“And he has no idea you’re here?”
I secure my purse with a package of Oreos inside over my shoulder. “Nope, he thinks I’m still in California.”
“He is seriously going to lose it. I wish I was a fly on the wall when he sees you.”
“I’m glad you’re not, because you would probably see some naked body parts.” I blow her a kiss goodbye and then meet up with my Uber driver at the entrance of the hotel. I’m only a few blocks away but given the frigid temperatures, I wasn’t about to walk to the loft. Carson met up with me last night and gave me a key to the loft. The boys reported back to school a few days early, so they’re at batting practice right now, giving me the perfect opportunity to surprise him.
I check the time on my phone. I’ll have just enough time to get into his room and get ready before he shows up.
Carson has been sending me text updates, and they’re done with showers and on their way home with pizza.
I could eat some pizza right about now, after I maul my guy first.
In minutes, I’m dropped off at the loft and make my way to the third floor. The door sticks a little when I try to open it—it’s one of those giant slide doors—but I get myself in and go straight to the room with the yellow door.
For a second, I pause, a wave of anxiety hitting as memories of when I walked in on Neil with another girl. Him pounding into her from behind, on the bed we’d shared. My stomach churns and instead of pushing through the door, I lean my ear toward the wood, trying to listen in, see if I hear anything.
What am I doing?
To think of such a thing is shameful.
That was Neil. Bastard. This is Knox. Devoted. He’s different in every way possible. He’s attentive, caring, thoughtful, and committed. To me.
He would never cheat on me.
Taking a deep breath, I open his door and am immediately hit with a wave of comfort. Bed unmade, clothes on the floor, an empty cereal bowl on his desk, and his signature scent permeates the decent-sized room. I can’t hold back the smile on my lips. This is my man. God, I’ve missed him.
Because I’m a nice girlfriend, I toss his clothes in the hamper—why he couldn’t do that, I have no idea—I straighten out the sheets of his bed, and I carry the empty bowl to the kitchen sink just as I hear the voices of the guys coming up the stairs.
Eep!
I quickly make my way to his room, shut the door, and strip down to his fantasy.
Hair curled, check.
Topless, check.
Black G-string, check.
Package of Oreos . . . weirdly check.
Laughter approaches the door and I steel myself. Kneeling tall on his bed, I hold the Oreos in one hand and put the other hand on my hip while I stick out my chest.
I hope to God Knox is the only one who comes through that door.
“I’ll just throw my backpack in my room,” Knox says as he opens the door.
Butterflies flutter in my stomach, my nerves getting to me so much I almost feel like throwing up. That’s until I see him walk through the threshold of his room. Head tilted down at first, I get to take him in from his black sweatpants, to his tight-fitting long-sleeved shirt and backward baseball hat.
I’ve missed him so freaking much.
He sets his backpack down and goes to leave the room, which gives me panic, so I clear my throat, causing him to snap his head up quickly. For a second, he blinks a few times as if he doesn’t believe what he sees.
“Holy. Shit.”
I’m about to say surprise when a female voice comes up behind Knox. “Knox, baby, I’m going to put my stuff in your room too.”
In slow motion, the door pushes open more and a very attractive woman steps into his room. Long blonde hair, petite frame . . .
Fuck. No. No.
I quickly throw my arm over my breasts and sink into the mattress just as Knox says, “Mom, get out.”
Mom?
Oh.
My.
God.
And then, as clear as day, I see the same eyes I’ve loved staring into over the last month over FaceTime.
“Huh?” she says, looking at me. Shocked, she stumbles back, hitting the wall and then covers her eyes. “Oh goodness, my apologies. Excuse me.” She shuffles out of the room and shuts the door, leaving me so humiliated.
On the verge of tears from the emotional rollercoaster my heart just took, I flip over on the bed and bury my head in the pillow, barely able to comprehend what just happened.
Knox’s mom, his apparent best friend, just saw me topless and in a G-string on her son’s bed . . . holding out a package of fucking Oreo cookies.
Oh.
My.
God.
Kill me now.
My face burns in embarrassment, and tears sting my eyes as I try to erase that entire scene out of my head.
And the worst part? I thought he was cheating on me . . . For that split second, my heart sank to the wood floor, leaving me breathless with a crack in my barely healed heart.
Tears fall and I hold back a sob that wants to escape. He wasn’t cheating on me, he wasn’t . . .
But her voice, God, that was the worst few seconds of my life. Knox, baby . . .
The mattress dips and Knox’s hand slides up my thigh to my bare backside. He leaves his palm on my ass as he leans down and presses a kiss where his hand is rubbing. From there, his lips press a hot and seductively wet trail up my back, to my shoulders, and then to my neck where he pushes my hair to the side for better access.
“Babe.” He rolls me over, revealing my naked upper half and my fallen tears. His eyes soften as he wipes at my cheeks. “Em, it’s okay.”
“I’m so humiliated.” I drape my arm over my eyes as my tears flow, unable to stop myself from crying now. This is not . . . this is so horribly not what I wanted.
His warm body lies next to mine as his arm falls across me, pulling me into his chest. He removes my arm from my face and turns my chin so I’m forced to look him in his beautiful eyes. It only makes me cry more.
“Baby.” He chuckles, pressing kisses across my eyes and cheeks. “Don’t cry, it’s okay. My mom doesn’t care.”
“It isn’t just that.” I take a deep breath. “For a second, when I heard your mom’s voice, I thought you were bringing someone back to your room with you.”
“Em.” He sighs and pulls me in tighter. “You know you’re all I want.”
“I know, and it was a split second, but that second hit me harder than I was expecting. It was as if everything that was right in my world was just stolen from me.”
“I can see how that would be upsetting, but Em, you’re all I want . . . ever.” He kisses my forehead then my eyes again and travels his lips down to mine, where he’s soft and sweet, inaudibly communicating how much he truly likes me.
With every press of his lips against mine, the dark cloud that started to steal my happiness begins to disappear until my head feels clear again, and my hand snakes up past the hem of his shirt. Muscle contracts under my touch as he groans against my mouth.
“Babe,” he whispers. “You can’t touch me like that, not with my mom on the other side of that door.”
“I missed you, Knox.”
“Fuck, I missed you too.” His tongue brushes against mine before he pulls away and cups my cheek. “I missed you so goddamn much, and I seriously can’t believe you’re here . . . in that. You’re so fucking hot.”