Page 50 of Ky
And I was tired of feeling confused.
I was not one for confusion. I made a path, I walked it with pride. I liked someone, I didn’t hold back. I wanted something, I climbed a mountain to get it. As laid-back as I normally was, I wasn’t one to hide and I wasn’t one to cower away from something. The problem with that was that Ky was currently going through things that I’d already been through. It was a fine line for me. On the one hand, I’d been there, I’d done that, and I fucking owned who I was now. But on the other,I’d been there,I’d done that, and I knew how hard it was to wrestle with everything.
Yes, I could be sympathetic and have patience, but at the same time, that patience was running frustratingly thin.
“What time are you out of here?” he asked as he rested his forearms on the edge of the bar top.
“Any second now,” I answered unsure of what I should do.
“Cool. Want me to pick something up for dinner on the way home?”
The way he said home made my heart flutter and my insides warm. It was maybe stupid but I couldn’t deny that I liked that he thought of my house as his home.
Ridiculous thoughts of us actually making it our home ran through my mind. I wanted to wince at myself because it was clearly something that he wasn’t ready for, and maybe I wasn’t either. We did sort of live together already but it wasn’t exactly the same as living with someone as a partner. And then there was the big issue of the wholeusthing. Yep, my brain was getting way ahead of itself.
And now I was possibly about to disappoint him. I hoped it wouldn’t make him clam up.
“I would love that, but I sort of made plans to hang out with Brand tonight,” I said and tried not to let any of the uneasiness I felt inside show on my face. “I figured it would give you and Ingram some time alone. Maybe the two of you couldtalkabout stuff.” I tried to hint as best as I could without throwing a brick at his face.
“Oh,” he said and I could tell he was trying not to let his face fall and give away his true feelings. “Okay. Yeah, sure. I’ll see what Ingram wants then. That’s good that you guys get some time together. I know you’ve been there for Ingram a lot…and well, me too. I want you to know I appreciate it. More than I have said.”
“I don’t mind,” I rushed to answer, maybe a little too quickly. “I just mean, I like being there with Ingram. And with you, too.”
The apples of his cheeks and the tips of his ears turned slightly pink. I did my best to bite back a smile. Fuck, he could be so cute sometimes. It was moments like this that I wanted to throw myself into his arms.
“Right,” he said trying to cover up his blush. “Well, I hope you guys have fun. I’m sure he misses hanging out with you. Be safe. I’ll…uh, see you in the morning.”
Then like he didn’t know what else to say or do, he turned on his heels and all but ran out the door. I had to laugh. I really did. Because damn, Ky was just such a contradiction, like, all the time.
I shrugged it off and ten minutes later, I was in my car heading to the tattoo shop where I was meeting up with Brand.
“Sketchy-boy!” I called out with a huge smile as I walked into the shop and saw him.
“Fucking shit! I swear to fuck, Chris! I’m gonna get your ass so drunk one night, and the moment you pass out the tattoo goes on,” he said, his eyes narrowed at me but his smile let me know he was messing around. At least, I hoped that was what it meant and wasn’t really his version of a creepy, serial killer smile.
“I got no problem having avaginaon my dick,” I said joking with him. I wasn’t normally so crude but there was no way I was going to miss that opening. I loved to see him get frustrated when something he threatened me with backfired.
“Pussy! How many fucking times, man? Pu-ssy.” He shook his head but I could see the laughter shaking his body. “Brand, get this lame fuck outta here.”
“Chris?” Cami’s sweet voice called as she popped her head out of one of the back rooms.
Then she was doing some weird dance-run thing until she crashed into me with a huge hug. I laughed and swung her around then planted her firmly down on her feet.
“Take care of my boy, tonight, okay?” she asked as her eyes slid across the shop to look at said boy.
“I love you,” Brand said as he kissed her sweetly. “I’ll text you when I’m headed back to the compound.”
They were still living at the compound. I knew both of them were feeling a bit crowded there but they made the most of it. They’d been looking at places, but so far hadn’t had any luck.
“Okay. I love you, too. Have fun.” She sang the last two words and it was absolutely adorable.
She’d come out of her shell a little more. She was definitely a unique person, but I loved it. I mostly loved the way she was fearless, though she would never see it that way. She didn’t care if other people saw her as weird or crazy or odd. She didn’t care that she hung around—and lived with—a bunch of gruff, outlaw men that threw around dirty words like they was spare change. She held steadfast to her true self and didn’t care what anyone thought. To me, that was as fearless as you could get.
“Where we headed?” I asked Brand after I tossed Cami and Sketch a goodbye wave and headed for the door.
“Irish pub,” he said with certainty.
I hadn’t expected that, but I wasn’t about to argue.
