Page 28 of Knot So Fast
The cigarettes used to help take the edge off, but I made that stupid promise, and even though she doesn't remember it, I'm trying like hell to keep it.
Kieran must notice my internal struggle because he sighs and waves a hand toward the kitchen.
"If you need a smoke, just take it. I won't tell her."
"I'm trying to quit," I mutter, hating how pathetic that sounds even to my own ears.
Kieran smirks, and there's something almost sympathetic in his expression.
"You've got a better shot at success than Lucius does."
The mention of that name makes me growl low in my throat, all my protective instincts flaring to life.
"Don't bring that fucker up. If it wasn't for you and Caspian holding him back, he could have been fucking paralyzed in Budapest all over those stupid fucking bets."
"The bet was valid," Kieran says carefully, his voice taking on the kind of measured tone that suggests we're treading into dangerous territory. "But the shit you two pulled afterward wasn't exactly fair play either. All in the name of love, right?"
I sigh heavily and lean back against the opposite counter, suddenly feeling every one of my twenty-six years.
"Well, the Omega I confessed my feelings to doesn't remember any of it now, does she?"
Kieran whistles low under his breath and settles more comfortably against the kitchen island, crossing his arms as he studies me.
"Yeah, I don't know how you do it, man. I'd be stroking my cock every fucking night if I had to share living space with her like roommates. At least you two actually fucked before the accident."
"It doesn't make it any fucking better," I grumble, hating the reminder of what I've lost. "But thanks for bringing up painful memories."
Kieran sighs deeply, his gaze dropping to study his feet with the kind of intensity that suggests he's struggling with his own demons.
"It's for her own good," he mutters finally. "You know that."
I swallow hard around the lump forming in my throat, automatically tuning my ears to make sure the shower is still running upstairs. The last thing we need is for Auren to overhear this conversation and start asking questions we're not prepared to answer.
"For her own good?" I repeat, unable to keep the bitter edge out of my voice. "Really? That she doesn't know about the empire she built in the racing world but still gets all the fucking hate that leaves her feeling more confused and isolated than ever?"
Kieran doesn't say anything, just looks at me with those dark eyes that seem to see too much. I can feel my frustration building, all the resentment and worry I've been carrying for months finally bubbling to the surface.
"She thinks she's merely banned from the sport because she's an Omega," I continue, my voice getting louder despite my efforts to keep it down. "An abomination in a male-only sport because she's too fucking good and it scared those old geezers to the point of making it fucking illegal for Omegas to compete.So she has to continue living here in this luxury penthouse suite that she thinks we're sharing and splitting rent for, when she actually owns this place and earned every square foot of it."
I gesture around the expensive apartment with its floor-to-ceiling windows and custom fixtures, thinking about all the things Auren doesn't know about her own life.
"Not to mention the garage full of cars we still haven't told her about," I add, my frustration reaching dangerous levels. "All those speed-wrapped bad boys sitting in the private basement level that she bought with prize money she doesn't remember earning."
"She just got her license back," Kieran mutters, and there's something defensive in his tone that makes me want to punch him.
"Should I wonder how you know that?" I ask sarcastically. "No, let me guess—you've been keeping tabs on every aspect of her recovery."
Kieran smirks but doesn't deny it.
"If we show her all those cars right now, she's going to wonder how she made enough money to afford them. That leads to questions about her racing career, which leads to stress we shouldn't be putting on her while she's still recovering. I also don't want to deal with Wolfe lecturing us about pushing too hard too fast, so fuck that noise."
I laugh, but there's no humor in it. "Wolfe Senior or Wolfe Junior?"
Kieran pinches the bridge of his nose like he's fighting off a headache. "Yeah, yeah, we both know which Wolfe I'm talking about."
"So when are we telling her about that?" I ask, referring to the complicated relationship between Auren and the Wolfe twins that she's completely forgotten. "When are we going to stop pretending that half her life didn't happen?"
Kieran doesn't reply, just stares at the expensive marble countertop like it holds the answers to all our problems.
