“. . . the romantic teenager buried deep inside her was weeping at the perversion of her love story. There was no hero in her romance, and the villain made her feel things that she had never imagined she could experience.”

“You don’t know?” he whispered harshly. “You truly don’t know that you mean everything to me?”Hardly daring to believe her ears, Mia pushed at his chest to put a little distance between them so she could look up at his face. “I do?”“Of course, you do.” His gaze burned into her with an intensity she had never seen before. “How could you doubt it?”“Are . . . are you saying you love me?” she asked tremulously, afraid to even voice such a possibility. What if he said no? What if she’d misunderstood him, and he would now laugh at her silliness? Her chest tightened in anxious anticipation.“Mia, I love you more than life itself,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “If anything happened to you . . . If you were gone, I would not want to go on living. Do you understand me?”

“There was still so much unresolved between them, but in this moment, she couldn't bring herself to care about the way their relationship had started, about all the mutual lies and betrayals. In this moment, she knew only that she loved him, that every part of her longed to be with him.”

“I love you," he said softly, his hand stroking her back. "And I'll do anything for you. You know that, right?"Mia smiled, her heart overflowing with emotion. "I love you more...""That would be impossible," he told her, and the intensity in his voice startled her. "I love you so much it hurts.”

“What’s your name?” The creature practically purred the question at her. His voice was low and smooth, completely unaccented. His nostrils flared slightly, as though inhaling her scent.“Um . . .” Mia swallowed nervously. “M-Mia.”“Mia,” he repeated slowly, seemingly savoring her name. “Mia what?”“Mia Stalis.” Oh crap, why did he want to know her name? Why was he here, talking to her? In general, what was he doing in Central Park, so far away from any of the K Centers? Breathe, Mia, breathe.“Relax, Mia Stalis.” His smile got wider, exposing a dimple in his left cheek. A dimple? Ks had dimples? “Have you never encountered one of us before?”

“Thanks, Marisa. You're the best sister a girl can ask for," Mia told her sincerely. "I know--and very modest too.”

“He was staring at her mouth with what looked like raw hunger, his eyes turning more golden by the second. “Do that again,” he ordered softly, his voice a dark purr from across the table.Mia’s heart skipped a beat.”