He holds his hand out for mine again and I take it, smiling when he laces our fingers together and leads me toward the door.
“So, where are we going?” I ask and he smiles.
“It’s a surprise.”
I stop, tugging on his arm when he keeps walking. He glances back at me. “I don’t like surprises.”
“Well, we’re going to help you grow today,” he answers with a laugh and I scowl at him. “You can give me that cute as shit look all you want, baby, but I’m not tellin’ you where I’m taking you.”
Arching a brow, I rip my hand from his and cross my arms over my chest.
“That’s the way you’re going to play it?” he asks and I nod. “All right, then.”
He shrugs before stepping forward and grabbing me behind the knees. I’m half-way over his shoulder by the time I realize what he’s doing and I hit his back with my fists.
“Put me down, you giant!”
He smacks my ass. “You gonna stop being a brat?”
“Yes,” I huff. As much as I don’t want to give in, I want to be carried out of the house like a child even less and he fucking knows it. He sets me back on my feet and takes my hand in his before leading me out of the house to his car.
As we pull away from the curb, I turn to him and smile. He glances over at me and laughs, shaking his head.
“No way, Darlin’. Don’t think you can be cute and get me to ruin the surprise.”
“You know, I’ve got my Taser. I could just torture it out of you,” I tease and his gaze flicks to my bag.
“Seems like not a very bright idea since I’m driving the car.”
“Fine. I’ll be patient.”
He grins. “See. Was that so hard?”
Rolling my eyes, I settle into my seat as he turns on the radio and reaches across the car to grab my hand. Truthfully, I don’t really care where we go since I just want to spend time with him but old habits are hard to break and I’m not exactly versed in letting other people run the show. It’s something to work on, I guess.
“Oh, I know where we’re going,” I say a few minutes later when we turn down the road to Lincoln’s house and he grins.
“Figured I owed you a redo for the weekend I messed up.”
I squeeze his hand. “You didn’t mess anything up.”
“You tased me for nothing then?” he asks, humor in his voice and I shrug.
“Okay, so maybe you messed up a little bit, but look,” I hold up our intertwined hands, “it all worked out.”
“Yes, it did. You know when I kissed you that night was the first time I realized I had real feelings for you.”
My gaze narrows and I laugh. “Oh! So, that’s why you freaked out.”
“Yep,” he answers. “Kissing you shocked me more than the Taser.”
I place my hand over my heart. “That might be the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
“Don’t joke.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m serious. That Taser packs one hell of a punch and besides, kissing you kind of knocked the wind out of me, too.”
Our eyes meet across the car and he smiles before turning back to the road.
“Now I’ve got to know,” he muses as he pulls into his driveway. “Have you really been tased?”
“Yeah. My mom insisted that Theo and I experience it ourselves if we were going to carry them around to protect ourselves.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “Wow. Your mom was…”
“Intense?” I interject. “Yeah.”
The trees open up, revealing Lincoln’s house and the pristine lake in front of it and I sigh. It’s so peaceful out here that you can just forget everything and truly relax.
“Was she like that all the time?” Lincoln asks as he puts the car in park in the garage and I nod.
“Pretty much. She was a complicated woman.”
“Wait there and I’ll come get you,” he instructs as he opens his door and I roll my eyes.
“What did I say about that chivalry thing?”
He pins me with a stare. “Your ass leaves that seat before I get there and I’ll spank it.”
“I might like it,” I shoot back and he grins.
“Noted.”
He rounds the back of the Camaro and opens my door, holding his hand out to me and I grab it as I stand up. We leave the garage and go up to the porch. I turn and look out at the water as he digs in his pocket for his keys, peace settling over me. This is exactly what I needed after that creepy phone call last night and sleeping in the safe room.
“Tate?” Lincoln asks and I spin to find him waiting for me with the door open. “You okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, sorry. My mind started to wander.”
Taking his hand, I let him pull me inside the house and I gasp at the gorgeous, rugged interior that matches him so perfectly. The wall that faces the lake is full of windows, flooding the room with light and I picture curling up on the sofa on a cool day and reading a book.
“This is amazing,” I tell him and he smiles.
“I forgot you didn’t get to see the inside last time. Do you want the tour?”
When I nod, he grabs my hand and starts leading me through the house, pointing out various rooms. The middle of the house is one large open space that houses the living room, kitchen, dining room, and office and there’s a master suite on either side. The office is in the corner by the hallway and sectioned off by three large logs that go to the ceiling. It’s packed with bookcases full of books and I grin as I run my fingers along the titles.
“You like to read?” he asks and I nod.
“Do you not remember the boxes of books you hauled down from my apartment for me?”
He sighs. “Ah, yes. How could I forget? I nearly put out my back.”
“You did not, you liar.” I laugh, smacking his ass and he growls, spinning me around and wrapping his massive arms around me.
“Careful, Darlin’.”
“Why?” I ask, heat creeping up my cheeks as I quietly gasp for air. “I think I can handle you.”
“Why don’t we test out your theory?” he whispers, leaning in until his mouth hovers above mine and I reach up on my tippy toes just as his phone rings and he closes his eyes, letting out a breath. “I’m sorry. Just give me a minute.”
He pulls his phone out and presses it to his ear.
“Yeah?”
His gaze snaps to me.
“Right now?”
Worry creases his forehead and I step forward, laying my hand on his arm.
“No, I can’t.”
He nods.
“Yeah, let me know.”
When he hangs up, I tilt my head in question and he sighs.
“Sorry, babe. Club business. Did you already eat lunch?”
I nod, wishing he’d share what’s going on with me but I understand the need for secrecy with the work that they do. If his silence keeps someone safe, I’ll deal with it.
“Yeah, I ate before I left the diner.”
“We can start with the movie then. I’m pretty sure I still owe you for last night as well.”
“Sounds good, but I’m not stripping down to my underwear. That was a one time deal and you missed it.”