Page 56 of The Sweetest Devotion

I could only manage a nod as I reached out and collected a menu from the table. The smell of beef filled the air, and I noticed a couple nearby eating steaks.

Blair went off to grab our waters and suddenly Cain and I were alone.

I took the time to examine the room. The young woman on stage was doing another cover, her angelic voice putting the entire first floor in a trance. The balcony area held patrons leaning over the railing to get a good view of her. Next to the smell of steak, cigar smoke wafted down from the second floor.

“They can smoke in here?” I voiced my surprise as I came back to Cain.

His eyes lifted to the balcony as he nodded. “If it bothers you, I’ll have them put it out.”

“You can’t do that.” It wasn’t a big deal. The scent only served to remind me of Keith. Of sharing his rancid cigarette with him after sex.

“I can do what I want.” Cain returned his attention to me. “I own this place.”

That took me by surprise. A man of Cain’s age and position, I would’ve guessed he would own a nightclub before something niche like a blues lounge.

“You like this style of music?”It was a silly question, seeing how here we were.

Cain hummed. “Blues, jazz, doo wop—most of my favorites are older. Think the last newest voice I would say who caught my ear would be Adele.”

“Adele hive,” I joked.

Cain glanced my way, and I could see him almost smiling. “What do you like, Kennedy?”

“R&B, and some pop. Mariah, Brandy, Janet, and Sevyn Streeter,” I listed. “Just to name a few.”

The style of music Lucky’s presented wasn’t bad. It reminded me of older movies I’d grown up seeing with my mother.

“Hungry?” Cain asked as he reached out and tapped my menu.

While I was happy that they offered several fish entrées, I wasn’t in the mood to eat. “Too nervous.”

“Don’t be, it’s just us,” Cain insisted. “Then again, every man in here is looking at you, and I’m not sure I’m a fan.”

“Oh please.” I brushed him off and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, suddenly anxious.

Had people noticed me? Or were they eyeing the owner? Something about Cain demanded attention. When he walked into a room, you knew he was a somebody, someone with power and prestige.

Whether he earned it or not.

Cain made himself comfortable as he went and removed his suit jacket. Right away I spotted the shoulder holster he was wearing beneath it. On the side closest to me, he had a gun tucked away. I’d never seen one before, and the sight made me uneasy.

Cain noticed.

“Safety’s on,” he assured as he removed the gun and held it in his hand. The proximity had me sitting up straight. “You ever use one of these before?”

“N-No.”

Cain accepted this. “We’ll have to fix that.”

When he put the gun on his lap, I calmed down. If only a little.

“You trust me with a gun around you?” I found myself teasing.

Cain wasn’t fazed as Blair came and deposited our glasses of water. He held his finger out to her, asking for more time to decide on what he wanted to eat. It was only when she was out of earshot that he replied. “If it’s my time, it’s my time.”

He sounded so nonchalant, as if the idea of a violent death didn’t scare him. Bastard or not, I didn’t like that.

Cain chuckled at my frown.

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