Page 34 of Shifting Gears

“Kaito, if I might ask one more thing of you tonight?” I whispered, trying to make my body language as submissive as I could.

“What is it?” he snapped at me.

“May I go to my home tonight, to explain the outcome of the … agreement to my sisters? I can return to your estate tomorrow afternoon.” I said a silent prayer as I waited for his reply.

“Fine.”

His response filled me with relief.

“Thank you.” For once, I meant the words I said to him. There was a first time for everything, I supposed.

I walked away from him and over to AJ. I placed a light touch on his arm and kept my voice low as I said, “We’re leaving. Stay close to me, please.”

He nodded, and I walked us to the back entrance. As soon as we were out of sight of the bouncers and cameras, I picked up my pace. The faster we were away from this place, the better. AJ had no issues keeping up with me, and I was out of breath by the time we made it back to the elevator in the parking garage to go to the level his car was on.

I finally felt at ease when we pulled out and he began driving toward his place. But I continued checking the mirrors to make sure no one was following us as he drove.

“Wanna tell me what he said to you back there?” AJ asked, breaking the silence.

“Nothing to be concerned with,” I said as I checked the mirror again.

Still, no one suspicious-looking was driving behind us. We had to be safe at this point.

“Bullshit. I can tell when you’re on edge. It took all my willpower not to rip you away from him. Trust me, I can handle whatever he had to say, baby girl.” AJ glanced at me and winked.

“Can we wait until we are back in your room? I need a little longer to calm down before I go into the details of everything that led up to this night,” I said as I ran my fingers through my hair, brushing it behind my ear as I watched the scenery begin to change.

“Sure thing,” AJ said as he turned on the music on his phone.

Some American rap music began to play, and it was a welcome sound to keep the mood relaxed. I even found myself smiling as I caught a few of the lyrics here and there.

A few minutes later, AJ’s hand slid onto my leg and gave it a squeeze. I glanced over at him, but he kept his eyes on the road, his thumb lazily stroking back and forth.

He was so reassuring in so many little ways.

I placed my hand on top of his and hummed along with the song. It was fairly easy to pick up, as the beat had a repetitive sound. Soon after, we drove up outside of the warehouse and parked. He turned to look at me and smiled.

“Ready to go up and relax, baby girl? Are you gonna leave later tonight?” he asked as he gripped my thigh.

I shook my head. “No. Tonight, this is exactly where I want to be.”

We got out of the car. He unlocked the shop door, and we went inside. I followed him up the stairs to his room. He grabbed a towel before walking back to the doorway.

“You good if I shower?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thank you for checking,” I said as I waved him onward.

He smirked and went down the hall. I could hear the shower turn on as I made my way into his small kitchen and began to find things to make me a nice cup of tea.

Tonight was crazy. If he hadn’t been at the bar, and not come with me … this would have been a much different story. Fate is a funny thing. And I’m certainly grateful that it brought him to me.

I’d made my tea, and I was sitting comfortably at his table. While he had been gone, I’d built up my courage to tell him the whole truth. I couldn’t deny the feelings I had been building toward him since the night we’d met, especially after tonight.

He strode into the room, closing his door behind him. The sight of him standing in only a towel, body still glistening lightly from the steam, did things to my body. I took my time to look over every muscle, admiring the tattoos that covered his arms.

“Nice shower?” I asked as I rubbed my fingers over the warm sides of my mug.

“Would’ve been better if I’d had some company,” he said as he grabbed some joggers.

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