“Oh.” His voice changes to surprised.
“I’m sorry if I woke you,” I rush out.
“No, no. You’re fine. What’s up? Everything okay?”
I frown.That’s an odd question.But I guess so is this unexpected phone call. “Yes, of course. I was just checking in to see what your mother thought of the flowers.”
He’s silent for a long second. So long that I pull my cell away from my ear to make sure the connection isn’t lost.
“Loved them,” he finally says in a clipped voice.
“Great.” I sigh in relief. “I’m glad to hear that.”
He clears his throat. “Is that really why you called, April?”
He’s caught me.I’m like a window—people can see right through my shit. I’m a terrible liar. Looking down at my black nails, I try a different approach. “I was wondering if you wouldlike to grab a cup of coffee. There’s a little shop just a couple of doors down.” I bite my bottom lip to keep from rambling.
“Sure.” He sighs heavily. “I can meet you there in an hour.”
“Oh.” I was not expecting that answer. “I can do that.” I’ll just have to close the shop since I know Ethan won’t be showing up to help. “I’ll meet you there.”
I walk intothe small coffee shop and choose the first table on my right. At the moment, there’s only one other person in the corner booth, but they have their earbuds in while working on a laptop.
My knees bounce up and down as I think of an excuse to bring up Kingdom and ask how my brother fits into the situation. I can’t exactly say,I googled you last night and saw you’re a part owner of Kingdom. Do you know why my brother has a key card to your business? Oh, and hey, is your brother connected with the mafia?Yeah, that’s not a great conversation starter.
I glance over just as a sport bike pulls into the front row parking spot. It’s a Yamaha R1 with Grave at the helm, wearing a pair of black Aviators on his face. He cuts the engine, flips down the kickstand, and gets off in one smooth motion. My gaze tracks him as he strides to the door. He’s dressed in a pair of dark wash jeans, black combat boots, and a black T-shirt that highlights his muscular build and the intricate sleeve covering one arm.
The guy is gorgeous—there’s no question about that. Other than that, there’s just something about him that appeals to me. Or maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t met someone new in a while. The last guy I crawled into bed with was Derek, and that wasover a year ago. It was a random hookup because we were out and had a few drinks. We’d had sex before, so it was familiar.
Grave’s white hat, worn backward, catches my eye when he takes it off and spins it around before he enters the coffee shop. It has the familiar black circle andKlogo. Kingdom. I know that now.
As he comes through the door, I rise from my seat. “Hey,” I say lamely, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. I’m not sure what the fuck I’m doing or why I’m doing it.
He removes his sunglasses, and his blue eyes meet mine. “Hey.” He smiles. “Have you ordered yet?” he asks.
Right!We’re here for coffee, not to fuck. “I have not,” I answer.
He takes the few steps over to the counter and asks, “What would you like?”
“Small coffee. Black, please.”
He places our order, and I sit back down while he waits for them to make it. The server slides them over to him, and he crosses to the table.
“Come here often?” he asks, sitting down across from me. He hands me a coffee.
“Yeah,” I lie. I’m not much of a coffee drinker, so I rarely come here. “How about you?” I ask and then inwardly curse myself.
“First time.” He chuckles.
This is so fucking awkward. I’d rather be having one of those dreams where you’re naked in front of a crowd. At least I know that nightmare wouldn’t be as embarrassing as this.
ELEVEN
GRAVE
IFIND IT very odd that April called me to meet her for coffee. But I didn’t question it. Because the moment I answered the phone and she said her name, I knew it was about Ethan. I’m not going to give her any information about him willingly, though. If she wants to know, she’ll have to come out and ask.
She averts her eyes and blows on her coffee. I take her in—hair up again in that messy bun she seems to love, makeup-free face. She’s gorgeous, but her ice-blue eyes carry a hint of exhaustion, and I bet it has something to do with Ethan.
