The Boss’s Runaway (Possessive Kingpins)

Today wasn’t going at all like I’d imagined. But then, I’d never been swept off my feet and rescued by a dashing, dark and deadly-looking prince before, nor had I been asked to pretend to be engaged.

Jae took me to a boutique downtown. His security lined the place outside as his driver pulled up at the curb, and we got out. I felt like a celebrity—if a celebrity wore oversized sweatpants with socks and sliders and a huge black overcoat on top to hide how deranged she looked.

I walked toward the boutique, with Jae shadowing me from behind, his hand lightly nestled in the small of my back. “This might seem obvious, but I think I should point it out. I don’t have any money to buy fancy new clothes.”

His lip turned upward in a smirk. “You don’t have shoes, so why would you expect me to think you have money for a shopping spree?”

“I like to be clear,” I huffed, feeling silly for a moment. “I guess it’s another thing I’ll owe you.”

Jae Han ushered me into the store, and excited-looking assistants hovered expectantly. “I’ll put it on your tab.”

I tapped my lip, pretending to think about that. “Hm, in that case, I want to go to Target. Less to pay back. Your mother won’t be able to tell, right?”

Jae was smiling now, a proper, undeniable grin stretching his sexy, usually tight and emotionless mouth. “Kat, I don’t expect you to pay me back. Money is no object for me.” His tone shifted from teasing to serious.

“I get that. I’ve seen your house. Still, I don’t like being indebted to someone.”

He stepped closer, and I forgot how to breathe. His eyes ran across my face like they were trying to memorize my features. “Too bad. Maybe I liked you being indebted to me.”

His words sent a thrill of pleasure through me. Fuck, it felt good to be looked at like that by this man. This wonderful, sexy man. “Why is that?” I asked, playing with him. Who wouldn’t?

“Maybe I like to fantasize about all the ways I’ll demand you pay me back.” His eyes dropped to my mouth, and I wet suddenly parched lips.

“Erm, Mr. Song?”

Just as the tension between us was making me sweat, an assistant spoke hesitantly beside us and shattered the spell.

“What?” Jae snapped with tightly controlled menace. He didn’t move his eyes from me.

“The changing room is ready for your guest. If she could start picking out some things she likes.”

Jae turned toward her, and I sagged in the aftermath of his attention. The man was intense.

“Go ahead, Kat,” he said, presumably after verbally decapitating the poor assistant who’d interrupted us.

I shuffled away in my sliders along the first line of clothes. Reaching out and trailing my hand down some of the garments, I marveled at the textures and fine quality of the materials. There was everything from glittering ballgowns to cashmere sweater dresses and leather pants. I pulled a few things out and turned to look for Jae but didn’t spot him.

A woman appeared beside me, wheeling a clothing rail. “Put the stuff you want to try on here,” she said, looking at me curiously. I got it. I looked weird as hell. “Your name is Kat?” she asked bluntly, and a sudden discomfort blossomed in my belly.

I turned to stare at her.

“Kat Ivanov,” she continued.

Icy-cold nerves blossomed, spreading tendrils of anxiety through me. I tried to channel my inner Jae and looked imperiously bored. “Who’s asking?”

The assistant grinned. “Someone’s looking for you.”

“Too bad I don’t know who you’re talking about,” I said as a large hand settled in the small of my back.

“Is she bothering you?” Jae asked, giving the assistant the kind of look smarter women would have cried over.

“No, why would she be? She got me confused with someone else,” I murmured, moving down the line of clothes and feeling like a million eyes were on me. The ones that burned the hottest were Jae’s. He had questions, and I didn’t know how to avoid them.

I pulled a leather catsuit out of the clothes rack and held it up to him. “How about this? Would Dami approve of this?”

Jae’s eyes turned to the garment, over the belts and Madonna-style studded cones at the bust, and back to me. Then he laughed. Everyone in the store froze, from his lethal-looking security at the door to the assistants.