“I like the way you look.” He said it like it was obvious, and maybe it was. But coming from him it made my insides flutter and tiny pieces of my heart want to burst out of my chest and put themselves in his very dangerous hands. “But I like the things you do, the way you act, the things you say, and the way you are even more. You could have mousy hair, acne, and crossed eyes and still be completely beautiful by just being you. Your mom knew that, that’s why she just let you be.”

I had to stop, even though we were in the middle of crossing the street, to look at him to see if he was serious. He was good with words, had a way of saying things that I think he knew I wanted to hear—hell, that any woman would die to hear—but it was there, stamped on his too-handsome face, that he meant everything he had just said. I had to clear my throat before I could respond.

“That might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, Asa. Especially since I haven’t been very fond of myself lately.” He shrugged it off like it was no big deal, like he hadn’t just given me more than enough reason to throw common sense out the door and go ahead and fall completely in love with him. He always had exactly the right words to use. No wonder he had been such a good con man. Pretty words out of that too-pretty face made you want to believe they were the truth.

“It’s true.” His voice was a little gruff and he shifted uneasily from foot to foot as we got back to the Bar and stopped in front of the 4Runner.

I tilted my head back so I could look up at him. “I like who you are, too, even if you don’t.”

“Not much to like, Royal. I keep telling you that and you just don’t want to listen.”

“You’re wrong.” I knew he was. He bent down and pressed a light kiss to my lips. He tasted like pancake syrup and coffee, and when I kissed him there were so many things I liked about him I could literally drown in them. When his lips touched mine it was the only thing that felt certain and real in my otherwise unsteady life. I wanted to tell him that watching him torture himself over things he couldn’t ever change had given me the perspective I so desperately needed, but I knew enough to know we weren’t there yet. I put a hand up on his bristly cheek and stepped up on my tiptoes so I could put my lips next to his ear. “But if you want, we can go back to your apartment for a little while and I can show you what I like the very best about you.”

Since I was stretched out all along his tall form, there was no missing the way his cock reacted to my words behind the fly of his jeans. I was going to have to figure out a way to get him to see that even though he had all kinds of broken parts that were ugly and misshapen on the inside, there was enough of him that was salvageable and really beautiful to make this thing between us work and for it to flourish into something solid and lasting. He might have been a criminal in the past, but now I was the one that wanted to steal something from him and keep it for my own … he was going to put up a fight once he realized I was after his heart. After all, it was my job to capture the bad guy … only this one I wasn’t planning on letting go of.

CHAPTER 11

Asa

“The outside isn’t much to look at and the interior is trashed, but the engine is solid, and with a little love and care she could be a beauty.”

I pulled my head out of the window of the 1971 Chevy Nova I was considering buying and looked at Wheeler. I didn’t know him really well but Nash assured me he was a good guy and wouldn’t screw me over. Plus Rome had agreed to tag along with me while I looked at cars, and even with a squealing, blond toddler running around his legs, he still didn’t come across as a guy anyone wanted to mess with. Especially since he was considering sinking a healthy amount of cash into this garage in the near future. He was watching the baby like a hawk to make sure she didn’t grab anything off the greasy ground and put it into her mouth and texting on his phone. He wasn’t paying very much attention to me or the mechanic.

“I like it. She’s a classic.” Even with the rust on the body and the totally trashed interior.

Wheeler nodded and leaned against the fender. He was a little bit shorter than me, had shaggy auburn hair and wild ink on either side of his neck. He hadn’t said much but it was obvious he loved his cars and wouldn’t just let any Joe in off the street to take a gander at his inventory.

“I was going to save it for a project car, but I just got in an old Plymouth Wayfarer and that’s going to take some major work. I’d rather let the Nova go and sink the money into that.”

I nodded like I understood and appreciated his dilemma. I liked a nice car as much as the next guy, but really I just needed something that would run and get me from one place to the next. It was a far cry from how I used to look at a ride. Before the coma all I had cared about was the flash, the expense, and how I looked to others driving around in a car that cost more than some houses.

“How much do you want for it?” The engine was in good shape but in no way restored or souped up, so I was hoping he would be reasonable. Before he could answer, I was hit in the shins by a giggling little body that gazed up at me with gigantic blue eyes. RJ stuck her plump little arms up and stared at me until I hoisted her up off the ground. She laughed at me and reached out to poke my nose. She was the perfect mix of Rome and Cora. Now that she was mobile and talking, she was a complete handful.

Wheeler grinned at us and told me, “Five grand.”

It was more than I wanted to spend. I had it—I mean, I had practically zero expenses but buying the car meant less money to pay off my medical debt. RJ laughed again and used her tiny hands to pat my cheeks. She was singing some little baby song, and I couldn’t help but smile at her.

“Is that the best you can do?”

His light blue gaze shifted between me and the baby. A tiny smile pulled at his mouth and he dipped his chin down. “Normally I would stick hard and fast. But since you’re friends with Nash and the crew from the Marked, and the fact that RJ seems to dig you obviously means you’re a good guy, I’ll drop it down to forty-two hundred.”

RJ was too little to know any better, but I wasn’t about to tell Wheeler that. I shifted the little girl to the other side so he and I could shake on the price and looked at Rome as he suddenly appeared at my side. The baby instantly stuck her hands out and started chanting, “Da-Da-Da-Da,” as the large man relieved me of my fluffy bundle.

“You make a deal?” I nodded and so did Wheeler. Rome grunted his approval and turned to look at me. “I need to make a stop before we head back to the Bar. Is that all right?”