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Without another word, he turned away and went back inside. I got into my car, feeling like there was a load of bricks in my stomach.
“That was weird, wasn’t it?” Gage asked as we drove away from the building. “Do you think he knows about Raina?”
Anything was possible. My father wasn’t the type of guy that one lied to successfully. In my defense, he was the one who had told me from a young age that Raina was the enemy. The threat to my future. Could he really blame me for forming an obsession?
“It’s hard to say. He’s usually pretty blunt and forthright. Maybe he was just curious.” I knew better than to let my father know that Raina was in our house. Hell, if he knew we’d inked her and claimed her, he might just disown me.
I didn’t care. She was too deep in my system. If I was going to run this city one day, then I could do as I damn well wanted. And I wanted Raina.
CHAPTER THREE
RAINA
I sat at the kitchen table across from Knight. A peaceful quiet descended as Havoc and Gage left. They disappeared into the garage, leaving the two of us to clean up their dirty dishes. Pigs.
Being left alone in the house with Knight was a hell of a lot better than being stuck with Gage. That jerk knew how to work my nerves. He loved it. Knight had never been as antagonistic as the others. I was pretty sure I could handle him.
I picked at a few more French fries before giving up. My appetite had been pretty shaky since we’d found Jenna. I kept seeing her face. Her dead eyes. Sickening.
Knight popped the last bite of his burger into his mouth. He brushed crumbs from his fingertips over the plate, glancing at my barely touched food. “Not hungry, huh? I guess that’s understandable. Do you want something else? Maybe there’s something I can make for you, or we can order in.”
I studied him in disbelief. He wasn’t nearly as much of a prick as the other two. That didn’t necessarily make him safer though, did it? Maybe it was quite the opposite and Knight was the one I should be watching out for.
“That’s sweet, but no thanks. I’m good. It’s just been a rough day. Doesn’t help when I have Gage breathing down my neck in class all day either.” I’d gotten a brief break from Gage during the class we didn’t share. He’d been waiting right outside the door when it ended though.
Knight nodded, rising to gather the dishes. “He’s a little intense. We all want to keep you safe. Someone wants to hurt you. We’re not going to let that happen.”
“Because you guys want to hurt me and you don’t want someone else to get to it first.” I rose too, gathering up Havoc’s abandoned plate.
Knight paused, watching me carry a handful of dishes to the kitchen. “It’s not like that, Raina. We don’t want to hurt you. Not the way you think anyway.”
I scoffed, opening the dishwasher and shoving dishes inside. “Think Havoc and Gage would agree with that? Somehow I doubt it. This is a territorial thing. Someone else wants to mess with me. You all consider me yours, so you have to do the whole male pissing contest thing. It’s all quite predictable and equally stupid.”
Knight’s chuckle was a warm, sugar coated sound. He joined me at the dishwasher, placing the dishes he held inside. “You’re a real breath of fresh air around here, you know that? It’s nice.”
I frowned. “Not sure I like the sound of that. I’m not here to entertain you assholes.”
Knight popped a dishwasher tablet into the machine and turned it on. Leaning on the counter, he faced me with an adorable grin. “And yet, I’m entertained. Come on, Raina. Lighten up a little. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”
“Is it supposed to be a good thing? Have any of you stopped to think about things from my perspective?” Sooner or later, my father would find out I wasn’t staying at the dorm. How would I explain this to him?
“Probably not as much as we should have,” Knight admitted. “We didn’t exactly get off to such a good start.”
“Because Havoc poured a beer over my head. I didn’t do shit to you guys. Not until he made the first move.” Irritation made my temper rise. I didn’t want to argue with Knight. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. It’s impossible to talk to any of you.”
I returned to the table to grab my phone and check for messages. Maybe Clover would want to meet up for coffee or something. I could use some girl talk right about now.
“Have you really tried to talk to any of us?” Knight challenged. “Let’s talk. We might as well. Unless you’d like to find other ways to pass the time.”
His tone became suggestive and playful. Flirtatious. Knight was a cutie alright. I didn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.
I set my phone down, holding his devilish brown gaze. “Sure, let’s talk. Why don’t we start with you telling me why you ran out of here like you were being chased by rabid dogs when Gage said I was crying? I wasn’t, by the way. None of you are worth a single damn tear.”
Knight’s smile faltered. “I don’t do well with crying women.”
Strange yet interesting. “Why not?” I pressed. “Does it get you off or something?”
When he diverted his gaze, I knew that I’d guessed it. Knight stared past me into the living room. He gnawed his bottom lip before saying, “You could say that.”
