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He flashed her a sexy grin, and her heart skipped a beat.
Xavier pulled open the door, and he waved them in. He met Kimber’s gaze. “Are you doing okay?”
She smiled and nodded. “We’re doing well, but I’m starving,” she told the dragon shifter, who she cherished like a brother.
“Of course you are,” Rourke chuckled over by the bar where the food was set up. “Come on and get something to eat.”
Kimber glanced over to the sitting area, where the others talked quietly. Luke was on the phone, and Jagger and Nicco discussed something calmly. Worry settled in, and she glanced at the food.
“Hey,” Mikhail soothed as if reading her mind. He darted a look to Jagger, Luke, and Nicco. Then his amber gaze again rested on Kimber. “Il mio cuore, they are doing their job,” he told her quietly. “Now, why don’t you get yourself and our baby something to eat?”
More than anything, Kimber wanted to know what was going on. However, the food smelled good.
Mikhail placed a light kiss on the back of her hand. “Please.”
She knew in her heart he was worried. Kimber nodded, releasing Mikhail’s hand. She turned to Xavier. “I hope there is orange chicken.”
“There is, and that spicy seafood soup, Jagger said, was your favorite,” Xavier informed.
Kimber walked over to the bar, immediately swiped a spring roll, and bit into the delectable Asian appetizer. Rourke chuckled, and she knew he was studying her. “You look good. How are you feeling?” he asked as he passed her a paper plate, but she didn’t take it.
She darted a glance to where Mikhail and Xavier had joined the others. They talked quiet enough across the room that she couldn’t hear what was discussed. Finally, she turned back to Rourke. “I’m starving, a little unnerved. I miss the girls, and despite the fact he was promised to another woman, I know he’s the one.”
“Kimber, we had a chance to talk to him before you walked into the office and just saw how he treats you. Then just now. He cares about you,” Rourke told her with a smile.
“He’s the one,” she whispered, then took another bite of the spring roll.
Rourke nodded. “I believe you.” A sweet smile worked across his face. “You’ve been there for us. Not to mention, the only girl.”
“Sometimes, it felt like I had four older brothers instead of just one. That’s why Hailey is so important to me,” Kimber explained. “However, you, Nicco, and Xavier, as annoying as you were when we were younger, have landed you amazing mates. I know have four remarkable women I look at as sisters.”
A slow, deliberate breath left Rourke’s mouth. “You know I did my due diligence on Mikhail. He’s not only a standup guy. He’s a genuinely nice guy. He cares about his people. Especially those in impoverished areas of the country.”
Kimber digested this information. She hadn’t learned much about Mikhail’s role in his country. “He sounds like he’s compassionate and someone you all would be friends with.”
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “Let me do you up a plate.” He studied her a moment longer. “I maybe miss the girls, more than I let on. This is all new and a whole lot scary as it is exciting.” She glanced back over at the guys whispering.
Never had she been one to sit on the sidelines. She had been there for both Hailey and Cammie. Kimber would have fought Melanie’s father next to Rourke, Nicco, and Xavier for Johanna, Mel, and Xavier’s daughter. She would have gone with Nicco and Jagger the day they saved Jenny from a stalker.
Now Kimber was the possible target, and she wouldn’t be silenced.
“Could you bring the plate over to the sofa? I want to sit and something more comfortable,” she told Rourke.
He narrowed his gaze. “No, your real motive is to find out what’s going on.”
She snickered, then shrugged before flashing him a grin. “Well, there is that too,” she giggled and swiped another spring roll. Though there was much about Mikhail, like his royal duties, she didn’t know. However, she knew he loved spring rolls. Kimber walked over to where Mikhail sat with the other four men.
True, she felt outnumbered and debated calling Hailey. She approached the men, and the conversation came to a halt. “I don’t mean to interrupt,” she told them in her usual sassy tone and plunked herself on the sofa next to Mikhail. She held up the spring roll in front of Mikhail’s mouth. He flashed her a grin, framed by his deep dimples, then took a bite.
Slowly he chewed, then swallowed. “That is one of the best spring rolls I’ve ever had.”
Nicco chuckled. “They are. The restaurant we ordered from was the first Chinese restaurant in Las Vegas and still has some of the most amazing dishes in town.”
“Nicco fails to mention that the restaurant was here before Las Vegas was and rumors are the restaurant that stands in town today, its actual origins date back to 1905,” Kimber explained. “When the first Chinese miners made their way to Nevada. Whether it’s true or not, their spring rolls are amazing, and the spicy seafood soup is incredible.”
Mikhail smiled. “I love how you know random pieces of history.”
“It’s what had Hailey, and I first become friends back in boarding school,” she told him, remembering back to their teen years. “We both loved history and useless knowledge and hated our school uniforms,” she told him. “I wish she was here.”
