Page 31 of Knight
Aiden popped his head out of the bedroom, waving him off, and I closed the door and leaned against it.
“Alone at last.” I wiggled my eyebrows at him. “Whatever shall we do with our time?”
His eyes narrowed. “Unpack and sleep?”
“Very responsible.”
I shoved the last bite of cheese into my mouth and pulled my shirt over my head.
Aiden’s eyes widened, gaze traversing my chest and stomach. “Wh-what are you doing?”
“Gonna shower.” I gestured past him. “My bathroom is at the end of the hall.”
“Right.” He swallowed, eyes lingering on a skull with full feathery wings inked across my navel.
“Most of this was inspired by my past. It’s not really who I am anymore.”
He blinked. “What?”
“The ink. That’s what you were looking at, right? Don’t be intimidated by it.”
“Oh, I’m not,” he said quickly. “Everyone has a past, Knight. Maybe we don’t all have the ink on our body, but it’s etched in our minds. You’re not alone there.”
That was surprisingly insightful. Then again, Aiden hadn’t had an easy walk in life. From what Flynn told me, he’d been abused by his father, watched his brother kill the man, and then dealt with the fallout alone when he was only seventeen.
My chest tightened. The thought of someone lifting a hand to that angelic face made me want to do violence. Ironic, maybe, but true. He deserved a hell of a lot better than he got.
CHAPTER 7
AIDEN
I wokebefore my alarm as the first rays of dawn trickled through the sheer curtains over my window. My body buzzed with a mix of nerves and excitement. I threw back the blankets, eager to escape a restless night. I always got like this before a big change, ever since I was a kid. I’d never been able to sleep before the first day of school.
Today was even more important. This research year would determine the course of my future.
I grabbed my toiletries and crept out of my room. The water in my shower was barely lukewarm, but it cleared the last tendrils of sleep fog. I washed quickly and efficiently, then dried off with a thick, fluffy towel I’d picked up when I went shopping for some household supplies the day before. I couldn’t spend a lot of money—not on a research stipend—but I didn’t compromise on towels, sheets, or coffee. Those were my vices.
I returned to my room and pulled out the navy slacks and white button-down I’d selected for my first day’s work. I’d just slipped my arms into the shirt when my phone alarm started blaring.
Shit. I’d forgotten to turn it off. I clambered onto the bed to reach for the phone on the bedside table.
Knight stumbled into my doorway just as I hit the button to silence it. In nothing but silky black boxer briefs on his mouthwatering body.
“Aiden?” he said in a groggy voice.
“Sorry!” I held up the phone as evidence. “My alarm.”
He stared at the phone for a minute, eyes only half-focused.
“I can turn down the volume on it tomorrow. I didn’t realize how loud it…”
I trailed off. He wasn’t listening. His gaze had slipped to my exposed chest and down to the towel still knotted around my hips. He licked his lips.
That’s all it took to break my will.
One hungry look.
“Knight,” I said, a note of pleading in my voice.
