well. I plead the fifth.”
He laughs a low, rough sexy laugh. “I’ve never let anyone shave me either, so you’ll be the first. The first in so many ways, Aria.”
“The first woman to be trusted with a sharp object. I feel pressure. Let’s hope I don’t cut you now.”
We both laugh and I can almost feel the bond growing between us. And the good news is that I do not, in fact, cut him. I don’t hurt him in any way. I just pray he does me the same favor.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
With his reluctant agreement, I shut Kace out of the bathroom while I finish dressing, wanting to show him the dress once I’m perfectly primped. When I’ve achieved that goal, I nervously open the bathroom door and step into the bedroom. Kace is sitting in a chair, looking like the hottest king of the world ever, with a whiskey glass in his hand. The glass immediately goes on the table and he stands, and God, the man really is gorgeous. Tonight, his longish dark hair is finger spiked, and his rock star image is on full display. He’s in black jeans and a T-shirt paired with biker boots, all of which he’s accented with a black leather jacket. I’ve officially forgotten pretty much everything including my name.
He closes the space between me and him, all male swagger and sex appeal, and when he stops in front of me, his hand presses possessively to my hip, branding me with heat. “You look stunning, baby.”
My hand settles on his chest and I boldly say exactly what I think. “So do you. Always.”
His lips curve. “I’m glad you think so.” He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles. “We need to go. It’s getting late. Tonight, we have the local Texas division of Walker Security on board. They’re waiting on us out front.”
A few minutes later, we step outside to find a huge man in all black with a scar down his face waiting on us beside an Escalade.
“What the hell, Savage?” Kace greets, shaking his hand. “I thought we got the Texas team while here.” Kace glances at me. “This is Rick Savage, who normally works with the New York division of Walker.”
“Hello,” Savage says, fixing me in a friendly but somehow appropriately savage stare. “Don’t let the scar scare you. I killed the guy. He’s not around to bother you.”
I gape and surprise myself by laughing before he turns his attention to Kace. “My lady and I are from Texas. She wanted real Mexican food, so here we are. Besides, who better to pump you up for a show? I know what you need. You know I do. I have the radio tuned to some old-school jams, just the way you like it.”
We load into the vehicle and say hello to the driver, a man Savage calls Dirty Dan, before Savage cranks up the music. The first song “So Into You,” that blasts through the speakers is one that I remember from the nineties by a now MIA singer called Fabolous. I loved that song, and as it plays, Kace whispers the words into my ear. I’m smiling and laughing as we draw close to the hotel and the song shifts. This one though, also a nineties tune, hits home, and carves out a piece of me. It’s an Dr. Dre song featuring Eminem and Skylar Grey called “I Need a Doctor.” The words repeat over and over:
I’m about to lose my mind
You’ve been gone for so long
I’m running out of time
The vehicle stops in front of the hotel and I quickly grab my phone and send a text to Gio: Call me. Stop being an asshole. You’re scaring me. I glance up and Kace is staring at me.
“You okay?”
“Yes, of course,” I say quickly, hoping the music hides strain in my voice. “I’m excited to watch you perform.”
The Escalade is now in front of the hotel entrance and the doors open. Kace has my hand, holding onto me as we scoot across the seat toward his exit, but I manage to drop my phone. He reaches down and grabs it from the floorboard for me, but not without his gaze landing on the text.
He leans into me and slides the phone back into my purse, but in doing so he cups my face and kisses my neck, whispering, “We’ll talk when we get inside.”
I don’t know what that means, but I’m pretty sure it’s a distraction he can’t afford