House of Cards | Bulletproof book 2 | A BTS Gang AU

12: I Can't Stand the Rain

Thunder boomed throughout the room, rattling the window over my head and making me jump nearly out of my skin. I was disoriented from being woken up so abruptly and for a moment I had forgotten Kai hadn't left yet. I panicked from the weight of his head on my chest and his arms around my waist, holding me down, that I immediately started to fight whatever intruder was trying to take me.

"Whoa! What the...Nat, stop!"

Kai rolled over against the wall, holding out his hands in front of him and raising his knee to protect his unclothed dick. I looked around the room, wild-eyed and nearly feral, until a flash of lightning and another rumble of thunder reverberated in the darkened room. Panting, I relaxed back into the covers.

"Sorry," I mumbled, throwing my arm over my eyes to hide my embarrassment.

Slowly, as if not really trusting that I wasn't going to kill him or rip off something valuable, Kai relaxed and rolled over onto his stomach beside me. He propped his head on his crossed arms and gave me a cautious smile as I peeked out from under my arm.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. The thunder just startled me and I forgot you were still here."

I couldn't tell if he was hurt by my unplanned words because his face remained impassive. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

Silence fell between us like a sheet. Comforting and light. I looked over at him, trying to make out his features in the dim light of the dull early morning. Even without light, he was breathtaking. I looked away quickly, but couldn't hide the bashful grin that crossed my lips. Kai, observant as ever, noticed right away.

"What are you thinking about?"

I stared at the ceiling. "Last night."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Good. Definitely good."

He chuckled and pushed himself up, leaning over me and pulling my arms away from my face. I bit my lip as he smiled down at me, his dark eyes searching mine. A moment later he lowered his face to mine, his full lips finding mine, his tongue asking for, and gaining, entrance into my mouth.

I laced my hands through his wild morning hair, pressing against the back of his neck to hold him there, not wanting the moment to pass but knowing it eventually must. His hand was holding my side, his thumb working lazy circles over the ridge of my lower rib. I adjusted, pressing my body up and into his, and he took the cue, moving his own body and pushing into me.

The thunder hid our moans, the din of the rain against the fire escape outside covering the sounds our bodies made as they came together. It wasn't as needy as the night before. I wasn't trying to escape and he didn't need to console me. We were just two people, enjoying the connection of an intimate act in an otherwise disconnected world, taking and giving in equal measure. When it was over and both of us satisfied, he rolled onto his back and pulled me into his chest, both of us watching the shadow paths made on the ceiling from the rain outside. It was a moment I hadn't known I needed so desperately, but one I decided to cherish as long as I could.

Kai sighed deeply and I knew from the ache in my belly that our moment had passed. "So what are you doing today?"

It could have been such a banal question. One a man asked his lover before beginning his own blissfully ordinary day. If we weren't the people we were. Ordinary was something neither of us would ever be. Our hands were too stained for something so safe.

"I have to go to Soyeon's tonight. Gotta keep up the ruse as long as I can until we can move on AT3 or Hakyeon. What about you?"

His hand left trails of heat along my bare back. "I guess I'll have to face the music with the rest of EXO. By now, I'm sure Suho knows about me and you."

I propped up on my elbow and looked down at Kai, finding my hair fanning across his chest suddenly more interesting than his eyes burning into mine. "What will he do?"

Kai shrugged and smiled up at me, tucking my hair behind my ear and lifting my chin. "He won't kill me, but he'll be mad. Secrets are a big deal to him. Secrets get people killed."

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to get you in trouble."

"It's okay. You were worth it."

Before I thought about it, I dropped down and kissed him again. I hadn't expected to need him as much as I did, but I was so thankful that he'd been there. I was just suddenly so scared that something was going to happen and take him away from me, too. Next breaths were precious and few in our world and the thought of something taking someone as beautiful as Kai from my world was crushing.

As much as I tried to fight it, Kai had to leave. His crew would be wondering where he had been without telling them. He said he had messaged Kyungsoo that he was okay sometime in the night, but they would want answers and they would want them soon. With the whole criminal world hunting me down, I had no doubt they'd want to either steer clear of me or find a way to make me useful.

I sat up in bed as I watched him dress, burying my head under the covers when he made his way to the door. It was bad luck to watch someone leave.

The storm continued throughout the day, mirroring my mood. I eventually got up to find something to eat, but my apartment was such a mess that I didn't want to bother trying to clean just so I could cook something and decided just to find something out. I grabbed my backpack and hoodie and ventured out to a nearby street vendor I liked for a beef bowl.

I sat under the banner at the street's edge and watched people rushing from one place to another as they tried to dodge the rain, oblivious to anyone or anything around them. Any of them could be another gang member looking to kill me but with the storm, I was practically invisible. When I finished my beef and rice, I swiveled on the stool and enjoyed a beer, feeling free for once. If only for a moment.

But a nagging feeling started to tug at the corners of my psyche the longer I sat. It was the feeling of being watched. Hunted. I glanced around the dreary streets, but couldn't see anything that would indicate that someone even realized I was there. Still, the feeling persisted to the point that I had to get up and move. I slapped some money on the counter, downed my beer, and turned to leave as casually as I could.

The rain was falling softer then, the storm moving over the land and out towards the sea. I tossed the empty bottle in a nearby trashcan and listened for the sound of the breaking glass echoing off the buildings around me. Nothing seemed out of place and there were no footsteps to indicate I was being followed, but I knew I was. I could sense a man's presence, potent and bitter, behind me but no matter where I looked, I couldn't see him. I watched reflections, glanced over my shoulder, even reached out with my mind, but I couldn't get more than a vague sense of their presence near me.

Whoever this was, he was damn good.

I debated on where I should go. I was supposed to be at Soyeon's in a couple hours, but no one would bat an eye if I showed up early. The thing was, I didn't want to risk bringing something down on them that they weren't prepared for.

Then again, Minnie had an enviable weapons cache in her room. It was much better than anything I had at my own apartment. And they were a pretty skillful gang in their own right. Tossing my hair over my shoulder, I decided to just go for it. If something happened, the shop was much more defensible than my obliterated apartment.

I quickened my pace, making sure to splash in puddles and listen to the sounds. Still nothing but that nagging feeling. Damn, who was this guy? The setting sun was just cracking through the cloud deck, casting the wet, grimy streets in liquid gold. A cool breeze wound through the alley, bringing with it the tinge of a scent that didn't harmonize with the surroundings. It was expensive and deep. Earthy and rich. It was the scent of my pursuer, and it was oddly familiar, but given what I'd inadvertently learned from the past few minutes, he wouldn't have been stupid enough to wear cologne. No, that was the smell of him.

A natural born hunter. And whoever he was, he was enjoying the chase.