LOGINTHE WEIGHT OF WANTING~KAI'S POV~The room had gone deathly quiet. It was the kind of silence that happens right before a storm breaks—dense, heavy, and impossible to breathe through.I could feel the effect of everything we hadn't said sitting right on my chest. Four years of looking away. Four years of trashing him in print. It all came down to this one moment.My heart was banging against my ribs so hard it felt like it was going to break them. I didn't decide to move; my body just did it for me.I shifted slowly, deliberately. I lifted one leg and crossed it over his muscular thighs, settling my full weight onto Jax's lap.I felt him hitch a breath—a quick, rough sound that vibrated through my own skin. My knees bracketed his hips, and I could feel the rock-hard strength of his legs beneath me.I rested my hands on his broad shoulders. I barely touched the fabric of his shirt, my fingers trembling as I gave us both one last chance to stop this madness.Jax didn't stop me.He d
THE WAIT~KAI'S POV~The apartment was already spotless.I knew that. I had spent the last two hours scrubbing every surface until my hands ached. But I straightened the throw pillow anyway. I moved the remote two inches to the left, then moved it back. I stood in the middle of the room, my heart beating against my ribs, feeling like the walls were closing in on me.I walked back to the bathroom.The perfume was still sitting on the edge of the sink where I'd left it. I'd stood there for three full minutes earlier, debating whether to spray it or not.In the end, I'd sprayed it three times.I checked my reflection again. I fixed my hair, then gripped the edge of the sink, staring at my own face. I looked like a man who was losing an argument with himself.When did this start? When did Jax Carter become the reason I checked the mirror twice? I didn't have an answer, and I didn't want one.I turned off the light and went to sit on the couch.7:43 PM.Nothing. No message, no call, no
WHAT THE PAST COSTS~KAI'S POV~The morning after should have felt wrong.It didn't.That was the problem. I stood in my kitchen in yesterday's shirt and bare feet, watching Jax move around my space like he'd owned it for years. He knew exactly which cabinet held the mugs. He knew I took my coffee with too much sugar and almost no milk. The whole domestic ease of it was terrifying. It felt normal. It felt like a future I didn't dare to want.Jax grabbed his keys off the counter in one smooth, alpha move. He turned to me, and that striking mouth curved into a slow, unhurried smirk—the kind that knew exactly how to make my knees go soft."See you later, honey," he rasped. His morning voice was a low vibration that traveled straight to my gut.My jaw tightened. "Don't call me that."Jax leaned his head, his dark eyes tracking the pulse jumping in my neck. He leaned in, his scent—cedar and skin—filling my head until I couldn't think."But you do like it." His voice dropped to a filthy
THE THING THAT STAYS~KAI'S POV~The smell of coffee hit me before I even opened my eyes. It was heavy and dark, a clear difference from the chilly morning air in the room.I lay there for a moment. I looked at the ceiling. It was a dull light.The heater was clicking in the corner. My body felt tired and heavy, every muscle still remembering Jax's weight from last night.Then I heard it. Movement in the kitchen.A cabinet door creaked. Someone picked up my cereal box. I heard a bowl clink.I sat up, my skin prickling.Jax was still here.I stood in the doorway and watched him. I didn't say a word. I just stood there, my breath hitching as I took him in. He was wearing the same jeans from yesterday, hung low on his hips, and one of my t-shirts that looked two sizes too small on his muscular frame.The fabric strained across his broad shoulders. His bare feet were planted on the cold tile. He was leaning against the counter, a bowl of cereal in one hand and his phone in the other.
THE DRIVE BACK~KAI'S POV~Mr. Williams smiled.It was that same fake smile I'd seen since I was nineteen. It never reached his eyes. It was an act he wore so well he'd forgotten how to be human."Kai." His voice was friendly, but it felt broken off. "It's been a long time."His eyes traveled down my body, then back up. It was a slow, oily look that made my skin crawl. He didn't see me as a person; he saw me as a box to be checked. I felt like I was nineteen again, trapped and small.My heart slammed against my ribs."Yeah," I managed to say. My voice was even, but it took everything I had. "And my day just got worse seeing you."Mr. Williams' smile only widened. He didn't care what I thought. He had decided a long time ago that caring was for the weak.His eyes shifted to Jax.He looked at him for a while, thinking. I could almost see him remembering Jax's face, saving it for later. Then he looked back at me."We should catch up sometime, Kai. Don't be a stranger."He turned and w
CITY HOSPITAL~KAI~He still hadn't moved.I looked at the broken phone on the floor, the call timer still running like a countdown. That voice was still coming from the speaker—calm, relaxed, and really in charge.Jax walked across the kitchen quickly. He bent down, grabbed the phone, and hung up without saying anything. He put it on the counter and looked at me.He didn't ask if I was fine. He didn't have to. He just saw the mess on my face."Get your jacket," he commanded.The drive was just gray streets and quiet.I sat in the passenger seat, holding my bag in my lap and pressing my hands on my thighs. I looked at the city go by, but I didn't really see it.Jax didn't push. He didn't fill the space with useless questions. He just drove with one hand on the wheel, his eyes locked on the road.Halfway there, my hands curled into fists. The guilt felt heavy in my chest."I didn't send the money," I whispered. My voice felt empty, like it was someone else's. "She texted me two days
~KAI~The Jeep smells like him. Like cedar, dried sweat, and the warm leather seats from last night.I woke up with my neck hurting, feeling gross. The sun was really bright. It was 6:47 in the morning. We were parked outside my house.Jax doesn't speak. He doesn't look over. Just hands on the whee
~KAI~I don't run, not really.I just keep walking until the tunnel spits me out behind the rink, into the loading bay where the Zamboni lives and the snow piles up against the chain-link fence. Cold bites my face. My lips still burn from Jax's mouth. My hoodie's twisted wrong, one sleeve half-up
~KAI~The loud buzzer cut through me. Final score lights up...4-3, loss. Jax's fault. He danced around the net instead of burying the puck, took a penalty, and almost started a fight. I am already typing before the crowd stops screaming his name.'Captain Carter's highlight-reel goal came at the c
~KAI POV~I barely slept.I kept replaying the newsroom door closing. Jax's fingers on my collarbone like he was tracing a claim. My dick stayed half-hard for hours. I jerked off in the dark thinking about his voice saying "good," came fast and hated myself faster. I shower after, cold this time.






![Reborn as the villain's obsession [MM romance]](https://yfbwww.goodnovel.com/pcdist/src/assets/images/book/43949cad-default_cover.png)
