Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 147673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147673 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
“I know, right?” Knight asked, gesturing toward the door that Jordan exited through. “Can’t believe I was putting up with this shit for so long. What is wrong with me that I keep dating those stuck-up bitches?”
Laurent got himself off the floor and leaned against the counter of the kitchen island. “Do you love her?”
The question seemed to have thrown Knight off guard, and he shrugged, watching his toes. “I thought I did. She was so charming in the beginning, and was agreeable, and said she liked me the way I was, and then she started changing. Every day she came with a new demand. And it’s always like that. I’m done with relationships.”
“I… think Beast might still be angry with me. Do you think it’s why he doesn’t talk to me?”
“Do you have a phone?” Knight had a sip of beer with his eyebrows raised.
Laurent stuffed his mouth with another cookie, feeling so pathetically needy. Hadn’t he wished for independence all his life? How was it possible that another person’s silence could rattle him so much? He didn’t even notice when Beast became a figure of such importance for him. “He calls you.”
Knight gulped the beer loudly, watching Laurent for a prolonged moment. “He did ask how you’re doing.”
Laurent’s heart skipped a beat, and he stepped closer. “And what did you say?”
Knight put down the empty can and helped himself to Laurent’s cookies. “That you seem fine. Why? Aren’t you okay overall?”
“I miss him,” Laurent whispered. “He left so abruptly. And right after the discovery.”
Knight sighed, chewing on the cookie. “Well, you know, his trip’s been scheduled for a while. That’s the way things are in the club. Sometimes, he won’t be there. Just distract yourself with something else. We could go back to the family tree, so you could help me with previous generations of the Merciers.”
That did make Laurent smile. Knight was so dedicated to preserving their family’s history it made Laurent warm all over. Despite the passing of time, a descendant in 2017 cared to find out more about the past generations and honor their memory. “I would love to find out more. What about Beast though? What about his family tree?”
Knight shrugged. “King’s family is Finnish and German originally. His mom was Russian and Irish. But I don’t think he’s that interested in the past. You’d have to ask him if you want to know more.”
“And the two of you? Have you…? I mean… is there a past I should know of?” Knight laughed. “Nah. We don’t really mix this way. He’s like a brother to me. We jerked off together a few times as kids, but that’s that. Don’t worry, I’m not taking your man, great uncle Laurent.”
Laurent groaned in embarrassment. Knight could be so patronizing sometimes. “How did you two meet then?”
“School. There’s no magic to it, to be honest. We pretty much grew up together.”
“And at school, was Beast making many acquaintances with men?”
Knight could be a goldmine of knowledge if only Laurent was careful with the way he mined the ore.
Knight grinned and poked Laurent. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?” he said, but when Laurent vigorously denied the accusation, Knight just went on. “He started out with girls, at his dad’s club. And then he started fucking guys too and decided that he enjoyed that so much more.”
“And then he was too badly hurt in the fire to… pursue that?”
Knight’s face stiffened, and he licked his lips, briefly looking away from Laurent. “He had a man when that happened. And that was a real thing, not a bit of fucking around. Beast loved that guy. He had still been a prospect and even considered giving up on club membership for him, because that asshole wanted to move to Hollywood. But then the accident happened, and Beast was just... uh. We didn’t know if he’d even make it.
“So two weeks pass, and Beast is out of intensive care, right? Everything seemed to go well, and this dickhead comes to Beast and tells him he can’t cope. That it’s gonna take ages until they can be like a couple again, and that Beast likely won’t ever be the same man he was. Told Beast he needed to understand how hard it was for him, as if it was him to lose his mom and have his health permanently damaged. He had all those dreams, and Beast didn’t fit in anymore. Too ugly to take to the red carpet, and helping him out would take too much time. People are always like that. They want everything to go smooth, to be easy. And then they bail on people they’re supposed to care for,” Knight finished, visibly agitated.
Laurent absorbed all the information as if it was air he needed for breathing, but the story was so unbearably sad he still felt needles prickle his lungs. “That is vile. If you love someone, you stay by their side.” It was a story from the past, and yet every time Laurent repeated it in his mind, he got angrier about it. He wouldn’t call himself a violent person, but he would gladly punch that man.