Chapter 3 Unexpected Revelations

"Get down."

Just as Kate was lost in bewilderment, Ethan's low, anger-tinged rebuke made her instinctively draw back her neck. How fierce! Yet she understood well — it was merely his shyness in disguise.

They'd been enemies for a lifetime, and she'd learned his tells. Ethan was like a hedgehog—when he was flustered, the spines came out. In her last life, she'd mistaken those spines for indifference. This time, she wasn't falling for that mask.

"I'm not getting down. We're not home yet." Shameless, she clung to him like a koala, arms locked, refusing to let go.

A vein pulsed at his temple. He looked like he was weighing the pros and cons of physically throwing her off. In the end, he turned his head away, ignoring her entirely.

Satisfied with her victory, Kate slid off his lap and sat primly beside him. When they reached his villa, Ethan took a work call, his voice clipped and professional. Kate sat on the sofa, chin propped in her hands, eyes locked on him as if she could memorize every line of his face.

When he finally hung up and turned, she was still staring—openly, unapologetically.

He rubbed his forehead. "Why are you staring at me?"

"I like looking at you."

His brow lifted. "Really? How much?" His tone was casual, but there was a subtle edge, as if testing her.

"Enough to want to sleep with you."

Ethan froze. She couldn't be serious.

Without another word, he picked up his phone and dialed. "Milan, find me a priest."

His assistant Milan Runyon replied, "A… priest?"

"Yes. For an exorcism."

He shot Kate a look like she was some dangerous lab specimen. She met his gaze without flinching.

"What priest? I'm not possessed." She stepped forward, snatched his phone from his hand, switched it off, and shoved him down onto the sofa.

"Kate, what the hell are you?"

She kissed him.

It was sudden, deliberate, and left him momentarily stunned. By the time his brain caught up, her hands were already roaming, clumsy but determined. She was inexperienced—her touch hesitant, exploratory, like a kitten pawing at something new.

In her past life, she'd barely even held Blake's hand. Two lives, and she was still untouched. But she wanted Ethan to be her first.

The air between them thickened. Ethan was a man, and despite his doubts, the feel of her—warm, alive, willing—sent heat surging through him. Desire rose, swift and unrelenting.

He moved, flipping her beneath him, taking control. His kiss was hard, practiced, and her clothes came undone under his hands. His mouth found her neck, and she shivered, arms tightening around him. When his palm brushed over the curve of her breast, she startled, breath hitching—half shy, half expectant.

Then he stopped.

Propping himself up, Ethan looked down at her. His eyes were dark with want, but colder now, assessing.

Kate tugged at his hand, urging him to continue. He didn't move.

"Were you this forward with him too?" His voice was low, hoarse, threaded with jealousy and something possessive he hadn't meant to reveal.

Kate's lips curved in a slow, satisfied smile. "Are you jealous?"

He didn't answer.

"I've never done anything like this with him. I only want you. In this life… only you. Ethan, I love you."

Love.

The word hit him like a stone dropped into deep water, sending ripples through the storm already brewing inside him. His gaze darkened further, threatening to pull her under.

"Kate… if you're going to lie, at least make it believable."

His mouth claimed hers again, harder this time, but his hands stayed still. Her breath came in short, uneven bursts, and when he finally let her go, she sagged against him, limp and flushed.

She ended up straddling him, the position suggestive enough to make his restraint fray. He wanted to see what she'd do next.

She didn't disappoint. In one swift motion, she tore open his shirt.

Bronzed muscle caught the light—eight perfect ridges, exposed without warning. The room went still.

Kate's gaze locked on him, hungry, unblinking.

Ethan stared back. Her look was predatory, like a wolf eyeing fresh meat. For the first time, his certainty wavered.

He thought, 'Could I be wrong? No one goes this far for a project. So what is she really after?'

Kate's pulse jumped. She'd heard him. Again.

He hadn't spoken aloud.

Before she could process it, Ethan's phone rang, shattering the moment. His expression shifted instantly—business mode. Kate slipped off him, sitting quietly as he answered.

Her own phone buzzed. Blake. Video call.

She hung up without thinking. It rang again. Not wanting to interrupt Ethan, she answered.

"Kate." His voice was syrupy and suffocating.

She walked to the window, lowering her voice. "Blake, if you're bored, go bang your head against a wall. Dig a hole. Just stop bothering me."

His face froze. He started to get angry, then forced himself into a calm, magnanimous mask.

"Kate, don't be like this. I know what happened at the engagement upset you, and your father's furious. Come back, apologize. I'll speak for you—maybe he'll forgive you."

"I'm already home. Why would I go back? And stop calling me Kate. It's disgusting."

"Where did you go home to? You ungrateful—" Richard's voice cut in as he grabbed the phone.

Kate rolled her eyes and angled the camera away. It caught her rumpled clothes and flushed lips. Blake's gaze sharpened, suspicion flashing, but before he could speak, she hung up and blocked him.

Peace. At last.

Ten minutes later, pounding rattled the villa door.

Kate's stomach sank. She'd forgotten about the location sharing she'd set up with Blake.

She was reaching for her phone to call the police when Ethan, fresh off his call, strode to the door and opened it.

Dark eyes met hers.

The air between them went cold.