Page 47 of Black Bay Enforcer
She barked out a startled laugh. “We just moved in together!”
“So?” three of them asked in chorus.
Katherine released another little nervous laugh. “So it’s too soon.”
“Who says?” Jayla retorted and Katherine was immediately reminded of Kong asking if there were timetables for these sorts of things.
She shook her head and took another tact. “He hasn’t asked me.”
“But you’d say yes if he asked.” Perrin pointed out.
Katherine’s cheeks heated with a pleased blush at the thought of marrying Kong. Yes, she probably would.
Smiling, she bit her lip and nodded feeling secure enough in this space to admit her longing. She did want to marry him. Marriage, babies, all of it. Maybe to some people, they were moving too fast, but when it was right, it was right. She loved Kong. He was her forever person, she just knew it.
“So, why don’t you ask him?”
Jayla leaped toward her and grabbed her arm. “Oh, yes! Do it!” The woman bounced up and down, jerking Katherine with her. “We’ll brainstorm, plan it all out. Right now.”
Katherine had always imagined being asked, but now that the idea was out there, asking Kong to marry her had some appeal. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to do a little dreaming and planning with the girls. Her belly fluttered as she contemplated the possibilities. She’d want it to be something romantic. Something memorable.
But first, before she made any of this a reality, they’d go to her birthday party. She’d see what Kong thought of her wacky family – because they would certainly bring up marriage – and if he didn’t squirm at the idea, she might just go crazy and pop the question.
Kong dressed up for Katherine’s birthday party, or as dressed up as he ever got. Lark had helped him pick out the clothes, and judging by the way Katherine had practically eaten him up with her eyes, his best friend had chosen well. A crisply pressed white button-down that he’d left open at the throat and folded back the sleeves to expose his forearms and his shiny new watch. Black dress pants, belted at the waist with a black leather belt that matched his new dress shoes. The shoes weren’t at all comfortable, but since Katherine liked the way he looked all fancied up, he’d deal with the annoyance. He just hoped her family approved of him. He couldn’t remember a time when he was this nervous, afraid he’d say the wrong thing and fuck this up. The last thing he wanted was to embarrass Katherine in front of her family.
She was so excited she was practically bubbling over with happiness. All big smiles, sparkling eyes, and rosy cheeks. She wore her hair down in soft waves that had his fingers practically itching to touch it. And he’d loved how pleased she was when she’d shown him her new blue dress. Beaming, she’d spun for him so he could see how the skirt flared around her legs, exposing her pretty thighs to his hungry gaze.
He’d liked that. A lot. So much that he’d been tempted to strip the dress off her and spend the day with her in bed, buried between those same thighs. If she hadn’t been looking forward to this party… As it was, he’d scooped her up into his arms and kissed her long and deep until they were both breathless, leaving them departing Black Bay later than they’d planned. Worth it. Kissing Katherine would always be worth it.
His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror and the car that followed a ways behind the SUV he’d commandeered for this trip. It was an unremarkable, charcoal gray sedan. Nothing special, but his instincts were stirring. He’d seen it pull off one of the side roads that was little more than a dirt track. It was rare to see a vehicle this close to the tunnel that linked Black Bay to the mainland but not unheard of. The area was heavily forested, but there was a ranger station that occasionally saw some traffic, and hikers and nature enthusiasts could oftentimes be found on the trails. He never ignored his gut – but maybe it was just his nerves making him hyperaware of everything.
“So tell me about your family,” he asked. “Who will I be meeting today?”
Katherine happily complied, telling him more about her extended family and some of their funnier antics. They sounded like his kind of people.
“Is there a stepfather in the picture?” He’d planned on speaking to her mother, but maybe there was also a father figure that might want to give his blessing too. Kong was pretty sure he’d heard somewhere that that was a thing and he wanted to do this right.
His eyes returned once more to the rearview mirror and that sedan that seemed to be slowly closing the distance despite Kong keeping a constant speed.
“Not really a stepfather but Mom has a boyfriend. His name is Joel and they’ve been together for a while now, but she didn’tmeet him until I had already moved out. She told me once that she didn’t feel comfortable bringing a man into our lives. Not until I was older.”
Kong nodded absently. The car was definitely closing the gap between them now.
Katherine must have noted his distraction because she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“We might have a tail.”
As she cranked around in her seat with a frown, Kong pulled the SUV to the side of the road. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe the car would pass by them without a second glance.
It didn’t. It slowed instead.
Unclipping his seatbelt, he reached over, opened the glovebox to pull out his SIG Sauer M17, and after checking the magazine, chambered a round.
Katherine’s eyes widened. “Is that necessary?”
“Just in case.” He eyed her. “Stay in the car.”
Her lips were pressed so tightly together they were bloodless but she nodded before grasping his arm. “Please be careful.”
