Chapter 37

Kayla

“Going out?” I asked, struggling against Nicholas’s grip—and trying not to spill my coffee—as he pushed me toward the stairs. “Where?”

“Well, there’s a motorcycle show in town today. Thought it would be fun to check it out.”

I stopped in my tracks at the bottom of the stairs and raised an eyebrow. “A motorcycle show?”

“Yeah,” he said, leaning casually against the banister. “It’s also a good chance for us to be seen together in public. You know, to keep up appearances and all.”

Ah, there it was—the real reason. “Of course,” I replied dryly. “Can’t miss an opportunity to flaunt our happy little union.”

Then came the infuriating smirk. “Exactly. So, what do you say?”

I sighed and turned, heading up the stairs. “Fine. But don’t expect me to pretend I’m excited about motorcycles.”

“We’ll see about that,” he called after me.

Upstairs, I rummaged through my closet, pondering what to wear. It wasn’t like I needed to impress anyone. Especially not him.

Still, I pulled out a pair of dark skinny jeans that hugged my curves just right and a soft, off-the-shoulder sweater in a shade of deep emerald that made my green eyes and red hair pop. I slipped into ankle boots with a slight heel and added a leather jacket to ward off the chill.

Glancing in the mirror, I adjusted a strand of hair that had escaped my loose waves, then threw on a little mascara for good measure.

As I got ready, I kept telling myself that this was for me—not for him.

But as I descended the stairs, the way Nicholas’s eyes widened ever so slightly made my heart skip a beat. His gaze traveled slowly from my boots up to my face, lingering just a moment too long. The air between us seemed to thicken, and I started to wonder if I had been lying to myself earlier.

Maybe I did want to look good for him. Or maybe I was just being vindictive after what I saw last night.

“Ready?” I asked, striding past him and grabbing my purse off the hook by the door.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

The ride to the show was brisk, the wind whipping past us as I clung to Nicholas’s waist. The city buzzed with activity, and soon we arrived at a sprawling venue teeming with bike enthusiasts. Rows upon rows of gleaming motorcycles were lined up on the street, reflecting the midday sun off their shiny surfaces.

“Wow,” I muttered under my breath as I removed my helmet and took in the sheer number of bikes.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Nicholas asked, brushing a strand of messy dark hair out of his eyes as he removed his own helmet.

“I suppose,” I replied. Although if I was being honest, I felt a little out of my element.

Before I could protest, Nicholas grabbed my hand and began to lead the way, weaving through the crowd with ease. “Check this out,” he said, stopping beside a vintage Harley. “They only made a limited number of these in the ’50s.”

I watched as he ran a hand over the polished chrome, his eyes glimmering with boyish excitement. It was... endearing, to say the least. And a little dorky.

“Didn’t know you were such a geek about this stuff,” I teased as he was fanboying over another antique motorcycle.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

“Apparently so.”

He flashed a grin. “Stick around, then. You might learn something.”

As we moved from one exhibit to another, I found myself more entertained by Nicholas’s enthusiasm than the motorcycles themselves. He chatted animatedly with vendors, discussing engine specs and restoration techniques and all kinds of jargon that sounded like a foreign language to me. I couldn’t help but smile at the way his eyes sparkled when he talked about torque and horsepower.

“Look at this beauty,” he exclaimed, stopping in front of a sleek Ducati. “Zero to sixty in under three seconds.”

“Impressive,” I said, even though I barely knew what that meant.

He glanced at me with that telltale mischievous glint in his eye. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”

“Not a clue,” I admitted with a laugh.

He shook his head, feigning exasperation. “Hopeless.”

“Hey, you’re the one dragging me around here,” I shot back.

“Fair point.”

We wandered further, and I noticed people occasionally snapping photos of us or whispering behind their hands. The ever-watchful eyes of the pack, no doubt ensuring the Alpha and his Luna were seen together.

Mission accomplished, I supposed. Or two birds with one stone, so to speak.

At one stall, Nicholas’s attention was captured by a custom-built motorcycle with a sleek body. It was a midnight blue color with golden trim, and it looked fast. Very fast. “This is incredible,” he murmured as his fingers grazed the handlebars.

Before I knew it, Nicholas was deep in conversation with the seller. I watched in surprise as he negotiated with ease, finally shaking the man’s hand and pulling a large wad of cash out of his wallet.

“Did you just... buy that motorcycle?” I asked incredulously as he rejoined me.

“Sure did.”

“Do you often make such impulsive purchases?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “When something catches my eye.” Before I could respond, he suddenly turned to me, a wicked grin stretching across his face. “Let’s take a picture.”

“Wait, what—”

Suddenly, he scooped me up as if I weighed nothing and plopped me onto the seat of his new motorcycle. “Nicholas!” I squeaked, my face flushing crimson as nearby onlookers began to giggle and snap pictures of us.

“Hold still,” he simply instructed as he pulled out his phone.

I tried to compose myself, but the heat in my cheeks betrayed me. “You could’ve asked, you know,” I grumbled through my teeth around a rather painful smile.

“But where’s the fun in that?” he replied, snapping several photos from various angles.

I knew that this was just another facade. But as he reviewed the pictures, it was hard not to notice how his gaze lingered on the screen just a moment longer than necessary. “Happy with your handiwork?” I asked, glancing up at him.

“Very,” he said without looking up.

“Planning to show off your latest purchase?”

He looked down at me, a sly grin forming on his lips. “Actually, I thought these would be great for our social media presence. Gotta keep up appearances, right?”

“Right.”

He tapped away on his phone, presumably posting the photos. “There we go. Breadcrumbs to keep the pigeons at bay.”

I peered over his shoulder, noticing the caption: “Enjoying the day with my favorite passenger.” It already had a bunch of likes.

My cheeks warmed again. “You’re laying it on thick,” I said, quickly looking away.

“Just doing my part,” he replied not-so-innocently.

We spent a bit more time at the show, and I found myself relaxing, even enjoying the atmosphere. Nicholas’s dorky enthusiasm was, dare I say, charming. Dammit, he looked irresistibly cute when he was being a nerd about motorcycles.

As the afternoon waned, Nicholas arranged for his new motorcycle to be shipped to the house and we made our way back to where his original bike was parked. The sky had taken on a golden hue, the promise of a beautiful sunset on the horizon.

Nicholas grabbed our helmets and handed one to me. “So, what do you want to do now?”

His question took me by surprise; we’d already spent the whole day out. We’d been seen in public, taken pictures, posted on social media. Was that not enough to keep the nosy guild at bay?

But the look in his amber eyes told me that he was serious. I shrugged, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious under his gaze. “I don’t know, there isn’t really anything...”

He nudged me gently with his elbow. “C’mon, Kayla... It wouldn’t be fair to drag my Luna around all day without something in return, now, would it?”