Kian slammed into him with enough force that his legs gave out, and they ended up in the grass, that big body crushing him until Kian rolled off him with a deep laugh.
“I hate when you do that,” he grumbled and pushed onto his hands.
Kian was already back on his feet, hand held toward Emmett.
“You love it.”
He knew his glare would have zero effect on Kian, and yet he still threw it his way. All he received in return was an amused smile as Kian hoisted him onto his feet.
“Rather assumptious of you,” he teased, lips quirking up at the corners.
Kian shrugged, those big shoulders lifting his cut and T-shirt. He took a moment to look him over, checking not only that he was indeed in one piece, but also just to take in the man he considered more a brother than a friend.
The smile on his lips reached his eyes, emerald green twinkling back at him. He was wearing a dark T-shirt that showed off the tattoos on his arms, including the one that was still a bit red around the black lines.
There wasn’t a tattoo on Kian’s body he hadn’t designed. Despite the seven years between them, they had always gravitated toward each other. Kian was like that annoying big brother with the philosophy of ‘I can hurt them, but no one else can,’ and despite the bruises, he’d always loved that Kian didn’t treat him like he was breakable. He got enough of that from everyone else.
“Kian,” someone yelled from the top of the back porch.
“Shit,” Kian muttered, giving Emmett and Miles a crooked grin. “Church. Gotta go.”
Kian jogged back to his bike and got on, driving to the front of the house, and when his big form disappeared around the corner, Emmett turned to Miles, noting that the worry was back on his face.
“Kaz is alright.”
Miles blinked, lashes fluttering as he sucked in a sharp breath. He cleared his throat and met Emmett’s gaze, a smile finding his lips. “I know. Saw him riding in.”
They walked up the stairs and into the clubhouse, Miles’s gaze locked on one of the doors to the left of the living room as they passed it. He could hear the hum of voices and figured that’s where everyone had gone because the place was otherwise empty.
Miles led him upstairs and gave him a more in-depth tour than last time. From the hallway, there were doors on the left side leading to a right turn, where he knew Emma’s room was, because they’d stayed there last time. It had been a strange experience. Usually, if they had to share beds, he shared with Miles while Emma and Travis shared a bed. Miles went to bed earliest, and when the three of them stumbled into Emma’s room, Emma had gone straight to Miles’s bed. He still wasn’t sure what had happened between Emma and Travis then, but he was glad they seemed to have figured it out.
Miles pointed at the first door to their left and said, “That’s Talon and Spencer’s room. Next is the bathroom. We just finished renovating it.”
Emmett nodded as he followed Miles down the hall.
“That’s Ezra’s room, and yours for your stay. Mostly because no one else wants to room with Ez,” Miles said with a small teasing smile.
Emmett shrugged. He didn’t mind rooming with Ezra. While he was up at ungodly hours working on his computer, it didn’t bother him one bit. Despite Ezra’s prickly personality, he was a good man with a kind heart, even if he tried not to let anyone see it. Ezra had always treated him like a whole person. While Ezra claimed he’d only learnt sign language so he could piss Travis off in his own language, he knew there was so much more to Ezra and his reasonings than he claimed.
“The twins and Coop are in the room at the end,” Miles said, pointing straight ahead at the door there.
“I can’t decide if it’s genius or madness putting those three together,” Emmett mused, arching a brow at Miles, who shook his head. “You might want to put a hazard sign on that door.”
“Oh, trust me, I’ve considered it. They’re better at keeping their room clean than I expected, though that’s probably because my sister and Remy are next door.”
Miles stopped where the hallway turned and pointed at the different doors, starting with the one across from Emma’s. “Killian’s there and Kaz and I are next door, Solo and Jane in the room across from ours. Wilder’s got the room downstairs, and the rest live on their own.”
The mention of Wilder had his heart racing. He needed to get a grip. He wasn’t here to get laid, and although it had been a while, he knew getting with Wilder would be a mistake. Not that he was even sure if Wilder was flirting for real or if that was just how he always was.
“If you need anything and no one’s around, then Ez is generally in the garage. There’s an office above it. Just don’t comment on his decorating. He gets a little peeved when people question his taste.”
Emmett huffed. “I remember.”
He followed Miles back down the hallway. Miles opened the door to Ezra’s room, showing Emmett inside. It was bigger than he’d expected, practically split in two by the furniture. It reminded him of a much better and bigger version of his college dorm room. The mini fridge under the desk definitely gave dorm vibes. It was so Ezra.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Miles said, his smile turning almost devious. “I’mma go see if I can get some answers out of Kaz.”
“Good luck with that.”
