skin. And trust me, a fractured rib is a total bitch.”
My breath finally came back and I dropped my shirt, giving him a wan smile. I was absurdly disappointed, which made no sense at all.
After I’d shrugged into a short-sleeved button-down shirt that I left unbuttoned, I followed him out the door. The shirt sufficed for modesty’s sake.
Kade opened the door of his Mercedes for me. “You got a new car,” I observed, sliding into the leather seat. Of course, the car was black. I doubted he’d ever buy a different color. It just… suited him.
“Got sick of the old one,” he said before shutting the door and rounding the car to get in the driver’s seat. It even had one of those new ignitions that you start by just pushing a button instead of turning a key.
Kade’s two-door Mercedes coupe had seats that blew honest-to-goodness cold air on your ass. The interior was amazing, a little
Mercedes-Benz
etched into each windowsill lighting up when Kade opened either door. The engine was a gentle purr as Kade drove and I would’ve bet my next paycheck that the car had cost six figures.
Even if I didn’t have money,it was nice to be with a man who did.
“So where’s the Lexus?” he asked as we headed toward downtown.
I’d been dreading this. “I’m really sorry,” I said, “but I had to sell it.” Kade had bought me that car and it had hurt to let it go, but sometimes life necessitated doing things you didn’t really want to do.
“Why?”
I couldn’t tell whether he was mad—Kade was infuriatingly difficult to read—and I really didn’t want to tell him why. But I wasn’t going to lie, either.
“I-I just… had to,” I stammered, looking away from him. “It was kind of expensive, you know? And I needed the money, so…” I shrugged, hoping he’d fill in the blanks.
“So you sold the car and used the money to go back to school?”
“Yeah.” I looked over at him. “Thank you, by the way. I hated selling it, but it helped pay my tuition.” Something occurred to me then. “How did you know I’d gone back to school?”
Kade’s reply came easily. “Saw the books in your apartment.”
Oh. Well, that made sense.
It was the height of the summer season, so we had our pick of movies. The latest superhero flick was my choice and Kade bought the tickets. I offered to pay for mine, but he just shot me a look, so I shut up. Movie tickets were expensive, so I wasn’t all that bothered when he paid.
“I need popcorn,” he said once we were inside. He headed for the concession stand and I followed in his wake.
“We just ate!”
“You can’t watch a movie without popcorn. It’s a rule.”
“Whose rule?”
“Mine.”
I laughed and stood next to him as he ordered a jumbo popcorn (extra butter), two Pepsis, and two boxes of candy. I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn’t protest the cost. Good lord, it was more expensive than if we’d gone to a sit-down restaurant somewhere. On the rare occasion I went to the movies, I smuggled my snack and Pepsi in my purse. It had been years since I’d splurged on honest-to-God movie theater popcorn.
So if you went to the movies with a man and he paid, did that make it a date?
The errant thought flitted through my mind and I hurriedly shoved it away. How ridiculous. Kade Dennon wasn’t the kind of man who went on dates. He was the kind of man who walked into a place, crooked his finger, and a dozen women came running, hoping for a chance to be in his bed. Dates were unnecessary.
Besides, he was… Kade, a drop-dead (sometimes literally) gorgeous man who had danger and sex oozing from his pores. He killed people for a living and enjoyed doing so. And when he wasn’t hunting someone, he was hackinginto something, usually highly secure, which was coincidentally, highly illegal.
He could definitely do better than me, just a bartender from Rushville, Indiana.
Kade made us sit in the very top row and stuck me in the corner seat.
“Why are we
My breath finally came back and I dropped my shirt, giving him a wan smile. I was absurdly disappointed, which made no sense at all.
After I’d shrugged into a short-sleeved button-down shirt that I left unbuttoned, I followed him out the door. The shirt sufficed for modesty’s sake.
Kade opened the door of his Mercedes for me. “You got a new car,” I observed, sliding into the leather seat. Of course, the car was black. I doubted he’d ever buy a different color. It just… suited him.
“Got sick of the old one,” he said before shutting the door and rounding the car to get in the driver’s seat. It even had one of those new ignitions that you start by just pushing a button instead of turning a key.
Kade’s two-door Mercedes coupe had seats that blew honest-to-goodness cold air on your ass. The interior was amazing, a little
Mercedes-Benz
etched into each windowsill lighting up when Kade opened either door. The engine was a gentle purr as Kade drove and I would’ve bet my next paycheck that the car had cost six figures.
Even if I didn’t have money,it was nice to be with a man who did.
“So where’s the Lexus?” he asked as we headed toward downtown.
I’d been dreading this. “I’m really sorry,” I said, “but I had to sell it.” Kade had bought me that car and it had hurt to let it go, but sometimes life necessitated doing things you didn’t really want to do.
“Why?”
I couldn’t tell whether he was mad—Kade was infuriatingly difficult to read—and I really didn’t want to tell him why. But I wasn’t going to lie, either.
“I-I just… had to,” I stammered, looking away from him. “It was kind of expensive, you know? And I needed the money, so…” I shrugged, hoping he’d fill in the blanks.
“So you sold the car and used the money to go back to school?”
“Yeah.” I looked over at him. “Thank you, by the way. I hated selling it, but it helped pay my tuition.” Something occurred to me then. “How did you know I’d gone back to school?”
Kade’s reply came easily. “Saw the books in your apartment.”
Oh. Well, that made sense.
It was the height of the summer season, so we had our pick of movies. The latest superhero flick was my choice and Kade bought the tickets. I offered to pay for mine, but he just shot me a look, so I shut up. Movie tickets were expensive, so I wasn’t all that bothered when he paid.
“I need popcorn,” he said once we were inside. He headed for the concession stand and I followed in his wake.
“We just ate!”
“You can’t watch a movie without popcorn. It’s a rule.”
“Whose rule?”
“Mine.”
I laughed and stood next to him as he ordered a jumbo popcorn (extra butter), two Pepsis, and two boxes of candy. I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn’t protest the cost. Good lord, it was more expensive than if we’d gone to a sit-down restaurant somewhere. On the rare occasion I went to the movies, I smuggled my snack and Pepsi in my purse. It had been years since I’d splurged on honest-to-God movie theater popcorn.
So if you went to the movies with a man and he paid, did that make it a date?
The errant thought flitted through my mind and I hurriedly shoved it away. How ridiculous. Kade Dennon wasn’t the kind of man who went on dates. He was the kind of man who walked into a place, crooked his finger, and a dozen women came running, hoping for a chance to be in his bed. Dates were unnecessary.
Besides, he was… Kade, a drop-dead (sometimes literally) gorgeous man who had danger and sex oozing from his pores. He killed people for a living and enjoyed doing so. And when he wasn’t hunting someone, he was hackinginto something, usually highly secure, which was coincidentally, highly illegal.
He could definitely do better than me, just a bartender from Rushville, Indiana.
Kade made us sit in the very top row and stuck me in the corner seat.
“Why are we
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