Chapter 35: If you dare
Yuki froze in the cold water, her heart slamming violently against her ribs. Shock and pure terror flooded her system. She was soaked, her flimsy underwear clinging transparently to her body, leaving her practically naked.
The only reason she had dared remove her clothes was because she had not sensed anyone nearby. Now Kaden stood before her, completely bare, his intense gaze locked onto hers with something so raw and overwhelming that it stole the breath from her lungs. She could not tell if it was anger, irritation, or something far more dangerous simmering beneath the surface.
"Kaden..." she barely managed to whisper his name. The water trickled and splashed around them, the only sound breaking the heavy silence.
The moment he heard her voice, his expression twisted sharply. A dangerous smirk slowly curled across his lips. "What now? You tracked me down just to see me naked? Or what?" he sneered at her
Her gaze instinctively dropped for a split second to the deep V disappearing beneath the water. It wasn’t clear enough under the rushing flow to see everything but enough to tell was completely naked. She gulped hard. The thought of that made her feel fuzzy.
"Have you seen enough?" His voice was low and mocking.
Her head snapped back up. "No..." she blurted out before she could stop herself. She wanted to explain it was an accident and she didn’t mean to run into him. Of all 3 brothers he was definitely her least liked one
"No.." he repeated with an arched brow. The way he said it made her stomach churn. Her toes curled for a moment before straightening to keep herself a float.
Kaden snorted his gaze, noticing everything about her. It was like she could feel him tracing her body from his gaze alone, that left her face flushed. Kaden began moving forward through the water with slow, deliberate steps. Her throat went dry watching how his taunt muscles moved with each movement. "So you have not seen enough. Is Xavier not enough for you?" He taunted.
Her mind went completely blank. She forgot to run. His gaze held her captive like some dark spell. He disappeared under the water for a heartbeat. Her stomach dropped. Her eyes started frantically searching around then ripples suddenly formed before her and he emerged directly in front of her.
His towering frame cast a shadow over her smaller body. His overwhelming presence pressed in close. His scent hit her like a drug, a fiery, addictive blend of smoked amber, black pepper, burning cinnamon, and charred oak that wrapped around her senses and refused to let go. It was dark and dangerously intoxicating, making her stomach flutter with unwanted heat.
Her heart raced wildly. It was not just fear. Something darker and more twisted stole her breath and warmed her core.
"I... I..." she stammered.
Kaden suddenly leaned down, pressing her back against the smooth boulder behind her. Water dripped from his wet hair onto her face and shoulders. "You what?" he said hoarsely, his golden eyes sharpening. "What are you trying to say, Yuki? You had a change of mind?" he snickered.
She was left speechless and utterly confused. Was this really Kaden? He felt different.
"No... I did not mean to invade your privacy," she explained desperately. "I was on a run, then I fell and accidentally found this river. I had no idea you were here. I will leave now. Sorry for invading your privacy."
Something dangerous flashed in his golden eyes. His fingers traced slowly along her side, leaving sparks of heat on her wet skin. "An accident," he sneered. "You are telling me with your terrible sense of direction you just happened to find this place?" He clenched his fist. "If that is the case, why have you not left yet? You say one thing, but your body says another."
Kaden leaned even closer. His lips brushed just under her chin as he spoke. "You do not fool me, Yuki."
Her head snapped back. Without thinking, she shoved him hard, pushing him back into the water. She turned and tried to swim desperately toward the shore. A low, mocking laugh followed her.
"You really love running Snow, don’t you?"
Snow? Was that a nickname from Kaden?
She reached the grassy bank and scrambled out, grabbing her folded clothes in a panic. She had barely touched the grass when a strong arm wrapped around her waist from behind. Frightened, she tried to shove him off, but only succeeded in stumbling forward. They tumbled onto the soft grass with Kaden landing over her.
Those intense golden eyes locked onto hers. His powerful, naked body pinned her down completely. "You really think you can outrun me?" He chuckled darkly. "What games are you playing, Yuki? You think I would believe your coincidence story?"
Her heart slammed against her chest. She felt completely powerless beneath him. His thick length pressed against her thigh. He was heavy and warm even though he was not fully hard. The sheer size of him was enough to make her dizzy. A twisted, unwelcome spark of excitement mixed with her fear.
A smirk slowly curled on her lips as she tried to regain some control. "You talk so noble, Kaden. I did not force you to swim naked, did I? I already apologized. I see no reason why you have me tackled under you. If someone saw this, they might have other ideas." she taunted just wanting to get on her nerves.
His brows twitched.
"You really underestimate me," he growled. "You think you can take advantage of me. First you kissed and slapped me, and now you are stealing glances at me naked." His gaze raked over her small figure trapped beneath him. She was tiny compared to his powerful build, yet those green eyes held no real fear. It got under his skin.
She snorted, deliberately trying to get on his nerves. "So what are you going to do, Mr. I Am So Above It All?" She leaned forward until their lips nearly brushed. "Does it have anything to do with why you are getting hard?"
Kaden’s eyes widened slightly as he realized the blood rushing to his cock. His jaw clenched but the taunting look in her eyes got to him more. He gave her a cocky grin. "Do you want to swear you are not already wet, Yuki? After all you couldn’t take your eyes off me." He taunted with the same tone
The air between them crackled with raw, dangerous tension on the grassy bank beside the waterfall.
