Page 8 of Deception (Deranged Drifters MC #22)

Chapter Eight

Griffin’s Beach Kent

“ H ow’s your girl holding up?” Kent Conway asks Gavin.

The phone rang just ten minutes ago, and Kent knows Gavin’s girlfriend must be out of her mind at the thought of losing her brother. For the longest time, the two of them only had each other.

“She was pretty freaked out, but seeing him okay settled her down,” Gavin says.

“Man, that has to be scary for everyone. And that car… Fuck, that was a beautiful car.”

He laughs. “Yeah, it was. What are you doing? It sounds like you’re watching cartoons.”

Cradling the phone between his shoulder and ear, Kent shifts Gavin’s nephew on his lap. “Kind of. Nolan is. And I’m watching him.”

“Where’s Gracie?”

“Your sister is out on a date,” Kent says.

“And she got you to babysit her kid?”

It’s his turn to laugh. “First, it got me out of shit duty at the clubhouse. Ky didn’t mind letting Cole take over my cleaning jobs when he heard I was watching his grandson.”

The newest Prospect isn’t Kent’s favorite guy in the world for reasons he can’t quite put his finger on. Other than coming across entitled, he’s never done anything outwardly offensive. But dating the President’s sister would make most outsiders feel entitled.

“And second, you know I’ve bonded with the kid. Hell, I helped bring him into the world. That’s some connection shit you can’t fight.”

The night Kent planned to take Gracie out for her seventeenth birthday was the night she gave birth to her son. Nolan’s first birthday was only weeks ago, and Kent made sure to be there. The little guy will forever have him wrapped around his little, pudgy fingers.

Nolan’s father isn’t in the picture. No one knows who he is except for Gracie, and she’s chosen to keep it a secret.

Probably to save the poor guy’s life after she’s let a few unsavory details slip about the night she got knocked up.

Kent’s not a violent man by nature—usually described as chill enough to be stoned—but he would beat this man bloody in an instant.

It really should have freaked him out to see Nolan born. Freshly twenty-years-old, he shouldn’t have been feeling what he did seeing the kid. Longing. Not for Gracie, exactly, and he still doesn’t fully understand it.

She’s a couple of years younger, but she’s been a fixture in Kent’s life since he can remember.

They’re both children of the club, and that creates a tightknit community.

And after Nolan was born, he kept coming around.

Because of that, Gracie is easily Kent’s best friend. The one he spends the most time with.

“Real talk, Kent… Do you like my sister?” Gavin asks.

“We’re friends.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Kent scoffs. “I know better than to move in on your sister, man. But I’m not going to lie and tell you that this whole situation of raising a baby alone doesn’t piss me off. Whoever Nolan’s father is, he deserves a beating for making her do this on her own.”

“I couldn’t agree more. If I ever find out who did this to her, I’m kicking his ass.”

“I’ll help. Hey, off-topic… What do you think of the new Prospect?”

“He’s alright, but he’s not really club material. I mean, let’s be honest; He only got the chance because he’s fucking Klaire. Comes across a bit high and mighty, you know?”

That’s putting it mildly. “He was talking to me like he was already getting patched in. We were born into this club, and he thinks he’s better than us. He even said blood doesn’t mean more in the club.”

“Yeah, I just hope he either changes, or they don’t patch him in. But… you changed the subject.”

“From what?”

“My sister.” He opens his mouth to protest, but Gavin adds, “If you like her and want to pursue something, that’s cool with me.”

“Dude—”

“She needs someone in her corner. Like I have with Hailey. I’ve kind of got my hands full, and I know Mom and Dad want her to get used to being on her own with a kid, but it’s fucking hard, man. Plus, of all the guys who could hook up with my sister, you’re not the worst.”

Me and Gracie? “Uh, thanks?”

A scream fills the earpiece, and Gavin groans. “Shit, Nancy’s awake. Hailey’s at the hospital with Luke and Noah. Gotta go.”

Setting the phone down, Kent looks down at Nolan sitting on his lap. “Your uncle is crazy, you know that?”

Nolan smiles up at him and says, “Da-da.”

“No, buddy, I’m not your daddy. Although, I’m more your father than your actual one. I swear, if I ever find that guy who hasn’t even met you, I’ll beat him within an inch of his life. Who wouldn’t want to know you?”

As he sits and looks at the little boy who stares, completely captivated, at Kent, he can’t help but notice the similarities he shares with his mother. A round face, dark hair, and green eyes.

“You don’t think I have a crush on your mom, do you?”

He giggles and reaches up to touch Kent’s cheek. The bright stare of Nolan’s eyes makes Kent stop and gaze with an affection he’s never felt before.

“Holy shit, I have a crush on your mom. No… Yes? Fuck.”

“Fuck,” he copies, smiling as though very proud of himself.

“Oh no, you can’t say that, little dude. Your mama will kill me for sure.”

“Fuck!”

Shit.

Gracie walks through the door, and Kent looks at the clock, suddenly worried he’d somehow lost track of time and missed bedtime.

“Uh, Gracie? Forty-five minutes has got to be a record for one of the shortest dates, I think,” Kent says.

Taking in her appearance for the first time, he finds her incredibly attractive with her short skirt that stops mid-thigh. Thighs he vividly remembers in his hands as she cried out and pushed a baby into this world.

Everything about her is relatively small except for her chest and shoulders. The one slightly unattractive feature about her. Damn you, Ky.

“It was a train wreck,” Gracie says and walks over to take Nolan from him. “I realized I’d rather hang out here with my favorite guys than with someone who wears too much cologne and acts like a frat guy.”

Why do I want to kiss her right now? She just called me one of her favorite guys. Hey, I’m one of her favorite guys.

“Kent?”

“Huh?”

She laughs and shakes her head. “You okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. I was just… thinking about something.”

“That’s a first,” she jokes. “Did I miss anything in the short time I was gone?”

“Did you hear about Luke and Noah?”

Shaking her head, she smiles at Nolan as he squeezes her cheeks. “What about them?”

“They got into an accident.”

“Are they okay?”

“Lucas has to stay overnight, but Noah just broke his nose. The car, though, is not so fine.”

“Oh, that would be so scary,” she says. “Did you talk to Gavin? How’s Hailey?”

Watching her with her son is beyond mesmerizing. “She’s okay. Knowing they’re fine obviously helps.”

“Fuck!” Nolan shouts with a giggle.

He holds his breath, waiting for his tongue lashing, but Gracie just sighs and shakes her head. “Thanks, Grandpa. How long are we going to say this one?”

“Grandpa taught him that?”

“Yeah, it’s gotten progressively worse. He’s going to be that kid in daycare who gets in trouble for swearing. Are you sticking around for a while, or do you have a hot date to get to?”

“Um, I have no plans. I can stick around if you want me to.”

Nodding, she smiles. “I’m trying to get him used to an earlier bedtime, and I could use adult conversation that doesn’t revolve around him. Plus, I’d rather spend time with you than whatever his name was.”

Kent follows her into her bedroom where Nolan’s crib still resides. He’s wondered for a while why Gavin’s old room hasn’t been turned into Nolan’s room, but he assumes there’s a reason for it.

“Didn’t like the guy?”

“Uh, no. It became clear he only asked me out because he heard I had a kid at seventeen. Thought I was easy.”

It never ceases to anger Kent how many people have false opinions of Gracie. He winks at Nolan laying in his crib with a bottle. “Night, kid.”

“Night-night,” he says with a smile.

They walk out into the living room, and Gracie opens up the streaming app. “What are you in the mood for? Oh, who am I kidding? You’re a guy. Action all the way.”

“I’m not really picky. As long as there are no subtitles. I like to understand the language,” Kent says, his arm resting along the back of the couch.

Sitting beside him, she leans slightly against his side. The way they sit could be either just friends or more than friends, and he wonders if he should drop his arm to rest on her shoulders. Test it out to see her reaction.

“How about a comedy? I’m not really in the mood for explosions.”

“Works for me,” Kent says.

“How about Step Brothers ? It’s a classic.”

He smiles when she looks up at him, and he doesn’t say anything. It feels like there’s more here than just friendship. Unless he’s just reading what he wants into the situation.

“You don’t agree?” she asks. “I thought you liked that movie.”

Dipping his head, he kisses her. She freezes for a moment, clearly surprised, but it’s Kent who ends up surprised when she kisses him back. In fact, her hand reaches up to cup his cheek as his tongue slips into her mouth.

He wraps her up in his arms and pulls her onto his lap to help bring them closer to the same level. Until Gracie pulls back and blinks at him, her fingers on her lips. “What was that?”

“Uh… Pretty sure it should be self-explanatory.”

“Kent—”

“I like you, Gracie.”

Her eyes stay locked with his. “I like you, too. We’re friends.”

“You know what I mean. I’m the dumb one, remember?”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Seriously.”

She covers her mouth with her hand, but she doesn’t climb off his lap. She just stares at him as she processes everything, and he knows she’s freaking out in her head.

“I don’t want to ruin our friendship. You’re honestly my best friend, and it would kill me if you didn’t want me around Nolan anymore. If you don’t want this, or you don’t like me the same way, that’s okay,” Kent says.

Her lips crash against his, and he runs his fingers through her hair. The way her body presses against him makes him want her even more. No matter how much he would love to take things beyond kissing, he knows she’s not ready.

She places her hands on his chest again and pulls back. Her tongue slides over her lips as she pants. “Just to be clear, you’re not seeing anyone, right?”

“No. Just you. If you want.”

A shaky breath slips from between her lips. “We should slow down.”

“Okay.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Uh… yeah?”

Climbing off his lap, she sits on her shins and looks at him with confusion. “It’s okay that we stopped?”

“Why wouldn’t it be okay?”

“Because you’re a guy.”

“I’m glad we’ve established that,” he says with a chuckle. “Look, I know you have a lot going on, and you don’t have the best experience with men. This can be all at your pace.”

She swallows, her hands shaking slightly. “So… What, uh, do we do now?”

Her nervousness makes him smile. For one, it means the desire isn’t just one-sided. Secondly, she’s normally so sassy that he’s thrown her off her game. He affects her. “I think I should go,” he says. “But I’d like to take you out on a real date. Are you free tomorrow?”

“A date?”

“Yeah, a date. Dinner. Movie. Maybe some kissing. Because, I gotta say, you’re one hell of a kisser, Gracie Short.”

She blushes and looks down. “Uh, yeah, okay. Let me make sure I can get someone to watch Nolan.”

Kent reaches out and lifts her chin to look at him, and he kisses her softly. “Let me know if tomorrow doesn’t work. We can figure something else out.”

“O-okay.”

Biting his lip, he stands. “Goodnight, Gracie.”

“Goodnight, Kent.”