Page 65 of Knight Life In Vegas

“We don’t do that here. What chore do you hate the least?”

“Cooking. But honestly, I would be happy to pay for assistance.”

“This place is a shoebox. We don’t need help.”

I fought the urge to puff up my cheeks at her stubbornness. “Can I handle meals or is that your preferred chore?”

“I do it, but it’s definitely not my favorite.”

“A fair trade, then. Most of my clothing requires dry cleaning, so I won’t be contributing much to the laundry load. You have to let me pay rent, groceries, and utilities, though.”

She opened her mouth like she was going to protest and I gave her a hard look.

“Charlotte, you’ve invited me into your home. I amnotgoing to make life more difficult for you.”

“Okay, fine. You’re in charge of dinner, then. It just has to cook until the pasta is done.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed my cheek.

My body hummed with pleasure at the simple caress of her lips on my skin. Her smile was unfairly beautiful as she got herself a flavored sparkling water from the fridge and went to sit down with her children.

Did she have any clue how gorgeous she was? She probably had no more idea of that than I did about how utterly doomedI was going to be sharing quarters with an omega of such perfection.

“You brought a friend,” Eduardo commented when I slid through the arena doors with Beau and my children.

“I did.” I stepped right into his waiting embrace, lemon oil, pepper, and the unmistakable undercurrent of horse filled my nose. A lot of people didn’t like the smell of a stable, but it was so intrinsically linked to my youth that it only made me nostalgic.“He’s moving to Vegas for a while until his body stops panicking that I’m far away.”

Dylan bounded over, sandwiching me between him and Eduardo. “Hey, princess. Brought the whole squad?”

“Hi.” I wiggled between them, body lighting up at their proximity and the fresh rush of leather and cherries coming from Dylan. “The boys are very excited to pet horses before bed.”

“Well, we can’t keep them waiting, then, can we?” Dylan asked, planting a kiss on the top of my head before turning to my children. “You boys want to meet some of the other horses? I’ll take you around.”

The boys’ eyes were like saucers as Dylan took each of their hands and led them into the stables.

I nuzzled against Eduardo, only a little self-conscious after the last time I’d seen him. Like Beau, I’d let my panic guide me, but I was trying not to do that this time. I couldn’t keep sprinting away every time I got uncomfortable. It wasn’t their fault Andrew had fucked me up.

“Did you miss us?” Eduardo asked. “You’re affectionate today.”

“I’m trying to be chill.”

Eduardo laughed. “I see. And what does that mean?”

“Means I wouldn’t disappear into the night if you kissed me right now.”

He tucked his fingers beneath my chin and lifted my face to his, bending to capture my mouth in a kiss that made my toes curl.

Beau cleared his throat.

I drew away from Eduardo and turned to Beau. “Sorry, got caught up for a minute.”

He shrugged. “I’m not here to get in the way of you and your other matches. I just thought you’d be more comfortable if I had something to do besides watch you.”

“Chico is trapped on the phone,” said Eduardo, “but we can show you the stables until he’s free.”

I offered one hand to Beau, linking my fingers of the other with Eduardo’s. Beau was pink-cheeked as he accepted. Eduardo took us around to each of the horses, their names emblazoned above their stalls. Beau tensed each time we got close, his grip subtly tightening. I watched him carefully, noting the twitch in his jaw and how wide his eyes were as I reached out to pat Eduardo’s horse, Scout.

“Do you want to pet him?” I asked Beau.

“I’d rather not.”

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