LOGINChapter 42.
Breakfast turned out to be far more relaxed than Skye had expected.
She had imagined that sitting across from Kai after everything they had been through would feel awkward, especially after his sudden appearance at her apartment that morning and the fact that neither of them had actually discussed what they were to each other, but instead there was an ease between them that surprised her.
It was as though the distance between
Chapter 44.By the time they reached Skye's apartment building, neither of them had said much, and they did not need to.The entire drive back had been filled with a quiet awareness of what waited upstairs, an anticipation that seemed to settle between them with every passing minute.Skye had caught herself glancing at Kai more than once, only to find him already looking at her, his expression carrying the same promise she had been trying very hard not to think about.She was already imagining his hands around her waist, his mouth finding hers again, the warmth of his body after the long day they had spent together.
Chapter 43.For several seconds after Julian's question, the world seemed to narrow around them."Do you even know who he is?"Kai waited. He expected questions, expected her to turn to him and ask what Julian meant, expected that familiar uncertainty to creep into her expression, followed by the inevitable realization that perhaps she had been foolish to trust him.Instead, Skye sighed. "I don't care, Julian."Kai blinked, even Julian looked equally stunned.Skye folded her arms, her irritation growing as Julian continued staring at her as though she had just said something completely unexpected. "We're not that close," she continued, her voice firm. "And while I appreciate you singing my praises to people at VISION and having something to do with getting me the job, I think it's high time you stopped meddling in my life."Julian's mouth parted slightly, and for once the confident photographer who seemed to know exactly what to say had nothing.Kai stared at Skye, and something warm
Chapter 42.Breakfast turned out to be far more relaxed than Skye had expected.She had imagined that sitting across from Kai after everything they had been through would feel awkward, especially after his sudden appearance at her apartment that morning and the fact that neither of them had actually discussed what they were to each other, but instead there was an ease between them that surprised her.It was as though the distance between Berlin and Germany had only made them more aware of how naturally they fit together when they were finally in the same place again.Kai watched her more than he watched his own plate, although he tried to disguise it by occasionally taking a sip of coffee or glancing toward the window, and Skye noticed anyway."You keep staring at me," she said, lifting her glass and narrowing her eyes at him."I flew across a country to see you," Ka
Chapter 41.Skye woke to the sound of knocking.For several seconds she remained completely still beneath the covers, staring at the pale morning light filtering through the curtains, her brain slow to catch up with the noise and her body heavy from another night spent hunched over her laptop, surrounded by scattered notes, half-empty coffee cups, and photographs that had somehow begun to blur together after midnight.Anna. The assignment had consumed her thoughts, and yet she still felt as though she had barely scratched the surface. She had pages of notes and absolutely no idea how any of them would get her closer to the woman herself.Another knock sounded. Skye groaned and dragged herself out of bed, glanced at the clock. Nine in the morning.She's so late.She rubbed her eyes, pushed her messy hair away from her face, and shuffled toward the door in the oversized shirt and loose sleep shorts she'd gone to bed in. The knocking came again, more deliberate this time. "I'm coming,
Chapter 40."I wish I was there." Kai repeated.Her fingers tightened around the edge of her sweater, because the exhaustion of the day had stripped away whatever defenses she usually managed to keep in place. "Would you kiss me if you were?"Kai exhaled slowly. "Probably.""Probably?"His voice dropped. "Definitely."A warmth spread through her despite the cold room, and she smiled. "I hate you.""Switch to video?" She was more than eager."You look like hell," he said, the moment the call connected, his voice to a low rumble.Skye let out a sharp, jagged laugh, leaning back."I feel like it too, Kai. Every single door is slammed in my face. I’m chasing a phantom and my career is hanging by a thread."Kai shifted, the sound of his name from that plump pink lips does something to him, he often wondered what those lips would look like, feel like wrapped around him, with Skye on her knees and looking up at him with want and desire. He didn't offer platitudes. He didn't tell her it woul
Chapter 39.By the third morning in Berlin, Skye had stopped pretending she was going to get used to Adrian Keller.She could tolerate difficult people, since she'd dealt with Professor Vogel, Jonas, internet strangers, club members who thought catcalling was a personality trait, and Kai Sturm on a particularly bad day. Adrian was different. He didn't shout, and he didn't insult her directly, he simply had a way of making every interaction feel like a quiet examination she was already failing.So when he dropped Anna Volkov's file onto her desk again, Skye stared at it for several seconds before pulling it toward herself. Three days, three days to convince a woman who had spent years refusing interviews that VISION deserved one.Skye opened her laptop. If Adrian wanted to see her fail, she would at least make him work for the satisfaction.She started with the obvious, Anna's career, her competitions, her international performances, her awards, her retirement, and the knee injury that







