Chapter Twenty-Four
Carl
I t was difficult to watch Gwyn walk away after we’d had breakfast and it was time for her to head off to the café. Instinct and my bear wanted me to do everything for her so all she had to do was stay home and be ready when I wanted her, no matter how caveman-ish those thoughts were. I didn’t like her being out of my sight, but I still had to finish her roof since I’d neglected to complete it before ravishing her all night.
Those thoughts put a grin on my face, and for once I didn’t feel queasy while I was up on a roof.
The noise of my hammer blows echoed through the little street for a couple of hours until I had laid the last shingle, satisfied that the roof would hold up to anything short of a tornado. I was always thorough, but I’d taken extra care since it was Gwyn’s home. As much as I wished she’d let me drag her back to my den, we were nowhere near that happening, so I’d made sure she’d never have to worry about replacing the roof of the duplex again, even if she lived there another twenty years.
My pocket started vibrating as I tossed the last of the garbage into the back of David’s truck. I’d gotten a few colorfully worded texts from him while I was busy with Gwyn the prior night for not returning it to him on time, but I knew he’d forgive me. Once I emptied the bed of garbage I’d clean it up and return it looking as new as the old rust bucket was capable of looking, with fresh oil and a full tank of gas.
Digging out my phone once my hands were free, I was glad to see Danger’s name on the screen. He’d tried to call me the previous night too, and while I wouldn’t have interrupted what we’d been doing, I knew it was important to Gwyn to get Danger’s help.
“Hey, thanks for calling me back.”
“You need help with something?”
Danger had never been one to mince words, so I explained the situation and what we needed. We’d always known he had money, even before he revealed his identity, but knowing who he really was had explained why he’d had a lawyer on call to help Sebastian and the others the first time we’d tangled with the Purists, and I hoped she’d be able to do this for us, too.
“I can cover the cost—”
“No need. I’ll give Leigh your info and have her contact you to set up a meeting. If she can’t handle it herself, she’ll know someone who can. She’s got it out for the Purists as much as we do.”
A weight lifted from my shoulders, and I thanked Danger before hanging up with him. I didn’t want to keep him longer than necessary since I knew he had his own omega to worry about.
The reminder that I hadn’t seen Gwyn in a few hours had my bear pacing within me, my skin crawling with the need to reassure myself that all was well. Anxiety had been a familiar partner for years, but the feelings I had for Gwyn were making it more frequent. No matter how much I reminded myself it was unlikely anything had gone wrong in a single morning, my mind would start listing all the things that could happen, no matter how far-fetched they were.
I found myself behind the wheel of the truck before I even realized I was moving, the rumble of the engine almost as loud as the noises my bear was making inside me. Even during the worst of my anxiety he’d usually remained passive, it was one of the things that helped me keep a grip on my panic, but when it came to the curvy omega, he might have been worse than my human half.
It was a fight to force myself out of the truck to check that I’d locked up and there were no nails or anything left where someone could get hurt, and only telling my bear how devastated we’d be if Gwyn was crippled due to our negligence kept him from rushing me back into the vehicle to go to her.
Even though the café was right around the corner, the drive still lasted far longer than my patience. I couldn’t bring myself to toss the garbage into the dumpster first, throwing the truck into park right outside the side door and giving a brief knock before testing the handle.
Relief washed through me to find it locked, although my mind immediately started telling me all the ways that could be bad, too. It broke my heart that Gwyn felt like she had to constantly lock herself in even though it took some of the worry over her safety away. Especially after what she’d revealed less than twenty-four hours ago.
The lock thudded and then chocolate eyes blinked up at me, the smile she offered loosening the bands around my chest.
“I, uh, finished the roof. Just have to toss the garbage and then I can get going on the new wall.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, resisting the urge to pull her into my arms and kiss her. She had labeled us friends-with-benefits, so I had to take my time feeling out what I was allowed to do.
Could I kiss her whenever I wanted, or was I supposed to play it cool? My instincts didn’t want to pretend like we were casual.
“Thanks again for taking care of that. Do you want to grab lunch first and then start fresh after I’ve fed you?”
All kinds of ways to misinterpret her meaning flashed through my head, and I knew her mind went the same direction since her cheeks flushed and she dropped her gaze from mine. I could have teased her if I could have gotten more than a tenth of my brain to focus on something other than taking her in, but the moment passed, and I decided to let it go.
“Sounds good. Can you give me fifteen minutes?”
I wasn’t going to lose any more time with her, so I needed to call one of the guys to come take David’s truck and get it taken care of for me so I could return it to him before he started work for the night. If he had to bum another ride from someone he might not forgive me as easily.
“Sure. I’ll clean up my mess real fast, but we have to be back before two.”
I glanced at the watch on my wrist, raising a brow since it wasn’t quite noon yet. There should have been plenty of time to go back to her place and eat and be at the café before noon, but perhaps she was worried we’d do what we’d done the day before.
A grin split my face as I nodded, her flush spreading down her neck as I caught a breath of fresh slick in the air before she disappeared into the building. My cock twitched, on-board with the direction of my thoughts, but less than two hours certainly wouldn’t be enough time for anything more than a fast release. Plus, I had a feeling she would claim it was too soon for more, using responsibilities as an excuse, so I couldn’t push unless I was ready to be rejected. No matter what the reason, I didn’t think my bear would take that well.
Knox was the closest one to me who wasn’t busy when I called as I was tossing old shingles into the dumpster, so I told him to come get David’s truck and take it to Sebastian’s shop for an oil change and detailing. Usually something like that would take a couple hours, even with an appointment, but I knew the guys would get it taken care of as quickly as possible for me. If I ended up running late for some reason, I could always make him take it to David’s place, but I wanted to do it myself so I could apologize for keeping it so long. David may not ride with the Knights, but he was still considered one of us.
Knox’s bike was parked out of sight behind The Hangout and he was pulling off in the truck when Gwyn came out to join me, looking around and raising an eyebrow in question.
“One of the benefits of having favors due to you,” was all I said as I gave her a wink.
She took on a thoughtful expression, but after a moment a crease formed between her brows.
“Am I allowed to ask questions about your club?”
I was tempted to tease her, but her scent was bitter with anxiety, and I wanted her to feel safe with me, no matter what it was about.
“Of course. What do you want to know?”
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as we started to walk across the lot towards the street that led to her place. She chewed on it for a moment before straightening her shoulders.
“Are you like the one I’ve seen in movies that are involved in illegal activities?”
I didn’t want to brush her question off, but I wasn’t sure how much to reveal to her either. We did our best to protect our own, which meant sometimes we did things that could get us in trouble.
“We don’t run guns or drugs, if that’s what you mean. We got our name because we do our best to protect the people of Hell and keep it a safe place for everyone, which means sometimes we’re not all the way on the right side of the law.”
I could almost see the wheels turning behind her eyes, and part of me worried she was gearing up to break things off with me. It might seem crazy to be so attached after such a short period of time, but if Gwyn told me she didn’t want anything to do with me anymore, it would break me. And as much as I loved my fellow Knights, if being part of them was a problem for her, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to choose between them. My brain said I’d remain loyal to my brothers, but I knew my instincts would pull me towards the omega.
“I can understand that. Sometimes you have to do things you don’t like to protect the ones you care about. Things you wouldn’t even do to protect yourself.”
The heartbreak in her voice was so clear it made my chest ache, and I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to take her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Her lopsided smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, and every part of me wished I could take away the pain she carried with her.
“If you’re worried that associating with us will cause you problems, it won’t around here. The police were suspicious of us for the first few years after we started wearing our cut, but even they’ve moved on since they never had anything to pin on us.”
I didn’t say the only ones who would care were the ones already after her. She didn’t need the reminder, and her mood was already serious enough.
“So, you just go to The Hangout together and help people? Aren’t you supposed to have a clubhouse, and club-bunnies, or whatever they’re called? And secret meetings?”
Laughing, I shook my head and gave her hand another squeeze. She hadn’t pulled it away, and I wasn’t going to let her go if she was willing to let me keep touching her.
“You’ve seen too much TV. We do go to The Hangout to relax, but most of the guys work at Sebastian’s garage. A few have moved on to other things, or joined up after having their bikes worked on by us. We go on rides together on the weekends or whenever we get the itch, but we’ve never had a clubhouse outside The Hangout or the garage. And while some of the younger guys use their bikes to pick up women, about half of the Knights are mated, and we know better than to piss off their bondeds! No one needs a raging omega storming into the bar to scold us like we’re naughty schoolboys.”
Her eyes danced at that even though she tried to bite back her smile. We were walking up the sidewalk to her door, so I slowed and reluctantly let go of her hand. When her fingers slipped from my palm, her smile fell a little too, and she looked at the door then back to me.
“Your scent’s already inside, so there’s no reason to eat on the lawn today. Unless you want to.”
She looked as if she was unsure whether I’d want to go in. As if I’d ever pass on the chance to be allowed into her home.
“You wouldn’t have to carry the food as far, if we eat inside.”
She huffed, giving a little shake of her head as she pulled out her keys and put her back to me, unlocking the door. My chest swelled with pride at the tiny step in the direction I wanted us to go, my bear almost purring at the reminder that my scent was now all over her nest, even if she’d washed it off herself.
If I could behave, maybe one day she’d carry it permanently, with my mark on her neck.