I smirk, but keep my focus on Selene. “Let’s finish eating. If we have company coming, I don’t want to be eating.”
They all nod, but I can feel the shift between us all.
As we eat, I keep stealing glances at her.
There’s something about her—a pull, a gravitational force. A part of me wants to take her, keep her, protect her.
But I built my empire from nothing, and I know what it means to have a duty larger than myself.
Kaz finishes his meal first and takes Selene’s plate.
“I’ll do the dishes!” Dario volunteers loudly, shooting me a scowl as he grabs my plate too. He follows Kaz into the kitchen, leaving me and Selene alone.
She swirls her whiskey, watching me. “So, you built your empire from the ground up?”
I blink, slightly caught off guard. “Yeah. Started it when I was twenty-five. Got it running smoothly in five years.”
She smiles. “That’s impressive. My dad was the same way with Onyx.”
I nod. “I bet you miss him a lot.”
Her fingers tighten around her glass. She blinks rapidly before answering. “I do. He was my whole world.”
I hesitate before offering, “Like Kaz, I lost my parents young, but I had my uncles.”
She looks up, interest sparking in her stormy grey eyes.
“They run a motorcycle club out of Boston—another branch of the Reapers.”
Her eyebrows lift slightly. Surprised.
“So why did you start your own organization?” she asks.
I could tell her the truth. Or I could keep my walls up.
Logic wars with something far more dangerous—the urge to give her a piece of myself.
“My uncles were more into drugs and guns,” I say finally. “I wanted something bigger. To do something good, to have more reach.”
She hums, considering. “And the flesh trade? That’s a business interest of yours?”
I meet her gaze. “It’s what we destroy.”
Her lips curve into the smallest smile. “That’s definitely a good thing.”
For a second, I think about reaching for her hand. But then—
A knock at the door.
Selene rises quickly rushing to it and swings it open.
A sultry, feminine voice greets her.
“Well, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”
Chapter 13
Selene
