Page 13 of With This Kiss
His eyes flashed with something hard. Not in anger, not in hatred or animosity, but it wasn’t pleasant either.
I moved back, but the booth was in the way. There was nowhere to go that would get me away from his eyes.
“Does he always look so…”
Angry? Disapproving?
“Soft?” Baran supplied. I shot him a look. He grinned. This man was trouble. I didn’t know how I had missed it when he first talked to me.
“If that’s how he looks soft, then I would hate to see how he looks when he’s angry.”
“Nah, Reign’s not like that. He rarely lets his temper show. Doesn’t want to be like his old man, you know. Some Freudian psychology shit.”
“Freudian psychology shit?” I repeated. That made no sense at all.
Baran’s smile widened.
I snuck a glance back at Reign. He was still watching me.
Why was he still looking at me?
Was I really that interesting to look at? Did I stand out in the crowd here?
I probably did, but I didn’t think it would be so obvious that Reign would just stare me down like this. A shiver ran down my spine. I felt like a helpless gazelle, frozen in fear, under the gaze of a lion.
I didn’t want to be devoured by someone like Reign Mahankov.
I picked up my drink, downing about a third of the liquid in there, before slamming it down on the table and sliding out of the booth.
Baran looked at me.
“It was nice to meet you. I’m going to head out now.”
I half expected him to stop me, but I was surprised when he said, “It was nice to meet you, too. See you around, Jamie.”
I nodded once and headed out the door, resisting the urge to glance over in the general direction of where Reign was. I could still sense his eyes on me, the weight of his gaze making my back feel hot.
I pushed the door open, taking in the cold winter air as it surrounded me. I pulled my thin sweater tighter, standing by the entrance for a beat, taking in a deep breath.
It felt like I hadn’t breathed properly since the moment I set foot inside the place.
At least it hadn’t all been a waste.
I now knew what Reign Mahankov looked like.
It wasn’t until I was halfway to my house that a thought occurred to me.
I never told Baran my name… did I?
3
REIGN
How interesting.
What was Caine Caparelli’s little sister doing at a Bratva club?
Fucking better yet, what the fuck was Davide Caparelli’s precious little daughter doing here?
