Page 45 of Rogue's Path

More like I’m hiding from my house, unsure of what to do, but we’ll call it a vacation. “Me too.”

“Your poor face. I can’t believe someone hit you like that.”

“To be fair, I hit quite a few of them first.” The guy who touched Cordelia is going to wish he was dead for a very long time.

“I would have joined in except security grabbed me and shoved me behind the bar as soon as fists started flying.”

Wait! What? “You knew?”

“Not until then. But it only makes sense. The big guy is overprotective.” She smiles up at him as we climb the steps.

“There’s no such thing when you’re protecting your greatest treasure. And you shall always be mine.”

I gag a little. Silently, though, so Maverick doesn’t hate me.

A group of shirtless men start down the street.

The one with golden bouncy curls has a basketball under his arm. He feels familiar. “Who is he?”

Dahlia twists to follow my gaze. “Oh, that’s my neighbor, Max.”

Max…How do I know him? There’s no way we’ve met. I wouldn’t forget a man that sexy.

Don’t even start trying to count to see if he has a six-pack or an eight-pack.

All the other men appear to be of Italian descent, but he’s mixed-race. Those curls…

Max! It’s Massimo Vincenti, the tech security billionaire. The one who not only just about invented tech security but also managed to get most of the world to use his company. He’s one of the richest men in the world.

The security around this place makes way more sense now.

Dahlia leans over and whispers, “He’s single. Want me to introduce you two?”

“No.” I have enough problems with my bad boy biker.

“He’s a really nice guy.”

No matter how nice he is, there’s no way I could live my life in a fishbowl like he must. “Not interested. He’s not my type.”

“Do you have a type?” She loops an arm through mine as we continue walking.

I used to think it was the nerdy guy next door. That was until he dumped me after the senior prom and moved to Urbium to work for some big corporation in their tech department. He probably runs the place by now. “Not really.” Rogue flashes before my eyes. Liar. If anyone was my type, it would be Taylor. Smart and sexy should be every woman’s type.

“While you’re here, I can introduce you to some of the single men.”

A woman in love wants all the women around her to be in love. GAH. No, thank you. “Sounds good.” I’ll just be busy those days.

***

I can pretend to like one of these guys just to come eat at Dahlia’s house more often. The grilled steaks Maverick made for us were spectacular, and eating outside made it even better in the cool night air—thanks to the space heaters, it’s not cold.

“You two ready for dessert?” Maverick asks.

“Absolutely.” Dahlia answers for the both of us.

Which is good since I might have said no. I’m practically bursting at the seams from dinner.

He kisses her on the forehead and walks back to the kitchen.