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“Because they needed washing?”
He looked genuinely annoyed. “That’s not what I meant.”
I lowered the shirt in my hands. “Then what did you mean?”
Silence. For a second, I thought I pushed too far. Then he sighed.
“I see what you're doing, Wren. You don’t have to earn a living here.”
The words hit harder than they should have. My fingers tightened around the fabric, my jaw slackening.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
I opened my mouth. Then I closed it. Because maybe he was right. Maybe some part of me still believed that if I wasn’t useful, if I wasn’t easy to have around, people would eventually decide I wasn’t worth keeping.
That was how Derek started. Little things. Making me feel lucky he tolerated me. Making me feel like love was something I had to constantly prove I deserved.
Knox must have been able to tell what I was thinking because his expression darkened. “You’re doing it again.”
I swallowed. “Doing what?”
“Apologizing without saying sorry.”
I looked away. “I’m just trying not to be a burden.”
The silence that followed was heavy. When I finally looked at him, something in his expression had changed. He exhaled when he saw me looking, then closed the gap between us. He crouched down in front of me, and all I could think about was how the magnitude of him didn't overwhelm me.
His scent teased my nostrils as he brought his hand up to my chin, cradling my face gently—a shiver ran down my spine—until I was looking at him.
“Listen to me. You are not a burden. You do not have to earn your place here. All you have to do is exist. I don't care what you want to do, but don't walk around thinking you owe me anything. If anything, you're safe here.”
My lips wobbled, tears pressing at my eyes. “You don’t even know me.”
His eyes stayed on mine. “I know enough.”
My heart did something uncomfortable. It skipped a beat. A tear slid down my cheeks, and he caught it with his thumb, brushing it off my face. It made my insides melt.
He didn't smile as he let my chin go, stepping back to stand on his feet again. “I hope you haven't made dinner yet because I got somebody to bring us dinner. You're resting tonight.”
He was on his way out of the room when I snapped out of my daze.
“Knox?” I called.
He stopped, looking at me over his shoulder.
“Thank you.”
He smiled but didn't say anything. He didn't have to. He'd already said enough.
Chapter Seven
Knox
Everyone at Sons of Sin knew when something was wrong with me. The problem was nobody knew what the hell was wrong. They only knew I was meaner than usual, which was saying something.
I had always been the guy people avoided unless they needed something handled. That was my job. My reputation. My entire existence inside the club. When problems come to me, my job is to end them. It was simple and followed a pattern I could work with. I didn't have to ask questions. I just did what I needed to do—no emotions attached.
