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“Don’t you dare do that, Kage. I’ve been told nothing.” I stopped walking on purpose.

The brute of a man didn’t seem to notice for a few seconds; finally turning to face me, he ripped off the cheap yet sexy sunglasses we’d purchased. Together. Ugh. I hated the sound of that. There was notogetherwith him. There was nothing with him because he wasn’t going to allow anyone to get close.

“Listen up, buttercup. You’re still in danger. I don’t know all the specifics of what we’re dealing with, but the longer we stand out here arguing, the more chances the bad guys will have of finding you.”

“Here?”

“Here.”

I groaned and walked around him. “We’re not arguing because we barely talk to each other.”

He grumbled under his breath. I was certain he was cursing the day he’d met me. Well, same here. Yes, he’d gone above and beyond the call of duty, but would it kill the man to be decent enough to be around?

“You’re a difficult woman,” he said and pointed toward a row of trucks. Of course the big he-man would choose a truck. I bet he owned two of them if not more. And a big motorcycle too, matching his huge ego.

“You better believe I am. Now, about my father.”

“He’s fine.”

“Then why can’t I talk to him?”

Kage kept walking, finally stopping by a black Dodge Ram. I just rolled my eyes. He remained quiet, opening the back door and tossing the bags inside before ushering Tank inside.

After closing the door, he walked closer, crowding my space. “You will when the time is right, but only when I say it is. You get that? I’m the one in charge.”

“Oh, I get it,” I said, crossing my arms to keep myself protected. He was way too close, his body heat explosive. I was tingling all over and hating myself for it. “Now, why don’t you crawl into the tough guy machine and turn the air on? It’s too hot to have Tank inside even for a few seconds. Do you know how quickly he’ll overheat? Less than two minutes.”

His nostrils flared, his entire body tensing, but he said nothing, merely spinning on his heel and storming toward the driver’s side. The engine was started in seconds even before he slammed the door.

I tapped my foot on the pavement, cursing him up one side and down the other. He was the most difficult man I’d ever been forced to deal with.

Seconds later, he threw open the door, not bothering to stick his head out. “Are you coming?”

My answer was obvious, yet I didn’t mind making him wait just a little bit longer.

His sigh brought me a smile.

I walked around to the other side, forced to wait since the passenger door remained locked. I cocked my head, making a face. Only then did he hit the unlock button.

When I jumped inside, I immediately grabbed the seatbelt. “I’ll go with you. As long as we can get something to eat. I’m starving.”

Another sigh rumbled from his chest, this time more exaggerated. “Women.”

“What does never out of the fight mean?” I asked as I grabbed three French fries, sliding them into ketchup then licking the sweet red substance off each one with careful consideration.

Kage stared at me the entire time, even lifting an eyebrow.

“What?”

“You licked the ketchup off your fries.”

“How observant of you.” I pulled the cheeseburger into my hands, comparing my remaining two thirds to the fact he’d chomped down his in three bites. He’d inhaled his food and he was taunting me about how I ate mine. “So, what does it mean?”

“We’re friends now?”

“I doubt we’ll ever be friends, but as soon as Stone said those words, both of you shared a moment.”

“We didn’t have a moment.”