The Do-Over (The Rooftop Crew Book 5)

by Piper Rayne

  “Are you sure you two aren’t a couple?”

  They stop what they’re doing and look at me, then their visions shift to one another. They both crack up laughing.

  “I wish,” Jax says.

  “Life would be a helluva lot easier,” Knox says, and I admire his forearm flexing as he beats the eggs into a scramble. He lifts the bowl toward me. “So do you?”

  “Do I what?” I ask.

  “Like omelets,” Jax fills in and sits next to me.

  “Yeah, but I was just going to head out.” I shift my weight to slide off the stool.

  Jax puts his hand on my shoulder lightly, pushing me back down.

  “Stay for breakfast at least,” Knox says. His eyes are genuine and honest, and it would be hard to ever deny that look.

  “Okay, but then I have to go.”

  “Where to?” Jax asks, resting his head in his palm. “I thought you were homeless.”

  Knox keeps his side toward me, but I feel his stare from the corner of his eyes.

  “Yeah, but I have friends.”

  “Friends you didn’t have last night?” Jax asks.

  When I’m about to wipe my hands of this and say forget it, I’m out of here, their apartment door opens, and the guy Knox was with all those years ago walks in.

  “What the hell? You’re trying to get Rian to be your fake girlfriend?” He leans his shoulder on the fridge, looking at Knox.

  Knox glances at me, and a sour feeling coats my stomach. I don’t know why.

  “And the plot thickens.” Jax sips his coffee, his eyebrows at his hairline.

  “We’ll talk about this later.” Knox flips the omelet. His skills in the kitchen are impressive.

  “Why?” Dylan asks.

  “Because we have company,” Jax interrupts.

  Dylan’s gazes shoot to us. His eyes narrow slightly, then he points. “I remember you.”

  “Kamea.” Jax puts his arm around my shoulders. “She’s staying with us for a while.”

  Dylan glances at Knox, but he continues to concentrate on the omelet and says nothing about me staying.

  On one hand, staying here would be nice—I don’t really have another option. On the other, I don’t really know much about these men.

  Knox lifts the pan and slides an omelet onto a plate, which he places in front of me. “Ketchup or hot sauce?”

  I shake my head and accept the fork he hands me a second after he digs it out of a drawer.

  “Are you with him?” Dylan asks me, pointing at Jax. “Because you know I have to tell Frankie if you slept with someone and ended the bet.”

  I unwind myself from Jax’s arm that’s still slung over me.

  Jax laughs. “Hell no. She’s Knox’s.”

  “No!” Knox and I yell at the same time.

  I guess that answers that.

  Dylan chuckles, and he and Jax share some sort of look behind Knox’s back. “Let me fill you in. Kamea here bailed out Leilani. Remember the girl—”

  Jax can’t finish his sentence before Dylan snaps his fingers and points. “That’s where I know you from.”

  I nod. Although he looks slightly older and more confident in his own skin, Dylan looks exactly the same.

  “Anyway… she bailed out Leilani and now she can’t find her, but between getting out of jail and running away, Leilani got Kamea kicked out of her apartment. But our good buddy over here found her last night under an overpass and decided to play knight in shining armor like always. He dropped her off here last night and the rest is history, right?” Jax looks at me.

  I nod, forking my omelet.

  “Now you’re going to live here?” Dylan asks, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

  “No. I’m leaving after the omelet, which is delicious, by the way.”

  Knox smiles at my compliment.

  Jax waves in front of my face. “Why leave? I thought we had a good thing going on here?”

  I have no idea why Jax is so hell-bent on me staying here. He doesn’t seem like someone who would want a girl ruining his game.

  Instead, I say, “You don’t even know me. And I don’t know you.”

  “We know you’re a nice friend who bails people out. We’ve all bailed each other out a time or two, whether it be at a police station or in life’s circumstances,” Dylan says. “I can swear by both these guys. You’d be safe here.”

  “Likely story coming from their friend.” I raise an eyebrow.

  Knox prepares another omelet and serves it to Jax. Before grabbing more eggs, Knox asks Dylan if he wants one.

  “Give me a Bible,” Dylan says. “Or the girls can vouch for them.”

  I finish chewing and decide to rip off the Band-Aid. “Why on Earth would you be so gung ho for me to stay? I could steal all your stuff in the middle of the night or something.”

  Jax looks me up and down before his eyes shift to Knox, who snickers, and Dylan, who outright laughs. “Yeah, I doubt that.”

  “What?” I glance down at myself. I’m wearing jeans and a sweatshirt.

  “You got that sweet look going on.” Dylan sips his coffee.

  I frown and fork off another bite of omelet.

  “Believe it or not, it’s a compliment.” Knox refills my orange juice.

  “Yeah, my girl is even sweeter, so there you go,” Dylan says.

  Knox rolls his eyes, but I’m the only one who catches it. I think Jax might be hoovering his omelet.

  “Which brings up my reason for coming over. Why are you trying to date my girlfriend?” Dylan asks Knox, who hands him his omelet, leaving himself last.

  Again, just like when Dylan barged in, Knox side glances at me.

  “I can go and leave you guys to talk,” I say before wiping my mouth.

  “That’s okay,” Knox says, beating the eggs for his omelet. “Leilani getting arrested is messing with my ability to get the detective position. Cap wants me to bring a date to show the big guys that I’m over my felon of an ex-girlfriend.”

  “Is she actually a felon?” I ask, but Knox shakes his head.

  “So you picked my girl?” Dylan shoves some of the omelet in his mouth.

  “Like you said, she’s the sweetest.” Knox eyes the eggs sizzling in the pan.

  “True. I find myself jealous but complimented at the same time. She is the best, so of course if you have to bring a fake date, you’d choose her.” Dylan smiles and winks at me.

  Jax pushes his empty plate away from him. “Take Kamea.”

  “What?” I ask at the same time Knox’s head whips around and he gives his friend a death glare.

  “You’re second sweetest next to Rian, from what we gather, and you’re more Knox’s type than Rian is anyway.”

  “Because she looks like Leilani?” Dylan asks.

  “She looks nothing like Leilani,” Knox says, and there’s a bite in his tone that makes Dylan’s head rear back.

  Dylan rises from his chair. “I’m taking my omelet to go.”

  I wipe my mouth again and put my napkin on my plate. “No, I should go. Thanks for the omelet and for letting me stay last night. I’ll just go grab my things.”

  None of them say anything. Jax’s gaze is steady on Knox while Dylan eats his omelet.

  Leaving the breakfast bar, I go to the room that was supposed to be mine for the night and pull my bags together. The horrible thing is, I have no idea where I’m going after I leave here. For a moment, the weight of my situation bears down on me and I almost collapse onto the bed.

  But I have to suck this up and find my new path. I could go back to North Carolina, but that would only cause problems. I could ask my brother for money, but he’s strapped for cash with his three kids. My parents aren’t really an option since they haven’t been in my life since I left home.

  I pull out my cell phone and dial Leilani one more time with the hope that she answers. It goes straight to voicemail, so I hang up. Just get out of here and you’ll have a clearer head.

  I wheel my sui
tcase toward the bedroom door, only for Knox to walk in and shut the door.

  “We need to talk,” he says.

  Chapter Eight

  Knox

  I ignore the murmurs from two of my best friends as I shut Seth’s old bedroom door.

  “Let’s talk, okay?” I sit in the chair in the corner. The one that used to hold all of Seth’s dirty clothes. The one that Evan said will not be going to their apartment—ever. The one Seth tried to sneak in only for Evan to return it when he went to work out.

  Her hands rest on the handle of her suitcase, her gaze skittering to the door. Just when I think she’s about to bolt, she sits on the edge of the bed, right next to her luggage. “Knox, you’ve done—”

  I hold up my hand because I know she’s going to say that she’s fine and perfect, but we both know she isn’t. Leilani left her high and dry with no money and no roof over her head. I don’t know much about Kamea’s friend or family situation, but the fact that she was sleeping under an overpass says there aren’t any in the picture. At least not locally.

  “Just stay. It’s fine,” I say. “Honestly. Jax doesn’t care, and as long as you don’t mind seeing him take a piss every morning, then it’s all good. I promise you’re safe here. And if you have any concerns, I have three women on this floor who could vouch for us.”

  Her shoulders lose some of their tension. “I don’t feel unsafe.”

  “Regardless, Jax and I understand. You don’t know us and here we are offering you a place to stay, but…” I glance at the door before I divulge my best friend’s secrets to Kamea. “We come from a bad area of the city and we’re used to looking out for people. And neither one of us would feel comfortable letting you walk out that door with no place to go. Think of it as a pay-it-forward when you get on your feet kinda thing.” I shake my head. “But don’t allow some strange guy to move in with you.”

  She giggles and shakes her head so that a few strands of dark hair fall from her ponytail. How could Dylan think she looks like Leilani? All that’s similar is the dark hair and bronze skin tone. Kamea has a soft curve where Leilani had hard edges. Her smile is warm and caring, whereas Leilani hardly smiled and barely laughed.

  “Are you sure? I mean, I literally have no money. I was supposed to do this bulk order of T-shirts that I sell, and I used the money to bail out Leilani. Without her appearing in court, I’m out the money.”

  “I have a few places we can try to find her. To get your money.”

  Her eyes widen in amazement that I would offer my well of knowledge when it comes to Leilani. “You’d do that?”

  “Sure. I mean, I can’t do it on duty, I have to be in regular clothes, but she had certain places she’d go around here. Maybe we’ll get lucky.” I’d bet all the money in my bank account that she’s long gone from Cliffton Heights by now, but I’m not telling that to Kamea because she’ll lose hope.

  Her excitement dims and she looks at her hands. “That’s so nice, Knox, but this isn’t your problem.”

  I shrug. She’s right. Leilani isn’t my problem anymore, but for some reason, that part of me that wants to fix her is alive and kicking inside me. I might not love Leilani anymore, but she has to stop doing this to people. “I know, but I can offer help, so I’m doing it.”

  “Why?”

  Where did she and Leilani grow up that no one looked out for others?

  “It’s just the way I was raised.” I stand before she delves into my upbringing too much. “Let me grab some sleep, then I have tonight off. We can stop by one of her haunts this evening.”

  She nods and I walk toward the door.

  “Knox,” she says, and I turn to face her. She’s looking at her hands, twisting her fingers. “That party. If you need a date, I’d be happy to repay the favor and go with you.”

  I open my mouth, but nothing comes out at first.

  “I mean only as a fake date obviously. I wasn’t suggesting that—”

  “I’d love that,” I answer because I would. But I’m not digging into the reasons why at the moment. But since all my female friends are unavailable that weekend and I can’t imagine allowing Patrice to be in charge of who attends on my arm, this works.

  “Okay. Great.”

  “It’s next Friday. It’s casual, but maybe wear a dress. I’ll ask Patrice.” Damn, Whelan, you’re about as smooth as a jar of nuts.

  “Sounds great.”

  I walk out of the bedroom to find Dylan and Jax playing Xbox. Both glance up but go back to concentrating on their game.

  “I’m headed to bed,” I say. “Keep it down.”

  “So?” Jax asks, his thumbs moving a million miles an hour on the controller.

  “She’s staying and I’m going to help her find Leilani.”

  “What?” Dylan asks.

  “You’re dead,” Jax says.

  Dylan doesn’t care apparently. He drops the controller. “I think that’s a shit idea.”

  “Relax, it’s just finding her for Kamea. I’m cool.”

  His eyes silently judge if I am actually good with it.

  “And she’s going to go with me to the party, so…”

  Dylan laughs and sinks farther into his chair. “Oh, I gotcha.”

  “It’s a favor swap, that’s all.”

  Jax looks at Dylan, then shoots me a look to say “whatever” before his attention shoots back to the television. “Boring, if you ask me. Favor swaps should only involve sexual fantasies.”

  “Shit, I’m using that on Rian.” Dylan pulls out his phone and texts something to presumably Rian.

  “Doesn’t work on girlfriends, dumbass.” Jax’s body leans to the side and he presses the buttons so feverishly, you’d think his life depends on whether he wins.

  “You don’t know Rian.”

  I open my bedroom door. “I’m going to bed now.”

  “Thanks for the omelets, bro. Sleep tight. Are you sure you don’t want Kamea to tuck you in?” Jax mimics a sweet mother’s voice.

  “I wasn’t the one on the couch with her this morning.”

  Jax’s thumbs stop moving and his gaze moves to me. “She’s all yours. The question is, do you want her?”

  I let out an exasperated sigh. She’s right in the next fucking room and can probably hear him. “I’m going to bed.”

  “Fuck me,” Dylan says, glaring at his phone.

  “She denied you, right?” Jax says.

  Dylan say, “Yeah. What the hell?”

  “I told you favor swaps don’t work on girlfriends.”

  “The hell they don’t. I’m going to Sweet Infusion.”

  The apartment door shuts as I shut my bedroom door. I strip down to my boxers, crawl into bed, and pass out the minute my head hits the sheets. I’m a little too eager for evening to come because I’ll be spending more time with Kamea.

  Chapter Nine

  Kamea

  Knox in uniform is intimidating, but sexy as hell. Out of a uniform, in jeans and a dark Henley with a leather jacket thrown over top, he’s the same man who had my stomach stirring with butterflies all those years ago.

  Jax is at work when Knox steps out of his bedroom, the room quickly filling with the intoxicating scent of a just-showered Knox. Thank goodness he doesn’t wear cologne. I’ve never been a fan.

  “Do you ride?” he asks, twirling keys around his finger while his gaze falls down my body.

  I allow him to examine me because he knows where we’re going and whether what I’m wearing is appropriate. I assume it is, since I look a lot like him in my jeans and one of my T-shirts that shows off that I’m a vegetarian. “The train?”

  He chuckles and shakes his head. “Motorcycle?”

  “Oh. I have before, but it’s almost winter.” Is he crazy?

  “Streets are fine. All the leaves have been cleaned up by now. I spend most of my days locked in the car, so I ride until the snow flies. Do you have a warmer jacket?” Knox has this way of coming off as shy sometimes, which is endearing since
he’s a badass cop.

  “Um. Not anything like what you’re wearing.”

  He holds up his hand. “Hold on a second.”

  I stand in his apartment as he exits, leaving the door open, and knocks on the door across the hall. A tall blonde answers, and they converse for a moment before she glances around him and smiles at me. She raises her hand and disappears. Knox never turns back toward me. How did I ever get into an uncomfortable situation like this?

  She returns with a leather jacket and holds it out for Knox. He takes it and turns back toward me, missing that the blonde follows him.

  “Hi, I’m Rian,” she says.

  Dylan’s girlfriend. The one Knox wanted to take to the retirement party. Interesting.

  I shake her hand. “Kamea.”

  “I love your hair.” She gestures toward my curls.

  I decided to do ringlets instead of my usual straightening routine. Not that this is a date or anything. The ringlets have already turned more into waves now because my hair holds curls as well as hay would. “Thanks.”

  “Rian’s going to loan you her jacket.” Knox holds it out for me.

  I reach out, but Rian grabs the jacket first and tosses it back to Knox. “Try that again.”

  His dark eyebrows scrunch, but he holds it out for me to slide my arms into.

  “Dylan bought me this a few months ago,” Rian says. “It’s heated by a little battery pack inside. I already turned it on for you, so you won’t get too cold.”

  The jacket is a perfect fit and I’m immediately in love.

  “There you go. Now you’re a badass bitch.” Rian giggles at her own joke. “At least that’s what I always feel like when I wear it. Like I’m in a Halloween costume because it’s totally not me.”

  “Thanks for letting me borrow it,” I say.

  Her hand runs down my arm. “Any time. You know, all the girls get together on Wednesday nights to watch Sex in the City reruns. Have you seen it?”