Page 24 of Kaz
Kaz’s low laugh had his jaw ticking. He should leave, and yet he stood his ground as Kaz rounded on him, his expression shuttered.
“What does that make you?” Kaz drawled.
“An idiot for thinking you could be anything else.”
His words brought Kaz up short, and they stared at each other for a few very long seconds, the silence stretching between them making him want to fucking scream. To yell at Kaz for hurting him. For making him believe they stood a chance, only for him to tear everything apart.
“You’re probably right.”
There was so much pain and regret wrapped around those words, and Miles found his heart desperately tugging at something he tried to keep buried deep inside himself. That part of him that would always love Kaz.
He thought it might be the first time he’d seen or heard any kind of remorse from Kaz about what happened between them.
“Do you regret it?” he found himself asking, even though he feared the answer. Feared how it might change things he needed to remain unchanged.
“Yes.” Kaz’s dark gaze was searing, leaving him breathless. “And no.”
Kaz stepped closer, and Miles fought for every breath he drew into his lungs. Kaz slid a hand to the back of Miles’s neck, thumb brushing the underside of Miles’s jaw.
“I could never regret you,” Kaz said, his voice low but his words so fucking loud and clear.
“Kaz,” he breathed.
His eyes fell shut, his lips parting as Kaz lowered his head.
“When I have you again,” Kaz said, his breath skirting across the overheated skin on Miles’s face. “It will be without you regretting it the next day.”
His eyes snapped open, pain lancing through his chest.
“That’ll never happen.”
He hated that the conviction in his voice wavered. That Kaz noticed.
Kaz moved back, a fire blazing in his eyes as his thumb brushed across the pounding vein in Miles’s neck.
“Never say never, Miley.”
He jerked free of Kaz’s hold, hating how fast that name brought him right back in time. To those conversations he’d thought were real. To the secrets they’d shared. To the stolen looks across a crowded room. To the way Kaz said his name in the throes of pleasure with such reverence.
He wanted to believe that it’d been real. That Kaz had loved him. But how could he? He felt desperation clawing at him. Trying to convince him there was a chance. That there was hope.
That desperation was the reason he turned and walked away without another word. Kaz had broken him once before, and somewhere inside him, he knew he wouldn’t survive another time.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kaz
HE HAD to tell the president of the Salvation Kings that the New Freedom Chapter wouldn’t be doing any runs for now. He wasn’t risking his brothers and sisters, nor anyone else. Not while they had the mob breathing down their necks. They needed to clean up this mess before they could be there for other people. It sucked, but it was a decision he had to make for everyone’s safety.
Two days had passed since Dante tied Kian up. Two days, Kian had been living at the clubhouse, bunking with Killian, who looked about ready to murder him. Kian had been his usual boisterous self, except Kaz had noticed how his smiles didn’t quite reach his eyes, nor did his laugh draw everyone in like it usually did. He wasn’t the only one who noticed, either. Wherever Kian went, Wilder was a step behind him, offering quiet support should Kian need it. They both knew Kian wouldn’t talk unless he wanted to. Not about whatever was plaguing him right now.
They still hadn’t been able to confirm Marco Serrano’s involvement in Dante’s business dealings, but he knew Solo was working on it. So was Killian. He had sources both in New Freedom and in Baltimore. Could Kian have asked his father? Probably. But he didn’t want to involve Kian’s father and potentially reveal what they knew.
They were at a standstill at the moment, which gave him too much time to watch Miles. He’d only helped out with therenovations sporadically, but from what he could tell, it was going quite well. They had moved on from fixing the roof to stripping the rotten siding on the house, as well as repairing the rotten planks on the back and front patios.
He was still surprised every night when the twins were not only alive but unscathed. It didn’t bring him any sort of relief, because he only got to imagine what else those idiots were getting into.
Other than that, everything seemed to be moving along smoothly, and he felt a burst of pride swell inside him at the thought of what they’d already accomplished, and once they got the Dante situation figured out, their opportunities were endless.
