Page 49 of Born into Blood

He smiles even bigger when he sees my reaction to him knowing her name. I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am, and I really fucking hate that.

“I gotta go. We can talk about your complete lack of boundaries later, Dad.”

“I told you I don’t know details. That’s a boundary,” he argues, but he’s still fighting a laugh when he says it.

I give him a wave and get in the elevator before going straight to my motorcycle. This’ll get me to Lara in the least amount of time, because I’m not above weaving in and out of traffic, not if it gets me to her a few minutes quicker.

Shoving my helmet on, I start the bike and rev the engine, speeding out of the parking garage to get to her. I love that she reached out to me and that she trusts me enough to ask for my help. I’ve always been there for my family, but taking care of Lara is different. It soothes something inside me that I hadn’t realized was restless. It’s more than just me wanting to take care of her. I need to. It’s a burning desire that almost makes it impossible for me to walk away when I drop her off at her apartment. I don’t like the separation, the not knowing where she is at all times, and I’m not sure I can tolerate it for much longer.

My desire to have her near at all times and the protective feelings I have for her magnify when I get closer to where she’s waiting. It doesn’t matter that it’s early afternoon and the sun is shining brightly. This place is a fucking dump, and knowing that she’s here makes my skin crawl. As soon as I see her standing on the curb, all alone and looking so damn small and completely unprotected as men who are twice her size openly stare at her as they walk past has my whole body vibrating with a rage that I have to forcibly tamp down.

She hears my bike and looks up, recognizing me instantly despite the dark helmet and giving me a grateful smile. Thank god she’s not wearing one of her short skirts today. I’m not sure my sanity could take her standing on a nasty street corner with her beautiful thighs on full display. She’s in jeans and, despite the heat, another long-sleeved shirt. I park in front of her and pull my helmet off. In seconds I’m standing and pulling her against me, hugging her tightly while I cup the back of her head and taste the lips I can’t fucking get enough of. Her body molds to mine, just like it always does, and she gives a soft whimper that goes straight to my dick.

When I finally pull back, we’re both breathing heavily and not giving the slightest fuck that people are staring at us.

“I missed you,” I whisper against her lips.

I feel her smile before she whispers back, “I missed you too.”

Still keeping her tightly against me, I look at the building we’re standing in front of and groan when I see Lou’s Topless Bar written across a dingy sign that’s sandwiched between silhouette drawings of two very busty women.

“I can’t believe you came here on your own.”

“I didn’t go in, though.”

I lift a brow at her very bad attempt to paint this in a good light while she smiles up at me. I trace the line of her full lips.

“Your smile would usually get your gorgeous ass out of any and all trouble, but not when it involves putting your life at risk. What the hell are you doing here, kisa?”

“Well, first, thank you for coming so quickly.”

“I will always be here when you need me.”

She smiles even bigger and kisses the tip of my finger. Looking back at Lou’s dump of a club, she says, “Okay, so I’m not exactly proud of it, but I went snooping in my mom’s room last night. My online search is giving me zero results, and I’m tired of not knowing who my dad was and what the hell happened to make my mom the way she is. The only thing I found was a pair of stripper heels and an old business card for this place.”

“You think your mom worked here?”

“Maybe. It’s hard for me to picture my mom stripping, but she’s so private. I don’t know much about her at all. She never talks to me about her family or where she grew up. When I ask, she blows off my questions and tells me that she doesn’t need anyone but me, that no one else matters.” Her blue eyes meet mine again when she says, “But I’m tired of not knowing, and I want you in my life, Luka, so she’s going to have to get over her ridiculous hatred of your family. Maybe if I can find out what happened, I can fix things.”

“I’m not going anywhere, kisa. Even if you never get your answers or your mom continues to hate my family, I’m not leaving.” I smile and kiss her forehead. “She’ll learn to love me. I’ll win her over with my charm.”

Lara laughs and leans into me. “If anyone could do it, it’s you.”

“So you were going to go in here and ask around, see if anyone remembers your mom?”

“That was the plan, but then I saw the place and chickened out.”

“You didn’t chicken out. You listened to your instincts and used common sense. Next time call me before you leave home, though.”

“I will.”

“I’d prefer to do this without you here, but there’s no way in hell I’m leaving you on the curb alone.”

Her grip tightens on me like she’s trying to make sure I don’t leave her behind while I go in, and I smile down at her. “Well, that’s just fucking adorable.”

“What is?”

“That you think you can physically overpower me. If I decide you’re safer staying out here by my bike, then that’s where your sweet ass will be, kisa, and there’s not a damn thing you can do to change it. Your safety comes first. Always.”

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