Page 22 of Strictly Forbidden

Yes, for now.

Noel

Flirting with a member of the opposite sex had been out of character for me.

Allowing the mysterious rugged man to take me home had been risky.

Inviting him to share drinks and dinner with me? One thousand percent insane.

But for the first time in as long as I could remember, I enjoyed the night tremendously. Even Max did, more content than I’d seen him since the pup had first walked into my home. I’d always heard that dogs were amazing indicators of bad people, snarling and growling around them. Given Max had been trained to protect as well as support me, the fact he was currently yawning, rolling back and forth on his back on the couch, I’d say I had nothing to worry about.

Except for my continued desire that had refused to leave since meeting Kage in the grocery store. I shouldn’t have been surprised but the man was well versed in just about every subject, remaining thoughtful until engaging in the conversation.

And we’d covered a wide range of topics during dinner.

Including food.

The steaks had been brilliantly cooked, juicy and flavorful, unlike the shoe leather I often made given my less than stellar attention span. That had been ripped from me by the Claw. I couldn’t believe I’d allowed my mind to think about the sick fuck for even a few seconds. If there was one thing I knew about the prison world, it was that inmates hated pedophiles, animal abusers, and serial killers. They had a justice system of their own and at this point, I hoped to God the man suffered before he was shanked in the shower.

Everything about Kage was a surprise, including his name. He’d helped me clear the table, even adding the plates to the dishwasher. The strangest thing of all was that having him handle some domestic activities felt natural. Maybe too much so.

He’d added wood to the crackling fire from the small woodpile next to my stone fireplace. Now we sat quietly together, studying the flames. I had my legs curled under me while he had his crossed, appearing very comfortable in my plus size leather chair. With Max curled on the floor between us, the moment seemed perfectly natural and not forced in any way.

He glanced at his watch and I was still fascinated by it, given that the massive, expensive piece just didn’t seem to fit with the rest of his attire.

A smile crossed his face when he noticed me staring at the gorgeous piece. “It was my grandfather’s. When I was younger, I was fascinated by it. My brother couldn’t have cared less so when he died, he willed it to me. It’s the most special piece I own. Hell, I ain’t no jewelry man, but this is a work of art.”

“It’s gorgeous and it suits you.”

He seemed pleased at my compliment but moved to the edge of his seat. “I should get going. Dinner was fabulous.”

“All thanks to you.”

I could tell he wasn’t used to getting any kind of compliment by the odd look crossing his face. I stood up with him, following behind as he took his drink to the sink.

“Here you go. I wrote down my number for you.”

Kage glanced at the folded piece of paper, lifting his gaze to search my eyes.

“It’s okay. I figured if you were going to eat me, you would have already done that by now.” The strange comment struck me hard and a tingle of excitement tore through me. The filthy images running through my mind were… sinful.

And delicious.

It had been such a long time since I’d felt anything but fear and pain that goosebumps covered my arms, likely the rest of me as well.

He grabbed his leather jacket and even the scent of it combined with whatever aftershave he was wearing was simply an intoxicating combination. Fresh timbers and rainwater, a few spices and citrus mixed with a smoky hint of cigars. Like him, it was enigmatic.

“Thank you again,” he said as he pocketed my phone number. When he shifted his gaze toward Max, I could tell why my pup adored him. He was obviously an animal lover.

The man had scored some points on such a yucky night.

I didn’t know just how yucky until he opened the door. I’d taken pride in the fact my house was so well insulated, keeping out the sound of howling winds and unwanted noises. Given the windows had been foggy from condensation, neither one of us had paid any attention to the fact the weather had declined tremendously. Now it seemed there was a glossy thick sheet of pearlescent white covering the walkway and the road in front of my house.

The ice was at least an inch if not thicker.

“Ugh. That looks really bad.”

“I have a truck,” he insisted.

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