Blaze

  As if sensing him on some level, Harper paused over the tattoo she was working on and looked up. She smiled. “Hey, what brings you here?”

  Crossing the space, he kissed her, and the stress of the day fell away. “I’ve come to take you to dinner.”

  Her smile widened. “Really?”

  “Yes. How long will you be?”

  “I’m almost done here. Then I just have to clean up. Wait in the car with Levi if you want.”

  Instead, Knox folded his arms and leaned his hip against the wall. “I’ll wait here.” He liked watching her work. And it would be best to make it blindingly clear to the human in her chair that she was taken, since the guy was looking at her with gooey eyes.

  “All right.” Harper turned back to the snake tattoo on the human’s shoulder. Knox watched her, admiring her steady hand, fascinated by the sheer focus on her face. At those moments, her attention was centered solely on her work, and any red-blooded male would wonder what it would be like to be the focus of attention like that. Knox could tell them. It was heady. Arousing. Enlivening.

  Finally, she was done and advised the human on aftercare as she attached a bandage to his shoulder. He nodded along, wearing an awe-filled expression that said he’d jump into the fires of hell if she told him to. Well, if the little shit continued to stare at her, he might find himself facing that problem.

  When the guy headed to the reception desk, Harper said, “Now I just have to clean up.”

  “Do whatever it is you need to do. I’ll wait.” As she tidied the station and cleaned her equipment, Knox studied the various sketches and photos of tattoos that she’d tacked on the wall near her framed license. Pride swelled inside him. One glance at her work was enough to show that Harper had raw talent – there was no denying it. She had a true flair for design and a talent for putting a contemporary or inventive twist on the most original tattoos.

  At last, she was slipping on her jacket. “Ready to go?”

  Nodding, he shackled her wrist with his hand. “Come on.”

  Saying goodbye to the girls, Harper let him lead her outside. Her shoulders slumped under the baking heat as she crossed to where Levi was waiting; holding open the rear door. At his short nod, she smiled and said, “Hi, Levi.” Sinking into the buttery smooth leather seat and escaping the merciless sun, she let out a happy sigh. She was tired and stiff, which was made worse by the fact that her muscles were still sore from her last flying lesson.

  Knox sat close, combing his fingers through her hair. “How was your day?” he asked her as Levi pulled out onto the road.

  “Good,” she said. “Yours?”

  “Busy.” He kissed her. “Boring.” Another kiss. “Better now.” Also extremely frustrating, but he’d wait a little longer before he broke the bad news to her. He wanted them to enjoy some time together first.

  “So, does taking me to dinner have anything to do with you wanting to make sure I was okay after the dolphin paid me a visit?”

  “Must we refer to her as ‘the dolphin’?” he asked; it made him feel like he’d partaken in bestiality or something.

  “We? No. Me? Yes.”

  Sighing inwardly, he stroked her pulse with his thumb. “I’m angry at Alethea. I very nearly called her. But then I considered that I would be rewarding her behavior with attention. That could encourage her to do it again.”

  “Just ignore her. That will annoy her more than anything else could.”

  “There was never anything serious between me and Alethea. The picture she painted was very much false.”

  “I know that,” Harper assured him.

  “Good.” He circled her pulse again, liking the way it spiked. “If your business was located in the Underground, you would have better security. Not only would that make it more difficult for people to bother you, it would mean I wouldn’t have to rely solely on Tanner to inform me of any problems.”

  “Is that a fact?”

  “I’m just pointing it out.”

  “Hm.”

  Resting his hand possessively on her thigh, he asked, “What are your co-workers’ feelings on relocating the business?”

  “They’re open to the idea. At this point, it’s just me who’s unsure.”

  He rubbed her thigh. “What’s holding you back?”

  “You’ll think it’s weird.”

  “I often find your responses weird.” It was something that didn’t bother him, though. “Tell me. I want to understand.”

  “I lived in a shitty flat, and then I moved into a mansion. I used to get the subway to work, and now I get a ride there in a Bentley – by a chauffeur/bodyguard, no less. My wardrobe used to be small and filled with vintage stuff from thrift shops. Now I have a walk-in closet that’s bigger than my old room and is full of designer clothes that I pretend are from thrift shops. I have a housekeeper. And a butler. I co-run a lair. I’m adjusting as best I can to all this, but I worry I’ll become…”

  “A snob?” he supplied.

  “I worry I’ll change and become someone who takes stuff for granted. My business has always grounded me.”

  “But now I ground you, just like you ground me,” he said, watching as her face softened. “I understand the business is your baby and you’re protective of it. But I’m not asking you to close it down. I’m just asking you to relocate it. In the Underground, it would be safer, it would have less costs, and it would gain more profits. Let me show you the little building I think would be ideal for you. Check out the location and see what you think of it. There’s no harm in that.”

  She let out a long, put-out groan. “Okay.”

  “Good girl.” He didn’t bother to hide his satisfaction. “We’ll take a look at it tomorrow.”

  “Fine.” She crossed one leg over the other. “So, where are we going?”

  “I told you, we’re going for dinner.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Harper wasn’t exactly surprised when Levi stopped the car outside one of the classiest hotels on the Las Vegas strip – a hotel Knox owned, but not one she’d been to before.

  Knox often took her to fancy places, not caring that she was only in jeans and a T-shirt and would stick out like a sore thumb. Harper didn’t like to stand out, but the reality was that she’d stand out for the simple reason that she was with Knox Thorne – it wouldn’t matter how she was dressed. So she figured she might as well be wearing comfortable clothes than an elegant get-up she didn’t feel right in.

  He kept his hand possessively locked around her wrist as they entered the grand, luxurious hotel and the cool air-conditioned air hit her face. A few of the staff rushed to him; he answered their questions without breaking stride. It was a usual thing, whichever of his hotels they went to. He led her past the elevator doors and toward the casino.

  As the automatic doors swished open, the smells of tobacco, perfume, cologne, and air deodorizer surrounded her. They walked along the soft, patterned carpet; passing roulette wheels, card tables, and people who were swearing or cursing at backlit gambling machines. Alarms dinged and players cheered, overriding the music filtering in from another room.

  The security guards patrolling the floor nodded at Knox as he led her to the exit, through a boutique store, and over to a restaurant. He swung open the glass door and said, “After you, baby.”

  With a thankful smile, she stepped inside. Silverware clinked, ice tinkled in glasses, and diners murmured and laughed softly. The people queuing near the hostess station probably would have snarled at her for skipping the line if she wasn’t with Knox, a guy moving with utter purpose like he had every right to be where he was; muscles flexing and bunching beneath his designer suit.

  The hostess practically tripped over herself trying to get to him. “Mr. Thorne,” she purred. “Such a pleasant surprise. I’m Trisha.” The human’s eyes cut to Harper and flickered with perplexity, and she knew what the hostess was thinking: what was such a gorgeous, successful, lethally sensual male doing with a small, average-looki
ng, casually dressed nobody?

  Harper had often asked herself the same thing until she’d come to know him and realized that, though he may have enjoyed the company of beautiful women, he wasn’t at all shallow.

  The hostess’s attention returned to Knox. “I’m assuming you’d like to be shown to your usual private room?” He merely inclined his head. Grabbing two menus, Trisha said, “Please follow me.”

  The restaurant was just as elegant and tasteful as the hotel itself. Low-hanging lights. High-top tables. Soft music. Paintings lining the walls. And as always Harper felt out of place. It didn’t matter that she lived in a home even more opulent than this. It was still hard to be among these people and walk in their world. That was what it often felt like – another world.

  The elegant feel of the restaurant continued into the private room. Trisha stood aside while Knox and Harper settled at the tastefully arranged table that could easily seat four people. A middle-aged male entered and bowed slightly to Knox and Harper, quite obviously a demon.

  Trisha seemed surprised by the courtly gesture but simply said to Knox, “Charles will be your waiter for the evening. If there are any problems, don’t hesitate to ask for me.” Handing the menus to Knox and Harper, Trisha then added, “Enjoy your meal.”

  Pen and pad in hand, Charles came forward. “Would you like to order a drink while you take time to read the menu?”

  Knox looked at Harper. “Do you trust me?”

  Without lifting her eyes from the menu, she replied, “In other words, will I let you pick the wine since I know nothing about it? Yes.”

  “Good.”

  Charles scribbled down the order Knox gave and left the room.

  Knox then took out his cell phone and switched it off, wanting them to have uninterrupted time alone. “How’s your back?”

  “A little stiff,” she replied. “Not as bad as it was this morning.”

  “The more natural flying comes to you, the less it will be a strain on your muscles.”

  “Can we have another lesson soon?”

  “Sure. You impressed me with how hard you tried. I suppose I should have known how persistent you would be.” She was a sphinx, after all. They had the fierceness of a lion. “Ready to order yet?”

  She snapped the menu shut. “Yep.”

  “You want to skip starters and go straight for a steak,” he guessed.

  “You know me so well.”

  Moments later, Charles reappeared with the wine. Knox and Harper then placed their orders, and the waiter left. As Knox watched her fidget with the salt and pepper shakers, he said, “Something is bothering you. What is it?”

  “I’m just tired.”

  “Don’t lie to me.”

  “Kellen won’t answer my calls.” She slumped in her chair. “I didn’t think he’d use me as a scapegoat the way Roan has.”

  “I don’t think he’s using you as a scapegoat. Nor do I think he blames himself for not helping Carla. He most likely feels guilty.”

  “For what?” she asked, smoothing her hands over the incredibly soft table cloth.

  Knox picked up his glass and swished the wine. “He expressed to you on several occasions that he doesn’t particularly like Carla. Now she’s gone and she’s quite possibly hurt; he could be feeling guilty for all the things he said about her.”

  “I never thought of that.”

  “He’s young. Give him time. He’ll call you back when he’s ready.”

  She sipped at her drink. “Any news on Crow?”

  Knox hesitated, wanting more quality time with her. Of course, the hesitation made her eyes narrow. “We almost had him earlier.”

  Harper leaned forward. “What happened?”

  “He came to one of my other hotels. At the time, I was in a business meeting in one of the conference rooms. He tried to use the private elevator that headed to the penthouse, where I stay whenever I’m there overnight, but it’s impossible to use that elevator without a keycard. One of the human hotel staff saw him punch the elevator door and approached him. He got spooked and ran. The guards tried to apprehend him, but he stole a wave of energy from them – which weakened them and strengthened him. Free, he conjured a gun, shot at one of the guards, and then ran outside where he shot a human and used his cab to make a quick getaway.”

  Fuck. “You’re telling me he turned up at your hotel with the intention of killing you, went trigger-happy on the people around him… and you’re only sharing this with me now?” Unreal. “Why didn’t you tell me straight away?”

  Knox reached for her hand and tangled their fingers. “He didn’t get anywhere near me. I waited to tell you because I’d hoped to quickly have him in custody; then I could have given you good news and bad news at the same time. Instead, I can only deliver you bad news.”

  Like Harper would believe that was all it was. “Keeping things from me doesn’t protect me, you know.”

  He sighed. “If I had told you earlier, you’d have spent time needlessly stressing over it. I didn’t want to ruin your day. I didn’t want Crow to ruin your day.”

  “Which is sweet and all, but I would rather have known about it. Imagine if you were only now finding out what Alethea did earlier. Wouldn’t that bother you?”

  “It would bother me,” he admitted.

  “If Crow comes at you again, I don’t want to find out later. I want you to tell me immediately. Can you do that?” At his nod, she settled a little. Not that it would surprise her much if he did delay telling her any future incidents. Knox Thorne did what Knox Thorne wanted to do. It was really as simple as that. She supposed she should just be grateful that Crow hadn’t managed to reach him. Her chest tightened at the thought of what could have happened to him.

  “And there you are stressing over what could have happened,” said Knox. “This is why I didn’t tell you earlier.”

  “I still would have preferred to know.” She took a long swig of her wine. “The longer he has Carla, the less likely it is that he’ll let her live.”

  He squeezed her hand. “I know, baby. We’re doing everything we can to track him. We will find him.”

  At that moment, Charles entered with a steaming tray of food. The smells of spices, sauce, peppers, and meat made Harper’s stomach rumble. As the waiter placed their plates in front of them, steam rushed up from the hot food. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until now.”

  Knox dismissed Charles, smiling to see that his mate had wasted no time digging into her meal. As he ate, he continued to watch her, enjoying her orgasmic expressions. “You haven’t eaten much today, have you?”

  “It was a busy day.”

  “I don’t like it when you skip meals.”

  “I don’t like it when I skip meals either. But sometimes the studio gets really busy, so I just quickly munch something small between tattoos.”

  That wasn’t good enough for Knox. “You need to take better care of yourself or I’ll send Tanner in each lunch hour to handfeed you.”

  She froze with her fork halfway to her mouth. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Wouldn’t I?”

  Probably. Harper just harrumphed and went back to her food. They talked about trivial things as they finished their meal: difficult tattoo clients, pompous businessmen, and funny little things that had happened through the day. He also relayed some lair issues, bouncing ideas off her, which she liked.