Still, I’ve got a big grin on my face. The little thrill I get from defying Koen’s “rules”wakes me up far more than the cold or the coffee could.
The shop is busy, but we find a spot near the back and take a seat. I listen to Mia tell me all about how her routine is going. She’s dancing a pas de deux with Devin. I’ve seen their routine, and I’ve never seen two people more in sync with each other. Their chemistry is really something else.
“So speaking of Devin,” I smile mischievously when I see her blush. “Is there anything going on between the two of you?” I ask, because the smile on Mia’s face every time she mentions Devin’s name makes it glaringly obvious.
She does, in fact, flush crimson. “No. Of course not! What on earth would give you that idea?” Her words are too rushed to be true.
“No reason.” I smirk, taking a convenient sip of my coffee and watching her grow increasingly flustered, nearly spilling hers. I love how normal this feels. I think I needed this more than I realized.
The low rumble of a motorcycle engine echoes in the distance.
My heart stutters.
That sound.My face whips toward the shop windows, but I don’t spot the bike I could have sworn I heard.
He wouldn’t, he couldn’t?—
After a few seconds, when no bike, or biker, appears, I blow out a breath and turn back to Mia, who thankfully hasn’t noticed my mini heart attack, too busy trying to convince both me, and herself, that she and Devin aren’t meant to be together.
The coffee shop door chimes and my head whips up again. Everything around me fades away when I catch sight of the hulking menace standing in the doorway.
Koen’s eyes are a storm of fury, and he finds me almost instantly. His jaw ticks when those dark eyes make contact with mine.
“Shit,” I whisper to myself.
He crosses the space in long, deliberate strides, and it’s an effort not to shrink back into my seat, or worse—hide under the table, because the thought has occurred to me.
How did he find me here?
When he reaches us, I stare down at my coffee, ignoring the glare he levels down at me, his arms crossed, his face as hard as stone. He’s dressed in full leather gear from being on his bike, a cowl bunched around his neck that he probably had pulledup over his face under his helmet.He’s really riding in this weather?
“Uhm, Briar?” Mia hisses in my direction, looking nervously between an irate Koen and me. “Do you know this guy?” Her finger points timidly upward.
I open my mouth to answer, still avoiding Koen’s eye, but he beats me to it.
“I’m her boyfriend.”
Mia’s eyes narrow.Boyfriend? she mouths. I catch it out of the corner of my eye, because, after he spoke, my gaze whipped up and I’m now staring wide-eyed up at Koen.
Boyfriend?
“Time to go.”
“I was just?—”
“Now.” His tone is clipped and stern and leaves no room for argument.
“Briar?” Mia’s question is laced with concern.
“It’s fine,” I lie quickly, forcing a smile before my eyes dart back to Koen. “I forgot we have that—err—thing—” Trying to explain his stern demeanor and clear lack of manners.
One of Koen’s eyes twitches, but he says nothing, pulling out my chair for me.
“I’ll text you later.” Quickly, I gather up my things.
I follow Koen through the shop. He holds the door open for me, and when I walk past him, his hand finds the small of my back—firm, possessive—a silent warning.
I swallow hard, the cool air from the street biting against my skin.
