Page 26 of Kaz
THE SUN was starting to set by the time he put his tools away for the day. They were slowly but surely making progress on the house. They’d been working on it for nine days now. It was going a lot smoother than he expected.
He didn’t want to like Kaz’s friends, but especially Wilder was growing on him. Together, he and Wilder ran a tight ship, and between the two of them, everyone was where they needed to be and doing what they needed to do. As much as Wilder was a happy-go-lucky kinda guy, there was a sincerity and seriousness to the man he liked. Wilder cared, and it showed.
He didn’t see a lot of Kaz during the day, and he did his best to avoid him at night. His best wasn’t that good, though, and more than once, he bumped into Kaz and ended up with a thundering heart and questioning his morals. He hoped the renovation completed sooner rather than later because not only did Kaz have a bad effect on his heart, but his conscience was taking a hit every time he even thought of the man.
Kaz and a few of the others left early in the morning and hadn’t returned yet, like they did most days. Nicky, Kian, and Solo were always with him. They were all what Emma called enforcers, though he suspected the main reason Kaz brought Kian along was to keep him out of trouble.
Whatever they were doing, it was clear no one would tell him about it. Club business. He fucking hated it. If they were messing with the mob or other dangerous people, he deserved to fuckingknow because he would be smack dab in the middle of it if anything went down.
“Kian is firing up the grill,” Talon said, appearing next to Miles, who jumped and cursed. Cary had been working next to him, and when he chuckled, Miles said, “Laugh it up, Buttercup.”
Cary flipped him off, making him snort out a laugh.
Poor Cary had gotten stuck with three road names simply because he’d uttered the words, ‘As you wish,’ once. Cary for everyday use, Westley when he was showing off, and Buttercup when he annoyed someone. It didn’t help that his old lady’s road name was Princess. They were both Disciples and had been together for nearly a decade, but from what Cary told him, they’d jumped at the chance to join Kaz’s club. They wanted to be a part of the legacy, and they wanted to support Kaz, which he thought was very kind of them, even if he wasn’t sure Kaz deserved it.
He didn’t know the story behind Talon’s road name, but something told him it was probably a bloody story. Talon was an easygoing guy, but there was something dark behind those hazel eyes. He couldn’t really put a finger on it, but while he felt completely safe in Talon’s company, he knew if something bad went down, Talon was a guy you wanted onyourside. He’d seen glimpses of the tags Talon wore around his neck, so he knew he was military and likely didn’t want to talk about it.
Miles tugged off his gloves and dropped them in his toolbox before following Cary and Talon around the house to the backyard. Kian was indeed standing at the grill, a pair of outrageously big tongs in hand. Kian was as good at manning the grill as he was at eating the food.
Most of the others were already in the backyard, and they headed toward where Princess, Remy, and Killian were sitting close to the fire pit. He sat down in one of the newer chairs, laughing when Cary’s chair bowed under him.
“Fucking hell,” Cary muttered as he stood with his hands on his hips, glaring down at the chair. It was a lost cause. Two of the legs had fallen off, and the other two looked ready to part ways.
“Aww, come sit with me, Babe,” Princess cooed, crooking her finger at Cary.
Miles chuckled as he watched Cary sit down between her legs on the ground, a sullen look on his face. He put his arms on top of her thighs, and she leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek.
A quick glance toward Talon had him pausing to take in the soft smile on the man’s lips. Talon had a rough exterior, but he didn’t doubt that whoever managed to break through it would be loved deeply. Talon had an all-or-nothing kind of air around him.
Remy opened a few bottles of beer and handed them out. Miles took a gulp of his, then turned his head, gaze catching on Kaz as he walked across the backyard to sit down next to Wilder and a few of the others. He was wearing a fitted gray top under his cut, and those muscular forearms were on display. He hated how badly he wanted to touch all that golden skin. How much he wanted to run his fingers through those silky black locks. How much he fucking craved those lips on his.
There was no logic as to why he was still so attracted to Kaz, no valid reason why he couldn’t stop thinking about him. He was starting to hate himself for it, especially the cynical part of him that kept telling him he would never have Kaz again. He shouldn’t even want him after what Kaz made him an accomplice to.
Fourteen years clearly hadn’t been long enough for his heart to move on. He wasn’t sure forever would be enough time to forget Kaz, to forget the way Kaz made his heart flutter, and his body heat up.
He should’ve moved on by now.
Eyes the color of a thunderstorm met his gaze, dirty promises flashing through them. Need surged through his body, leaving him nearly breathless.
How the fuck was he supposed to forget a feeling like that? How was he supposed to not want to seek it out again?
A commotion had him snapping his gaze away from Kaz and across the fire pit at the people sitting there. His eyes went wide, and he choked on the sip of beer he’d just taken. Jane was in Maddox’s lap, tongue deep in his throat. What the actual fuck?
He shook his head, bitter betrayal collecting in his stomach as he put his beer down, feeling nauseous at the thought of drinking more.
It only got worse when someone dragged Jane off Maddox’s lap, and it wasn’t Kaz. It was Solo. Kaz was still in his chair, beer in one hand, gaze following Solo and Jane as the man dragged her around the side of the house. Kaz frowned for all of two seconds before returning to his conversation with Ciara and Nicky.
Bile rose in his throat, and he knew he needed to get the hell away from this.
“You okay?”
He wasn’t sure who asked, he just shook his head and got up. He took off toward the house, barely keeping his shit together as he walked past Kaz. He ran up the stairs, his stomach hollow and his heart tripping. A burst of wind brought a faint hint of citrus and leather with it, and he clenched his jaw, hands fisting at his sides as he made his way inside.
He froze as he stepped through the patio door, hearing footsteps on the stairs. He’d have to pass them to get to his room, and he couldn’t deal with any questions right now. He turned to the right and walked into the kitchen, hoping they hadn’t seen him.
He didn’t realize someone had followed him until the door creaked behind him.
He whirled around, heart stuttering when he saw Kaz there.
