16. Kyra
16
Kyra
TWO WEEKS LATER…
“ O rder up!”
The bell dings, punctuating Barry’s shout. It’s a Thursday which means Night and Day isn’t dead, but we’re not slammed either. That being said, business has picked up since Reaper and his brothers have been helping out, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s that Barry’s cooking has improved or the change of scenery.
Those bikers sure are easy on the eyes.
After grabbing the two plates, I carry them to the table where two women are giggling like schoolgirls.
“Here ya go,” I say, setting them on the table. “Can I get you anything else?”
The blonde on the right hands me her napkin. “Yeah. Can you give this to that guy over there?” she asks, pointing to Reaper, who’s talking to another woman paying her and her friend’s bill.
I glance at the napkin and see a phone number written on it along with her name: Candi. She even put a little heart over the ‘i’. Jealousy snakes through me, and I try to suffocate it.
I fail miserably.
Accepting Reaper’s help wasn’t supposed to go like this. I wasn’t supposed to get attached or develop feelings. Unfortunately, the memo got lost in translation somewhere between my brain, my heart, and my pussy.
“Here’s another one for ya,” I say as I hand him the napkin.
“Another what?”
“Oh, c’mon, like you don’t know.”
He looks at the napkin before tossing it in the trash and then leveling his eyes on mine. “You sound jealous, Kyra,” he taunts, a grin spreading.
“Ha! You wish.”
Before I can react, Reaper reaches out and cups my cheek. “There’s nothing to be jealous of.”
“I’m not jealous,” I insist. “And it’s not like we’re a couple or anything. You can call and date whoever you want.”
His nostrils flare. “What if I want you?”
“I… You… We…” I stutter, and he smirks. “Stop it. This whole arrangement is temporary. I told you from the beginning that I wasn’t looking for a man.”
“Are you really going to deny that you’ve felt anything toward me in the last two weeks?”
“I… You… We…” Dammit, this man has me tied in knots and sounding like a broken record. “I’ve gotta pick up the kids.”
Of course, I’ve felt something for him. He’s dependable, kind, funny, and sexy as fuck if I’m being honest. I want to jump his bones. But I’m nothing if not practical, and I was telling the truth about not looking for a man. There’s no time for a relationship.
How about a one-night stand?
Something tells me that, with Reaper, it would be anything but one night. Once I have him, I know I’ll want to keep him. Which isn’t possible.
Temporary. This is temporary.
“It’s okay, Krya,” Reaper says, pulling me from my traitorous thoughts. “I told you I understood, and I meant it. No strings, remember?”
Nodding absently, I repeat, “I’ve gotta pick up Heidi and Hunter.”
“Viking, Acid, and Demo are covering the diner this evening. I heard you telling Barry earlier that you’ve got some errands to run. Why don’t you pick up the twins, and I’ll meet you at your house? You can go do what you need to do, and I can stay with them.”
“I can take them with me.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier if you didn’t have to?”
“They’re my children. They’re not here to make life easy.”
He chuckles at that. “No, they certainly aren’t. But I am. I’m here to help, and I told you that included helping with them. Can you really tell me that you couldn’t use some time to yourself?”
Time to myself? What does that even look like? I haven’t had a second to myself in six years. The more I think about it, the more appealing the idea is.
“If I agree, I don’t want you reading anything into it. You’d be a babysitter. Nothing more.”
“I wouldn’t dream of thinking it’s more than what it is,” he insists, although his tone suggests otherwise.
The smart thing to do would be to politely decline, but I never said I was smart.
“I’ll meet you at the house in an hour.”
“I’ll be there.”