with the napkin. Slow. Gentle.

Her skin shimmered under the light. Slick. Smooth.

Too smooth. Too close. Too much.

She glowed like she’d oiled herself on purpose.

Jesus.

He shouldn’t look. He knew it.

But she gasped. Her breath hitched.

And when his fingers grazed higher—near the soft curve of her inner thigh—her body trembled.

He froze.

She looked down at him—wide-eyed, flushed.

And whispered—

“Kiss me.”

Once.

Twice.

A breathless plea. A dare. A command.

He shouldn’t want this.

Not now.

Not when she was so unsure.

But her breath was uneven. Her pupils wide. Her voice wrecked and sweet.

And he was already hard beneath the table.

He didn’t wait for a third.

He stood.

Pulled her toward him.

Wrapped his arms around that tiny waist.

One hand cupped the base of her neck. The other pressed her tight.

He didn’t rush.

He tasted her lips gently, like they were wine he’d waited a decade to drink.

Then deeper.

Hungrier.

Slow, then wild.

Until she was moaning into his mouth, clawing at his shirt, her other hand tangled in his hair —pressing her body to his like gravity had betrayed them both.

And Kain?

He was gone.

Every ounce of control slipped through his hands. He kissed her like he needed to memorize her. Like the world could end, and it would still be worth it.

But just as he was ready to lose himself entirely—

She gasped.

Pulled back.

Eyes wide.

Voice shattered.

“Rob.”

The air turned to ice.

Kain’s eyes snapped to the entrance.

And there he was.

Rob.

Arrogant. Smirking. Wearing the scent of entitlement and bad decisions.

His hand?

Gripping Jade’s wrist.

Kain didn’t flinch.

Didn’t loosen his hold on her waist.

Didn’t blink.

He turned. Slowly. Like a predator sizing his prey.

And then—

Rob sneered, loud enough for the room to hear.

“So this is your type now? Big wallet, bigger ego—bet he’s good for one night and gone by morning.”

The table went still.

Jade froze, guilt in her eyes and apology on her lips.

Kain’s smile came slow.

Dark. Dangerous.

Predator in a designer suit.

He stepped forward. Calm. Controlled. Deadly.

“One night?” His voice was ice wrapped in silk.

“You think she came here to be touched?”

Kain paused briefly.

“She came to forget how you never knew how.”

Rob’s grin died.

Kain tilted his head.

“Touch her again—”

“And I’ll make sure your dentist bills remember me.”

Kain’s voice was lethal.