“We’re what?”

Bishop threaded his hand through mine and pulled me toward the corner. “Going to Bourbon Street.”

“It’s a madhouse out there.”

“And you’ve got your own personal security, so don’t worry. Besides, you wanted a hurricane at Pat O’Brien’s and we’re gonna knock that one off too.”

“On Mardi Gras? Are you crazy?” After a few days in New Orleans, I realized how ridiculous it would be to try to knock off any of my list during Mardi Gras. It was the busiest time of the year, and we’d have to wait hours to even try to get into the bar.

“Let me worry about that.” He glanced down at me with a grin. “You forget, I might not be the most social guy on the planet, but I know a fuck-ton of people. Who do you think Con turned over all his clients to when he stepped away from the business? Who do you think they keep coming back to?”

“You, I’m assuming.”

“Which means I know a big chunk of the Quarter. So you let me worry about making things happen.”

“Okay, big guy. Whatever you say.”

He looked down at me. “Don’t believe me?”

I shrugged playfully. “Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll see if you can deliver.”

I spun in a circle, and the skirt of my dress flared.

Bishop grabbed my hand and pulled me against him. “You better watch it. No one gets to see that sweet little ass but me.”

One hand covered my left cheek and squeezed. I bit my lip, and he shook his head.

“Naughty little thing. You’ll pay for that. And, cupcake? I always deliver.”

He released me with another squeeze and I shivered with excitement.

I stayed beside Bishop until we reached the police barricades that barely held in the partiers on Bourbon, and then he released my hand and wrapped an arm around my waist loosely.

“You’re gonna walk ahead of me, and I’ll tell you where we’re going.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier for me to follow you?” I yelled over the din.

“I can’t see you if you’re behind me. If someone grabs you or you get pulled away, my reaction time is slower. If you’re in front of me, no one is going to touch you because they’re gonna see me and know I’m what they’ll have to deal with. And if someone does, they won’t be able to do much before I grab ’em by the throat and take care of them.”

His explanation made sense, and I walked as he directed me through the crowd. I was concentrating on the ground and the people right in front of where I was walking, but Bishop spoke into my ear.

“Look up, cupcake. This is what you wanted to experience.”

I looked up as he turned me in a circle in the middle of the heart of Bourbon Street. I soaked up every sound, smell, and sight, tucking them away to remember someday soon. Bishop pointed up, and I followed his arm to see a woman in a purple, green, and gold tutu standing on a balcony with her gold bra barely concealing her large boobs. She threw beads every which way.

“That’s where you’re getting your beads.”

“How—”

But I should have known Bishop already had a plan. He grabbed both of my hands and lifted them into the air and let out the loudest wolf whistle I’d ever heard. It got the woman’s attention and she bounced on the balcony, hands full of beads waving back and forth.

“Do you know her?” I yelled.

“Nope.”

But it didn’t matter because she flung a handful of beads right toward us, and I pushed up onto my tiptoes and caught two strands as they flew our way.

Bishop caught four more, and turned me to face him in the middle of the street before lowering each necklace over my head. As he released each one, he pressed a kiss to my cheeks, nose, forehead, and finally my lips.

I wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him closer to take the kiss deeper.

Cheers and shouts dulled around us. Every one of my senses was focused on Bishop and the giddiness roaring through my senses.

This is living.

When I finally released him, he dropped another kiss on my temple and spun me around. “You see that corner? We’re headed there and then we’re taking a left. Next stop, Pat O’Brien’s.”

BISHOP DIRECTED ME TOWARD THE famous red building of Pat O’Brien’s, and once we broke through the crowd, the line I expected wrapped all the way around the corner.

We didn’t slow or even try to find the end of it, though. Bishop walked us right to the front door where the bouncer checked IDs. The high from catching the beads began to fade as I worried about whether we could actually get in. It’s not like we couldn’t come back and do this another day, but I had to admit there was something incredibly cool about the idea of doing this on the most famous day of the city’s entire year.

We stopped in front of the solidly built man as he handed a woman’s ID back to her. The fierce frown dominating his face disappeared as soon as he saw Bishop.

“Hey, man. Never would’ve expected to see you here on fucking Mardi Gras. What the hell are you doin’?”

Bishop lifted his arm to wrap around the top of my chest. “My girl wanted one of Pat O’s famous hurricanes on Mardi Gras. It wasn’t like I could say no.”

The bouncer’s attention landed on me for the first time. “Hey there, Bishop’s girl. You must not be from around here.”

For a moment I thought I must still stand out like a tourist from his comment, but he continued.

“If you were, you wouldn’t even attempt it. Just know, your man is making quite the sacrifice taking you to this zoo today. Enjoy it.” He stamped our hands and jerked his head to the side, and Bishop propelled me forward through the darkened doorway.

Relief slid through me that he didn’t ask for my ID. With Bishop standing right beside me, I wasn’t sure how I could possibly explain why the name on it didn’t match the one I’d given him. An icy trickle of guilt slid down my spine, but I pushed the feeling away. Tonight wasn’t the night to worry about that. Besides, it wasn’t like I’d lied to him about who I was. It would have been different if I’d given him the name on my ID, or so I convinced myself.

When we squeezed through the entry out into the courtyard, I realized why Pat O’Brien’s was such a legendary tourist spot. The inner courtyard was totally New Orleans, at least from what I could see with the crowd of people. There wasn’t any hope of getting a table, but Bishop got the attention of one of the servers passing by.