Page 6 of Kane: One Night with a Biker

“Not that well, but well enough to know he’s a real prick.” Judd had gone head-to-head with my foster brother Devin multiple times over the years. Though Judd grew up a few towns over and went to a different school, they always ended up on opposite sides of the football field or vying for the same chick. Thanks to his daddy’s money and connections, Judd usually ended up coming out ahead. When I realized he was the one Abilene was trying to avoid, I knew I had to make sure he got what was coming to him. At least once in his life.

“Then you know why I didn’t want to come on the trip alone.” She squeezed my arm, sandwiching it between her arm and her breast.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let him get anywhere near you. We’ll put on such a good show that he’ll know you belong to me. I’ll break both of his legs if he even looks at you.” The need to protect Abilene from an asshole like Judd blocked out everything else, at least everything except the overwhelming desire to say “fuck putting on a show,” and make her mine for real.

I couldn’t let myself get carried away. Judd might be the worst, but I was right up there with him. My past had turned me into a monster, and I wouldn’t subject someone as pure and good as Abilene to the darkness that raged within me. I’d act like her man in front of everyone and make sure she got what she needed from me.

Even if it meant tempting myself with something I could never have.

6

ABILENE

Kane was a perfect gentleman while we listened to the safety instructions. He helped me try on a life jacket and spent several minutes making sure I had it tight but not too tight on the off chance we found ourselves in a situation where we’d need it.

After the safety briefing, we headed up to the rear deck for a champagne toast as the ship turned out to sea. Thankfully, the first team event on the itinerary didn’t happen until the next day. Management wanted to give us all a chance to settle in and get comfortable before we met for a private poolside lunch. That meant Kane and I had the evening to get to know each other well enough to make people think we’d been dating for a few months.

He held out his glass of champagne. “What should we drink to, Abilene?”

The crease between his eyebrows had softened over the course of the day. If it weren’t for the hope of a promotion, I might think Kane needed this trip even more than me. He appeared a little more relaxed than he had been at the bachelor auction, but his shoulders still seemed to hold years’ worth of tension.

“How about toasting to us both getting what we need out of this trip?” I suggested.

He made a move to clink his glass against mine, but stopped short. “What is it you think you need, little bird?”

I hadn’t decided whether I liked the nickname he seemed so fond of calling me. One on hand, I was flattered to be given any kind of nickname at all from Kane. On the other, “little bird” seemed so dismissive, like something he’d call a little sister or a child. If we were going to be together over the night five nights, he needed to look at me as a woman, not some naïve, desperate girl who’d promised her virginity to her childhood crush.

“Why do you keep calling me that?” I narrowed my eyes and peered up at him through a web of dark lashes.

“What, ‘little bird’?” he asked.

“Yes. Makes me sound like some needy, helpless creature who’s too weak to know her own mind.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Wow, that’s not how I look at it at all. You definitely know your own mind.”

“How do you look at it, then?” I took a sip of my drink. The bubbles tickled and made my nose twitch.

Kane hid a grin behind his hand. “When I looked up and saw you in the audience at the auction the other night, you looked like you wanted to fly away. So delicate, so beautiful, just like a gorgeous little bird whose wings had been clipped.”

His words stunned me into silence. He thought I was beautiful? And delicate? I couldn’t think of a time anyone had ever referred to me as either. Growing up with my kind of curves and maturing at a much earlier age than my girlfriends, I’d never thought of myself as delicate or anything close.

“If it bothers you, I’ll call you something else.” Kane tilted his head and looked up at the early evening sky. “What about cupcake? Or sweet ‘ums?”

I laughed. “Is that your way of telling me you’re hungry?”

“We haven’t eaten anything since lunch.” One of his big shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. “I believe part of our deal was three meals a day?”

The man didn’t look like he would shrivel up and blow away if he missed a meal or two, but breakfast, lunch and dinner had been part of the arrangement.

“Do you want to change and eat in the main dining room tonight?”

“I was thinking something a little more intimate.” He stepped closer and leaned down to place his lips against my ear.

A shiver rolled through my entire body, then settled between my legs. His breath on my neck did funny things to my tummy. My fingers clutched the stem of my glass while I waited for my world to stop spinning.

“Don’t we need to get to know each other better if we’re going to keep up this charade?” His deep voice rumbled against my ear.

The charade. Right. I cleared my throat as he straightened. “We could grab a quick bite, then head back to the room to study.”

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