“Idon’tlove anything about you.” I snatch the helmet from his outstretched hand, failing to still my racing pulse because broody Kaiden I can take, but playful Kaiden—the side of him that only comes out when we’re together—is too much to handle.
He mounts the bike and waits for me to slide behind him before revving the engine and gliding into the evening traffic. Maybe riding with Kaiden wasn’t such a good idea after all. The proximity to his glorious body in the wake of that wet dream is frazzling me. As much as I try to concentrate on our surroundings, all I can focus on is the way his taut muscles flex under my fingertips. The vibration of the engine between my thighs and his heavenly scent that wraps around me in druggingwaves don’t help either. And then there’s that new tattoo. He’s wearing me on his skin and over his heart. I have him tattooed, too, only it goes deeper than the skin surface.
Kaiden eases off the gas as we drive into a new neighborhood where towering oak trees line the picturesque streets. Bougainvillea crawls on the walls and fences of the colonial-style houses in varying colors. I think we’re in the Garden District. I wish I hadn’t slept the day away, but it would have been too hot to walk around anyway. Even now, after dusk has settled around us, it feels as though we stepped into a sauna after being in an air-conditioned room all day.
When he stops in front of a restaurant, we dismount. “Are we walking from here?” I ask after handing him my helmet.
“No, we’re grabbing dinner.”
My nostrils flare. “No.”
“Well, the bars on Bourbon Street don’t open for another hour. We have some time to kill.”
“What?” I shriek.
“C’mon, we have a reservation,” he says as he takes two steps toward the entrance.
I scoff, flapping my hands in indignation. “I can’t believe you’ve tricked me into a date.”
“I haven’t tricked you. I didn’t tell you about it. Plus, it’s dinner, not a date.” His sinful lips tilt upward into that sexy smirk that makes me crazy. “Unless you want it to be.”
“Same fucking thing. First, I’m wearing my gear, which is clearly not appropriate to go out in. And second, I’m not hungry.”
A muscle feathers along his stubbled jaw. “Iris, you haven’t eaten in over twenty-four hours. You can’t keep going like that. You might faint. The way I see it, you have two options: you either walk in there of your own free will, or I will hogtie you and bring you in, then spoon-feed you everything they have on themenu. What’s it going to be?”
I choke on my saliva at the mention of Kaiden hogtying me like in the wet dream.
“You okay?” he asks. A rakish grin pulls at his mouth as if he knowsexactlywhat got my cheeks blazing. “Do you need water?”
Jesus. Did I mention the ropes, too, while talking in my sleep? Judging by Kaiden’s knowing glint, I sure did.
Kill me now.
“Yes, I mean, no, I don’t need water. I’m fine.”Wow. Real smooth, dumbass. He’s right; I need to take better care of my body. I’ve already lost some muscle mass, and that’s a big no when fighting demons. Or having curveballs constantly thrown at you because you have a bounty on your head. “Fine, but can we grab something to go while we walk around the neighborhood?”
He softens at that. “Of course.”
Twenty minutes later, we each have a takeout bag in one hand and a drink in the other. I sip on my iced coke as we walk in comfortable silence. The architecture on these streets is spectacular. Sam would love the lush gardens.
“How’s Emily?” I inquire.
“She’s good. To everyone’s surprise, she gained consciousness that same night you broke her out. I made arrangements for her to be airlifted the next morning and brought to the Iron Claw pack territory a few states over. She’s staying with Hailey, her girlfriend—actually, fiancée. Logan let us know she proposed the second they saw each other. Logan and Ava are staying with her for a week to make sure she heals properly.”
Needles stab the back of my eyes. “That’s good. I’m really happy for her.” And I mean it. Even if I just met her and Ava, these women have a special place in my heart.
“Do you want to sit there so we can eat?” Kaiden asks, pointinghis chin at the bench beneath a gargantuan oak tree.
“Sure.”
I finish my burger in record time. Turns out, I was hungry after all. Kaiden’s eyes burn a hole through the side of my face as I use a napkin to dab at my mouth. “What, do I have something—” My words die off when I see the pain blazing in his tumultuous obsidian void.
“It killed me seeing you with him, you know.” His head drops between his shoulders as he leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “There is nothing more I wish for than to take you out on dates, to freely hold your hand on the street, to kiss you without having to look over our shoulders every goddamn second as if what we had—have—is something dirty. Are you…is he…” He runs a trembling hand over his face. “Fuck.” His fingers curl into tight fists. “Are you together? Do you…do you love him?”
Those broken pieces I keep together by the skin of my teeth are once again blown apart. It feels like acid being poured over an open wound, then someone rubbing salt on it for good measure. As much as I want to pretend I’m moving on with Noah, I can’t do that to Kaiden.
“No. We’re not together. I only agreed to the date because it was one of his conditions to help me, that’s all. And while I was in love with him once, or better said what I perceived as love as a teenager, what Noah and I had is in the past.”
“Good, because if I see you two together again, I’m going to fucking kill him. I wanted to, after the restaurant. If it weren’t for Malik and Dominic talking me off the ledge…” I’m afraid the vein pulsing at his temple is going to burst any second now. “The way he looks at you—he wants you. You said one of the conditions. What are the others?”
