❥ KNOX'S POV

Is it wrong to corrupt someone so innocent?

The rhetorical question runs on repeat inside Knox's head as he raises a hand to Everett's face, lightly dragging his thumb across the boy's bottom lip.

A kiss or two won't be so bad, will it? Hell, as hard as he is right now, Knox will happily settle for a handjob at the very least.

"Keep going, huh?" Knox casually throws Everett's words back at him. Then, ever so slowly, he pushes his thumb inside the boy's hot mouth. "The thoughts running through my mind as I'm looking at you..." Everett moans and sucks on instinct. "You should know I'm barely holding back."

Everett is also hanging on by a thread.

It shows from the dazed look in his eyes and how his tongue continues to swirl around Knox's thumb. He's a seductive little brat, and he's fully aware of it. After a few more seconds of teasing, Everett pulls Knox's thumb out of his mouth to speak.

"I never asked you to hold back."

"You should."

"But I won't, so take me to bed."

Knox cups Everett's face with one hand, the other resting firmly on his hip, while leaning down to rid the space between them. He swipes his tongue across Everett's bottom lip before declaring, "I'm fucking you if we touch that bed."

"Oh, God..." Everett's voice catches.

"You sure you're ready for that?" Knox's grey eyes darken a shade, excitement lighting his insides on fire. "Because I don't think you're ready for something like that. If I'm being completely honest, I don't think you can even handle a man like me."

"You'll never know until you test me." Everett boldly strokes Knox's erection from the outside of his jeans, sending another spike of desire rushing throughout both their bodies. "So fucking test me."

"Careful what you wish for, kitten." Knox finally makes a move to kiss the boy, his hand lowering until his fingers are gripping Everett's neck. Their lips touch for less than a second before Everett's cell phone starts ringing.

From the way his eyes widen, be it out of shock or fear, the ringtone appears to belong to someone important. He quickly comes back down to earth and pushes Knox away from him to answer the call.

"What the hell just happened?" Knox mutters to himself, scratching the back of his neck in confusion.

When he finds the will to move again, he readjusts his aching cock and takes a seat at Everett's desk. He busies himself by skimming through a romance novel that was collecting dust beside the keyboard, though every so often his eyes will drift to the closed bathroom door that Everett disappeared behind.

'Dad' was one word Knox could clearly make out from Everett's not-so-hushed conversation.

Minutes later, Everett steps back into the room with an entirely different energy. His freckled cheeks are no longer tinted pink, and he holds his head high as he walks toward Knox. They lock eyes and fall deeply into each other's gazes, figurative fireworks going off all around them.

Reacting on impulse, Knox lifts a hand to reach out for the boy he knows he shouldn't ruin. "Sit—"

"No. Playtime is over." Everett swats Knox's hand away. "That was my dad who called. He and my stepmom are on the way back from their date."

"Why so soon?" Knox asks.

"Food poisoning. You need to move your bike out of the driveway," Everett says, keeping his eyes on Knox's face. "Better yet, I think you should just leave. We've caused more than enough trouble."

Knox laughs, then he stands to tower over the boy. He cups himself with one hand, his cock throbbing violently. "Exactly what the fuck am I supposed to do about this?"

"You're the one who started that shit. If you really want to finish it, the bathroom is all yours." Everett crosses his arms over his chest and smiles brightly. "Don't forget to clean up after you're done."

"You seriously suggesting I go rub one out in your bathroom?" Knox questions in disbelief.

"Yep." Everett nods.

"You're an evil little shit," Knox grumbles.

"Are you just now figuring that out?" Everett giggles, patting Knox on the shoulder. "For real though, what happened earlier... that was a mistake. It can't happen again, and I'm sorry for not putting an end to it sooner. I don't want you to get the wrong idea about us—"

"I'm not apologizing for being attracted to you," Knox interrupts, his nerves shot and chest tightening shortly after the confession leaves his mouth. "And I damn sure ain't apologizing for wanting to fuck you, so don't hold your breath waiting for either."

Everett sighs, looking conflicted. "You can't keep saying things like that! We aren't... We will never be anything more than what we are right now, and I'm still not even sure what the hell that is."

Knox nods, unsure of how he should respond.

Could this be what rejection feels like? A simultaneous jab to the gut and the heart?

Knox can't remember when last he had to ask for sex. It normally falls in his lap whenever he gets in the mood. The work he has to put in just to touch Everett should be enough to make him want to stop pursuing the boy. For some odd reason, it doesn't.

Truth be told, Knox has thoroughly enjoyed the chase.

"We're not going to end up on the same page, so let's dead this conversation," Knox says. "I'm going to go move my bike."

"And then leave?" Everett asks.

"No. When I come back, we're going to find something to keep us occupied until I'm ready to go home," Knox answers. "Problem?"

"Several," Everett mutters. He moves to sit in the middle of his bed after grabbing the television remote. He opens Netflix and begins browsing through the catalog of films. "I hope you're a fan of romcoms because that's what we're watching."

Knox tilts his head to the side and grins. "How'd you know those were my favorite?"

"No way..." Everett blinks in surprise. "Really?"

"Fuck no." Knox laughs, narrowly dodging the pillow that Everett launches at his head.

After putting his shoes back on, he goes outside to move his bike away from the house, then his cell phone buzzes in his pocket. The first set of texts is from Mason, the club's hacker, informing Knox that he has yet to find a way inside the encrypted USB he'd stolen from Everett.

The second text is from Finn. It makes Knox's blood run cold, and he has to read it twice just to make sure his eyes aren't playing any tricks on him...

//

Come back to the clubhouse ASAP. Pres has been shot!

//

"Goddamn it, I just fucking got here." Knox slides his cell phone back into his pocket and then climbs on his bike, starting it up. He puts his helmet on with trembling hands, his adrenaline soaring, and then he pauses.

He looks back at the yellow house.

For a split second, he contemplates walking back inside to be with... but the shame of acting against his club slaps him hard across the face. The Fallen Angels, his brothers, come before everything and everyone. That includes Everett Robinson. Knox chants that to himself on the way back home, a code he swore to live by and forever uphold.

Even if it currently hurts like hell to do so.