Page 9 of The Devil's Dream

“You're staring.”

I quickly looked away, feeling the heat spread across my cheeks.

“Breakfast is in ten,” he said, amusement coloring his voice. “And Hunter's already here. He’ll be taking you to the shop again today.”

I bit my lip and nodded, not trusting myself to speak just yet.

This had been another part of the torturous routine for the last seven days.

Me, trying not to stare at Kane's bare chest while attempting to form coherent sentences, and him, entertained by me making a fool of myself.

“And, Nova?” He paused at the door, his green eyes intense. “No arguments about the prospect today, yeah? He stays with you.”

“I know the rules.” I sighed, finally meeting his gaze. “Stay at the shop or the clubhouse. Don't go anywhere alone. Keep Hunter in sight at all times.”

“Good girl.”

The praise sent an unexpected shiver down my spine.

Kane's lips curved into a pleased smile before he disappeared, leaving me flustered and confused.

“I need a cold shower,” I whispered to myself as I threw off the covers and stumbled to the bathroom.

After the quickest shower in history, I pulled on one of my favorite flowery sundresses and made my way to the kitchen.

“Morning, Kitten,” Kane said, glancing over his shoulder from his position in front of the stove. “Haze called. He'll be stopping by the shop later.”

My heart skipped at the mention of Haze.

Since the attack, he'd been different—less distant, more protective. And the way he looked at me now... I didn't think there were words to describe it. All I knew was that sometimes, the intensity he watched me with made it hard to breathe.

“How... How is he?” I asked, sliding onto a barstool. I hadn't seen him in a few days and wondered if I'd done something wrong.

“Healing. Stubborn as hell about taking it easy.” Kane set a plate in front of me. “Eat up.”

The domesticity of these mornings was starting to feel dangerous.

Not in a bad way.

More like... this was getting way too comfortable and could be dangerous for my heart kind of way.

“Sophia wants you to help with the... Anderson wedding arrangements? Armstrong? Fuck, I can't remember now. Somebody's wedding shit needs to be done today,” Kane continued, leaning against the counter as he sipped his coffee. “That okay?”

My lips twitched. I was starting to learn that he had a horrible time remembering names. Seeing as every morning he told me what was happening at work and never could remember who the customer was.

“It's the Culvers.” I giggled. “And the bride wants sunflowers... in January. It should be fun.”

Kane's face softened. “You're so fucking adorable, Kitten. My dick gets hard every time I hear you laugh.”

I could feel heat radiating out of my ears. Kane's tendency to word vomit was another thing I'd learned about him. He didn’t care what it was. If he thought it, he was going to say it, and it usually made me blush.

Looking away, I ignored his comment and dug into my breakfast.

“What are the rules again?”

I swallowed the eggs in my mouth and chased it down with the orange juice in front of me then narrowed my eyes. “I know, Kane. You don't have to keep drilling it into my head,” I groused. I knew the dang rules. I wasn't an idiot. He didn't have to worry about me running towards trouble.

“There's them claws,” he mumbled under his breath as he came around the bar to stand next to me. He gripped my chin and forced me to look at him. “Just stay inside the shop,” he reminded me, his tone brooking no argument. “Hunter!”

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