Page 6 of Knight With Benefits

I had to force my gaze away from her, pretending to look around the empty kitchen area. Whoever had owned it before had stripped it of everything that could be sold, leaving gaping holes in the counters where the sink and ovens should have been. Even the door to the walk-in cooler had been removed, and I had to wonder if it worked at all since there was no way to test it without the door.

I pushed down the urge to tell her I’d do the work for free. A lot of the repairs I did around Hell were done at little to no charge. I had no need for the money, but I knew she’d distrust me more if I didn’t give her an acceptable price. A stranger offering to do something for nothing was unbelievable, and if it wasn’t money I wanted, she’d automatically assume something else.

My focus slipped back to her curvy body, my cock twitching with interest, but luckily she was looking around the room instead of at me. I certainly wouldn’t say no if she offered herself as payment, but something told me she wouldn’t take kindly to that suggestion.

“There are a lot of different projects you need done, and likely more will pop up as we make progress, so an hourly wage is probably the simplest way to go. If you buy the supplies and provide lunch, I can do it for fifteen dollars an hour.”

I thought she’d scoff at the ridiculous price since anyone who’d held a job or hired a contractor would know that was insanely low for what I’d be doing, but she only bit her lip and looked around again. It was clear she was having an internal debate, but she finally sucked in a deep breath and nodded.

“Okay. I can do that for a couple weeks at least, and hopefully by then it’ll be close to finished.”

My instincts weren’t happy about charging her for the work, but I could find ways to put the money back into the café for her. I’d done it before when people insisted on paying me. I had simple tastes, and the one good thing about my time in the Army was that I could live off the stipend I received after being injured.

“It looks like you’ve made a good start to cleaning the place out, so the big construction projects should come before we start the smaller things. Tuesday I can measure out the area where you want the dividing wall in the front and make a list of the supplies I’ll need, and then I’ll get up on the roof to take a look at it since you’ve got a few water spots on the ceiling tiles. If there’s a leak, we need to get it taken care of before fall really sets in and the weather starts getting wetter.”

Her teeth dug into her plush bottom lip again before she nodded, offering me her hand.

“Sounds like a plan. Is there anything you don’t like to eat?”

Her voice faded as I wrapped her small hand in mine, and I couldn’t stop the grin that spread across my face as my mind went straight to the gutter. I wasn’t the only one thinking about the things I could eat since a hint of slick tinted the air between us.

I focused on her lips again, the plump mounds slightly parted. A tremor passed through her into my palm, and I knew she felt the pull between us as well. Alphas were always drawn to omegas, and vice versa, but her thick hips and heavy breasts heaving beneath the simple t-shirt she wore called to me in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Don’t worry, I’ll eat whatever you put in front of me.”

My voice had dropped, a rumble in the words I couldn’t help, and Gwyn shivered again before giving her head a shake and pulling her hand away. I didn’t want to let her go, the silky feel of her skin something I wanted to explore, but I wouldn’t take advantage of her either. She’d been drinking, and even if she seemed more sober than she’d been at the bar, I wouldn’t let there be any chance of something influencing her decision if we became more than our current agreement of boss and employee.

“Oh, okay then. I guess I should get back to my drink, and I’ll see you Tuesday.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Her cheeks flushed brighter before she turned away. I followed her from the building, waiting as she shouldered the door back into place and locked up, but the walk over to The Hangout was more strained than the previous had been. I held the door to the bar for her and she scurried past with her head down, rushing to the seat she’d left. It was tempting to return to my spot beside her, but it was obvious she wanted space, and Jason calling my name pulled my focus to the table of Knights sitting in the corner.

Spying Jackson at the table reminded me of the reason I’d come to the bar earlier than usual to begin with, the young alpha avoiding my gaze as I made my way over. The only open seat was across from him, which meant I wouldn’t get a chance to talk to him unless the others left, or if I waited and followed him out when he tried to escape.

I settled in to wait him out, accepting the beer Jason poured for me and listening to the men discuss the vintage car they were working on at the shop. The familiar scents and voices were soothing to the part of me that was always on alert, but concern for the omega sitting alone at the bar kept me from relaxing, and I shifted in my seat until I could keep an eye on her without it being obvious.

Usually chatting with the guys helped me prepare for the night, but the longer I sat there with my attention torn between Gwyn, Jackson, and the conversation at the table, the more agitated I grew. Instead of calming my bear, it had him pacing inside me, letting out a steady low growl that was hard to keep buried in my chest.

“You okay, Carl?” Blake asked from beside me, his silver beard catching the light as he polished off the last of the beer in his glass. He’d kept his voice low so the others wouldn’t notice, but it made me realize I was drumming a tattoo on the table with the tips of the black claws extending from my fingers.

I released a slow breath, doing the exercise I’d been taught to calm myself, and the claws retreated.

“Yeah. I took on a new project and I’m just trying to figure out the best way to tackle it.”

My eyes slid to Gwyn’s short frame perched on the barstool, the curve of her hips making my palms itch to take hold of them. She was the perfect size to have something to hang onto while still being able to manhandle her and fold her into all sorts of positions.

“Let me tell you,thosekinds of projects turn into long-term ones, that then become annoying little side-projects that talk back and make you want to put your duct tape to other uses.”

Blake had followed my gaze but turned back to me as he shook his head, and I couldn’t help laughing.

“Kids still giving you trouble?”

One bushy brow arched.

“You looking to adopt? I’ll sell them cheap. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking, mating so late and having kids at my age. I’m too old for this shit.”

I chuckled again as he looked morosely into his empty glass. I’d met his mate and their teens on a few occasions, and I knew he was crazy about them, but he also claimed they were the cause of all his grey hair.

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