34. Kiron
I hadn’t slept all night. I’d flown through the storm until my wings burned just to stay away from the house and what I knew was happening inside it.
I grit my teeth at the reminder. I should’ve been glad the brothers were pulling her into our world.
Glad they wanted her too. I wasn’t. I was a jealous, territorial bastard, and knowing they’d touched her, tasted her, heard the sounds she made when she lost control had my dragon pacing a trench through my chest.
I still couldn’t settle him even now.
Probably wouldn’t until I’d had a taste of her myself. Instinct had demanded I go to her all night. If it wasn’t for Rafe, I probably would have. When I first caught the scent of her arousal on the wind, I’d been seconds away from tearing through the house just to reach her.
Harlow had stopped me.
Now that I had time to think, I was grateful. Because if I had gone to her like the beast I was—half-shifted and running on instinct—I would have lost control. I could have scared her. Worse… I shook my head at the thought. The last thing I would ever want to do is hurt her.
By the time I’d burned the worst of it out of my system and dragged myself back home, Rafe and I walked straight into news about a rogue sniffing around my brother’s bar.
I leaned against my bike, helmet tucked under my arm, fingers tightening in the hard shell as I tried to get a grip on the anger clawing up my throat. We argued about how to handle the threat. How to protect her.
Did we tell her about the rogue, or keep her in the dark?
I didn’t like either option.
But I liked the idea of her walking blind into something hunting her even less.
She’d hear about the girl being murdered when she went back to work tomorrow night.
That was unavoidable. Rafe could stay close, watch from the shadows like we’d been.
She’d be safe. But I wouldn’t be the one protecting her, and my dragon wouldn’t stand back and let anyone else handle a threat that had her scent on it.
So it was settled.
Rafe would watch over my brother and the girl he loved, and I’d tell our mate about the rogue. Fuck . I wasn't looking forward to that conversation. But I wasn’t keeping shit from her. The front door creaked open and Sina stepped out onto the porch, and everything in me went still.
“Hey Kiron, do you know where—”
“Looking for this?” I lifted her jacket that was hooked on my finger.
She nodded, eyeing the bike for a moment.
My eyes dragged over her slow and thorough, taking in the threadbare maroon sweater and worn jeans.
The fabric clung just enough to show the curve of her hips, the gentle swell of her breasts.
Nothing about it was meant to tempt. It didn’t matter . Everything about her enticed me.
My fangs lengthened in anticipation. I clenched my jaw and forced them back, dragging my gaze up before she caught me staring. My grip tightened on the helmet under my arm. If I wasn’t careful, I’d crack it. She needed someone she could trust. I wanted that to be me.
I’d already screwed up once with the flowers, signing the card with just a K like an idiot. Not that I’d known about Keith then. My jaw tightened at the reminder that there was still another ghost from her past walking around with a pulse.
Another problem that would have to be handled.
My dragon shifted low in my chest, pleased and restless, the way he always was when she was near. Easy , I reminded him. Losing control would only scare her. He settled slightly, knowing I was going to have her pressed up against me soon .
She started down the steps slowly, like she was approaching something that might spook if she moved too fast, her fingers brushing the railing as her heartbeat kicked up just enough for me to hear the change. Her scent hit me harder when she finally reached me.
Was she still worked up about everything? Or was it something else?
I pushed off the seat, standing to my full height.
My gaze moved over her again, slower this time, trying to understand what was bothering her. Her face was bare, and it was the first time I’d seen her without makeup. I tracked the freckles dotted across her nose briefly, memorizing her features.
I met her mossy green eyes tucked under thick, dark lashes and saw the hesitation staring back.
I took a couple of steps toward her, closing some of the distance before I thought too hard about what I was doing.
My chest rumbled without meaning to, my dragon’s attempt to soothe the tension in her gorgeous eyes.
“You good?”
She nodded too fast. “ Yep . Fine.”
I frowned. No, she wasn’t. She looked nervous as hell, the way her shoulders curled in on herself. I didn’t like it. Not one bit. I opened my mouth to call her out on it, then thought better of it.
The wind whipped her hair into her face, and she quickly shoved it behind one ear, arms crossing over her chest to suppress a shiver.
I winced. Fuck. I was bad at this.
“You’re freezing, princess. Turn around. I’ll help you put on your jacket.”
She nodded and did what I asked. My dragon purred at how easily she listened to me. Setting the helmet on the seat, I helped her slide the jacket on. When she turned back around, guilt set in .
“Sorry. I forget humans get cold.” I shrugged. “I don’t get cold like I used to. I’ll do better about making sure you’re taken care of.”
Her gaze softened. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”
I grit my teeth. There was that word again.
Fine.
She most certainly wasn’t fucking fine.
I let my instincts guide me. I grabbed the helmet, turned her, and in one smooth motion lifted her onto my bike, placing the helmet in her lap. My hands braced on either side of her thighs, not touching, but close enough she’d feel the heat of me.
She gasped at how fast I moved, all of it happening in a single breath.
My cock hardened at the little sound of suprise she made and I pictured the sounds she would make when I finally fucked her.
Because I would. It was only a matter of time.
But right now wasn’t about my dick, it was about her and the spitfire girl I’d first met.
Her eyes widened, then narrowed. “What the fuck, Kiron? I don’t appreciate being manhandled.”
I smirked. There she is.
I shouldn’t like pushing her like this, shouldn’t get off on dragging that fire back to the surface, but I did. Sue me. This girl got under my skin, and lately all I could think about was getting under hers just as deep.
“What happened to the girl who mouthed off to vampires and threatened to cut the dicks off bar patrons with a pocket knife?” I leaned closer, crowding her space.
“I keep it in my bra, don't mess with me or I’ll get stabby. I’m hungry and cranky.” Her fingers tightened on the helmet in her lap like she was debating throwing it at me.
Running my nose along the side of her neck and inhaling her scent, my breath stirred the hair near her ear. “It's all foreplay baby.” I purred .
Her hands hit my chest, fingers fisting in my shirt like she's debating if she wants to pull me closer or shove me off.
She lifted her chin slowly, eyes dropping to my mouth like she was remembering exactly how I’d kissed her before, and every thought in my head went quiet.
Even my dragon calmed, the restless edge in him easing like he was just as caught up in this moment as I was.
Her lips parted, soft breath ghosting over my face, and I leaned in without even realizing I was moving.
The tip of her pink tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip, and I was right there, about to close the distance.
Her stomach growled. Loud. Long. Traitorous as hell. We both froze. Her fingers tightened in my shirt as embarrassment flooded her scent, warm and sharp all at once.
“Oh my God,” she muttered, dropping her forehead against my chest like she could hide from the betrayal of her own body.
A laugh rumbled out of me before I could stop it, and I pressed a kiss into the top of her hair.
“Let’s get you some food.”
She tilted her face up again, biting her lip, eyes sparkling now instead of mortified.
“I can’t believe my stomach cock-blocked you.”
Another laugh barked out of me, real and unrestrained.
It felt… good .
This was the second time she’d surprised me enough to drag a genuine laugh out of my chest without my consent, and I wasn’t used to that.
Didn’t hate it either though . I smoothed her hair back from her face, letting my fingers linger for half a second before I took the helmet from her lap and settled it on her head.
Then I helped her stand. I swung onto the bike and braced it with my boots.
“C’mon. Swing your leg over. ”
She hesitated behind me.
“I’ve never been on a bike before.”
“You’re safe with me.”
I meant it in more ways than one.
I held a hand out behind me. She paused, and I found myself wishing I could see her face.
Then her fingers slid into mine. I tightened my grip and guided her up behind me as she climbed on, straddling the seat.
She left a careful inch of space between us, her hands hovering near my sides like she wasn’t sure where they belonged.
I felt the hesitation in it. The nervous energy.
I started the engine, and before she could brace herself, I twisted the throttle and tapped the brake simultaneously. The bike jolted. She yelped and grabbed me on instinct, arms wrapping tight around my middle, chest pressing flush to my back.
My mouth curved in carnal satisfaction.
“You did that on purpose.”
I covered her hands briefly where they fisted in my shirt.
“ Asshole ,” she muttered, the rest of her insult was swallowed by the growl of the engine.