Chapter 18
KNIGHT
I finished wiping down Fox’s station while Angela packed up her many, many snacks to go home. The woman was a one-woman candy store. She’d occasionally sell us goodies like a vending machine throughout the day. I was partial to the Red Vines.
I chewed on the end of one, the rest of it trailing out of my mouth like a limp noodle, while I worked.
“Anyone got plans tonight?” Fox asked, shifting from foot to foot. “I’m feeling restless.”
“Uh-oh,” Angela said with a laugh. “That means you’re going to be a handful. I’m thinking I’ll just Netflix and chill.”
“Who’s the lucky partner?” Fox asked.
She waggled her fingers in the air. “Ain’t got no time for other people’s bullshit right now. It’ll just be me and my besties right here. They know what I like.”
Fox snorted. “Baby, I know what you like, too.”
She shifted from a finger waggle to a shooing motion. “But you’re not chill, sweetie. So go sell it to someone else.”
The steady hum of Cyrus’s tattoo gun underlaid the banter zinging back and forth across the shop. It abruptly stopped.
“I’ve got a client in here,” Cyrus said. “Maybe keep it in your pants until after we close.”
His client, Gerald, was a big bald road crew worker. His orange vest hung on a hook in Cyrus’s station, and he still wore his steel-toed boots.
He gave a deep, gravelly laugh. “Don’t worry about me none. It’s the most action I’ve gotten in weeks.” He shot a look at Angela. “I can be very chill, baby girl. Just let me know if you’re interested.”
Angela batted her eyelashes playfully. “Good to know, Gerald.”
The tattoo gun resumed its buzz, and Gerald hissed. “Warn a guy.”
Cyrus chuckled. “I thought you were chill.”
I headed over to Angela’s station, beginning the closedown process of wiping down surfaces and collecting tools to place in the autoclave overnight for disinfecting. Emory had taken off early today, so I didn’t need to worry about him.
She and Fox let themselves out, still playfully trash-talking. Maybe they would end up chilling together. It wouldn’t be the first time.
The doorbell chimed again, and I glanced over, expecting that one of them had forgotten something.
Flynn stepped through the door instead, catching me by surprise. I hadn’t seen him since the cookout before Aiden and I started…doing what we did best. We texted now and then, but Flynn had stopped grilling me about Aiden now that his brother had settled in a bit.
Small blessings and all.
I still felt like a shit friend for not telling him I was hooking up with his little brother. I couldn’t exactly confess without knowing how Aiden felt about it, though. I’d need to ask. I’d just been hesitant because things were finally so good.
Letting the outside world intrude on our intimate hookup bubble might just burst it.
“Hey,” Flynn said, grinning when I approached him.
“Hey. No more walk-ins tonight. Want me to book you an appointment?”
“Actually, yeah. I think I’m ready for Cyrus to expand on my chest piece.”
Cyrus’s tattoo gun went silent, and he turned on his stool. “About time, Flynn. I’ve been itching to work on that.”
Flynn looked almost bashful. “Well, uh, I’ve had a lot going on.” He lifted his wrist to display the chain of tiny letters spelling Bailey over and over. “Our little surprise jumped the line. But I’m ready now.”
Cyrus chuckled. “Fair. Just have Knight schedule you. I’ve got to finish up with Gerald.”
“Sure, no problem.”
Cyrus turned back to his client, reaching for a salve he’d rub over the fresh ink before covering it in a plastic film to protect it.
I opened our booking system on the computer and brought up Cyrus’s calendar. “Hmm. It’s looking like three weeks out for a longer session. Thursday afternoon. Can you get the time off for that?”
“I think so, yeah. The guys are cool as long as I give them some notice. Helps that Bailey is around to lend a hand. Things have calmed down a lot.”
I nodded. “You gonna be ready for him to start school?”
“Oh, hell yeah. He’s excited about it, so I am too. With him in town, it’ll be a lot easier for everyone.”
I filled in the appointment slot on the computer with Flynn’s name and details. “Okay, we’re all set.”
“Want to grab a beer next door before I head out?” Flynn asked. “It’s been a while since we caught up.”
I hesitated. “Um, I’m not quite done here.”
Cyrus waved me off. “Go ahead, Knight. I can ring up Gerald. We need to talk about our next session, anyway. I’ll close down my station and put everything in the autoclave.”
“You sure? I don’t mind staying.”
“Sure. It’s already past closing time.”
“Okay.” I went over to the coat tree in the corner and grabbed my leather jacket. “Just one beer. I told Aiden I’d make dinner.”
“You two are getting cozy,” Flynn said as we went out the door.
My stomach flipped. “I mean, I cook for me anyway, and he usually works late. It makes sense to share.”
“Hey, I think it’s great. Aiden needs someone looking out for him.”
I didn’t disagree, but I knew Aiden would bristle at his brother thinking he needed a keeper.
“Aiden can take care of himself,” I said. “Your brother is smart and resourceful.”
“Oh, I know. Needs was the wrong word. Maybe deserves is more appropriate. Aiden’s been on his own a long time. I’m glad he has someone looking out for him. How’s that?”
I nodded. “Fair enough. I’m happy to fill the role when he lets me.”
Flynn snorted. “Which probably isn’t very damn often.”
He wasn’t wrong about that, either. I’d only recently gotten Aiden to put away his claws about sharing meals—and only with the agreement that he’d buy the groceries.
But he was relaxing, bit by bit. Last night, he’d even let me give him a full-body massage, which had been incredibly nice for both of us.
Not that I could tell Flynn any of that.
We walked down the sidewalk to Ball Breakers next door. Flynn opened the metal door, and I stepped inside.
We paused to let our eyes adjust to the gloom. The bar was moderately busy with the dinner hour, but it wouldn’t get really packed until later.
“You grab a table, and I’ll get the beer,” Flynn said.
I grabbed an empty table a few feet from the bar—a good distance from the pool tables so the clatter of balls wouldn’t be too loud—and sat down.
Flynn came back with a couple of beers—and Fox. “Look who I found over at the bar.”
Fox chuckled awkwardly. “Is it okay if I gatecrash the party?”
“Sure.” I kicked out a chair for him. “Couldn’t talk Angela into some fun, huh?”
“Nah.” He sat down across from me while Flynn took the chair to my right. “Hey, I was wondering. Why don’t you call her Angel like everyone else?”
“Oh, uh…” I glanced at Flynn on reflex, then jerked my gaze back to Fox. “I just know another Angel, so it feels wrong.”
“Who?” Flynn asked. “I don’t think I know anybody.”
“Oh, it’s a nickname is all. A private, um, endearment.”
“Ah, gotcha,” Fox said, nodding. “Does that mean you’re not single? I assumed—”
“No, I am.”
At least, technically. Aiden wouldn’t want me claiming him as my boyfriend. But I sure wasn’t looking for anyone else, either.
Fox tilted his head, grinning. “Yeah? Because the truth is, I didn’t really want to go home with Angel, anyway. I’ve been craving something a little rougher around the edges, if you know what I’m saying.”
Flynn glanced between us. “Should I leave you two alone?”
“No!” I laughed. “I’ve already got plans for the evening.”
“With my brother,” Flynn said, giving me a thoughtful look.
Was passing on a hookup with Fox to have dinner with Aiden suspicious? Maybe. But I had no intention of bailing on him.
“We’re roommates,” I told Fox. “I’m on the hook to make dinner tonight.”
“Ah, yeah. I remember you were in a tight spot a few weeks back. I guess the roommate is working out?”
“Yeah, he’s working out great.”
Understatement. He was working out fantastic. I covered my bills and got the best sex of my life.
The conversation shifted to tattoos, with Fox showing off his most intricate pieces. He pulled up his shirt to display his upper back between his shoulder blades, attracting the eyes of three women—and the new bartender, Pike.
“Don’t look now, but you might have an admirer or two.”
Fox glanced around. “Who? Celia? I’m not going down that road again.”
“And the bartender,” Flynn said.
Fox looked over at the bar with a smirk. “Yeah, Pike’s been flirty. I haven’t decided if I want to go there. What if I piss him off? I’ll never be able to go to the bar next door.”
“You were ready to fuck a coworker,” Flynn said with a chuckle.
“Yeah, but Knight is chill. So is Angel. I don’t know Pike yet.” He pulled his shirt down. “I should prob just head to Omaha. It’s simpler when I don’t know the guy.”
I snorted, thinking that sure hadn’t worked out for me and Aiden.
“Something funny?” he asked.
“Nah, my mind was drifting. Ignore me.”
Fox finished off his beer. “Well, I’m going to head out. See you at work tomorrow.”
He strolled out, whistling a jaunty tune. Something told me his night was just getting started.
“He’s a character,” Flynn said.
“Isn’t he?” I shook my head. “Can’t believe he hit on me.”
“Maybe you should have taken him up on it. I haven’t seen you with anyone since you moved here.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I get by. Don’t worry about me.”
He kicked my foot. “Trust me when I say it’s never as good as when you find someone who matters. Bailey opened my eyes to that.”
“Best you ever had, huh?” I waggled my eyebrows. “Want to share all the dirty details with me?”
“No way.”
I laughed. “Good. I would find it disturbing if you did. Must be weird seeing his brothers all the time, huh?”
“At first, yeah. I just kept thinking, ‘I’m fucking your brother!’”
Relatable. It was too close to the thoughts running through my head tonight.
Flynn grinned. “But I don’t know, the guys are family, you know? They welcomed me into the fold. It’s not so weird anymore. They know and they don’t care because I make him happy.”
“That’s great, Flynn.”