All Chapters of KANE: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The rain hammered against the windows, the sound filling the dimly lit apartment. The city outside was drowning in a downpour, but inside, the silence between them was thick.Mona sat on the couch, her fingers tracing the ink on his forearm, her touch featherlight yet lingering."I've never done that before," she whispered.Kane's blue eyes flicked to hers, searching. "You've never kissed anyone?"She hesitated, then gave a small, nervous smile. "If you count the one with a boy on the playground when I was five..."He smirked, twirling a strand of her red hair between his fingers. "So I'm your first, huh?"She exhaled, almost as if admitting it out loud made it real. "Yes."Something unreadable flickered in his gaze. He didn't speak, just let his fingers weave through her hair, the contrast of his rough hands against her softness making his chest tighten.Mona suddenly reached up, threading her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp with the same curiosity she had when she trac

The rich scent of coffee and fresh pancakes filled Kane's penthouse, blending with the crisp morning air drifting in through the floor to ceiling windows. The skyline of New York City stretched beyond the glass, skyscrapers glowing in the soft gold of the rising sun.Mona stood by the window, pressed close to it, completely absorbed in the view. She had been there for a while, quietly counting the red cars passing below, occasionally calling out the number to him. It made Kane smile more than he expected.Her red hair, still slightly damp from her shower, fell in loose waves around her delicate face. The oversized white t shirt she wore, his shirt, slipped off one shoulder, revealing pale freckled skin along her collarbone.Kane stood across the room, flipping another pancake onto a plate with easy precision. He wore nothing but grey sweatpants, his muscles shifting with each movement, calm and controlled.Mona blinked suddenly, realizing she had been staring."Wow... you're so good a

Mona barely had time to breathe before Kane closed the distance between them.One second he was across the room.The next... he was right in front of her."Hi, princess," he said, his voice low, rough enough to send a quiet shiver down her spine.Mona blinked, still adjusting to the suddenness of him, the heat of him, the way her pulse picked up like her body had its own mind when it came to Kane.Before she could say anything, he placed a small box in her hands, wrapped neatly with a black ribbon.Her fingers brushed his.It lasted a second.Maybe less.Still, it lingered."Hi, big boy," she said, recovering just enough to tilt her head with a teasing smile. "You got me cupcakes?"Kane's lips curved slowly, his gaze fixed on her in that intense, unblinking way that made her feel like she was the only thing in the room worth noticing."Yeah," he said. "Figured you could use something sweet."Mona lifted the lid carefully.Red velvet & chocolate .Perfectly arranged.Her chest tightene

The room was quieter now.Mona sat on the edge of the huge chair , her fingers loosely wrapped around the small box of cupcakes, her mind replaying everything that had just happened a little too vividly.The broken mirror.The blood.The way Kane had looked at her like she was the only thing anchoring him.She exhaled slowly, shaking her head like that might settle the thoughts.From behind the bathroom door, the steady sound of water filled the space.Kane.Showering.Probably washing off the blood, the sweat, the fight.Mona glanced toward the door for a second longer than she meant to, then quickly looked away, pressing her lips together."Focus," she muttered under her breath.She shifted slightly, her gaze drifting around the room. It was simple. Bare. Functional. Nothing personal. Nothing soft.Nothing like him and everything like him at the same time.Her eyes flickered back to the first aid kit still open on the table, a small smile tugging at her lips.He had let her take car

Kane had dropped her off early.But Mona had smiled, waved, and told him she had things to handle. He had watched her walk inside with that look in his eyes, the one that said he wasn't fully convinced.Now she stood in the middle of her new apartment.Empty.Quiet.Yours, she reminded herself.The place had been cleaned, just like Gerald promised. The floors were swept, the air smelled faintly of disinfectant, and the windows had been wiped down enough to let light spill in.But Mona could still see it.The missed corners.The dullness.The feeling that it wasn't really hers yet."Not good enough," she murmured, tying the apron tighter around her waist.She grabbed the bucket, filling it halfway with water before pouring in bleach without measuring. The sharp scent hit immediately, burning slightly at the back of her throat."Better."She got to work.Scrubbing the floor.Then the walls.Then the bathroom again, because there was no way she trusted that space without going over it he