Page 24 of Chasing Kit

War leaned in and whispered, “Eat, then we’ll go for a night walk on the beach.”

I perked up with a wide smile. “That’s a deal.”

He gave me an actual smile in return—not the polished PR version, but a real one—and my chest did something embarrassing. Christ. I was in danger, but apparently I was still capable of this. My dick was paying attention. A lot of attention.

Woof.

War wasn’t the sly dog in this relationship. I was.

7

WAR

Loki spent dinner draped over the back of Kit’s chair, his smirk a constant challenge. He knew what he was doing by getting that close, and if I had the chance, I’d put a bullet right between his eyes. To make matters worse, Kit was a novelty to them. A few of the other Lords were completely enraptured, asking him questions about his degree and his life outside their cage.

“So, what do you plan on doing with your criminal justice degree?” Bragi asked from the other side of the table. He’d finally been allowed to sit down after serving everyone dinner. He was a cute kid, with a prettiness unlike any man I’d seen. Kit was beautiful, but Bragi had a femininity about him, with plump lips and smooth skin I never expect from a man.

Kit flushed at all the attention and laughed, his face lighting up. “I’m not sure yet. I don’t want to be a cop, but I’ve always been interested in organized crime. I thought about being a lawyer, but I’m not sure if law’s the kind of thing I’d enjoy. I did some business classes in my junior year. Hated that shit.”

Odin snorted as he took a sip of rum from a crystal tumbler. “You need to be a shark with a nose for blood in the water to be a lawyer.”

Loki frowned at him, but I had a feeling it wasn’t about his words. Instead, his gaze narrowed on the drink in Odin’s hand. At some point during dinner, Odin’s biological son, Hoor, had arrived and sat at the other end of the table, closer to Loki. Dark glasses rested on his nose, and he used a cane to get around because he was blind. I’d heard stories about Hoor, though I’d never met him until now. What was interesting was the lack of interaction between Odin and his son. They never even said hello to each other.

“He can be a DA,” I argued, disgruntled at everything Odin had to say. I hated being here, and picking fights was my way of showing my irritation. The bastard knew it, too, because he snickered every time I sent him a glare.

“No one wants to be one of those,” Loki snarked. “If you’re going to be a lawyer, at least make money.”

Kit shrugged. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet.”

A cruel idea came to me, and I sent Odin a smirk before looking at Hoor. “What about you, Hoor? Do you have plans for the future?”

I took great delight in the way Odin stiffened, his jaw tightening until the muscle in his cheek jumped.

Hoor startled, straightening from where he’d been slumped in front of his food. He looked about Kit’s age and was adorable, but I didn’t see Odin in him. His dark blond hair verged on light brown, and he had a small amount of scruff on his upper lip and jaw. His dark glasses were Ray-Bans, and his leather jacket looked new.

“Me?” The smallness of his voice chipped away at my satisfaction. Guilt twisted in my gut. He cleared his throat. “I’m a Lord. I do whatever the Pres wants.”

“Even bikers need a career,” I pointed out, the words softer than I’d intended. There was a fragility in him, an echo of the same innocence that pulled my gaze involuntarily back to Kit.

Kit was staring at Hoor, his eyes reflecting genuine interest.

Hoor chuckled softly, and his demeanor shifted. “That’s what my Uncle Zeke says, but I don’t know, man, not many people want a blind guy working for them.” It was an act, clearly well-practiced. Even his tone changed, sounding more like a biker than before.

“That’s not true.” Kit’s fierce determination made me smile as his eyebrows furrowed. “There are plenty of people who’d hire you.”

Hoor snorted. “I don’t need a seeing man to tell me what I do and don’t experience.”

Kit blanched. “Oh shit, I am so sorry. That was so ableist of me.” He sighed. “I’m an asshole.”

Loki’s jaw hardened. “Damian went to college and studied physical therapy, and he’s good at it, too.”

Hoor pursed his lips. “Yeah, well, I’m not doing that anymore. I’m a biker.”

“You can be both,” Loki snapped, clearly a familiar argument. “You just choose not to because you think he’ll be proud of you if you’re only a Lord.”

“Hey now,” Odin snapped, capturing everyone’s attention. His expression turned stormy. “We aren’t having this conversation in front of guests.” His gaze slid to me. “Are you done, War?”

The smugness had left me. In trying to hurt Odin, I had inadvertently hurt Hoor, a seemingly nice kid. Hoor had nothing to do with any of it.