DIANA

“You know you want it,” he said to her, “You’ve been eyeing me all night.”

She twirled her finger around in the dark spirits, a shot of bourbon she’d been nursing for a while.

“You’re hot—I’ve seen you here before,” he said, his breath reeking of beer, speech slurring, “You’re with that other chick, right? You together? Gotta man?”

She smirked, shaking her head and leaning back against the leather seat.

She watched the younger man—a bouncer at the bar—smiling back at her.

“Ya know, I bet I know the type of man you like..”

Taking her eyes off of the young man by the door, she tilted her head at the stranger and raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”

“Oh, yeah..any cock that can fit between these thighs.”

She lifted the glass and downed the shot as the man in the booth pushed himself closer to her.

“And I have the right cock for ya..”

“I’d suggest you taking your hand off my thigh before you lose it,” she snarled, “Or I bite your cock off and feed it to you right here, right now.”

The man laughed, his hand pressing even harder into her leg.

She’s worn her leather pants that night and a leather jacket, her style since she was a teenager.

“Do you think that bouncer will let you do that?”

She smiled, “That bouncer will let me do any damn thing I want.”

Tiptoeing his fingers up her leg, the man reacted slowly as the switchblade came down on his resting hand on the table, “FUCK!!”

Twisting the knife, the woman relished in the screams from the man beside her and only let go of the blade when the bouncers rushed over to see what the commotion was about.

She pulled the knife from the man’s flesh and let out a sigh, “I warned you.”

Getting up, she pushed herself away from the booth as the young bouncer shook his head and allowed her to leave.

Wiping the blood off the blade with a nearby napkin, she made her way outside, her black boot hitting the pavement as the door to the bar flew open and a familiar voice called out to her.

“Diana!” Kane’s voice echoed into the alleyway as Diana Dixon made her way to her motorcycle at the end of the lot, “Diana, wait!”

She looked back and smiled at Kane who was about to get off of work.

“I don’t have all night, cowboy,” Diana revving up the hog’s engine, “Stitch that guy up and let’s go.”

“These flowers are beautiful,” she said as she sniffed the roses, “Even though they’re not my thing.”

Delilah smiled, “What...is your thing, Di?”

“A motorcycle, a tattooed muscle man with a bad drinking habit.”

The sixteen year old winked at her mother who watched as Diana sniffed the flowers she’d received from Kane earlier in the evening.

“We’re not dating.”

“What would you call it then?”

Diana whirled around and smiled, “Beneficial.”

“Oh, no..”

“Mom, we’re safe,” Diana said, “I was...planning on telling you when I was forty.”

Delilah laughed, “But...really? When did this happen?”

“Do I have to give you details?”

Delilah frowned, “I suppose not. Is he good to you? He didn’t,-”

“I wanted it, Mom..” Diana said, sitting down next to her mother on the bed, “Kane was kind and he didn’t hurt me, I promise.”

“Are you...his..”

“No,” Diana shrugged, “Apparently, I was not the chosen one. He had some sort of fling last summer at camp.”

“My word..”

“Mom, I know what we do...what this family does,” Diana said, “Sex is wonderful, it’s healthy. I’m fine. We’re both fine.”

Delilah smiled, “I wish you’d come to me with this stuff. Should we get the pill?”

“Yeah, we sure don’t want any little Kane’s running around..” Diana tried to play it off as if her very first time didn’t mean much, but it did—and it did to Kane as well.

“It’s nice he asked you to the dance.”

“He wants to date. I don’t want to.”

“He’s been smitten with you since you were five—maybe even before,” her mother sighed, “Always the gentleman—always when it comes to you.”

“I am not ready for a commitment, but I feel like I am leading him on,” she replied, “What do I do about my emotions? I am hormonally raging!”

Her mother laughed, “You don’t give in to them—respect yourself and the person you’re with. Never compromise yourself. Wanna have a girl’s day tomorrow? Me, you, Aspen, Julie..”

The young woman’s phone buzzed as her dark blue eyes lit up, “It’s him.”

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Delilah was surprised when Diana reached out and hugged her.

“I love you, Mom.”

“Oh, Di...” Delilah sighed into her daughter’s shoulder, “I love you so much.”

Delilah took her leave, hoping that Diana would open up to her more as the years slipped by.

She left the room with a tear streaming down her face, “My little girl isn’t little anymore..”

“What’s up, cowboy?”

“I thought we were meeting tonight?”

“I thought you were picking me up.”

“Jesus, Diana, I can’t read your fucking mind.”

Diana twirled her hair as she crashed onto the bed, the moonlight shining in through her window.

“Well, come over.”

“And get shot by your dad? I don’t think so.”

“My Dad loves you.”

“Your Dad thinks we’re...you told your Mother.”

Diana rolled onto her back and stared at the solar system on her ceiling.

The glow in the dark stick-ons were placed there by her niece, Penny, when she spent the night a few weekends prior.

“I did.”

A long silence.

“And?”

“And I need to get on the pill.”

“You aren’t?”

“Not yet.”

“DIANA!”

“KANE!” Diana laughed, “I’m fine.. I got my period anyway. You didn’t ask me.”

“I...we...”

“You used protection.”

“Yeah, after ten minutes..” Kane closed his eyes, sitting in his car just down the road from Diana’s house, “I’m sorry—this isn’t on you.”

Diana smiled, “Come and get me in five minutes. You’re the only guy Dad lets me see after hours.”

“I’m the only one he KNOWS about..” Kane shook his head and ended the call, making his way down the road to pick up Diana.

“You’re gonna be the death of me, dragon..”

“Be back by midnight,” Donovan said, “Or no more Kane for a year.”

“Yes, sir,” Diana kissed her father on the cheek and winked at Delilah who smiled at Kane, “Don’t wait up.”

“You know she will,” Donovan chuckled, flipping the pages of his crossword puzzle book, “Won’t you, queen?”

Delilah shrugged, her knitting forgotten, “I always do.”

“I’ll call then,” Diana said, “Tracker is ON, by the way.”

“Good,” Donovan said, “Because last time I almost sent the whole state out to find you.”

“She’s in good hands, Mr.D,” Kane said.

“By the entire state, he means the quads.”

“The...quads?”

Delilah picked up her projct again and smiled, “She means her brothers.”

Kane nodded, “Ahh, yes, I don’t want to get my face mangled today—no thank you.”

“And it’s such a pretty boy face, too,” Diana teased, pinching his cheeks, “Let’s go.”

Donovan and Delilah watched the two head out with Delilah wrapping her arms around her husband’s waist and Donovan sipping on some warm tea.

“She’s getting on the pill.”

Donovan choked, coughing as he stepped away from his wife.

“Jesus..Kane?”

Delilah nodded, smiling sheepishly, “At least they’re playing it safe..”

Donovan sighed as the taillights from Kane’s car vanished into the night.

“I could never keep them young and innocent forever...”

“She snuck out again?” Cooper smirked, “That’s my girl.”

Diana crossed her arms over her chest and sulked as her brothers, mother, and father sat across from her at the kitchen table.

“What were you thinking?” Donovan asked, “You could have been killed.”

“Doing what?” Diana challenged, “Taking the ferry with...”

“Say it,” Delilah said, “Tell us who you were with.”

Sixteen year old Diana Dixon smiled, “Kane Thorn.”

Cooper laughed, eliciting a jab from Jason underneath the table.

“Kane Thorn, eh? I guess Justin needs to hear from me,” Donovan said.

“He knows,” Diana shrugged, “Dad,-”

“You were grounded for your gym grades, young lady,” Delilah said, “That was it—that was the only reason.”

“Again, though?” Cooper asked, “What’s up, sis?”

Diana, who was the epitome of each and every person at the table with her, kept her gaze on her father, “I wanted to.”

Bryce breathed in deeply, “Sounds like Cooper.”

“Sounds like ME,” Diana said, “I wanted to go—no one told me to. Kane didn’t even know I was grounded.”

“You sure?”

“And if I was lying?”

“Snitches get stitches,” Cooper chuckled.

“You’re not helping,” Donovan scowled, “Diana, go to your room.”

“But,-”

“NOW.”

Diana sighed and pushed the chair back from the table, her height coming into view.

She was already inching towards 5′7 with long black hair, tinted with hints of auburn and the biggest blue eyes. She was already curvy—like her mother—and the boys at school had taken notice.

She headed to her room and made sure not to slam the door.

The last time she did that, Donovan took the door off the hinges, but changed his mind when Delilah said that teenagers needed privacy, especially their daughter.

“What the hell are you doing?” Jason asked Cooper, “Digging her into a deeper hole?”

“No,” Cooper laughed, “She’s US, middle brother. Dad, your little princess is a dragon.”

“I’m not getting on all fours for you,” Kane said, “You can take that shit back to your subs.”

Diana frowned as she held the whip in her hand, “Come on, Kane. You’re my little guinea pig.”

Kane, who was spent from the night’s intimate romp, chuckled, “Can’t get enough of me, dragon?”

He leaned over, his sculpted body drenched in sweat, and grabbed a bottle of water, “You should drink something. Your body looks overheated.”

Diana sighed, “You’re no fun and that’s why I don’t invite you to my parties.”

She tossed the whip onto the toy table and made her way to the bed.

The sheets were a mess, half of the bedding was on the floor, and Kane Thorn had no intentions of covering up.

But neither did Diana Dixon.

“I’ve got something better than that,” she crawled across the bed as Kane watched.

He loved to watch and Diana knew it.

“Beer?”

“Vodka..”

“I knew it,” Kane laughed, “Shots?”

“Who needs shots? We’ve got cups.”

“Good thing I’m not working tomorrow..”

“Are you still torn?”

“About?” Kane’s dark eyes shifted as he allowed a strand of black hair to drop over his eye, something he knew Diana found to be tantalizing, “Oh...maybe..”

“Kane, I think you’d make a great lawyer, but you love music,” Diana said, pouring some Vodka into a cup and handing it to him, “Go for radiology like you want. You already have all of your electives out of the way.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re still fucking around with the idea of being a part of the Dixon’s AND being a part of the law. We take down the bad fuckers, Kane. You know that.”

Kane, who’d been involved with the family since birth, had decided to ask his father, Justin—his grandfather, Curtis and Donovan Dixon, if he could become a Dixon soldier.

It was enacted almost immediately with the way Kane could handle weapons, negotiations, and other aspects of the jobs handed to him.

He had done it for a long time to be around Diana—until they realized they just weren’t compatible and stayed lovers instead.

“Salud!” Diana tapped her cup with his and downed the beverage, watching Kane as he did the same, “Promise you’ll think about it?”

“Yes, Miss Dixon..” Kane said, tossing the empty cup onto the floor and pulling her onto his lap, “Now...where were we...?”