The room erupts into applause, but Kate is vehemently shaking her head and saying “No. Heck no.”

Heck no.

Her aversion to cursing turns me on. I wonder what it would take to get her to talk dirty.

I’m going to hell.

“Come on, Kate. New Orleans wants to hear you sing.”

I nudge her with my elbow and grin at the look of terror on her face. Finally, she swallows hard and stands, climbs the steps to the stage, sits next to Declan, and raises the mic to her mouth.

“Was this necessary?”

“Well, it’s not as fun if you sing from down there,” Declan replies and kisses her cheek. “Isn’t she pretty?”

Why does everyone call her pretty? Can’t they see that she’s unbelievable?

I applaud with the rest of the crowd, and then Declan begins to strum the guitar. “Remember this one?” he asks her.

“I remember belting this one out after having a few too many drinks in Memphis at that dive bar you played in during college.”

“That’s the one,” he confirms with a grin. And suddenly, Kate begins to sing Crazy by Patsy Cline, as if she was made to. It’s effortless for her. Declan joins her on the chorus, adding harmony, and when the song is over, they’re given a standing ovation. Kate stands and bows, kisses Declan’s cheek, and returns to her seat at my side.

“Wow.” It’s all I can manage.

“He’ll pay for that later.” She takes a deep breath and clenches her shaking hands together.

“You have a beautiful voice.”

She jerks one shoulder in a shrug and then settles back to listen to the rest of Declan’s set. She gradually relaxes, moving in her seat, singing along with the songs she knows. And when it’s all over, she stands and whoops and hollers, making Declan laugh from the stage.

“Thanks for coming, superstar,” Declan says, as he pulls Kate in for a hug. “And you too,” he says to me. “It’s been a minute since you came to a show.”

“Too long. I enjoyed it.”

This seems to surprise him, and I feel like an ass. It has been too long.

“I’d walk you home, but—” Declan looks over at the girl in the front row he winked at earlier and shoots her a smile.

“I see things haven’t changed,” Kate mutters and shakes her head. “I’m fine. Eli walked me over.”

“Do you mind walking her home?”

“If it’s out of your way—” Kate begins, but I shake my head.

“Of course. Have a good night.”

“He’s so formal,” Declan says with a grin.

“Not always,” Kate replies, and then kisses Declan’s cheek again, and before he can ask what she means by that, she says, “call me soon. We’ll have lunch or something.”

And with that, we leave, winding our way through the crowd.

“Would you like a drink for the walk home? There’s no open container law here.”

“Sure. I’d love some white wine, please.”

I order two glasses, and we set off toward home, walking slower so she can absorb everything happening around us.

“We can walk up a block and get out of the crazy.”

“No, I don’t mind.” Her eyes are pinned on a couple practically having sex against the wall of a building as we pass.

I take her hand in mine and keep her close, glowering at the drunker than fuck men that leer at her as we pass.

I’d rather not have her in the middle of this, and steer her down a block to walk up Royal, which is much more tame.

“I really didn’t mind,” she insists and sips her wine.

“I did.” I glance down at her and lead her around the gaping hole in the sidewalk. “Promise me you won’t go back there alone.”

“Oh, I’m fine.”

“Promise me, Kate.”

“It’s no big deal.”

I sigh and stop us, right there on the sidewalk, steps from her front door, and turn her to face me. “Please, as a favor to me, don’t go back to Bourbon Street at night alone. People get shot, raped, beat up down there all the time, cher. If you want to go, take someone with you.”

Her eyes are wide as she watches me, her hand flat on my chest. I pulled her against me without even realizing it, and now the zing of awareness is a pulsing need. I can feel her, from knee to chest, and it immediately makes my dick stand up and beg.

This woman is going to be the death of me.

And she’s off-limits.

“Kate.”

“I won’t,” she whispers, and watches my lips as she licks her own. An involuntary growl slips from my throat as I tip my head down and lean my forehead against hers, breathing her in. “This is a bad idea,” she whispers.

“Very bad,” I agree, and reluctantly pull away and walk her down the block to her loft.

“This house is pretty,” she says, gesturing to the four-story single family home right next to the building that holds her loft.

“Thank you,” I reply.

“You own that one too?”

“I do. That’s my house.”

“You live there?”

I nod and watch her carefully.

“So, we’re neighbors.”

“We are.”

“Well, thanks for taking me,” she says, and doesn’t meet my eyes as she climbs the stairs. “You don’t have to walk me to the door.”

“It’s not a problem,” I reply, but she stops me with a hand to my chest.

“I don’t want you to walk me to the door, Eli. Have a good night.”

And with that, she climbs the last of the stairs and lets herself inside without a backwards glance.

I stand on the sidewalk and watch her turn the lights on in her loft, then walk to my place and pour myself another glass of wine before I change into basketball shorts. It’s hot enough outside to forgo a shirt. I sit on the balcony, listening to the music coming from Jackson Square, and settle in for a long sleepless night.

An hour later, Kate’s lights go out, putting an end to a very long day. I picture her with her hair loose, climbing into bed, slipping between the sheets wearing nothing at all, and swear under my breath as I walk inside and close the doors.

Tomorrow will be business as usual. Forget her. I have no room in my life for a woman, least of all a woman who has forever and white picket fences written all over her.

I gave all of that up long ago.

Chapter Four

Kate

“Good mornin’,” Savannah says with a smile and hugs me after leading me into her office. “Thanks for coming in so early.”

“I figured we could go over the details before I head down to HR and meet my new boss.” I set my purse on the floor next to the chair and take in Van’s office. “Nice place you have here.”

“Thanks.” Van grins. “Quite a step up from that apartment we all shared at college.”

“It wasn’t so bad,” I reply. “But, yes, this is great. I’m proud of you.”

“Okay, so tell me what happens now.”

“Well, not much for the next few weeks. I need my coworkers to believe that I’m just another assistant. Then, as things settle and I’m not being watched as much, I’ll start investigating. You know I’m good with the computer, I can hack and sneak around and no one will ever know I’ve been there.”

“Do we lie and say we don’t know each other?” Van asks with a frown.

“No.” I shake my head and smile ruefully. “This is new for me, in that I’ve never worked in a place where I know the owners, but I think that if anyone asks, I’ll just say that I went to college with you. Leave it at that.”

“Why do I think we won’t be having lunches together?”

“Because we won’t. I need people to feel comfortable talking to me, and they won’t if they think that I’m best friends with the boss.”

“You are best friends with the boss.”

I shrug. “They don’t have to know that.”

“This whole thing pisses me off,” Van says with a sigh. “I love having you here, but I hate that someone is stealing from us.”

“We’ll find them. It’s just going to take a little time.” I reach across the desk and grip Van’s arm reassuringly. “I promise.”

She nods and then frowns. “Okay, change of subject. I’m sorry I wasn’t available to meet you yesterday.”