“But… he doesn’t seem that way. Reconsider?”
Groaning, I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands. The last time I’d tried a relationship, Ihadbeen hoping to impress a rich, finnicky fucking man. I’d promised myself never again. “No, you’re right.” I stopped what I was doing and let my hands fall to my sides. “He isn’t that way, or I would not be about this. I’d just pay someone else to service my knob. Does that mean ya won’t go with me?”
“Course I will, ya prick.” For once, he actually sounded angry. “Your safety is first for me. Anything happens to ya, it’s not only your ma who’ll have my arse. It’s Killough, too.”
“Good.” I went over to the closet and dragged out the boots that went with this outfit and went to work lacing them up. “Knew you’d be there for me. Stay back, though. I don’t want him to feel like we have people hovering round us.”
Corbin let out the most charming growl. “That’s not—”
“Wasn’t a request. Meet us there.”
He gave me the silent treatment as I finished getting ready. His utter dismissal of my existence continued as he stomped beside me the whole way downstairs and then outside and along the street to the parking garage, where I couldn’t imagine Hunter was having a very good time attempting to mend his motorbike.
Corbin stopped me before I could head in through the garage entrance and dug around in his jacket, which he wore in spite of the heat today to hide his gun. He tugged out a small, flattened paper bag and slapped it into my palm. I wedged the bag into my trousers at my side, confident the tight leather would keep it there, flipped my shirt back down, and went along. Halfway up the structure, on the sixth level, I finally heard some banging and clattering, and decided to scout out farther into the parking area.
It wasn’t Hunter who I saw first, but rather the guard from the Virtue. He was lumbering, even in the nice gray suit he wore, and didn’t look like anything except muscle. Brilliant red hair made him eye-catching, and large freckles splashed his face. I walked closer along the rows of vehicles, a dull fury pulsing in the back of my throat when the guard didn’t stop me or question my presence, even after it was clear I was headed directly for him. How was this protection? Finally I rounded a work van that was in my way, and the breath was knocked out of me.
Hunter crouched beside his motorbike. He was dusting his hands off on a smudged white rag and had leaned forward to inspect something. Tools were scattered around him in a disarray I could only think of as adorable. I could see nothing out of place on the dark blue high-gloss paint job of his bike. His slim back was arched fucking beautifully in his position, and I couldn’t help but stare at the way his low-riding jeans clung to his arse. The small of his back peeked enticingly out from under his shirt, and I wanted to lick the dimples visible there.
My cock decided it wanted a repeat of last night and plumped a bit for him. Blowing out a long breath, I smiled and kept walking forward.
“Hey!” I called, feeling like a dumbarse.
Hunter startled like I’d fired a gun and shot to his feet fast, shoulders hunched as if he was ready to run for cover. Carefully he met my eyes and straightened. I fucking hated seeing him behave that way. What the hell did he have waiting for him at home in New Gothenburg, if that’s how he reacted to a simple greeting? I didn’t stop walking until I was within arm’s reach of him, and then the guard finally roused himself to be useful.
“Hey, no closer.”
“Do ya know who I am?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “No?”
“Jamie Shannon. Don’t tell me what to do in this city. Also, if you’re ever watching him again, ya better fucking stop anyone well before they’re this close. He could be dead by now.” This lax arsehole didn’t need to know I had every intention of telling Rourke to relocate him away from Hunter and Forrest, but maybe it was clear on my face because he scowled. Didn’t go for the weapon I knew he must have on him, though. I wasn’t sure if I was happy about that or not.
The last few steps to Hunter brought his mellow, clean scent to me, and I inhaled a deep breath of him as I leaned in and planted a kiss on his soft cheek. He broke out in a rosy blush that had me wanting to stand around and kiss him all afternoon. He was a treat.
“Busy?”
He shrugged and gestured at the bike. “Finished.” He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and gave me the smallest smile. The sun came in through the side of the garage and caught his face in a beam. My breath caught. His greenish eyes werebluerthan Forrest’s. How had I not noticed last night?There’s a way to tell them apart.I loved the beautiful Mediterranean color. My stomach did a different jig, this time with a few acrobatic tumbles thrown in.
“Great. Wanna drive us, then?”
“Uh… where?” He abused the corner of his lip for a second, and I was so tempted to toss my plans to the wind and talk him back round to my room. But I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do that.
“Our date.” I tried to put my hands into my pockets, something that was easy enough to do in the suits I typically wore around town, but that wasn’t happening with these trousers. I ended up awkwardly planting my hands on my hips instead.
He blinked at me and then looked down my body, and I loved the way he seemed to get stuck staring an extralong time. The leather had been a good call. Fuck Corbin.
“It’s been years since I was on a motorbike. Maybe five. Good times.”
“You, uh, ride?”
“A bit. Mostly when I was a teenager.”
“Oh!” Hunter ate at his lip again and then startled, as if our conversation had managed to catch up with wherever his mind had wandered. “Uh, you… are we… you said we were going on a date? I didn’t think you’d really want to….” He glanced down at his clothes, and yeah, he was in a white T-shirt with a couple of motor oil stains on it in the shape of his fingers, and jeans that were dirty at the cuffs and knees, but the concern on his face was as enchanting as could be.
“Dates are borin’, so I have other plans.”
Hunter glanced up at me, and his mouth pulled down in a small frown that had me confused. Had he wanted something run-of-the-mill?
