She got out of the car and slammed the door, heading toward Nadia’s urban apartments. As they moved through the main door, Prince not only held it open for her but placed the flat of his hand on her back and kept pace with her. He was courteous, and that was a big deal given most men didn’t bother with all the civilities with a bounty hunter.
Get it together, Kat, she thought to herself.Getting cozy with your sister’s boyfriend? Not cool.
Yet during the elevator ride up, Kat kept stealing glimpses of her Charming. When he loosened his grey tie and rolled up his sleeves, her eyes gobbled up the strong cords of muscle along his forearms. He wasn’t pale either; it looked like the sun had kissed his skin in worship. Beneath all those layers of Armani was an alpha who took care of his body. Maybe these newfound feelings were from exhaustion after a long day that had ended with her naked on the back of an outlaw, or maybe it was that extra slice of pizza she’d had earlier, but visions of Prince lifting her off the ground and kissing her hard infiltrated her thoughts. Especially given she wasn’t wearing pants, let alone panties, and all it would take was unfastening his zipper and…
The elevator bell chimed and the doors opened.
Nadia was standing in front of them with a piece of paper between two fingers. “Did you show my guest a good time?” she asked Kat. Then her eyes journeyed downward and noticed the lack of clothing. “Never mind. Up to your usual mischief.” She pivoted around, her heels clicking on the hard floor as she made her way inside the apartment.
Kat followed behind and took a deep breath, still smelling the remnants of pizza, which overpowered the quail. She pulled a can of soda from the vegetable drawer in the fridge, her hiding spot for fizzy drinks since Nadia never looked down there. After cracking it open and sucking off the foam, she went into the living room and plopped down on the couch.
Prince lingered in the lit hall to Kat’s left, speaking privately with Nadia. Kat watched the subtle nuances of their body language, wondering what they were whispering about.
When Nadia stepped closer to him and brushed her hand down his arm, Kat bit the edge of her soda can. Nadia could choose from any man she wanted, and yet she wanted none of them. Kat didn’t bother with the chase since most men weren’t going to warm up to mating with a bounty hunter anyhow.
Men were sexually attracted to Kat, and that was about as far as it went. Most couldn’t relate to a woman who had a knife strapped to her chest, and few cared what she had to say. It wasn’t so bad. After they slipped out in the middle of the night, Kat could finally have the bed to herself and kick off the covers. It meant she didn’t have to wake up early and cook someone breakfast, because she liked sleeping in and nibbling on leftovers from the night before. It meant not having to hear someone complain that she worked too much.
But it also meant being lonely at night. Sometimes she’d lie in bed, thinking how nice it would be to curl up with someone. Not just anyone, but a man she could actually hold a conversation with. Eventually Kat would roll over and start thinking about her next case, because dwelling on a life she couldn’t have was poisonous. All that “grass is greener” thinking gets people into trouble. It was why her mother had left, and Kat didn’t want to become a woman who was never satisfied with her life.
Prince and Nadia continued speaking in low voices, and Kat admired his casual stance. His pants had a stain, his shirt was wrinkled, sleeves rolled up, tie loose, and yet he carried himself like a man to be reckoned with. Nadia leaned forward in a way that signaled she was going for some tongue action. Kat looked away and slurped on her soda, wishing she could teleport herself to a five-star hotel where they had room service. When the murmurs quieted and she heard the sound of lips touching, she stole a quick glance.
Prince kissed Nadia’s cheek near the corner of her mouth, but Nadia was a shark when it came to making out. Now that she smelled blood in the water, she was going to circle her prey until she got what she wanted. Nadia was a first-date kisser because she said that a man’s tongue revealed what kind of lover he was.
It didn’t look like she was getting the scoop on Prince’s prowess in bed tonight. Kat smiled wide in victory.
When Prince glanced over his right shoulder and looked right at her, she almost dropped her soda.
“Good night, Kat. It was a memorable evening.”
“Cheers,” she said, holding up her drink in the dark room.
Memorable,she pondered. Not enchanting, and definitely not exciting. Well, I’ll never seehimagain. Which was a shame. Vlad was going to be impossible to hunt down now that she’d scared him away from his regular hangout. Prince knew Vlad and could probably help, but guys like him didn’t like to get mixed up in dangerous drama like this. Especially with a girl like Kat. The worst part? She actually liked his company.
Maybe too much.
Nadia locked the door and joined Kat in the living room, kicking off her heels and running her hands through her silky blond hair. “Should I be concerned you weren’t wearing pants with my date?”
“Why do you hate me?”
Nadia sat down to Kat’s left, her voice weary. “I don’t hate you, Katarina. I just don’t understand you.”
Kat could sense the hurt in her voice, and it had to do with why they were so different. “Papa spent more time with me, but not because he loved me more. He just didn’t know what to do with a little girl who loved tea parties and dresses. He liked to hunt, fish, and shoot guns.”
“And you did those things to please him?” She twisted her hair back and clasped her hands behind her head.
“No. I wouldn’t do something I don’t enjoy. This is just who I am. Plus, I never really liked tea. Only your invisible friends were allowed to sit at the table.”
“My friends aren’t invisible anymore, and I have a life. One you seem to disrupt every chance you get. I don’t mind the visits, darling, but you have too much chaos in your suitcase. There are other jobs. I could find you something here if you want to live close to me.”
“I like what I do,” Kat said, hiding her annoyance. “Someone has to put away the bad guys so you don’t have to look over your shoulder as often.”
“How long will you be staying this time?”
“Until I find Papa.”
Nadia sighed and lowered her arms. “That again. He’s gone, Katarina. Like our mother.”
“She left us. SomeonetookPapa. And… well, Prince wants to help me.” Kat innocently sipped her soda.
