Something he wouldalwaysstruggle with.
His only comfort was knowing that, before he and his teammates swore their oaths to the president, she’d assured them she would never give them orders or send them on an assignment that would mar their honor or test their morals.
At BKI he wasn’t bound by orders. He had the power to do good without having to live with the collateral damage that was inevitable during any sort of major military operation. At BKI he had the opportunity for redemption.
He’d failed Jah.
He wouldn’t fail others.
After a while, Grace pointed to the last photo. It showed Sam and his five BKI teammates astride their custom Harleys. “I recognize you and Sam,” she said, her voice quiet in deference to the weighty subject matter they’d left behind. “Who are the others?”
Black Knights Inc. 2.0 was comprised of men he both admired and respected, all in different ways because each man was as unique and as complicated as the bike he rode.
In the years since the six of them had banded together as Knights, they’d become more than coworkers and colleagues. They’d become friends. They’d seen each other at their worst and were always there to cheer each other on when they were at their best. They had each other’s backs when things went allLord of the Flies. Which happeneda lotin their line of work. But they’d also never hesitated to hold each other accountable when one of their number was being an idiot or an asshole. Whichalsohappened quite a lot.
In short, the Black Knights were the kind of friends who came around once in a lifetime. If a guy was really,reallylucky.
“The sandy-haired dude next to Sam, the one with the goofy grin, is Fisher Wakefield,” he told Grace. “Fisher’s a Louisiana boy through and through. I’ve never seen anyone eat so many crawfish in one sitting.” He’d also never seen a man so dedicated to the seduction of women, but he left that part out.
“On the other side of Fisher is Graham Colburn,” he continued. “Graham can make a bomb out of a toothpick, table salt, and chewing gum.” Graham also knew a dozen ways to kill a man and make it look like natural causes. But, again, Hunter didn’t think that was the kind of information Grace was looking for.
“Then there’s Britt Rollins and Hewitt Burch,” he finished. “Britt is an adrenaline junkie. Whether it’s rock climbing or hang gliding or street racing, Britt’s in. The more likely a hobby is to kill him, the more excited he is to do it. By contrast, Hewitt is a total bookworm. His idea of a good time is a quiet corner, a comfortable chair, and a classic novel.”
“I guess if I were to ask where the others are, why I didn’t get to meet them back at the factory, I’d get nothing but prevarication from you?” She slid him a sly glance.
“Prevarication makes it sound like I’d lie to you. I might sidestep your question. But I’d never lie,” he told her sincerely.
“Lord”—she shook her head—“my father would absolutelyadoreyou.”
Her words had everything inside him going still.
He wasn’t sure what he was feeling. Whatever it was, it must’ve been written across his face and made her think she’d made a blunder because she quickly returned them to their original subject. “So…” She eyed each of the framed photos closely. “Your family.”
“Hmm?” He frowned, still trying to figure out what that strange sensation was that had balled up in the center of his chest when she’d mentioned her father. “What do you mean?”
She pointed to the picture of Coop. “Your dad.” Her finger drifted to Jahedah. “Your mom.” Her fingernail made a clicking sound on the glass of the last photo. “And your brothers.”
“Iwishthat were true. I wish I could claim all of them as family.” He tried to throw a little levity into the conversation by adding, “Unfortunately, the only blood relation I have is Chuck. Whom you’ve met. And whom I suspect you probably hope to never meet again.”
She eyed him curiously. “Family isn’t always the ones we’re born to, Hunter. Sometimes they’re the ones we choose. The ones who chooseus.”
The idea had a lump forming in his throat. He’d never been chosen before. Not by his parents. Not by any of the foster families he’d lived with. Not even by the women who, over the years, had come in and out of his life.
Then again, the president had chosen him to be part of Black Knights Inc. Coop had chosen to mentor him despite his cocky, teenage attitude and tendency to take on too many challenges at once. And Jahedah? Well, she’d chosen to love and care for him in a place where loving and caring for a loud-mouthed American was dangerous enough to get her killed. A place where it very likelyhadgotten her killed.
Maybe Grace was right. Maybe the photos on his mantel showed more than his friends and colleagues. Maybe they were portraits of his family.
He cleared his throat and changed the subject. It was either that or break down in a full-on snot-nosed, tear-stained bawl-a-thon. “You hungry?” He moved to the refrigerator and hoped she couldn’t hear the roughness of his voice. “You barely touched your quiche. And it was a long ride to get here.”
“I take it the tour is over?” She arched an eyebrow.
“You’ve seen it all. Except for the bedroom.” Crossing his arms, he lowered his chin so he could stare at her provocatively.Sex.It was a subject he wasfarmore comfortable with. Unlike family, it was a subject he knew something about. “Do you want a tour of the bedroom, Grace? All you have to do is ask. I would bemorethan happy to oblige.”
A delightful wash of pink tinged her cheeks. “I think you enjoy shocking me with your directness when it comes to this subject matter.” She blew out a windy breath and shook her head. “But you know what I could really use?”
Please say a kiss followed by a make out sesh followed by a good, old-fashioned roll in the hay to make you forget this day.“What’s that?”
“A shower.” She made a face. “I’m hot and sticky and even though Eliza was kind enough to lend me some clothes, I’ve been wearing this same underwear for…” She scrunched up her nose, thinking. Then she shuddered. “Almost two days now.”
