Page 17 of Valen

I wouldn’t complain.

I’d been to places where communal showers—without stalls—were the norm. And places where squatting over a hole in the ground was as close as you came to a toilet.

So I was just glad for indoor plumbing and a door.

Even if I was going to be sharing them with guys.

“Louana,” a voice said, making me step out of the bathroom to find the tall, handsome Black man from the common area standing there.

“Brooks, right?” I clarified.

“Yep.”

“You’re in charge.”

“Of you all, yeah,” he confirmed.

“Do you need something from me?” I asked.

“I need you not to start shit,” he said, giving me a knowing look, despite never having seen me before. “I won’t pretend to know you or your motivations for being here, but I get that there is history that might be impacting your decision to be here.”

“I was never going to start shit. Or, at least, not with anyone but Valen,” I conceded. “I’m not going to give you a hard time.”

“Look,” he said, moving inward, making sure we were alone. “There is a lot of Legacy here. Guys who skate by because they know they are getting in, even if they don’t work for it. I’m doing my best to make sure everyone earns it. And it’s fucking important to work for it. Makes you appreciate it more.”

“I agree. And I plan to work.”

“Even if you don’t plan on patching in?” he asked, reading me a little too well.

“Yes, even if. I will pull my own weight. I will pull half of theirs,” I said, waving toward the abandoned beds, “if that is what you need from me.”

At that, his gaze held mine for a long moment before he nodded. “Okay then,” he said, turning, then walking away.

I didn’t know the man.

But I was immediately sure of two things.

He was not an easy man to impress.

And I was pretty confident that he approved of me.

Which was good.

Because I was planning on starting shit with Valen under his nose.

If he ever got back from his ride, that is.

Because several hours later, after I put away my shit, cleaned the kitchen, and had Seth drive me back to my parents’ place to switch out my car for my bike, he still hadn’t gotten back.

In fact, it wasn’t until I was starting to doze off after a long day that I finally heard footsteps coming toward the prospect room.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com