Temper (Knights of Fury #3) - Chantal Fernando Page 0,38
with Saint. I know he says he doesn’t work out, but this looks like a workout to me, the two of them punching each other, swerving and ducking. They’re both shirtless, in nothing but shorts, and I can’t look away from Temper, flashbacks from last night hitting me. Him on top of me, him behind me, him going down on me.
My face heating, I leave the gym only to run into Skylar, almost knocking her phone out of her hands. “Shit, sorry,” I say, grabbing her arms.
“Sorry, I should be paying attention to where I’m going instead of on my phone,” she says, hands on her chest but a smile on her face. “Is Saint in there?”
I nod. “Yeah, him and Temper are boxing.”
“Quite the sight, isn’t it?” she asks, smirking. “Do you want to come and sit with me outside until they’re done?”
“Sure,” I say, following her out and sitting down on one of the comfy outdoor seats. “You’re off today?”
“Yeah, I’ve taken a few days off until this whole thing calms down,” she explains, putting her phone on the table. “I’m a paramedic, and I won’t be able to concentrate at work if I’m wondering what the hell is going on back here, you know? I’d rather be here, making sure everyone is okay. I hate when shit like this is going down. I was supposed to go to my brother’s house tonight, but I’m just going to stay here and chill.”
“It’s definitely stressful,” I agree, looking out over the yard. “How often does things like this happen?”
“You just never know.” She sighs, twirling her red hair around her finger. “It’s been at least eight months since the Izzy drama happened. It’s so easy to get lulled into a false sense of safety, and then before you know it some other bullshit happen and you’re back on alert again. I’m not going to lie, it’s not always easy being who we are.”
“I can see that,” I say softly.
It’s just, how do you walk away from these men?
How am I going to walk away from Temper?
“Why is nothing easy?” I ask, pursing my lips. “I finally found a man that I like, and who likes me, and it has to come with so many complications and sacrifices.”
“Nothing worth anything is easy,” she says, flashing me a sympathetic look. “I’ve known Temper for as long as I can remember, ever since I was a kid.”
“Really?” I ask, eyebrows rising.
“Yeah, my mom used to date the old president, Hammer, so I spent some of my childhood here, with the men,” she explains, smiling sadly. “So I’ve loved Temper for a long time. He’s family to me, and I can honestly say that you’ve made such a change in him. He’s happier, and lighter. He smiles, he laughs. I haven’t even heard him raising his voice. He’s a new man.”
“You know, Temper’s been asking me out since I met him five years ago, and back then I felt like he was too old for me. But now that I think about it, I don’t think I ever thought he was too old for me—I thought I was too young for him. Like I was too immature.”
Skylar starts laughing. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-eight.”
“So he’s like...what, fourteen years older than you? Age is nothing but a number.”
“A number that haunts us women the older we get,” I grumble.
“At least you’ll always be young compared to him,” she teases, laughing at her own joke.
“That’s true.” And I’m not going to complain about the experience he has, in the bedroom and out of it.
We end up chatting for ages, and when Temper and Saint emerge—Temper showered and dressed in all black, ready to teach me how to shoot—we’re both laughing in hysterics and they look at us like we’re crazy.
“You ready for this?” he asks me.
“I’m ready.”
“Let’s make you badass.”
Chapter Fifteen
“I’m enjoying this a little more than I probably should,” I admit, aiming at the target. “This is actually pretty fun.”