Page 79 of Dark Knight (Knight's Ridge Empire 10)

Her cheeks flush bright red as she recalls Nico’s offer one morning when he refused to keep his mouth shut about exactly what his previous night entailed.

“Go do your work, young one. And maybe check the bottom shelf in your wardrobe later.” She winks at me before I slip away.

I lock the main door to the basement. It won’t stop anyone if they really want to get down here, but it makes me feel like I’m taking at least a little bit of control over my life.

I’m too lost in my own head to notice anything as I hit the bottom of the stairs and step into my basement, heading straight for the wardrobe. But I only make it a few steps when the shock of a person sitting on my bed makes me scream bloody murder.

“Whoa, it’s just me,” he says, holding his hands up in surrender and scooting to the end of the bed.

“What the hell are you doing here, Alex? And what happened to your face?”

“Oh, this?” he asks, pointing to himself. “It’s nothing, baby C. You should see the other guy.”

Shaking my head, I swerve the bed and continue toward my wardrobe to see what Jocelyn has hidden for me.

“It was Nico, wasn’t it?” I guess, based on the short conversation we had outside the locker rooms earlier when it seemed like Alex was gunning for a fight by taunting him.

“Some of it, yeah. The rest was Daemon.”

I pause dead at hearing his name.

“Daemon? Why?” I ask, unable to not take that bait.

I spin around and glare at him.

He has the decency to look a little guilty.

“Dunno. He was pissed about something. I helped him vent.” He shrugs as if it’s nothing. “Personally, I think he needs to get laid.” All the air rushes out of my lungs without permission. Thankfully though, Alex doesn’t seem to notice. “I think he’s going through a dry spell.”

“Why are you here, Alex?” I hiss.

“Well, firstly to apologise. I’m sorry for suggesting in front of Nico that anything happened between us last night. He’s just too easy to wind up, but I should have thought better of it.”

I stare at him, refusing to let him see that I accept that apology. Hell knows I’ve done enough over the years to make Nico blow his top. I just hate it when they all end up turning on each other and ultimately hurting each other. They might all drive me to the edge of insanity with their possessive, over-the-top bullshit, but I still don’t want them in pain.

“And…” I prompt when he stops, his eyes focused on my bare legs instead of my face. “I can cover up if you’re incapable of thinking straight.”

“Uh… shit. Fuck. Sorry.” Lifting his hand from his lap, he combs his fingers through his hair, dragging it back from his face.

For just a beat, with his desire-filled eyes and busted face gazing up at me, I almost think it’s Daemon sitting before me.

“I was at home working on my English assignment, and it was boring as fuck. I hoped that maybe we could pick up where we left off last night. A problem shared is a problem halved, right?”

He smiles at me but quickly winces when his lip splits open again, a droplet of blood trickling down his chin.

“Have you even cleaned them up?” I ask with a sigh.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle, baby C. I’m a big boy.” He winks at me, and I can’t help but blush. Damn it.

“Let me get the first aid kit,” I mutter, spinning on my heels and heading for my bathroom instead of my hidden sweet treat.

I gather up what I need and head back out.

“Seriously?” I ask, marching back out and finding that Alex has made himself at home on my bed. His trainers have been kicked off and abandoned on the floor, his shirt next to them as he waits for me.

“What?” he asks innocently. “I promise to be the best patient you’ve ever patched up.”

“Well, seeing as I’ve only cleaned Nico up before, that shouldn’t be a challenge. He’s a fucking baby.”