“What does that open?”
His soft laugh told me my answer, so I said it for him.
“Oh, I know, I know.You’ll see.”
“Yes, but you’ll see in just a moment, if you follow me.”
I took his hand.
“Go on then, King D’Arthur,” I teased. “Lead from the front.”
With Kingston a step ahead, we walked across the curved row of windows decorated with red ferns to leave Pendragon behind.
Farther off to the right, there was a garage with a shed beside it. It opened with the key he’d pulled from the book.
Growing more curious and more impatient, I bounced on the balls of my feet as he removed the padlock and slid open the shed doors. Metal wheels groaned. The slow creak of rusted iron over forgotten tracks rang out against a rustle of leaves.
Bathed in pitch-black darkness, it took a minute for light to filter into the shed.
My eyes widened. “Youown a motorcycle?”
His bemused smile mirrored mine. “Is that judgment in your tone, Lady Everly?”
I put my hands up. “No way. No judgment here. Just…I’m surprised.”
“What?” He tugged two helmets off the wall inside the shed, placing one on the back of the bike and bringing the other over to me. “I don’t seem like the type?”
As gently as possible, he placed the helmet on my head and brushed the trapped strands of my hair away from my face. Tucking them behind my ears, he looped the straps under my chin and secured it.
Bobbing my head from side to side, I admitted the truth, “Honestly, no. Of the three of you, I would’ve pegged Max as the one with a bike. At least, initially. But you…It does fit in that it’s the opposite of what I expected. I like it.”
“Well, then…” He tipped my face up and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m full of surprises.”
My heart raced at the mischievous gleam in his eyes, the possibility of learning good secrets about Kingston intriguing me more than I’d thought possible.
But I eyed the bike warily as he swung his leg over it and climbed on. When he turned to me and offered his hand, I didn’t move to get on the bike.
Sensing my hesitation, Kingston understood what I needed before I even voiced my concern. “Hmm…if Max was the one with the bike, what might he say right now?”
I snorted. “Probably something about how he’d take it slow for our first ride.”
Kingston chuckled, giving me one of Max’s trademark smirks. “But would it work?”
I bit my lip. “Yeah, probably.”
“And what about Landon?”
A laugh escaped me. “He’d make metell himwhy I didn’t want to get on the bike. Even though he’d already know why.”
His broad smile lit up his features. “I can’t argue with that.”
I stepped closer to him, taking his hand even as I kept my feet on the ground. “And you?”
He brushed his thumb over my cheek, locking his gaze on mine. “I’d tell you…that you’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met, Quinn Everly. Strong enough to fight through any fear you might face, and meant for so much more than a life playing it safe. And if you have the courage to face this with me, I’ll do everything in my power to get you to the other side.”
My breathing hitched.
Kingston cleared his throat as I got control of my lungs. “How was that?”
