When she reaches for her purse, I take that, too, and she shoots me an exasperated look. I wink at her, and a smile breaks out on her face.
Less than two minutes later, I pull up in front of my house, and I carry her things inside while she follows me.
“Are you cooking? Oh my God, it smells like steak.” She sounds like she’s really hoping to be right.
I chuckle and set her stuff on a bench in the living room, then reach for her hand.
“I figured you’d be tired tonight since you worked both jobs, so I came up with an idea on how we can unwind together, and you can get some relief on your leg.”
Gaze narrowed, she looks at me curiously. “Ohhh, we’re going to try something super kinky?”
The way this woman makes me laugh is like no one I’ve ever met. She says the most random, off-hand shit. She’s a light that I haven’t felt in so fucking long. If ever.
“We’ll definitely be doing some freaky stuff tonight, but first I want you to relax.”
CHAPTER 33
Ace
Relax.
That word is foreign to me.
I’ve been going non-stop my entire life.
No matter what I was doing, my mother expected the best.
Be better. Do better. Try harder. Work more.
There were no days off.
Then, after my surgeries, I worked every single day, trying to heal and get stronger.
Kian takes my hand and leads me toward the floor-to-ceiling sliding doors. The sun hangs low on the distant horizon, and when it disappears between the stunning Nevada mountains, we’ll be able to see the lights of The Strip. It’s the same view from his bedroom. We step outside to the beautifully designed patio, and my breath is stolen from my lungs.
What had been a slightly deserted backyard last time I was here has been transformed into a private outdoor sanctuary. String lights swoop from palm tree to palm tree, creating the perfect peaceful ambiance. The empty loungers are now covered with plush cushions and colorful throw pillows.
Off to one side of the pool, near a built-in gas fireplace that’s already burning, he’s set up a table with two chairs; it even hasa white tablecloth. Positioned all around it, glass lanterns with battery-operated candles glow, illuminating the area.
It’s a scene from a movie. One of those that makes every girl go to sleep at night, wishing they could experience something like that… exceptI’mactually that girl and I don’t know how to breathe right now.
Kian moves behind me, the heat of his body warming me as I stare at this paradise.
“I need to do a couple of things in the kitchen to finish up dinner, so I have the hot tub turned on for you to soak your feet. There’s some fruit and sparkling water over there, too.”
He nudges me toward the in-ground, bubbling hot tub, where he’s placed a cushion on the edge for me to sit on, and right next to it is a bowl of berries and a champagne glass. It looks so fancy.
“You did this for me?”
Kian holds my hand while I slowly ease one foot in, then another, before I sit down. “Angel, this is the bare fucking minimum. I don’t know what kind of guys you’ve been around in the past, but I’d like names so I can rid the fucking earth of them.”
Oh my God.
I shouldn’t find that romantic. Sometimes, I wonder if the mafia is in my blood because a normal woman wouldn’t find it hot when a man threatens to off the people who wronged me. Although who gives a shit about what’s normal? Hell. What’s even normal anymore? As long as it’s safe and consensual.
Safe for me, at least. Obviously not the people he’s threatening to kill.
“Do you need anything else before I go inside?”
