Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 24

He frowned, confusion flickering. He didn’t remember leaving his office, let alone making the drive back here. Yet the room was vivid—every chair in place, the display case gleaming, the scent of fresh bread wrapping around him like it was real.

And then he saw her.

Kaelani stood behind the counter, her gray eyes widening the moment they met his. She looked startled, like she hadn’t expected him, like she wasn’t sure if she should run or stay frozen.

“What are you doing here?” Her voice was hushed, uncertain, cutting through the quiet.

He didn’t answer. Couldn’t. His feet carried him forward on their own, slow, deliberate, as if some invisible tether pulled him closer. Moth to flame.

His gaze dragged lower—and stilled.

She wasn’t in her usual apron and jeans. No, she stood there in that thin, silk nighty of hers, the kind that barely skimmed her thighs, pale straps slipping over her shoulders. It clung to her body in ways that made his chest tighten, his breath roughen.

“You wore this for me?” His voice came out low, reverent, like a man who had just been handed something he didn’t deserve but would never let go of.

Her eyes dropped down, realization dawning, horror flashing across her face as if only just now aware of her own state of undress. She gasped, arms crossing her chest, tugging at the flimsy fabric in a desperate attempt to shield herself.

He closed the distance in two strides, the air between them snapping taut. Her arms came up against his chest, palms pressing firmly as if to hold him back.

“You should leave,” she whispered, though her voice trembled.

His breath caught, the words slamming through him like a blade. Instantly, she saw it—the flicker of hurt in his amber eyes, so stark it stole the strength from her push.

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