Page 45 of Under Kid’s Protection

His hands slid down her sides, cupped her ass, and he lifted her without breaking their kiss or their moment. In several short strides, he carried her into her bedroom and laid her out on the bed. His weight covered her as his tongue chased hers.

He pulled back, and his eyes held hers as he tilted his head. “I’ll never understand what you do to me.”

27

Kid

Kid never expected he’d make love. The concept was foreign to him. Who wanted to go slow when hard and fast felt better? There was no reason to take his time if the point was to get off and get on with his day or night.

No one had ever inspired him to linger.

As the first rays of dawn brightened Carrie’s bedroom, he was forced to acknowledge reality. While the birds chirped their morning serenade, he couldn’t deny that his evening spent in her bed had been more than merely fucking.

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

“Mmm.” A sated groan slipped past her lips.

Her head rested on his chest. His fingertips trailed up and down her arm. One of her legs draped over his. Post-coital cuddling—who was he?

“I think I’m going to attend the Halloween charity event,” she said as she nuzzled against his side.

“At the clubhouse?” he asked stupidly.

Of course at the clubhouse. Where else would she go for a charity event on Halloween that he would care about? He needed to replace his electrolytes or something because his brain wasn’t working anymore.

“Yeah.” She nodded against his chest.

He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. “Are you sure?” he asked. While they’d done a lot to remodel the building, it was still the place where Carrie had been brutally assaulted. It looked nothing like it once had on the inside, but the outside was identical.

“Pretty sure,” she said on a sigh.

She freaked out the other day at the bar when some random cock knocker touched her. While she’d done a lot of healing, this was a big step. One that was none of his damn business. He had gotten too attached to her. She was a grown-ass woman. His promise to her brother was to ensure her safety. That didn’t make him her keeper.

“I have this amazing costume planned,” she began as his mind wandered.

The Bloody Scorpions were gone. So was the threat to Carrie. Kid had no business hanging around. Considering he started this whole experiment knowing he’d had a childhood crush on her, the more time he spent in her company, the more complicated their arrangement would get.

No one needed to get attached to anyone. She wasn’t in the right mindset. He wasn’t a stand-up guy. She deserved better than an outlaw biker who couldn’t keep it in his pants. They had to end their little game of playing house.

“I’m going to move into the clubhouse,” he blurted, interrupting her talking about feather boas and headpieces.

Sitting up, wide-eyed, she stared at him. “What?”

With a groan, he turned away from her, not wanting to meet her eyes. Putting his back to her, he got out of bed and reached for his jeans. “Everything’s done. Got a room there. No need to couch surf here.”

“Oh.” That single syllable pierced his chest. The disappointment was palpable.

He stuffed one foot and then the other into his pants and yanked them up his legs. “I appreciate you letting me hang.”

Scanning the room, he sought his shirt. Where the hell had that gone?

“You don’t have to,” she said as she pulled the blankets around her.

He nodded. “I’m aware, but…” Ah, there it was. He swiped his Gojira T-shirt off the lampshade and tugged it over his head. “There’s no need. I got my own place now.”

Damn, he sounded like a prick. Well, he was, so that should be no surprise. Hadn’t he done a version of this speech before? A couple of weeks ago. At Vanessa’s. He’d told her the same shit. There was no need for him to crash at her place anymore.

This was different.