My heart fucking melted. Why the hell did he have to be so sweet? I was trying so damn hard to play hard to get. To make him work for it. But he was making it even more difficult to push away his advances. He was smooth with his words, even when he sounded like a jackass. And worst of all, it was clear hemeantthose words.
Blayke was the kind of man that could haveanywoman he wanted. All he had to do was crook a finger, and she’d come crawling. Yet he was working hard as hell to haveme. Me—a nobody. A woman who lived her life in an RV, never settling in one place for too long. Me—a woman whowantedto be an outlaw, regardless of it being what her father wanted or not. I was rough around the edges, callous, and a lot of times, I was downrightmean, especially to him.
But for some reason, this crazy as fuck manstillwanted me. It was ludicrous.
“You’re staring at me like you want to eat me. Not like you’re admiring me,” I deadpanned.
He smirked then, andfuck, I hated the way my belly swooped with longing for him. He looked hot as fuck when he had that cocky little smirk on his face.
“Maybe Iwantto eat you,” he rasped. “Migastaste good as fuck, but I’d place money you’d taste even better.”
Jesus.
I opened my mouth to speak, but just then, a group of men strode into the small restaurant we were eating at. I slowly closed my mouth and lowered my head, grabbing my burrito and pretending to eat as I watched them. Tattoos covered their skin, and two white men were with them. And when one of the white men spoke in Spanish, his accent was thick but wrong to be Mexican—like heavily-accented Russian.
Fuck.
“Donotturn because they’ll recognize you,” I said quietly, “but we’ve got company.”
Blayke hummed and forked a piece of egg into his mouth, nonchalant as fuck. “I know.”
I arched a brow at him. “You do?” My voice gave away that I thought he was full of shit.
He snorted. “You think Johnston made me his VP just because we’re friends? Shit doesn’t work like that, mama. He made me his VP because while I’m a goofy son of a bitch, I’malwaysaware of what’s happening around me. I heard the moment they pulled up outside.”
I gaped at him. “No fucking way.” He’d been flirting with me the entire time.
He snorted. “Yes way. Why do you think I forced you along with me and didn’t send you with Halo or Gidget instead?”
I shot him a deadpan look. “Because you want to be up my ass?”
He chuckled. “I mean, yeah, there’s that. Ilovebeing all up your ass, mama.” I rolled my eyes, even as my lips twitched. He hadnoshame. And I kind of liked that about him. Okay, Ireallyliked that about him. I never had to guess how he felt or where I stood with him. “But no. It’s because I don’t trustanyoneto protect you the way I can.” He set his fork down, almost casually, but there was a predatory move to his muscles that told me it wasn’t casual at all. “I need you to pay for this meal.”
“What? Why?—”
He stood, and just as he did, chaoserupted. Gunshots exploded. I quickly did as he said, throwing down more than enough money to cover the meal, and then, I was on my feet, my own gun in my hand. And just in time, too. One of the Russians appeared beside Blayke, his gun aimed at Blayke’s temple, but I was faster and sent a bullet straight between his eyes, then shoved Blayke to the side.
“Kitchen!” I snapped, shoving him hard in that direction. “We’re not winning this.”
He grabbed my wrist, yanking me after him. We ducked and weaved our way through the panicked patrons until we slammed through the door in the kitchen. I almost slipped in a puddle of grease, but Blayke shoved me forward, his arm still latched around my wrist.
As soon as we were outside, weran. We wouldn’t be able to get our bikes—not with them parked out front. Our only hope at the moment was to get somewhere to hide until enough time had passed that they disappeared and someone could come get us and grab our bikes, too.
By the time we finally stopped running, I had a stitch in my side, and Ireallyneeded some water. I leaned over, pressed myhands to my knees, and panted for air, my heart beating so hard, it hurt.
“Don’t lean over,” Blayke rasped, breathing just as hard as I was. He gripped my shoulder and pulled me up so I was leaning against the rough brick wall next to him. “Hands on your head. Breathe in through your nose—” he panted— “and out through your mouth.”
I did as he said, my gun still clutched in my grasp. He caught his breath before I did and slid my gun out of my hold, then clicked the safety on before tucking it back into the small of my back. Then, surprising the absolute fuck out of me, he cupped my neck in both his large hands, tucked his thumbs beneath my chin, and tilted my head back.
“You killed a man to fucking save me,” he growled, his eyes heated, liquid need pooling in his blue eyes.
I swallowed thickly, my heart hammering in my chest once again. But this time, it was because Iknewhe was going to kiss me. And goddammit, I sure as fuck wasn’t going to stop him.
“I did,” I murmured. “And I’d fucking do it again, Blayke.” That was the honest fucking truth. I was falling hard for this man—and much faster than I’d like—and I’d bedamnedif some mother fucker took him from me.
“Goddamn, that makes me hot,” he growled. And then, he was kissing me, his lips smoothing over mine with so much possessive, obsessed heat, I moaned and dropped my arms just enough to twine them around his neck.
His tongue swiped over my lips, and I parted them, letting him inside. A low groan sounded from his throat, and he tightened his hold on my neck, kissing me harder and deeper. I had no idea how long we kissed. It could have been minutes, hours, seconds, days—who the fuck knew. But when he pulled back, his lips kiss-swollen and breathing heavily once more, I knew I was fucking done for.
