Reaper’s eyes lock onto Conan’s stomach. “I’d say he’s caught up.”
I stare at Conan’s belly.Oh, damn. He has a point. Conan will have to be taken for a walk again. I frown, thinking about how much of a bad idea that was before.
“What’s wrong?” Reaper asks when he sees the distress on my face from the thought of having to exercise.
“Twitch had to come get me, Elena, and Conan last time we went for a walk.”
His head tilts to the side in bafflement. “Why?”
“Me and Elena couldn’t walk home.” I cringe at how lazy and unfit we sound.
His laugh is loud. “You two couldn’t or didn’t want to?”
“Oh, no we couldn’t! Conan loved it, though.”
“Viper and Rage go running most mornings. Why don’t you ask them if they will take him?”
I shift uncomfortably.
“Conan will be fine,” he answers like he can tell I’m not sure about the idea.
“I know. I feel like an overprotective mother.”
He steps over to me, puts an arm around my waist, and places a tender kiss on the top of my head. The small display of affection makes my pulse spike. Being with him is easy. He’s not overbearing. I’d love to spend more time with him.
“The fights in the warehouse are on tonight.”
My head snaps up to him. “Who’s fighting?”
“Rage.”
“No!” I reply sharply.
He leans back with an odd expression on his face. “What do you mean, no?”
“I’ve grown fond of the men here. Them getting hurt”—I rub my eyes—“stresses me out!”
His hand moves up and down in a soothing motion. “No one is making Rage do anything he doesn’t want to do. He enjoys it.”
“He’s too young. I thought Demon would be into something like that.”
“I won’t allow him to compete.”
“Why?” I thought he would be a perfect competitor from what Elena has hinted at.
“We make money from running and organizing the fights, so including a prospect allows for a level playing field with the other competitors from around the area and others who travel from around the state. Viper and Bomber have specialist hand-to-hand combat skills, and anyone who knows about our MC will have heard about Demon’s reputation. No one would be stupid enough to compete against them, and if there’s no competition, there’s no money.”
I nod slowly, now understanding the thought process behind it. “You’re running it as a business.”
“Yes. Now, we’re going for a ride to the Kings of Chaos clubhouse this afternoon. Do you need anything while I’m out?”
A tick of nervous energy zaps me. It seems every time that MC is around, there’s conflict or tension, but I try to forget about it because I’ve only seen them twice. “No, I’m good, but I might see if Elena is free. I wouldn’t mind going to get some more clothes.”
“Take Rage or Twitch with you.”
My eyes dart away.
“Hey,” he whispers and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. The tender touch makes me look at him. “It’s for your and Elena’s safety.”
