Page 105 of Wolf Cursed
He wasn’t wrong, though. I was definitely turned on.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kai found me after closing time and motioned for me to follow him out the back. He’d pulled a baseball cap low on his head, and I started to ask about his terrible excuse for a disguise, but he held a finger to his lips. Silently, we wove our way through the empty garage and out the door. His motorcycle was parked right outside, but he walked past it and over to Oscar’s truck.
“Get in,” he said in a hushed voice, opening the passenger door.
I kept my mouth shut and did just that.
He came around and slid into the driver’s seat, starting the engine and rolling out of the lot without a word.
We passed the front of the shop and then turned onto the main road. I watched while his gaze scanned the street.
“Okay,” he said when we’d rumbled our way out of town and onto the back road that led further up the mountain. “All clear.”
I exhaled.
“Does Oscar know we took his truck?” I asked. “Or are we adding grand larceny to our list of crimes?”
“There’s a list?” he asked.
“Well, you and me being together right now feels pretty forbidden so, yeah.” I shrugged. “I mean, it’s not illegal but—pretty sure the pack would string us up.”
“Good point.” He winced. “I don’t mean to force you to hide, but I wanted to spend time with you, and I don’t think we’re ready for having targets painted on our backs for it.”
“It’s fine. But your terrible attempt at a disguise is starting to make me question the whole badass criminal vibe you have going on.”
“Hey. I’ll have you know I’m a highly respected crime lord around these parts.”
“Right,” I said, drawing out the word.
“Fine. Busted. All my other disguises are at the dry cleaners. Robbing banks is messy business.”
I laughed, my body literally tingling at the devious grin he shot me. Suddenly, I was very aware of the space between us and how, even with the distance across the bench seat, I could feel Kai’s body heat.
“Where are we going exactly?”
He lifted a brow. “You’ll see.”
For the next twenty minutes, I simply enjoyed the view. The mountains rose around us closer and closer until the incline became steep and the truck’s engine stuttered as Kai drove us upward. Finally, he slowed, and we turned onto a gravel road unmarked by any signs.
“A remote location where no one will find me. Hmm. Should I be worried?” I joked.
But underneath the humor, my heart pounded. I trusted Kai. More than I’d trusted anyone in a long time. And that alone felt scary. Physically, I knew I was safe with him. But emotionally—that was a different story.
“Listen, don’t laugh,” he began, and now he looked nervous.
“Why would I laugh?”
“Because I wanted to take you somewhere special, but it’s not like we can walk into town and have a fancy dinner.”
“I don’t need fancy,” I said.
“I know. But you deserve it.”
My heart warmed at that.
For a moment, our eyes held, and my heart stuttered for completely different reasons. The fear was gone. In its place was a yearning I’d never felt for anyone or anything—until now.
