Sweet Hatred Chapter 88: "Liar."

His head snapped slightly, eyes wide and dark and breathless. He looked at like I’d just slapped him and he liked it.

"Don’t."

My voice was sharp. Too sharp. Like I was trying to cut away the pull he had over with just one word.

But Kael didn’t back off.

His lips were still parted, his eyes flicking over my face, trying to read like he could peel open if he looked hard enough.

"Why are you stopping ?" he asked, low and gravelly, like he didn’t even believe it himself. "You want . I know you do."

God. Arrogant Bastard.

I rolled my eyes hard enough to see the back of my brain and thwacked him on the side of his head.

"I warned you before not to pull this shit in the office," I hissed.

He smirked like I just confessed sothing else entirely. "We’re not doing anything."

He leaned in again, lips brushing my jaw, voice softer now. "Yet."

I gritted my teeth, stepping back and shoving him by the chest—firm, immovable. I hated how much I liked touching him, even when I was mad. "Get out of my way. I have sowhere to be."

He tilted his head. "Did I do sothing?"

"No," I lied quickly. "You’re just—Leave alone. Don’t you have work?"

He stared at for a second like he could see every thought flickering behind my eyes. "Liar."

Then he kissed again. This ti, I didn’t kiss back.

I pushed him off harder, my hands flattened on his chest. "I’m serious, Kael. I need to go."

"Oh, right..." he murmured, as if just rembering. "Your nephew’s birthday."

I froze.

Of course I made a mistake even ntioning it earlier.

He finally stepped back, grinning. "I’ll get ready. Give five minutes."

I blinked. "Wait, what?"

He was already turning for the door. "I’m coming with you, obviously."

"No—you’re not—Kael—I don’t need—"

But he was gone before I could finish.

Ten minutes later, I was in the front seat of his car, arms folded across my chest like I wasn’t about to combust. Niko was beside , behind the wheel, glancing at like I’d grown two heads.

"What?" I snapped.

He looked forward again. "Nothing."

I tapped my fingers on my thigh, teeth clenched.

When Kael finally showed up, he stopped short at the sight of sitting in the front. His brows lifted slightly, and then slowly, so fucking slowly, that wicked smile spread over his face like sin.

Without a word, he turned to Niko.

"Get down."

"What?" Niko blinked.

Kael held out his hand. "Keys."

"Sir—" Niko blinked again, tossing the keys to Kael as he stepped out.

"Take the night off."

"What the fuck are you doing?" I snapped as Kael slid into the driver’s seat beside like he owned the world and with it.

He didn’t answer.

He just smirked, put one hand on the wheel, the other casually draped behind my seat, and started the engine.

I was going to lose my damn mind.

"I don’t rember agreeing to this," I muttered, glaring out the window as the car pulled out of the underground parking lot.

Kael drove with one hand on the wheel like he owned the whole damn world. Of course he did—he kind of did.

"You didn’t," he said, glancing at like I was amusing. "I volunteered."

I turned to him slowly. "Do you just wake up every day and think—’how can I be the most annoying man alive today?’"

He grinned. "It’s a gift."

I groaned, head hitting the headrest. "You’re not even supposed to be driving. You’ve been sick, rember? I practically nursed you back to life, you ungrateful little—"

"Little?" He snorted. "You want to revise that choice of word, firefly?"

I choked on a breath, cheeks heating. "You’re impossible."

"You’re so beautiful when you’re mad."

"You’re annoying when you’re breathing."

"Fair enough," he said, making a smooth turn like we weren’t going back and forth like children on a sugar high. "So... where are we going?"

I sighed. "The mall. I have to get my nephew a birthday present."

"Kaleb, right? Turning what, five?"

"Turning eight." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Don’t pretend like you know things."

He just smiled, and sothing in his expression made my stomach knot. Warm, amused, fond. Like he was watching his favorite show play out live beside him.

"I know more than you think," he said, voice low.

I rolled my eyes, but a stupid part of fluttered. Damn him.

We pulled into the mall parking lot after a few minutes of him humming under his breath to the radio and trying not to smile at how off-key he was on purpose. When he finally parked, I moved to get out.

"Nope. We’re holding hands."

"What?" I looked at him like he’d grown two heads.

He leaned across the console, took my hand in his, and kissed the inside of my palm like a nace. "In case you get lost. I don’t want to have to page for a short, an woman with trust issues."

"I hate you."

"I know," he said, smug. "But you still let inside you. Multiple tis."

I yanked my hand from his and stord out of the car, not even bothering to slam the door.

And of course, he caught up with in two strides, slid his fingers between mine, and didn’t let go.

My heartbeat spiked. Was he doing this on purpose?

By the ti we pulled up at the entrance, I already knew I was going to regret this. Kael didn’t say a word again yet I could feel the energy vibrating off him. That rich, smug, "I’m about to cause a scene and I don’t even know it" energy.

"Alright," I muttered, walking past the entrance, "we get the gift, the card, and we leave. No detours. No weird purchases. No dramatics."

Kael didn’t respond. He just smiled. That was the first red flag.

The second was when he yanked by the wrist into the nearest high-end section like he was on a mission.

"Kael," I warned, already seeing the price tags and internally screaming.

He held up a neon-blue robot dog. "What about this?"

I checked the label. "That’s $7,800."