Chapter 9

A few moments ago.

Ari changed into comfier clothes.

She had a big white hoodie that fell to her thighs and black leggings, tied her hair behind with a pencil, and had cute glasses on.

Ari looked totally different than her professional look this morning.

She went to her favorite spot in the house, the balcony, put her headset on and started working.

This complex, on top of being Soo's property, was built on a hill.

These two houses were the most expensive and the only ones with a view over the others.

After Ari moved here, her father originally wanted to merge them so that she could be comfortable being herself, which left the second house always empty for now.

Going to the balcony she forgot that Kale moved here as she became immersed in her work and music.

She took a sip of water, and focused on the screen in front of her.

Her eyebrow twitched as she noticed a figure walking behind the computer.

She slowly raised her eyes, and there he was, wearing a tight, black henley shirt, walking with a bottle of wine and a glass in the other hand.

Ari's eyes widened.

Because the scene in front of her was straight out of a movie.

The music in her ear, made the world around her move in a slower motion.

This man was the typical stereotype of a bad man.

No, a classy, bad man.

His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms.

His well, refined forearms with beautiful lines of muscles and veins to his hands...

Her eyes focused on his chest and arms, slowly to his broad shoulder, she could already imagine his huge back from the look of them and his small waist.

Yes, it must be huge, maybe as well drawn as his forearms...

Her eyes suddenly shifted to his open buttons as he walked to the balcony's railing.

That beautifully drawn line in the middle of his chest, looked perfect...

Following the light of the silver necklace, to those fine collarbones...

His refined neck...

His perfect jawline...

His sharp features...

His soft long dark hair...

Ari felt her breath hastening.

Her heart pounded heavily.

Little by little, it got harder to breathe.

She wanted to look away but her eyes couldn't.

Watching him as he gently placed the bottle on top of the rail.

He was still wearing his rings.

Her eyes focused on his grip, his long fingers wrapped around the bottle and his veiny hand holding it.

And there she noticed, fine dark lines on his right arm.

A tattoo, she thought.

It, wrapped around his right arm like a snake.

She couldn't see more under the dark.

He raised his glass, staring at the moon.

Ari followed the glass to his lip.

And she was starstruck when her eyes met the next scene.

The slow music took over her.

He gently placed the glass down.

The moonlight shone on his white face, as he opened his gray dreamy eyes slowly.

His cold, calm eyes, looked deeply at the moon.

He took a deep breath.

Ari could see his whole body raising.

His eyelids fell halfway on his pupils as he breathed out.

As if he was liberated.

Ari felt her breath taken away with him.

Her hand unconsciously held her mouth.

Her cheeks were red, not of shyness, not of embarrassment.

She felt her breaths becoming hot, grabbing her bottle of water tightly.

And that's when he turned around.

They met eyes.

Both remained quiet.

His eyes...

Ari was utterly lost.

While she couldn't say a word he merely nodded his head slowly and walked back inside.

She was still staring blankly.

Under the moonlight, watching his broad back whose lines appeared from the shirt.

He walked inside, away from her site.

Ari held her mouth with the back of her palm.

As if she was scared of feeling this way.

This was a first for her.

She looked confused, nervously biting her hand.

She hurriedly walked inside to her bed.

She laid on the sheets, staring at the roof for a moment quietly.

She didn't take off her headset, because the slow song kept remaining her of his body, his sharp eyes and cold temper.

She always thought she was into funny and outgoing men.

Men who always had smiles on their faces.

Men who worked hard for their ambitions.

Men who pursued something.

But he was different.

Too different.

He looked uninterested in anything.

His eyes only turned soft when they fell on her.

Why?

Why, does he have to be so composed and calm?

He wasn't even the type she could joke or have fun with.

Yet, why does everything he does draws her breath away?

Why was he so different?

Why, do those eyes make her feel so special?

Why, does the danger and coldness from his eyes, make her feel this way, this shiver, this fright that isn't fear?

Was it?

Ari kept reminiscing about her day until she fell asleep without feeling it.

---

Kale was laying on his bed staring at his roof.

The room was quiet.

He was also reminiscing his day, thinking about all his moments with her.

Ari...

He liked the sound of her name.

Soulmate, huh...

He raised his arm, looking at his palm as he clutched his hand to a punch.

His arms and muscles, veined flexed as he did it so roughly.

Something about her, something about her just made him lose control of his body.

Especially when she looked at him from below, raising her small little eyes to stare at him.

How many times did he want to grab her?

From the moment he met her eyes, he knew.

Having lived for who knows how many millennia his view of the world was different.

From one look in her eyes, he knew what kind of person she was.

But those innocent eyes of hers.

Those innocent eyes that were far away from their primal desires...

He was also inexperienced.

His father was pretty strict about this. There was only one woman meant for him.

His body was meant to stay clean until he meets her.

Which was why he was hesitant to meet her at first. He was afraid to mess up.

But it only took a day.

One day, from watching her cold, curious, happy, and dumbfounded expressions.

One day, for his possessive eyes to stare at her neck.

He didn't know why, he didn't know when, but his hand itched to grab it.

His grip itched to get a hold of her, to get a hold of her face and make her only look at him with those pretty small eyes.

His instincts screamed like the first time he ever killed, like the first time he chose his weapon, knowing, this was the one, this was, what made him feel alive.

His view of Ari was the same.

But he will keep watching her.

The time wasn't right yet.

He was still confused.