Page 26 of Indecent Villain

His eyes narrow as his gaze stays on me.

I raise a brow when he takes too long to respond. “Well?”

He scowls. “It’s not safe to be in public, Kinsley.”

“Then we can have a picnic.”

“A what?”

Jock laughs under his breath.

Tiberius gives him the finger and slams the door in Jock’s face. Jock’s loud laughter echoes through the thick wood.

“A picnic is where you take food to a nice, quiet place and eat.”

“I know what one is.”

“So, a picnic, then?”

He glances at his desk and then to the hopeful expression on my face.

“Fuck it!” He snatches my hand and pulls me out of the office with him.

Jock stands in front of the door and grins when he sees us emerge.

“We’re going to be at my house. Keep that information to yourself. Tell Salem to follow us.”

Jock’s brows shoot up to his hairline. “You never?—”

“We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

When we reach Tiberius’s SUV, I say. “We need food.”

“There’s a deli not far from my house. We’ll stop there and pick up whatever you want.” He gives me a small smile as we climb inside his very posh ride.

“I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, Kinsley, where you are concerned.” He fires up the vehicle and gets us turned around. He glances in the rearview mirror, and I twist to look out the back window to see what’s caught his attention.

A sleek black sports car pulls in behind us.

“Salem,” Tiberius says. “He’ll follow us.” When I glance at him, he adds, “I’m not taking any chances with you.” He pauses before sharing, “Two of my tires were shot the other night, and after yesterday, I’m worried.” He quickly catches my eye before concentrating on the snake-like road ahead.

My heart thuds in my chest at his offhand comment, as though having his tires shot out is an everyday occurrence. I wince. Maybe it is to him.

Instead of focusing on that, I enjoy the view. I love traveling along this section of road because of the kissing trees that create a tunnel for us to travel through. They’re beautiful. I sigh with delight when Tiberius slows down.

“You like it here?”

“I do. Mom used to slow down here so I could enjoy them. Dad wouldn’t because he was always impatient to get from A to B. Me, though, I never get tired of the trees and the mountains. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

“What about the city?”

“I’ve visited the big cities of Boston and New York, and I didn’t care for them. I did like Newbury Street and Boston Harbor.” I frown. “You’re not in the city, are you?”

“I think it will surprise you as to where I’ve been living all these years.”

“I can’t wait to see your home, Tiberius.” No sooner do I speak than he’s pulling into Maureen’s Bakes & Deli. I glance at him. “You live this close?”

He smirks and gets out of the car. Opening my door, he takes my hand and steadies me as I jump clear. With a squeeze of my hand, he releases me. His hand rests on my back as he ushers me inside.

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