Page 138 of Beyond the Badge: Nox

Or Viper could be totally aware of this enterprise.

Maybe.

But Nox sure as fuck doubted it.

ChapterThirty-One

“I’d lovefor you to meet my boys.”

Holy shit, did she just suggest that?

When Nox’s head turned on the pillow, his handsome face was marred by a deep frown. “What?”

Should she pretend she hadn’t suggested that? Or simply go with it?

The man loved kids—of course, not in a questionable way—so, it might do him some good to hang out with hers for a little bit. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt her boys to spend some time with him.

They needed moregoodmale role models in their lives. She loved her father to death, but he wasn’t the best role model. However, he was good at keeping them in line and to teach them, with the way he treated his wife, how to cherish a woman. However, his cohorts were definitely not the greatest role models.

She did not want her boys following in her father’s footsteps when it came to his MC. She hoped when they became adults, they chose to follow the law over lawlessness.

Because of that, Nox hanging with Keenan and Devyn could be a win-win all the way around.

Even better, if they all got along, it could ease the idea of Nox staying over at her place.

Eventually.

If this connection between them continued.

Because so far, neither seemed to be in any rush to end things. In fact, they were settling into a routine.

At Wednesday night grief group, Nox always sat to her left. Did he ever share with the group? No. But at least he listened. Kind of.

Afterward, they’d head to a motel for some extracurricular activity.

Not the one they first went to—the motel where something or someone spooked him—but one north of Shadow Valley, on the outskirts of Pittsburgh.

It was a longer drive, but Nox made it worthwhile.

He paid every time, too. When she offered, he shot her a dirty look like she had insulted him. That made her throw up her hands and let him pay, even though she earned a lot more money than he did, and these hookups were getting costly, since they were starting to meet more than only Wednesday nights.

Every time they did, she’d hint that she wouldn’t mind shouldering some of the financial burden and, like clockwork, he ignored her.

One benefit to inviting him over was, it didn’t cost a dime for them to “boink” in her rent-free bedroom. Another was so she could bring him into the fold of her family and see how the boys interacted with him. See if they would accept him as a permanent fixture in their lives.

Just in case he stuck around.

“I met your boys, remember? That day I met your father.”

“How could I forget? I meant come over for dinner. Hang for a little bit. Watch a movie with the family.”

One side of his mouth pulled up. “That’s it? A movie with the fam?”

Her head jerked back in mock offense. “Officer Lennox, what else do you expect?”

“You writhing and moaning underneath me.” His expression got serious. “Have you brought any other men home before?”

“Well, that’s a loaded question.” One she didn’t expect from him.