Page 12 of The Love Obsession (Bloody Desires #11)

ZAYN

“He wants me to make it hurt. I’ll do more than make it hurt. I’ll make him dead. Damn it.”

Panic was an ugly look on me, and I knew it, but I couldn’t really do much about that at this point. What was I going to do? Where was I going to take Moose? I had money but no connections in this city.

I stood outside the revolving glass door of the Solitude Estate hotel and stared down the street in the direction Moose was marching toward me.

I’d chosen this spot because it was a short walk from most of the fun spots in downtown New Gothenburg.

Fuck it. I was going to take him out. He could bluster and blow, but he was going.

Who didn’t go out? I’d found him in a bar, for God’s sake.

As he reached me, I smiled. He tried to waltz past me into the lobby, but I grabbed his hand. He pulled out of my grip, but slower than last time we’d done this dance, and I counted that as a win.

“What are you doing?” He fidgeted, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced up at the hotel’s sleek gray stone facade.

I didn’t miss that he’d taken the time to shower and change into a nice green V-neck T-shirt that highlighted all the best things about him.

He wore jeans, but they were clean, as if perhaps he only dragged them out of the drawer on “nice” occasions.

Delight twirled lazily in my stomach, and I wanted to slap myself.

This wasn’t a real date.

“What are you doing . . . ?”

I waved my hand at him.

He stared at me, blinking owlishly.

“You meant to say, what are you doing, Daddy .”

He sighed and bit his bottom lip, but his cheeks were flushed. I could tell I was getting to him already. This was kind of fun. I winked at him, and he groaned, covering his face with both hands.

“I already told you that I can’t?—”

“Yeah, yeah, you had a lot to say on how you can’t possibly go to the ball, Cinderella, but you are. We are going out.” This time when I took his hand, he scowled but let me haul him to our right along the sidewalk.

“No, I’m not,” he snarled.

I grabbed his shoulder and spun him, pinning him against a wide shop window.

Behind him, a short lady with long red hair, wearing a black leather jacket, stopped smelling a scented candle to laugh at us, and I winked at her.

He glanced behind himself into the store and sucked in a breath.

I didn’t doubt that he could get out of my grip if he wanted to do it, but he only stood there staring down at me.

“You’re going to do as I say. If I’m your Daddy, you’re going to go where I tell you to go, which in this case is a nice restaurant. You’re going to eat good food. You’re going to tell me thank you when I pay, and then you’re going to let me fuck you until you can’t see straight.”

He sighed and wilted against the glass, except for an excited bulge in his jeans that was happy to be exactly where I’d put him. “That sounds good, Daddy.” His cheeks flushed. “You really want to do all that stuff with me?”

The vulnerability in his voice made my gut twist. There was something weird here. Off. He wasn’t acting like any drug dealer I’d ever taken out.

Cocky.

Self-assured.

Reckless.

In fact, he seemed as if he was starting to trust me, which normally I would be celebrating, but I was feeling like an asshole for some reason. I didn’t care if I lied to drug dealers. I didn’t even care if I stabbed them in the throat. I killed them, then slept like a coddled newborn baby.

But this big guy—I was starting to hate calling him Moose—was getting under my skin.

Wonder what his name is? Don’t ask. Don’t you fucking dare ask. Don’t— “What’s your name?”

“I already told you.”

I shoved him harder and the glass rattled in its frame. “So help me, don’t say Moose. I don’t take Mooses out on dates.”

A small smile curled the corner of his pink lips. “Keaton. It’s Keaton. I don’t think anyone except my mom has called me that since I was a kid. Not sure even she remembers it.”

I snorted and patted his solid chest as I took a step back. “Keaton. Well, we’re going on a date. And you’re going to like it. Don’t test me on this.”

He shrugged and straightened his shirt as much as he could by tugging the bottom hem.

I hadn’t really ruffled him, but he seemed to need a second to get his shit together, so I politely looked out into the street and watched the cars pass.

Nearby a streetlight popped on despite the streaks of sunlight still in the sky.

“All right,” he muttered.

“Good.”

We kept walking. There was a decent restaurant on the next block, and I hadn’t been there in about six months.

I’d never taken anyone there except coworkers, so it felt like a safe new adventure.

élégant was a small bistro with exorbitant prices, a staggering wine selection, and a snooty owner who knew my boss.

I had money on the fact that he was actually Gerald’s side piece, but I kept those thoughts to myself.

We went inside and the hostess greeted us with a smile. She was a statuesque woman with multicolored braids coiled into a French twist and her blue dress hugged all her curves. “Reservations?”

“No, but I know Aloysius. I met him through Gerald.”

The gorgeous woman didn’t exactly frown, but she nodded as she glanced down at a tablet on the podium in front of her.

“I’m afraid we don’t have a window seat available, but something in the main thoroughfare?

” She gestured toward the quaint tables in the middle.

Each was covered in a simple white cloth with a miniature red glass hurricane lamp burning as a centerpiece.

“It’s all good. Thank you for having us last minute.”

She gave me a gracious smile that probably would’ve sent a straight man to his knees. Did they hire models in this place?

Moose tugged at his collar as we were seated and actually squirmed when he looked at the menu he found on the table. “I’m more of a mashed potatoes and roast beef guy.” He flicked the corner of the leather holder.

“They have steaks and baked potatoes. They’re just calling it bifteck de contre-filet . Would you prefer me to order?”

His shoulders hunched and he leaned forward. “Guess a Daddy would do that?”

It was a close thing. I almost crawled across the table to kiss him. I couldn’t get over how sincere his eyes were right now. Fuck, what was wrong with me?

I nodded because I couldn’t get any words out.

“Hello. I’m Ross, and I’m your server for the evening.” A short kid with long floppy brown hair, freckles, and a spotless white shirt stopped beside our table. He tapped his order pad against his leg and smiled.

“I already know what I want.” I rattled off an order that I was sure would make Keaton happy. Steaks. Potatoes. Cake—two kinds, so he could pick what he wanted. “And match a good vin with it. Thanks.”

He nodded and rushed off.

Keaton opened his mouth.

“So, you have a kid? That’s what you were talking about when you called someone, right?” I couldn’t leave the topic alone in my head. With each nugget Keaton revealed about himself, he matched up less and less with all my previous experiences.

Keaton gripped the edge of the table, bunching up the white cloth in both hands. “None of your business. Drop it.”

I shrugged, but now I was worried about a kid stuck in some sordid mess. No child deserved that. I had to dig a little bit more. “Did you knock some chick up? That happens. Are you bi?”

He scowled, but a man came to a stop by the table before Keaton could respond. The stranger was huge—his pecs were massive—with a wide grin on his handsome face. Like Keaton, he wasn’t wearing a suit, and his silver-streaked blond hair and green eyes were impossible to ignore.

“Moose! Never expected to see you here.” His Scottish accent rang with amusement.

Keaton glanced up, a deer in headlights. I was baffled when he got to his feet and hustled for the door.

I stared at the man, who cringed and gave me a woebegone look. “Tell him I’m sorry I interrupted his date. I didn’t know. Moose is sweet. Always helped me out.”

My stomach swooped as I realized that my mark—and date—was fleeing into the sunset. “Will do!” I bolted after him, the hostess waving a hand at me as I passed her. This was starting to become a pattern.

“Hey! Wait!” I shouted.

Keaton was busy walking, and he was so upset it seemed as if he’d forgotten the way to our hotel because he was headed the wrong direction.

“What’s with all the secrecy?” I asked, trying to stop panicking. “Are you actually a super spy? Do you have a bounty on your head?”

“I don’t. I can’t.” He shook his head, and I’d never seen him this upset. Granted, I hadn’t known him long, but I’d watched him have a no-rules brawl and he didn’t look this bad then.

Keaton spun around and shocked me when he grabbed my shirt and lifted me to the tips of my toes.

Heat streaked directly to my dick as he attacked my mouth with his soft lips.

His stubble grated on my mouth and the juxtaposition of delicious silk and the burn were perfect.

“Just hurt me and fuck me. Enough of whatever this is.”

I gripped his wrists, but he didn’t set me down, and I was starting to feel the strain as I attempted to stop my shirt from getting destroyed. “No, if I’m Daddy, I say what we do and you trust me.” I had no clue if I was doing any of this correctly, but it felt like I was on the right path.

His mouth parted, and I licked his bottom lip—couldn’t stop myself.

“Okay,” he whispered.

“Okay, what?”

“Okay, Daddy.”

I shivered as lust hit my system and deluged my body.

My breath gusted faster and my fingers twitched.

This was so good—and really fucking bad.

I couldn’t sort out what this was supposed to be because this was so different than anything else I’d ever done while trying to get information out of a guy before killing him.

I was having trouble thinking.