Page 47 of Her Ruthless Protector

“Nobody’s ever made it through to my heart, but you can be damn sure if you wanted to make a play for it, it would be through my pleasure centers.”

“Caramel and chocolate are your only pleasure centers?” Kane asked in a low tone.

“Absolutely not,” A.J. purred. “You’re definitely capable of providing other pleasures.”

“That’s good to hear. Really good to hear. Since you’re alone in your trailer, tell me about them.”

“I would love to. Are you sitting down?”

Kane looked around the small little area in the coffee shop and saw all the seats were taken, so he lied. “Yeah, I’m sitting.”

“Well, you can provide white chocolate and raspberries.”

He laughed. “You little tease.”

“Well, I won’t tease you at all if you don’t bring the goods when you show up.”

“I won’t bring a damn thing if you don’t stay in your hotel tomorrow night too.”

“Kane, I can’t promise. Things slip and slide a lot around here, there just aren’t any guarantees.”

“A.J., we’re not just talking about your comfort, we’re talking about your goddamn safety,” he growled. He winced when he saw the surprised look of the barista. He threw a couple more bills in the tip jar as he took his scone and drink. He strode away from the coffee shop and continued talking. “A.J., how many hours of sleep did you get last night?”

“What’s sleep?” she asked.

“Seriously.”

“I am being serious.”

“That’s not good. How many hours have you gone without sleep?” He bit off the top of his straw and started sucking on the chocolatey caramel goodness.

“Well, if you hadn’t woken me up, it would now be on hour two. Look, Kane, this is not my first rodeo. I’m not thirty yet, so I know my capabilities. I’ll go to the hotel, crank the A.C., take off my clothes, slide under the sheets, and crash tonight.”

Kane damn near ran over the person in front of him. “You mentioned sleeping naked just to fuck with me, didn’t you?”

“Yep.”

He shook his head. “Well, catch up on your shuteye tonight, because you’re going to be busy tomorrow night.”

“You think I’m that sure of a thing?”

“I’m the one bringing every single sweet thing I can think of that might worm itself into your heart.”

“Ah, Kane,” she said quietly. “We’re not actually trying for one another’s hearts. This is just a little bit of fun. After all, you’re East Coast and I’m West Coast.”

“If you think this is just a little slap and tickle, you haven’t been paying attention, Angel. You might not have hit the big three-oh, but I’m thirty-three, I’ve been around a couple of blocks now, and you’re one of the brightest, shiniest things I’ve ever seen. Who the hell knew it would be in the middle of this mess? So, hold onto your horses, I’m bringing my best game tomorrow night.”