Midnight Orchids Read online

  “Naw, no problem. We’re just having some fun. Aren’t we, darlin?” the guy drawled at the woman.

  “Is dat so? By da look on her face, I’d say fun is da last ting she’s havin’. You okay over here, cher, or are dese boys botherin’ you?” He could see the hesitation in her eyes.

  “I told them I wanted to leave but they wouldn’t move so I could get up.”

  Remy cocked a brow. “I suggest you do what da lady asks unless you wanna be escorted outta here in cuffs.”

  “What are you, a cop? Where’s your badge?”

  “Me? No. But one quick call and I’ll have one of NOPD’s finest here in a jiff. One who doesn’t take kindly to men who don’t take no for an answer.” For a moment Remy thought for sure they were going to ignore him.

  “Whatever. There’s plenty of pussy around here looking for some fun.” The guy who seemed to be the ring leader of the trio finally moved to let her up.

  “If you’re lookin’ to get laid, you might want to hit one of da less reputable clubs. People come here to enjoy demselves, not to be sexually harassed by wannabe stars,” Remy growled. He gently took the woman’s arm and escorted her away from them. “You all right, cher?”

  “I am now, thank you.”

  “Just doin’ my job.” He winked out of habit. “Enjoy da rest of your night, now.” He made his way back toward the bar but made a mental note to keep an eye on the trio in case they caused any further trouble.

  “Penny for your thoughts.”

  Remy was leaning against the wall, eyes scanning the crowd but not really seeing them, when Lily’s voice reached his ears. “You’d have to pay me more den dat, cher.” He winked at her and nodded at Declan. “Come to have a drink, I take it?”

  “According to my mate, I don’t get out enough. When did you start working here?” Declan cocked a brow at him.

  “Last night. I was here when some asshole grabbed hold of Kylie’s wrist and freaked her out. Oh, she pretended it didn’t, but I saw da fear in her eyes. Da bouncer was a no-show. When I told Emelise what happened and offered to take his place, she gave me da job.”

  Declan cocked a brow at him. “Did you break the bastard’s arm for touching her?”

  “No, but I wanted to.” There was an angry growl in Remy’s voice.

  “Remy Delacroix showing restraint? Will wonders never cease?” Lily teased. Then she grew serious. “Listen, Rem, I think you should be given a heads-up. I’m not sure of the details, but something bad happened in her past. When we were shopping earlier, she asked what you were really like when you weren’t trying to impress someone. When I asked her why she thought you were trying to impress her, she said that was what men did. They put on an act while keeping their real personalities hidden until it was too late. I think the guy she was involved with, before she moved here, might have hurt her. She’s determined to not let anyone close so you are going to have your work cut out for you.”

  Remy felt his hackles raise. The thought of someone laying a hand on Kylie in anger infuriated him. If the fucker ever dared show his face in New Orleans he was going to regret it. “Thanks for da warning, cher. I appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome. We’re going to go get a drink; try to not get into too much trouble.” She winked and laughed before she let Declan lead her to an empty table.

  Remy watched them go before he glanced at Kylie. Whatever happened in her past, he’d find a way to help her get past it. He just had to figure out how he was going to get the woman to let him in enough for him to have a chance at helping her heal.

  Chapter Five

  Kylie

  Kylie looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t sure why she was nervous about her appearance. The Pard and the Ghostpoint Pack were getting together for a cookout and she’d offered to help with the food. It had taken a bit of cajoling before she finally got Emelise to agree. If the other woman wasn’t pregnant she probably wouldn’t have given in, but Kylie had a feeling that carrying twins was starting to take a physical toll on Emelise.

  If she was completely honest with herself, she knew why she was nervous. Remy was going to be there. He had a quiet strength about him that made her feel like she could trust him even as she fought to keep him at a distance. She’d been in Louisiana for two weeks now and every time he spoke to her, it made her pulse race and her panties wet. She had the distinct feeling he was well aware of his effect on her even if he said nothing about it. Unlike most men, who seemed to only be interested in saying whatever they could to get a woman in bed as quickly as possible, Remy seemed to be genuinely interested in knowing her as a person, which both scared her and thrilled her. She just wished she could be unaffected by him but she couldn’t control her body’s reaction. That didn’t mean she had to act on it.

  Taking a deep breath, Kylie pulled her hair up into a ponytail and left her room. She wore a pair of jeans that hugged her body, paired with a camisole top that gave glimpses of her stomach, and the very bottom edge of her tattoo, every now and then.

  “Hey, let me get that for you.” Kylie moved to the door where Emelise was trying to balance a platter of uncooked hamburgers with one hand and open the door with the other. Instead of getting the door, she took the platter from her.

  “Thanks, girl. Caine would probably flip if he saw me carrying that out. No, I wasn’t supposed to be getting it but it was just sitting there waiting.”

  Kylie shook her head. “You are going to drive him crazy as this pregnancy progresses.”

  “Probably. But he’ll get over it.” Emelise flashed a grin as they headed to the center of the compound where a large grill was set up for cooking on.

  Kylie laughed a little and followed her. She set the platter down and turned to head back to the house. “I saw the steaks waiting to come out; I’ll grab them. You, just relax. You don’t need to be overdoing it with you being pregnant.”

  Emelise rolled her eyes. “Not you, too. I’m pregnant, not an invalid. Women have been having babies for as long as we’ve existed. I’m perfectly capable of carrying some steaks out here.”

  Kylie shook her head. “Nuh-uh. I am not having our Alpha growl at me for letting you carry it.”

  “Fine, fine. I’ll just sit here and look pretty.”

  Caine caught the end of her statement and growled playfully. “Pretty, hell, you look gorgeous.”

  “You’re biased.” Eme blew her mate a kiss.

  Kylie shook her head at them and headed back to the house so she could grab a second platter of steaks before carrying them out the door.

  Remy

  Remy was looking forward to the relaxed atmosphere the cookout would provide for all of them. Over the last two weeks, whenever he was around Kylie for very long, he noticed the way her posture stiffened. He knew she was unnerved; he could practically feel the vibes coming off her, and he could smell her unease. He also smelled her arousal. Oh yes, she might not want to be attracted to him but she was.

  Still, she kept him at arm’s length even at work. When all the servers in the VIP lounge would joke or flirt with him, Kylie was usually a bit cold. It was frustrating beyond belief. He hoped today would give him the chance to get past her walls a little.

  When he spotted her coming out of Caine and Emelise’s house with a large platter of uncooked steaks, he took the opportunity he was presented. “Let me get dat for you, cher.” He winked at her and was amused when it seemed to rile her up.

  “I was perfectly capable of carrying it, Remy.”

  Oh, there was annoyance in her voice but at least she was talking to him. “I know dat but I wanted to do it for you. Are you really goin’ to argue wit’ me over it?”

  “No.”

  That sigh. She acted like it was such a bother for him to offer to help her. A lock of her hair slipped from the loose ponytail she had and Remy reached out to brush it back from her face. He wasn’t thinking; if he had he wouldn’t have moved as quickly as he did. He saw her flinch as his hand neared her fac
e and he silently cursed himself. “Easy, Kitten, I’m not gonna hurt you.”

  Kylie blinked at him calling her kitten. “I’m not sure if you’re trying to be playful or insulting with that.”

  “Oh, you wound me. You tink I’d insult you, cher?” He put his free hand over his heart and had a pained look on his face.

  Kylie shook her head at him. “Whatever, Remy. You should probably get that over to Caine so he can get the steaks cooking.”

  Remy smirked. “For da record, Kitten, it’s not an insult.” With that he carried the platter to Caine.

  “How are tings goin’ wit’ winnin’ over your mate?” Caine asked after taking the platter from him.

  Remy growled low. “Not good. Two steps forward, tree steps back, it seems. Ever’time I tink I’ve made some headway wit’ her, she pulls back. I just wish she’d let her guard down a little.”

  Emelise, having heard his comment, decided to speak up. “Remy, you need to give her time. I know it’s hard, but…she shared some things with me that made my heart hurt for her. It’s not my place to tell you what she shared with me in confidence, but…don’t push her too hard, okay.”

  Remy’s eyes darkened at her words. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what Emelise was getting at. Someone in Kylie’s past abused her. The very thought infuriated him. He wanted to hunt down whoever it was and make them pay for it. “I’ll try to take your advice, cher.” He wanted to question Kylie but he knew if he tried, the skittish female would no doubt clam up. Instead, he turned his attention to helping to get everything cooked.

  Kylie

  By the time all the steaks, burgers, hot dogs, and sausages were cooked, the rest of the food was set up and ready to be eaten. There were several types of potato salad, a couple different pasta salads, a big bowl of broccoli and raisin salad, and several huge platters of crawdads. There was also a deep pot of gumbo and another full of jambalaya. Kylie had never seen so much food before. “Damn, that’s a lot of food.”

  Lily laughed at her comment. “Yeah. Every time the Pard has a cookout they go overboard with the food. Toss in the Pack and it’s really crazy. It’s a good thing most of us are shifters because either there would be a ton of leftovers or we’d all get fat.”

  Kylie snickered. “Good point. Okay, what in the hell are those red baby lobster looking things?”

  Remy heard her and growled. “You did not just call crawdads baby lobsters. cher, dese are better den lobster any day.”

  Kylie rolled her eyes. “I highly doubt that.”

  “Uh-oh, that sounds like a challenge to me, Remy.”Lily gave him a mischievous smile.

  “Sounds like it to me, too.” He picked up one of the crawdads and showed Kylie how to eat it before he offered one to her. “Try it. Dese might be a bit spicy for you, Kitten, so I hope you like da heat.” He even showed her how to suck on the head.

  Kylie glared at the look he gave her and took the crustacean from his outstretched hand. Their fingers brushed and she felt a jolt of electricity that made her shiver. God, if just brushing his fingers made her feel like that, how much more intense would it be if he actually touched her? She pushed the thought away because she had no intention of ever finding out. She ate the crawdad the way he showed her. It was different from lobster, not better, not worse, just…different. She wondered if that was because it was fresh water while lobsters were saltwater shellfish. “Not bad. I don’t think they’re better than lobsters, but I’m probably a bit biased on that.”

  Remy shook his head. “Live here long enough, cher, and dat’ll change.”

  “We’ll see.” When she saw there was a platter of fresh fruit as well, she added several rings of pineapple to her plate and found a spot to sit and eat. She wasn’t entirely surprised when Remy sat down next to her. When he cocked a brow at her eating a piece of the pineapple first, she shrugged. “It’s my favorite.”

  “Good to know, Kitten.” He winked at her. “You seem to be relaxin’ more around da rest of da Pard.”

  “They make it easy. Everyone’s been so…nice, so welcoming. It’s a little surprising. I honestly didn’t expect to be accepted so easily despite both Emelise and Mia assuring me otherwise.”

  “Your old Pard sounds a lot like da way ours was before Caine became Alpha. Our old Alpha, Zachary—may he rot in hell—was a bastard. He didn’t take care of da Pard, he spent money dat should have gone to support da Pard on his whores, he didn’t like outsiders, and da only humans he liked were da prostitutes he brought to da compound. Emelise’s mama, she took off when she was sixteen because she got pregnant wit’ Emelise. Her papa, as you can see,” he said, pointing to where Derek and his family were seated, “is human, and Zachary would have made Adelaide abort da baby out of fear it wouldn’t be able to shift. If she’d brought Emelise back here when she was a little girl, he’d have killed her.”

  Kylie stared at him. “Fucking hell. At least Simon wasn’t that bad. That’s…vile. I’m glad he’s not the Alpha anymore. How long has Caine been in control?”

  “Eight years. A decade ago, dis compound was so rundown, you’d have thought it was a slum.”

  “Hard to believe that by looking at it now.” Kylie was impressed with how swiftly Caine turned things around for the Pard.

  “He’s a good Alpha. We got lucky.”

  Kylie glanced where Caine and Emelise were sitting. “I can’t even begin to imagine where I would be right now if Emelise didn’t exist. Did you know, I’d just gotten to New Orleans and was staying…at a shelter, when I saw the ad for the position at the club? I mean, as in I’d just gotten off the bus. I’d probably still be at the shelter if not for her.”

  “Naw, Kitten, you’d be here, but tings might have been a little less pleasant wit’out her presence.”

  “Why do you say I would still be here?”

  He smirked. “Because, someone would have eventually discovered you were in da city, most likely by crossing your path wherever you were workin’, and brought you out here to meet wit’ da Alpha.”

  “Oh. I guess that makes sense. Still, I’m really glad she’s here,” Kylie admitted.

  Remy nodded as if in agreement with her. “We’re all glad she’s here. Seein’ our Alpha happy, it gives da rest of da Pard who haven’t found dere mate da hope dat dey will soon.”

  “Relationships are overrated,” Kylie said under her breath. “I’m going to go see if Emelise needs anything,” she added as she got up and moved away from him. She felt awkward talking about mates.

  Remy watched her go with renewed determination on his face.

  “Hey, Eme, you look a little tired. Are you okay? Do you need anything?” Kylie was glad to have a distraction from the discussion she’d been having with Remy.

  “You could tell that from way over there? You are watching me way too closely, girl. You should be enjoying yourself, especially with a hottie like Remy Delacroix paying attention to you.”

  “Don’t even go there, Emelise.”

  “Don’t go where?” Lily sat down next to her friend and arched a brow at Kylie.

  “Kylie here thinks it’s more fun talking to me than having a hottie like Remy paying attention to her.”

  “That’s not what I said. I’m serious, Emelise, you look tired.”

  “She has a point; you do look a little worn out,” Lily agreed.

  Emelise groaned. “ I swear, if it’s not Caine, it’s one of you. By the time these babies get here, I’m going to be half crazy from all the coddling.”

  Lily poked her side. “We’re not coddling you. We’re your family and we care about your well-being.”

  “I know, Lil. I am a little tired, ” Emelise finally admitted, “but as long as I just sit here and relax, I’ll be fine.”

  “Why don’t I take Hailey for a bit? I’ll get all the kids together and organize a game so they’re not under foot,” Kylie offered.

  “You want to organize a game for all these kids? Kylie, are you nuts?” Emelise gave
her a look that said she clearly though Kylie had lost it.

  “No, I’m not nuts. It’ll give me something to do and it’ll entertain the kids.”

  “Who am I to stop you? If you want to try to handle this unruly bunch, more power to you, girl,” Eme said with a soft laugh.

  Kylie didn’t think the kids were that unruly. They just had a lot of energy. “Alright, listen up. I need all the kids to go over to the open field there.” She pointed to where she wanted them to go. “ We’re going to play a game so you can burn off some of that pent-up energy you all have.”

  All of the kids cheered and took off to where she’d told them to gather. Soon enough she had them separated into two teams. “We’re going to play Capture the Flag. Have any of you ever played it?” Only a couple of the older kids raised their hands. “Good, I’m glad some of you have. So, here’s how the game is played. Each team will have a base, on opposite ends of the field. You will have a flag at your base and the object of the game is to try and capture the other team’s flag. If you are in the other team’s territory and you get tagged, you go to jail until another one of your own team members is able to run to you and tag you to let you out. It’s kind of like a game of tag only with the addition of a flag.”

  “Where are we gonna get flags?” one of the older boys asked.

  Before Kylie could respond Remy spoke. “Dese should work.” He’d tied two different-colored bandannas to long sticks.

  “Thank you. I was going*5 to go with something a little less conventional but this is perfect.”

  “Oh? What were you goin’ to use, Kitten?” he growled near her ear.