Midnight Orchids_Book Three of the NOLA Shifters Series

by Angel Nyx

  “Oh, perfect. Let me get those sandals. What are you going to do with your hair?”

  “I was thinking of putting it in a french braid. I figure it would be cooler that way.”

  “I have a pair of hair clips that would go great with your outfit. You could do the braid and wear the clips to just add some flair to the hairdo.”

  “Sure. Why not?” Kylie was trying to quell the nervousness she felt. It had been so long since she’d been on a date. She was worried she was going to embarrass herself.

  No sooner was she dressed and Remy was at the front door. Kylie heard him enter when Caine answered the knock.

  “I don’t need to tell you to tread carefully, do I?”

  Kylie arched a brow at Caine’s words. Had Emelise told him what she’d shared with her about Ezra?

  “Of course not. I’d cut off my own arm before I did someting to hurt or upset my mate.”

  Remy’s response made her shiver. He sounded…sincere. ‘Please let him be genuine,’ she silently prayed before she made her way to the living room.

  Remy’s attention was pulled toward the hallway when he heard the light steps coming down the hall. His gaze raked over Kylie before he smiled. “You look beautiful, Kitten.”

  Kylie felt her cheeks warm at the compliment. “Thank you.”

  “You kids have fun, now. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Emelise said and wagged her brows at them.

  Kylie just shook her head. Emelise was something else. “You look really good, too,” she finally said as Remy was escorting her out to his boat. He had on a pair of black jeans that hugged his body and made her mouth water a little. He’d paired them with a light gray button-down shirt that had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. “So, where are we going for dinner?”

  “Thanks, cher.” He helped her into the boat then winked at her. “You’ll see. It’s a surprise.”

  Kylie felt a little nervous not knowing where they were going but she tried to calm down and remind herself that Remy wasn’t Ezra. He wasn’t going to hurt her. God, she hoped she wasn’t wrong.

  Remy

  Remy couldn’t remember the last time he’d been anxious about a date. When he woke up that morning, all he could think about was how much he wanted Kylie to feel relaxed in his company. He’d debated long and hard about where they were going to go for their date and then he’d enlisted his brother’s help.

  There was a piece of land outside the city that belonged to a friend of theirs. It was still undeveloped because the guy couldn’t figure out what he wanted to do with it. Five years ago, Gage had enlisted Remy’s help to set up a romantic rendezvous for him and Mia, complete with dinner. Today, Remy was doing the same thing. The only difference was, he wasn’t proposing during the meal.

  “She’s got you all tied up in knots. I tink you’re worse den I was wit’ Mia.”

  Remy had glared at his brother while they’d worked on getting the gazebo decorated with twinkling lights.

  “You’re probably right,” he admitted grudgingly. “She’s drivin’ me crazy. Every time I tink I’m making a little headway wit’ her, she pulls her walls back up. Lily told me someting bad happened to Kylie in da past. She tinks an old boyfriend might have hurt her, physically, and dat’s scared her. I want to hunt down da bastard, who made her afraid to let others in, and beat him to a pulp.” An angry growl trickled out from between his lips.

  Gage went to him and gripped his shoulder. “Easy dere, Remy. Even if dat’s what happened, she’s here now. You just gotta take it slow wit’ her. Like I did wit’ Mia, after what Cole did to her. You just show her, every chance you get, dat you’re not like whoever it was dat hurt her, and she’ll come around. She did agree to go to dinner wit’ you, after all.”

  “True, she did. Dat’s a start, I suppose.” When they were finished, he stood back to make sure it looked right. “Thanks for your help today.”

  “Don’t mention it. You helped me wit’ my mate, now it’s my turn to help you. Mia’s fixin’ ever’ting you asked for. Go on. Go get your girl. By da time you’re here, I’ll have it all set up and waitin’ for you.”

  Remy nodded and headed back to the compound for Kylie. Every time he saw her, she damn near knocked him senseless with her beauty. One of the things he’d noticed about Kylie was that she had no idea just how beautiful she was. She didn’t see the way men looked at her, the way they undressed her with their eyes. Every single time a guy looked at her like that, when she was behind the bar at Scarlet Flux, he had to resist the desire to beat the shit out of them for it.

  He kept an eye on her as he took them to the private dock in New Orleans where his truck waited. “We’ve got a bit of drivin’ to get to where we’re goin’,” he informed her once they were on their way.

  “You’re being very secretive, Remy.”

  “I want dis to be a surprise, cher. If you’re not happy wit’ it, we’ll go somewhere else. You have my word.”

  Kylie watched him out of the corner of her eye. “Okay.”

  Remy watched from the corner of his eye as he pulled onto the little-used road that would take them to their destination. He could see her resolve to not ask questions crumbling as he pulled into what he knew looked like an empty field. A frown creased her brow and he saw her start to turn, most likely to question him, when something obviously caught her eye. There, ahead of them, was the gazebo covered in twinkling lights. “Wow. That’s really…pretty. Where are we?”

  “Dis land belongs to a buddy of mine and Gage’s. His father gave it to him to do whatever he wanted wit’ it and he hasn’t decided what dat is, yet.”

  “How on earth did you get this set up on such short notice?”

  “Wit’ help from my brother and his mate. He helped me decorate, she did da cookin’.”

  “I’m going to have to remember to thank Mia and Gage when I see them again. You continue to surprise me, Cajun. What other surprises do you have up your sleeve?”

  “Dat, Kitten, was da plan.” He smirked at her. “You’ll have to just wait to find out, won’t you?” he added with a wink. He moved around to her side of the truck and opened the door for her before he helped her out. He kept hold of her hand as he led her to the gazebo.

  “It’s beautiful,” she confessed. She sounded a little breathless as she looked at all the twinkling lights.

  “It’s beauty pales next to you,” Remy growled near her ear as he helped her up the steps. Was it cliché? Maybe, but it was also the truth. Nothing compared to her beauty, in his opinion.

  “You do have a way with words.” She sat at the table and arched a brow as he started placing covered dishes on it. “It all smells delicious. Your sister-in-law did a great job on the food.”

  Remy chuckled. “I’ll be sure to tell her you approved.”

  Soon they both had plates filled with steaks cooked just enough that they were still pink and succulent, and sauteed shrimp with portobello mushrooms on a bed of garlic linguine, shrimp étouffée, steamed asparagus, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. For long minutes the only sounds coming from the gazebo were pleased hums with every bite of food.

  “Tell me a bit about you, Kitten. I want to know ever’ting dere is to know about you.”

  Kylie swallowed nervously. “Why?”

  “You’re my mate.” For Remy it was as simple as that.

  “There’s not much to tell. I grew up in a little town in Maine, close to the US/Canadian border. My father was a lieutenant in the Pard until he died in a freak accident during a snowstorm five years ago. I’m an only child, so there are no siblings back in Maine. None that I know of, anyway. My parents weren’t mates but my father did love my mom. She died in childbirth and almost took me with her.” She shrugged as if her life was boring.

  “You said da name of your hometown was Frenchville, oui?” Remy noticed the hesitation on her face when he asked that question.

  “Um, yes. Why?”

  “I already told you, Kitten, I want to g
et to know you.”

  Kylie studied him. “Okay. There’s…really not much more to know about me.”

  “I disagree, cher. I tink dere are levels to you dat you keep to yourself for some reason. What made you decide to become a bartender?”

  “Honestly? I needed a job and that was the only thing available. It was kept off the record, though, for the first two years because I wasn’t twenty-one yet. I think my boss was happy to do it because it meant less taxes to be paid out on his end.”

  “How long did you work dere?”

  “Three years.”

  Remy cocked a brow at her. “Only tree? What have you been doin’ since den?”

  Kylie sighed. “I’d…rather not talk about that tonight, Remy.”

  “All right, Kitten. No pressure.” Whatever caused her to quit her job, it clearly made her uncomfortable. He would get to the bottom of it, eventually.

  “My turn to ask you some questions.” Kylie grinned at him. “I know you stepped in as temporary bouncer at the club, but I also know about Delacroix Carpentry and Architectural Design. What is it you do when not saving damsels in distress?”

  Remy chuckled. “You’re no damsel in distress, Kylie. I know you could have handled dat asshole on your own if you’d wanted to. I’m an architect,” he admitted, pride evident in his voice. “I went to Tulane University and got my master’s in architecture.”

  “Oh, architect. That can be a pretty lucrative field if you’re good at it.” She gave him a mischievous smile. “Are you any good?”

  He snorted. “As if dere is any doubt? Da reason I had to find a replacement for me at da club is because Delacroix Carpentry and Architectural Design has been hired to design, and build, a luxury resort near Lake Pontchartrain.”

  “Holy shit, Remy, that’s… Congratulations. I mean it. That’s big. Really big.”

  “It’s someting Gage and I have worked our asses off to get. As soon as we found out da owner was lookin’ to build and opened it up for bids, I put someting together and sent it off to dem. Dey liked what dey saw.”

  “That really is great, Remy.”

  “Da only downside to da contract is not getting to watch you work five nights a week.” He winked at her and chuckled when she blushed.

  Kylie

  When they’d finally reached their destination, she’d been completely blown away. She knew Remy was a charmer but she’d had no idea he was also a romantic. The twinkling lights that were wrapped around the gazebo reminded her a bit of starlight even though it was only early evening. They gave off just enough glow to soften the lighting when the sun began to sink low on the horizon.

  “It’s so beautiful here.” Her voice was soft as she looked out over the field. “This place would be perfect for outdoor weddings. With a little work, this gazebo could be the central point in an amazing garden. I can almost picture it, if I close my eyes.”

  Remy tipped his head and studied her. “What kind of garden do you see here, Kitten?”

  “Exotic flowers mingling with roses of varying shades. Maybe some orchids. Midnight orchids are absolutely gorgeous. They’re this really dark blue. So breathtaking.” She absently touched her side.

  “Is dat what da ink is I saw on you at da cookout? I caught a few glimpses of it,” he told her when she gave him a questioning look.

  “Yeah. I got it not too long ago.”

  “What made you get a tattoo?”

  “I don’t know. I guess, in a way, I was proving a point to myself.”

  “What point was dat, cher?”

  She glanced at him a moment. “That my life was my own and I could do whatever I wanted with it.” She was initially nervous about answering Remy’s questions about her past but with each passing minute she became more relaxed. There was such sincerity in his voice when he said he just wanted to get to know her that she couldn’t help but believe him.

  Kylie was beginning to realize that both Emelise and Lily were right; Remy was nothing like Ezra. Ezra had always been a charmer, but if she really thought about it, there was also always an air of insincerity about him. She’d been so young and naive that she’d attributed it to him being cocky and self-assured. Looking back, she realized now that what she’d thought was him being self-assured was really a mask for his innate controlling and abusive tendencies.

  “I’m going to miss seeing you at the club.” She hadn’t intended for those words to come out but now that they were, she couldn’t, wouldn’t, take them back.

  “Oh, don’t worry about dat, Kitten. I’ll still be dere, just not all night long. Dere’s no’ting in dis world dat could keep me away.”

  Remy reached for her hand and she hesitantly let him hold it. She closed her eyes a moment and before she realized what she was saying, her past came pouring out. “You asked me not too long ago what I was afraid of, why I was so scared to let anyone in. I spent the last five years with a man who was controlling, possessive, and abusive. Not just physically, either.” Her voice broke as a shudder made it’s way down her spine. She couldn’t look him in the eye as she continued. “I wasn’t allowed to say no. To anything. Whatever he wanted, when he wanted it, I had no say. My body no longer belonged to me, as far as he was concerned. The thought of letting anyone close enough to hurt me like that again scares the hell out of me. It makes me want to run and hide from the world, but I know I can’t. I don’t know if I will ever…want to be touched again, by anyone. It’s not fair to you. You should try to find someone else, Remy. Someone who isn’t afraid to let you in.” She didn’t even realize tears were spilling down her cheeks to drip onto her chest. Her leopard whimpered at the thought of losing her mate but she pushed it down and tried her best to ignore it.

  Remy

  When Kylie had let him take her hand in his without flinching, Remy had felt like he’d accomplished so much more than just holding hands. In a way, he had. Her not flinching meant she was starting to trust him, starting to let down her walls. Damn if it didn’t make him feel like he was walking on cloud nine.

  When she’d described her vision for a romantic garden specifically for weddings, he could see it in his mind, too. It gave him some ideas that he would have to put on the back burner for the moment.

  Remy didn’t ask her many questions once she started really talking because he was afraid she’d shut down if he did. It made him smile to know she would miss working with him at the club. Short of dying, there wasn’t one single thing that could keep him away from her for long. He’d walk through the fires of hell to be at her side, if he had to.

  When Kylie had closed her eyes, he’d felt sudden tension in her hand, and frowned. The frown turned to barely suppressed rage when she finally told him the reason why she kept pushing him away. He and his leopard were in agreement; they wanted to hunt down the leopard, who’d both physically and sexually abused Kylie for half a decade, and rip him to shreds. He wanted to kill the bastard, slowly, and make sure every second of his life draining away was done in agony.

  Kylie’s tears were his undoing. As soon as Remy saw them he couldn’t stop himself. He moved to her and pulled her into his arms before he sat on the nearby bench that surrounded the inside of the gazebo. His arms banded around her and held her tight.

  “No one will ever hurt you again, Kitten.” He buried his face in her hair and breathed her in. He couldn’t erase her past, but he sure as hell could help her to heal from it.

  When her tears finally subsided, he nuzzled her gently. “Do you want to go back to da compound?”

  Her whispered ‘no’ made his heart hurt. “All right. We’ll stay right here for as long as you want to.” He shifted their position so that he could prop himself up against the gazebo before he pulled her against his chest. She sat nestled between his legs with her head resting on his chest. His hand moved in slow circles on her back, soothing both her and her leopard, until he felt her relax and her breathing slowed.

  Remy smiled down at her before he pulled out his phone and sent a
quick text to Caine, letting him know they might not be back until morning. He didn’t go into detail; he simply told his Alpha that Kylie had finally opened up, and because she was emotionally drained, she’d fallen asleep in his arms.

  C:Be safe and see you in the morning.

  Remy smiled at Caine’s text before he let his own eyes drift closed as sleep pulled him under.

  Chapter Ten

  Kylie

  “Things seem to be better between you and Remy.”

  Kylie looked up from the book she was reading and smiled a bit shyly at Emelise’s comment. “They are. I owe you an apology. Well, you and Lily. You both told me, repeatedly, that Remy was nothing like Ezra and I kept brushing you off. I’m sorry for being so…obstinate about it. You were right. Remy and Ezra are as different as night and day.”

  “You don’t have to apologize, Kylie. You went through hell and you were scared. It made perfect sense that you’d be leery of trusting someone else so soon after getting out of such a bad situation.”

  “You don’t know all of it.”

  Emelise blinked. “What do you mean?”

  Kylie closed her book and sighed. She’d had no trouble telling Remy but for some reason it was harder to tell Emelise. “Ezra…my body didn’t belong to me, as far as he was concerned. I wasn’t allowed to say no. To anything.”

  Emelise stared at her for several seconds. “Oh, gods, Kylie.” She went to her and hugged her. “You…that…that bastard deserves to be flayed alive for what he did to you. You deserve so much better than that.”

  Kylie smiled a little. “Thanks. For the longest time, I told myself that was how relationships were. It was how I coped with it.” She bit her lip a moment. “Remy knows. Everything. I had a bit of an emotional breakdown during our dinner date and he held me while I cried. I felt…safe in his arms. The last time I felt that way was before my dad died.”