Chapter 4
KNIGHT
Aiden Donovan looked good.
Too damn good.
Even without the mesh top and booty shorts, his jeans and T-shirt clung to the shape of his body, reminding me of the dips and valleys that had pressed against me all those months ago.
But that was ridiculous. I couldn’t possibly remember it that well. Even if I hadn’t really had a hookup worth remembering since.
“How’s it going over at the tattoo shop, Knight?” Gray kicked my foot. “Earth to Knight. You in there?”
“Huh?” I tore my gaze from Aiden to see the guys all looking at me. Shit. Way to play it cool.
“The tattoo shop,” Emory said with a smile. “They want to know if you can stand working with me.”
“Nobody said that,” Gray said with a laugh. “You’re a total sweetheart.”
“For you, maybe,” Axel grumbled. “I bet Emory knows how to crack the whip, huh? Especially now that he’s a certified tattoo artist.”
There was a note of pride in their teasing. Emory had only recently become fully qualified to do tattoo work on his own.
I smirked. “Emory’s such a mean girl. He makes me clean and prep all the stations.”
“What?” he exclaimed. “That’s Cyrus’s call. I don’t—”
Everyone broke into laughter.
“Are you calling Cyrus a mean girl?” Shiloh teased.
“I’ll have to tell him the next time I get some work done,” Holden said with a chuckle.
Emory groaned. “I hate you all.”
Aiden, Bailey, and Flynn arrived at the table laden with drinks.
“Hey, Knight, you remember Aiden, right?” Flynn asked as he handed me a shot.
I lifted the shot glass, watching Aiden over the rim. “How could I forget?”
I tossed the liquor back. The tequila burned down my throat and warmed my belly.
“Yeah, Thanksgiving was memorable,” Aiden said. “It’s when I met all of you for the first time.”
He shot me a warning look, as if I’d really blurt out to everyone that we’d hooked up before. Not worth stirring up that kind of drama over a one-off, even a freaking amazing one that I couldn’t seem to forget.
I smirked, unable to resist teasing him a little. “You came back for seconds, huh?”
His eyes flashed. “Yeah, I couldn’t get enough of the lovefest my brother has going on with Bailey.”
I laughed. “They are pretty sappy these days.”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “Sappy is putting it lightly. They’re horndogs.”
“Rude!” Bailey called out.
Gray laughed. “Serves you right, brat. You used to complain about me and Emory all the damn time.”
“You guys are way worse,” he said.
Axel cackled. “He’s not wrong. You guys are the worst.”
“Sure, until Sheriff Handsy came along. Now you’re worse.”
The guys continued to shit talk one another, so I grabbed a seat and snagged a mostly full beer that sat neglected on the table. Somebody needed to drink it, and I was light on cash.
I tried to tune into the conversation, but I kept catching myself straining to hear Aiden’s voice. I glanced sidelong and caught him watching me with a pensive look.
“So, how are things?” Flynn asked, clapping me on the back. “I heard about Tex flying the coop.”
“Yeah.” I frowned. “The asshole isn’t taking my calls, so I can’t even try to change his mind.”
“Damn, that’s too bad.” Flynn shook his head. “He was a shit stirrer, but I thought he’d stick it out.”
“Yeah. Now, I’ve got to make sure Hollywood doesn’t lose his shit. He’s all spun up. And I’m a little worried about our new guy, too. He’s keeping his distance. This was all easier when you were there, man.”
“This is just a rocky patch. You’ll get through it. Even Tex. He’ll figure out his shit sooner or later.”
“I hope you’re right.” I raised my beer for another sip.
“Hey, wasn’t he supposed to move in with you?”
“Yep.” I grinned. “If I didn’t have shit luck with roommates, I’d have no luck at all, right?”
“Oh, damn. Well, maybe Aiden—”
Axel whistled sharply, cutting into our conversation. I looked over to see Sheriff Dalton Harvey walk up to the table, still in uniform.
“Looking all official there, babe,” Axel said. “You’re not here to cuff me, are you?”
“That’s hardly a punishment for you, darlin’,” Dalton said with a chuckle. “I’ve got a deputy out sick, so I have to go back in.”
“Fuck that noise,” Axel said. “You’re the sheriff. Make someone else do it.”
His smile was rueful. “There is no one else, but I’ll be home in time to tuck you in.”
“You better be.”
He set a hand on Aiden’s shoulder. “Glad to have you back with us. Let me know if these guys give you any trouble, and I’ll take care of it.”
Aiden smiled. “I can handle myself, but thank you, Sheriff.”
Dalton grinned. “I bet you can. Call me Dalton, though. The sheriff business is just for the folks I have to arrest.”
“Okay, got it. Thanks, Dalton.”
Dalton leaned in and gave Axel’s hair a small tug. “See you later.”
Axel stood. “Hey, I’ll walk you out. You can’t be too careful in this part of town.”
Dalton grinned at him. “Is that right? Well, you better come along and protect me, then, darlin’.”
They walked out together, Axel smirking over his shoulder at us and wiggling his eyebrows.
“They’re going to make out in the patrol cruiser, aren’t they?” Bailey said.
I laughed along with everyone else. We probably wouldn’t see Axel for a good twenty minutes. It was still a little weird to see someone like him go for a law-and-order type, though.
“See?” Gray said. “I told you they were worse than us!”
“I don’t know about worse,” Bailey said. “At least we don’t have to witness it.”
“You’re one to talk,” Aiden teased. “You’ve forced me into witnessing plenty.”
Bailey’s face flamed, and Gray renewed the shit-talking. I was still stuck on my roommate problem, though. I leaned in over the table to catch Shiloh’s attention.
He’d been the one to get me a lead on my last roommate.
“Hey, Shy, you don’t have any new student teachers looking for housing, do you?”
“No, sorry. No one that I know of.”
“That’s okay. It was worth a shot.”
Flynn nudged me. “I was about to tell you when Dalton came in. Aiden’s looking for a place.”
“Oh, really? Well, I’m sure he can do better than my shitty neighborhood.”
“I don’t know. He hasn’t had much luck yet.” He turned to his brother. “Right, Aids?”
“What?” Aiden asked, looking over. “I missed what you said.”
“Knight needs a roommate, and you need a place,” Flynn said. “Maybe you two should shack up.”
Aiden’s eyes went wide. “Uhh…”
“I doubt Aiden wants to live with a felon, but thanks anyway, man.”
“I don’t have a problem with felons,” Aiden said sharply. “My brother is an ex-con and a good man. They’re not mutually exclusive.”
“Sure.” I forced a smile. “But not all of us went to prison to save our little brother.”
Aiden went still and cold, all his fire snuffed out in an instant. “Right. Well.” He pushed back his chair and stood. “I need some air. I’ll just be…”
He spun on his heel and headed for the door, narrowly avoiding a pool cue to the ribs as he darted around a table.
Shit. I’d stepped in it, hadn’t I?
“Real nice,” Bailey said. “You know ex-cons aren’t the only ones with regrets, right?”
“I better go make sure he’s okay,” Flynn said. “Maybe we should call it a night.”
“No, let me. I should apologize.” I stood and squeezed Flynn’s shoulder. “Sorry, man. I’ll make it right.”
I found Aiden leaning against the driver’s-side door of Flynn’s car, head tipped back to look at the stars. I leaned a shoulder against the cool window beside him.
“Turns out, my real crime is being a thoughtless jackass.”
He gave a quiet huff that was not quite a laugh. “You didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”
“I just didn’t think about how it’d make you feel.”
“It’s fine.” Aiden sighed. “Flynn’s the one who paid for that night. Not me. What’s a little guilt compared to seven years in prison?”
Puck had never shown an ounce of remorse that I’d gone to prison for him, and he was far from an innocent victim like Aiden. Sometimes, the world was just upside down and backward. Good people suffered, and selfish assholes went about their day without a second thought.
“Angel, none of it was your fault.”
“My name is Aiden.”
“I know.” I pushed off the car. “Us cons like to give each other nicknames. Guess I gave you one too, after that night in Omaha.”
His lips parted in surprise, and damn, I wanted to kiss him again. Take him apart and listen to his sweet sounds of surrender.
How hard would Flynn kick my ass if I fucked around with his little brother, though?
I knew he’d be fine with us dating. He’d be a huge hypocrite if he wasn’t, after falling for his boss’s baby brother. But he’d want someone who would be serious about Aiden, and I wasn’t interested in a relationship.
I’d fallen in love once. Given it my all. And it’d only served to stab me in the back.
“I think it’s better if we just forget that night ever happened,” Aiden said.
That stung, even if I didn’t want to pursue something more.
“Is it really that easy to erase from your memory?”
“Yes.” He sounded uncertain. “It was just one night.”
“That’s too bad,” I murmured. “For you, I mean. Because I’m going to keep the memory close. Let it keep me warm on a lonely night. Remember just how delicious you were in my mouth.”
He swallowed hard. “Knight, I…um—”
Boop-boop!
A siren blasted through the night. We both jumped and turned toward the sheriff’s cruiser. The car opened, and Axel spilled out, laughing. “Whoops.”
“You’re a menace,” Dalton growled before closing his door and backing out of the lot.
Axel wore a smug smile as he stepped up onto the sidewalk, clearly pleased with himself. His gaze caught on us. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No.” Aiden turned away from me. “There’s nothing to interrupt.”
I guessed there really wasn’t.
Bang-Bang-Bang!
I jerked awake, reaching for my gun on instinct. My hand slid under my pillow, finding nothing but scratchy fabric.
“Mr. Knight!” Bang-Bang! “I know you’re in there!”
My sleep fog cleared, and I groaned and buried my face in my pillow. I was no longer a biker. No longer had to worry about shots being fired. But I was in trouble.
“You need to pay your rent!” Nina James called, sounding increasingly exasperated. “Mr. Knight!”
Damn it. I’d avoided her for two days while hoping Matteo would get me a lead, but he’d only texted me with Aiden’s name; not helpful, given Aiden’s imitation of an ice sculpture the last time we spoke.
Nina banged on the door again. She wasn’t going away this time. Even if I didn’t answer the door, I couldn’t avoid this problem for long. I had to leave the house to go to work, and she’d ambush me on the way out or back in.
Bang-bang-bang!
I rolled out of bed and immediately tripped over a boot, cursing. “I’m coming, already!”
Nina quieted down, thankfully. My neighbors probably loved her yelling at the top of her lungs at eight a.m. I walked down the short hall, shooting a glare at the empty bedroom I passed. Tex should be in there, snoring like a freight train and helping me pay the rent.
I reached the living room and opened the door. “Hello, Nina! It’s early for a house call.”
Her eyebrows jumped as she looked me up and down. Right, clothes. Probably should have thrown some on. It was too damn hot to sleep in more than boxer briefs with only my window unit straining to cool this hot tin can.
“Don’t be a smartass,” she said, eyes still locked on the ink swirling over my shoulder and down my right arm.
I’d gotten that one while still in the Serpents and it featured a whole set of snakes winding together to form a chain.
As soon as I could afford it, I was asking my boss, Cyrus, to cover it with something else.
“Sorry,” I said. “How can I help you?”
“You know why I’m here.”
Nina had a beautiful smile when you were in her good graces. Usually when handing her cash. She’d take checks, but she loved cash because she could keep it under the table. There was nothing Nina hated more than giving her money to the “good-for-nothing” government.
Today, I was not in her good graces. She scowled impressively.
“My roommate bailed on me, Nina, okay? But I’m working on getting the rent together.”
“Your roommate is not my problem. I can’t feel sorry for every guy with a sob story or I won’t pay my bills. You think this park runs itself?”
I glanced around. Overgrown weeds, unwieldy trees, falling-down fences, and enough stray cats to start a feline revolution.
“Yeah, kinda?”
She huffed. “Well, it doesn’t! I have expenses. I rely on rent to keep this place going. If you’re not going to pay, then you’ve got to go.”
“I’m going to pay. I’ve got someone lined up to move in.” A tiny lie wouldn’t hurt anyone, right? “I just need a little more time to settle the details.”
She crossed her arms, looking unconvinced. “Uh-huh, and what about the back rent and late fees? I’d be a silly woman to believe you can catch up on all of that. Maybe you have a bridge you want to sell me.”
“Please, Nina, I’m trying.” I searched for a way to appease her and seized on the only idea I had. “You mentioned the park had expenses, right? It must take a lot of upkeep.”
“Yes,” she said, giving me a wary look.
“So, how about I do some maintenance work? I could work off some of those late fees?”
“I don’t know…”
I gestured toward the overgrown sidewalks. “I could take care of the weeds. Mow lots. Even repair the fence where it’s in the worst shape.”
She dropped her arms. “I can’t let you live here rent-free.”
“No, of course not. I’ll pay the rent. I’ll work at the park, and in exchange, you give me three weeks to catch up?”
She scoffed. “One week, and if I don’t have the overdue rent by then, you’re out.”
Shit. One week. That wasn’t a lot of time to work with. I really should have played nice with Aiden last night. Maybe he would have considered moving in, even if it was just until he found a better place.
“Okay, one week,” I said. “I’ll get it figured out.”
She turned and gestured. “I’ll show you to the garden shed. You can find tools there.”
“I’ve got work soon.”
She scowled. “Fine. Come by after work. But don’t forget or I’ll have an eviction notice on your door by morning.”
“Got it. I won’t forget.”
I closed the door and leaned back against it with a groan. I really didn’t have a choice, did I? I had to ask Aiden to move in. It’d serve me right if he said no after my jackassery last night.
But if I didn’t find someone, I was going to be homeless. And that was even worse than living with the torture of being close to Aiden and unable to touch him.
I retrieved my phone from my bedroom and texted Flynn.
Can I get your bro’s number? If he still needs a place, I really need a roommate.