Page 26 of Wild Heart
I feel safe with him and cherished. With Raiden, I truly do feel like a princess.
11
RAIDEN
There’s nothing like riding your bike on a mountain road with a beautiful woman clinging to your back.
Isabella’s warm hands wrapped around my waist make my chest swell. I love that she trusted me enough to come undone on my hand. It was the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen, the stubborn princess giving in to my touch.
I want to do it again and again and again. And more, I want to claim her and make her mine for the entire world to see.
I’m not scared of her father, although I probably should be. Let him come. I’ll fight his entire organization to be with my girl.
If that’s what she wants.
I don’t know if being with me is one more stunt to shock her father. Isabella seems genuine but she’s a complex woman, and there are secrets she’s not telling me. I’m sure of it.
But as we slide off the bike and her leg brushes mine, I don’t give a shit what she’s hiding. As long as I can wrap those thick legs around me and bury myself inside her, to hell with whatever her father will do to me.
I’m not in the business of deflowering virgins for the fun of it. With Isabella, it’s forever. I just need to convince her.
I take her hand in mine as we stride into the clubhouse. It’s just after the lunch service, and the restaurant is full of customers. I don’t want to take the chance of her being recognized, so we duck into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat.
Maggie’s drizzling sauce over a thick slice of cake, and she looks up as we enter. She smiles when she sees Isabella.
“Are you hungry?” she asks shyly.
Maggie’s our best pastry chef. She was shy as a mouse when she started working for us, but since she’s been with Arlo, he’s bought her out of her shell.
“Can you rustle us up some chicken or something? And a slice of whatever that is.” I indicate the cake.
“Can do, Prez.”
Arlo comes into the kitchen, and Maggie lights up when she sees him. He gives her a sultry kiss then nods to me, indicating he wants to talk. We step out of the kitchen, and I leave the women talking. Isabella’s trying to help, and Maggie’s too polite to shoo her out of the way.
“What’s up?” I ask Arlo as soon as we’re out of ear shot.
“Carlo’s looking for his daughter, and he’s pissed. Word is he’ll murder anyone who’s helped her.”
The words send a jolt of ice through my body. I like to think I’m not afraid of Carlo, but you’d be a fool not to have a little fear of the man.
Arlo tugs on his beard nervously. “You gonna send her back?”
I glance through the window to the kitchen. Isabella’s holding the piping bag while Maggie instructs her on how to squeeze the icing out of it. Both women are laughing. I’ve never seen Isabella so relaxed. She likes it here.
A vision pops into my head of Isabella being around permanently, strutting through the clubrooms like she owns the place. Me and her as a team.
“No. I’m not sending her back.”
Arlo takes a step backwards at the force of my words, and concern wraps around his face.
“Prez, her father’s out of his mind. He thinks someone kidnapped her like they did his wife…”
I hadn’t thought of that. Eliana, Carlo’s wife, paid the ultimate price for her choice of husband. The man’s had to deal with the grief ever since. It’s got to be why he’s such an uncompromising hardass and why he’s so overprotective with his daughter. He must be fearing the worst.
“Have someone let it slip that she was seen boarding a bus on her own. Don’t let it get traced back to us.” The last thing I want to do is worry her father unnecessarily. “Put the poor guy out of his misery.”
Arlo nods, but he doesn’t leave. I get the feeling he wants to say more. He tugs on his beard, and I look at him expectantly.
