Hard to Get (Killer of Kings Book 4)(18)

Riley gasped. Shadow’s hand was on the roof of her car, his face distractingly close. “Um, no. Everything’s been good.”

He nodded. “I’m glad.”

The only place opened at this hour was the variety store and the bar. She hoped he’d been there to see her, but wasn’t going to hold her breath. “I hope you weren’t here for baked goods. I closed shop a while ago.”

“I’m here for you.”

Her heart melted, but she kept up a collected front. “Oh?”

“I want to take you out to dinner, Riley.”

Her name on his lips sent butterflies rushing to her womb. This was the last thing she expected from Mr. MIA. She became tongue-tied, part of her expecting him to be playing a cruel trick on her. Riley played along. “When?”

“Tonight. I’ll pick you up in an hour.” He stared at her with those dark, haunted eyes. The man was completely confident. Why shouldn’t he be?

She chuckled. “Are you being serious?”

He winked. “Wear something nice. It’s fine dining.”

Then he stood straight and walked off.

What the actual fuck?

She tried to wrap her mind around what just happened. Shadow wanted to take her to dinner? Fine dining? Riley didn’t even think she owned a nice dress. She had an hour to get showered and dressed, so she made haste getting out of the plaza.

It was nearly eight o’clock by the time she was ready. Clothes littered her bedroom floor. She’d tried on just about her whole wardrobe, but guessed she couldn’t go wrong with a little black dress. After doing her hair and makeup, she dug out her heels from the back of the closet. Riley wasn’t a high maintenance girl. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d worn heels or lipstick.

She did a twirl in front of the hall mirror, trying to envision what Shadow would see when he showed up at her door. Riley smiled. It was fun getting dressed up, and she was happy with the final outcome.

When a loud, hollow knocking echoed in her little bungalow, Riley froze in place. She’d half expected him to be a no-show.

She opened the door and stared at Shadow. He wore a full suit, his dark hair slicked back. The man looked good enough to eat.

“You look stunning,” he said, his voice rough and smooth at the same time.

“Thank you,” she said. “I don’t have many fancy dresses.”

He wet his thick lips, and she couldn’t look away. “You’re perfect.” The way he said the words left no room for argument. He reached out his hand and she took it.

Soon after locking up, they were in his car, the soft leather caressing her thighs.

“I never see you drive this car,” she said.

“It’s for special occasions.”

She breathed in his subtle cologne, a mix of musk and sandalwood. His hands on the steering wheel were big and strong, his fingers long with neatly trimmed nails. She noticed little details about people, and the oddest things seemed to turn her on.

“I haven’t seen you around for weeks,” she said, being nosy. He hadn’t even put out his garbage.

The hum of the engine picked up as he sped down the highway. “I’ve been working a lot. My current assignment has been a challenge.”

“Investments, right?”

“Right.”

She bit her lip, wanting to know more about Shadow, but not wanting to pry. He’d asked her to dinner, so her previous assumption that they had a connection must have been right. Sooner or later, he had to open up.

“I haven’t had any more trouble at the plaza,” she said. “I was scared they’d try and retaliate or get the police involved.” Riley still couldn’t understand how murder could be swept under the rug.

He flicked his wrist to adjust his watch, his eyes on the road. “I dealt with them. It won’t be a problem.”

What did that mean? Was that why no one from the bar dared park near her bakery? The mere thought that Shadow had that much weight gave her a little rush. It definitely turned her on to be with such a capable man. He made her feel safe, and that was something she’d lacked most of her life.

The inside of the car was too quiet. She shifted and watched the darkened scenery rush by, and her thoughts drifted. Riley remembered the day she’d been taken into police protective custody, the beginning of her foster care nightmare. The cops had given her a yellow knitted monkey, a small consolation for what was to come.

That wasn’t the day she’d lost her sense of safety, though. That had ended before she could remember. Being born to an addict was a special kind of hell. The nauseating rollercoaster ride ended when her mother tried to sell her for one night of fucking to an undercover agent in exchange for drugs. She’d been twelve. Although she’d been spared that trauma, her childhood innocence had been lost amongst layers of dysfunction she desperately wanted to wipe from memory.

Even as an adult, she never looked up her mother. Why would she? Riley only had herself to rely on, and that’s how she liked it.

“We’re here.” Shadow’s voice snapped her out of her reverie.

She looked around, the lights and glitter of a massive archway now catching her attention. It was fine dining to the tenth degree. A valet opened her door, and she stepped out, feeling awkward with such luxuries.

A long line-up of people stood behind a red velvet rope, a bouncer keeping them back, but Shadow appeared and led her up the steps ahead of everyone. She felt like Cinderella, in more ways than one.