Stay With Me Tonight

Kade's Pov

The air in that tiny living room felt like a fire.

My hands were still resting on Milo’s waist, and his hands were flat right against my chest. I could feel his heart hammering away under his shirt, beating just as fast as mine. Every single warning in my head started screaming at me to let go. I was the vice president of the Devil Riders. I was supposed to be the smart one, the tough one who never let feelings get in the way of a job. But looking down at Milo’s flushed face and his brave, half-smiling lips, I felt like a total fool.

"Then don't be a professional," Milo whispered again, his eyes locking onto mine with a challenge that made my blood run hot. "Who says I want you to be?"

I let out a rough breath, my grip tightening on his waist for a second before I forced myself to drop my hands and step back. The sudden cold air rushed into the space between us.

"You don't know what you're asking for, Milo," I muttered, shaking my head as I turned away to check the front door locks again. "Crossing that line changes everything. We got people watching this building, and enemies looking for any reason to tear us apart. I can't protect you if I'm too busy worrying about how you look at me."

Milo crossed his arms, his stubborn chin lifting up. "I am not a glass doll, Kade. I didn't ask you to treat me like I'm made of sugar. And I definitely didn't ask you to pretend that night at the bar never happened."

"That night was a mistake," I snapped back, even though my chest hurt just saying it.

"Stop saying that!" Milo yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "You don't mean it! I see the way you look at me when you think I'm not paying attention."

He turned around and stomped off toward the kitchen, muttering under his breath about stubborn, thick-headed bikers.

I stood there in the living room, rubbing the back of my neck with a heavy sigh. He was right, of course. I couldn't stop thinking about him. But I had no idea how dangerous things were about to get.

The next few days turned into a real battle of wills.

Milo figured out pretty quickly that he could get under my skin just by being himself. Every time I walked over to check the window locks or test the heavy iron deadbolts, Milo would suddenly appear right beside me, slipping under my guard.

"Check the kitchen window again, Officer Kade," he would say with a sweet, annoying little smile, handing me a steaming mug of black coffee. "Are you sure nobody is out there watching us eat pancakes?"

He started wearing my heavy black leather jacket around the apartment just to bug me. The jacket swallowed him up, the sleeves hanging way past his hands, and every time I looked at him walking around my temporary living space smelling like my soap and leather, my chest did a stupid little flip.

Yet, as the hours ticked by, the teasing started to fade into something much quieter and deeper.

I started noticing the little things about him. I noticed the soft humming sound he made deep in his throat when he was sitting at his computer sketching out a new logo design. I noticed how he would completely forget to eat lunch or dinner if a project got difficult, staring blankly at his screen until his eyes turned red with tiredness.

And I noticed how his whole face would fall silent and sad whenever his father's name slipped into our conversations, his shoulders dropping like he was carrying a heavy weight all by himself.

The best part, though, was the way he took care of me without even realizing it. Every night around midnight, while I was sitting by the front door cleaning my gear or checking my phone for updates from Roman, Milo would quietly walk out of his room carrying two plates of whatever food he managed to cook, making damn sure I ate before he did.

"Eat, Kade," he would whisper, setting a plate down on the table next to me without meeting my eyes. "You've been sitting there like a statue for three hours."

"I don't need you to babysit the babysitter, Milo," I would grumble.

"Shut up and eat your food," he would fire back with a soft, tired smile before walking away.

By the fourth night, the exhaustion finally caught up with both of us.

The apartment was totally quiet, save for the hum of the refrigerator and the distant sound of cars passing on the street outside. I walked out of the hallway after checking the back windows and saw Milo slumped over his desk.

His head was resting right on top of his folded arms, and his laptop screen was still glowing brightly, showing a half-finished graphic design project. He had fallen fast asleep right there in the middle of his work.

I walked over slowly, my heavy boots making no sound on the wooden floor. I looked down at him. His dark curls fell gently across his forehead, and his breathing was slow and even. He looked so young, so peaceful, and so completely worn out from days of hiding and worrying about men who wanted to hurt him.

"Damn it, Milo," I whispered to myself.

I didn't wake him up. Instead, I reached down, carefully sliding one arm under his knees and the other behind his back, and lifted him effortlessly out of the chair. Milo let out a soft, sleepy sigh, his head instantly dropping against my shoulder, his face pressing right into the fabric of my black t-shirt.

My heart hammered against my ribs so hard I thought it might burst. I carried him down the small hallway and pushed open the door to his bedroom.

The room smelled like clean laundry and the sweet soap he always used. I gently laid him down on top of the mattress, pulling the soft blankets up over his shoulders to keep him warm.

I stood there for a second in the dark room, my hand lingering near his face, just wanting to brush a stray curl away from his forehead. I knew I had crossed a line in my own head. I wasn't just his bodyguard anymore. I was falling for him, hard and fast, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

"Time to go, Kade," I muttered to myself, turning around to walk out of the bedroom so he could sleep in peace.

I stepped quietly toward the door, my boots clicking softly against the floorboards as I reached for the handle.

"Kade..."

I froze.

I looked back over my shoulder. Milo was still lying under the heavy blankets, his eyes barely open, his hand reaching out blindly into the dark room. His fingers caught the edge of my shirt, pulling gently.

"Kade... don't leave me alone tonight."