An Illicit Obsession (Mila and Killian) novel Chapter 3

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Mila's POV

Killian Knight—the most dangerous man in the U.S.A. A mafia boss. A contract killer. Married. I repeated the mantra to myself, willing away the electric charge coursing through me. My guest room was the last one in the corridor. I thanked Nina, shut the door behind her, and tossed my bag onto the four-poster bed. Pouring myself a glass of water, I downed it in seconds.

Maybe I’d neglected my body’s physical needs for far too long. There was no way I could be attracted to danger. Throwing myself onto the bed, I took a few calming breaths. This had to be some form of shock. Before I could dwell on it further, my phone rang.

It was J. “Are you serious?” Her incredulous tone greeted me.

I sighed. “I know. I couldn’t get out of it. I tried.” “You’re in Killian Knight’s house!”

I shivered—for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.

“I know,” I replied quietly. J sighed, clearly worried. “Look, I’m cool with a lot of things, and if he were anyone else, I’d say seduce him and take the Anderson empire. But M! He’s dangerous. Get out of there! We don’t know what your evil stepmother is planning.”

I swallowed hard. It would be foolish to say I wasn’t wary, but Jina didn’t need to know that. She was worried enough for the both of us.

“Don’t worry. No one’s going to kill me here,” I scoffed. I hope.

“This isn’t something to take lightly. The man runs a contract killer organization!” she whisper-hissed.

“And it makes no sense to kill me here,” I mimicked her tone.

“You just like to play with fire.”

“What’s life without a little danger?”

“I don’t need you quoting Harry Potter to me. We have K for that,” she snapped.

I snickered.

“Mila.”

Her serious tone stopped me.

“Hm?”

“Just don’t die.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I hung up, and the smile slipped from my face.

Kate later asked us to gather at the living room, everyone was here except my father and Killian. Kate offered us to take on a tour of the beach house. The last stop of the three story beach house was the pool on the ground floor.

Honestly, I’d rather be with J and K than here. My stepmother’s scheming could rot in hell. As the others retreated inside, I lingered by the poolside. No one noticed as I crouched down, resting my chin on my knees. My heart felt heavy with a sense of lack. My family was always fake, carefully curated for appearances. My father’s indifference, my stepmother’s schemes, and my siblings’ endless competition made it impossible to feel anything real. Even Kate’s warm smiles felt staged, a part of her duty as a host.

Everything here was a charade, just like my life. When would I experience something genuine?

“Do you swim?”

Startled, I nearly tumbled into the water, but a strong arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back from inches away from breaking the surface. I gasped as I collided with something solid.

The relaxed air thickened around us, and warmth spread from my stomach to my chest. Cinnamon and coffee enveloped my senses as I looked up. Killian’s dark eyes met mine, their lethal glint holding me captive.

“Mr. Knight,” I whispered.

We both were on the floor. I quickly put some distance between us, standing as he got up smoothly, resting an arm on his knee. The corner of his lips turned up. Why did those lips look so soft and inviting as he looked up at me, his hair falling onto his forehead as he cocked his head to the side? Did he look at everyone like that? Like he knew every secret they held, or he could see straight into the core of them?

“Are you alright?”

I nodded. I couldn’t trust my voice right now. I didn’t think I had enough air in my lungs to speak, anyway. I should have moved, but my feet stayed rooted there. He got up swiftly, his movements smooth.