Page 111 of The Kings of Kearny

In that moment, I knew I’d made the right decision. I’d never felt like this about anyone else. He drove me crazy in the worstandthe best way, and now I couldn’t imagine myself settling for anything less.

He gave me one last lingering caress and then pulled away just enough to speak. “Are you in, Evans?”

“I’m in,” I told him.

His arm fell from my waist as he stepped back. “Then pack a bag and let’s get the fuck out of here.”

I wanted to, God I wanted to, but I couldn’t leave town without knowing if there was a risk that Redding might get to Dr. Perez or Gran. I couldn’t ask him outright, not if Nick might overhear somehow—if he’d bugged this apartment, so help me God, I would find a way to make him regret it—so I spoke to Jakob like I had after finding out Liam bugged the van.

“Is it okay to leave town right now?”

Jakob nodded, leveling his gaze at me. “Yes.”

From the conviction in his tone, I believed him.

“Okay, I’ll pack,” I said. “Where are we going?”

He grinned. “Somewhere that no one will hear you screaming for the next three days.”

I blinked. “Is that supposed to be sexy or scary?”

His grin turned deranged. “Yes.”

I laughed. It must have been the reaction he wanted because his smile went back to normal. Better than normal actually. He smiled at me wider than he ever had before. So wide that two little dimples appeared on either side of his lips.

I turned away from him and went to pack. It was either that or tackle him, and if I got my hands on him now, we’d spend the whole weekend humping each other in my empty apartment. That wouldn’t work. I hadn’t forgotten his promise to let me tie him down, and there wasn’t anything strong enough to hold him in here.

I called Gran while I packed, telling her that I’d be gone for a few days.

“With Jakob?” she asked, and I couldhearher smiling.

“Yes,” I said, shoveling clothes into my duffel bag.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said in a singsong voice.

I snorted. “You’ve told me enough traumatizing stories that I know damn well how little you wouldn’t do.”

Gran cackled. “Then have fun.”

“I will. I’ll call you when we get there.”

“Okay. Love you, kiddo.”

“Love you too,” I said.

We hung up, and I called Nina to cancel our plans for tomorrow morning. She was supposed to come over and test out the pool with me. She sounded bummed at first, but her tone changed the second I told her why I needed to bail.

“You better tell me every sordid detail when you get back,” she said.

“Deal.”

“Drive safe then.”

“We will.”

I frowned after we got off the phone and quickly finished packing. “Hey,” I said when I reemerged from my bedroom. “Are we taking my car? I can’t handle a long trip on the back of your bike.”

He shook his head. “We’re taking my truck.”

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