Page 50 of White Wings of Desire

"Noah, it feels like forever since I last saw you." The man, who I assume is Kyle, takes a step forward and gives Noah a big brotherly hug. Up close, I get a better look at some of his tattoos. They run from the neckline of his shirt all the way up until they disappear into his hairline.

"It's only been three months," Noah answers and pulls away from Kyle's embrace, his hand returning to the small of my back, and I take a step forward. Kyle's eyes land on me, and his face twists from a friendly smile to a wide, playful grin. "Evelyn, this is Kyle Bennett. Kyle...this is Evelyn Black."

"Nice to finally meet you," I say, and Kyle takes a step forward, reaches for my hand, and lifts it to his face, placing a soft kiss on the back of it.

"The pleasure is all mine, Evelyn," he says. "It's a shame Noah kept you from me for so long. Probably afraid I would steal you away." He gives me a playful wink.

Noah's hand snaps between us, but I'm quicker and slap both Noah's and Kyle's hands away from me. I raise an eyebrow and look Kyle up and down. He is the polar opposite of Noah.

While Noah's skin is free of ink, Kyle is tattooed from head to toe.

While Noah is wearing a fitted suit, Kyle is wearing a pair of ripped jeans, a sweatshirt, and an old leather jacket.

In my opinion, his outfit is inappropriate for the upscale atmosphere of the restaurant we are in. He looks like he just walked in from a casual day out and got lost trying to find a bar. I definitely prefer Noah's polished style and the effort he puts into dressing up for the occasion.

I sigh. "I'm flattered, but you're not my type."

Kyle bursts out laughing, throwing his head back. "I like you already," he says and turns to our table. "Come on, let's sit down."

He returns to his seat. Noah walks past me and pulls a chair back for me, sliding it under me as I sit down. He then takes a seat next to me, facing Kyle. We order drinks and food, and I stick to my choice of salad with salmon. I judge and side-eye Kyle and Noah as they both order meat dishes, even though they didn't order the daily special and chose from the beef menu instead. My trust issues would have me believe that I was still being served human meat.

"So, how is life with Noah?" Kyle asks. His elbows are propped up on the table, and he leans forward, taking a sip from his beer as he looks at me. I put my glass of wine down and glance to my right where Noah is sitting, leaning back in his chair, one arm draped over the back of mine while he sips from his glass of whiskey.

"I really enjoy it." I smile and place my hand on Noah's thigh under the table, and his muscles flex against my palm. "But the move brought a lot of changes, and he is a bit useless when it comes to housework." I chuckle, leaning a little closer to Noah, who rolls his eyes at me.

"I'm not surprised at all." Kyle grins.

"Like you know how to do chores, mommy still does your laundry," Noah says with a teasing tone. Kyle’s grin remains on his face, and he doesn’t fight the accusation. Does Kyle's mom really still do his laundry? Noah then turns to me. "You're the one who didn't want a housekeeper."

"Because we don't need one," I say with a sigh.

"But it would make things a lot easier."

"Yes, but I don't want it easy. I want to build this life with you, just you and me, no extra help." I purse my lips and scoot closer to him.

Kyle clears his throat, the grin is gone, and his attention is on Noah. "So, is it true you're quitting?" he asks, looking back and forth between me and Noah until his eyes rest on him.

My focus remains on Noah as well, curious about his answer. We’ve talked about this many times. I'm not going back to that line of work, and I've made it clear that I would prefer that he quit as well. So far, he hasn't accepted any new offers and is working through all the hits he accepted before we first met.

"I guess so. I still have a lot to do and a lot to take care of, but after that, I think I'm done for good," Noah says, stealing a glance at me before he turns to Kyle. "You want my clients? I can introduce you to them."

"No, I’m good. I prefer to work with the mafia. I don't want to mix with politicians, even if they pay better. It's too much trouble," Kyle says. "Man, eighteen years down the drain; the end of an era, the most feared hitman retires." His attention returns to me. "How does it feel to be the one who finally stopped the infamous White Dove Killer?"

I look back and forth between the two of them before scooting closer to Noah. "It's the proudest moment of my career. Not only did I take down the number one hitman, but I actually made the best man alive mine." I smile and plant a kiss on Noah's cheek, and his lips curve into a quirky smile.

"You two are disgustingly cute. I think I'm going to throw up." Kyle interrupts us, and I roll my eyes. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Noah extend his leg under the table and kick one of Kyle's legs.

"Hey!" Kyles raises his voice and purses his lips in a playful pout.

"You're just jealous. You reek of it," Noah says with a chuckle and puts his arm around my shoulders.

"Not in a million years." Kyle kicks Noah back. Then he turns his attention to me. "Are you sure you can keep him tamed?"

I remain silent and look at Noah. It's not that I haven't thought about it. He spent eighteen years of his life killing people for money or for sport, and now I'm asking him to give it up. A small voice in the back of my head asks if this will work. If I will be enough for him in the long run. But right now, I don't have a real answer because I don't know yet. "I hope so," I say with a smile and lean into Noah's embrace. "But I guess only time will tell."

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