“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re a liar just like him but you’re going to pay for what your family did to me, bitch.”
“Are you crazy–“
WHACK!
Ben smacked my cheek hard with an open palm then grabbed me by my arms and pushed me to the ground. I was scared to death and crying on the floor of the break room when we heard someone coming.
“I’ll be back for you,” he warned, and then he quickly stomped out of the building.
It was probably the scariest moment of my life, but a reckoning that I knew would one day would come being the daughter of Camden King.
“I know he wasn’t going to really hurt me, but he has a lot of pent-up anger,” I try rationalizing Ben’s behavior to Knox. “His brother having to go to jail when he was just a kid changed the whole trajectory of his life and that’s why he ended up in jail too.”
Knox stares silently at me for a moment, then grabs my hand and walks me to the bathroom. It has a rather dated sink with a long Formica countertop and Knox picks me up by the waist and sits me on top of it.
“Up you go.”
He grabs a washcloth, wets it with warm water, and starts wiping my face especially around my eyes. I keep my lids closed as Knox softly wipes away the residual mascara and tears on my face. The soft towel feels so good and is exactly the kind of comfort I need right now. It’s not just that Ben scared me, but I'm shaken by the fact that someone with a vendetta against my family could get so close to me and I didn’t suspect him for a moment.
“So, this was some sort of revenge plot on his part?” Knox asks after a momentary pause.
I love how calm he’s being about this whole thing. Maybe he’s not a complete rage monster like he used to be when we were teenagers. Maybe he’s actually grown up like he said
“I guess so. I mean, I asked him what was the point of getting a job where I worked, and he told me he honestly didn’t know. That he didn’t have a plan. He said he just waned to learn more about the people who destroyed his family.”
“And so you just happened to be his first target?”
“I think I was probably the easiest target to get to.”
“Did he hit you?” Knox's voice sounds almost pained.
“Once,” I reluctantly admit but figure it’s best just to admit the truth at this point.
“Where?”
“He lost his composure for a moment.”
“Where?” He asks again although this time with some impatience in his voice.
“He slapped me once. He slapped my face.”
Knox stops stroking my skin with the warm cloth and so I open my eyes to find that he isn’t looking at me with sympathy or pity but with ferocity. He’s planning something. I see it in his darkened expression. Maybe telling the truth wasn’t the smartest approach.
“Knox,” I breathe gingerly.
“What, Gigi?”
“We’re not kids anymore, so I’m asking you not to tell my parents about this. It’s my business.”
His eyes drop from mine. He can't even look at me.
“Knox, please,” I beg. “If you don’t want to make things more strained between them and me, you won’t say anything.”
“I don’t know if I can do that.”
“Ben has nothing to do with whatever the other threat is and you know it. It’s two totally different circumstances.”
“But I don’t know that.”
“What is your gut telling you?”
“That's the thing, Gigi, I can’t trust my gut when it comes to you. I should have never let you go back to that job, but I did, and for one insane moment I really thought it would be okay. So, you see, I can’t just trust my gut anymore. This time I need to be sure.”
“What does that even mean? How could you ever be sure?”
“Take a shower, order some food, and I’ll be back in a little while. And please don’t go anywhere.”
“Why?” I ask, panicked. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to make fucking sure.”
He heads out the bathroom door.
“Wait.”
I slide off the counter and grab his hand. It’s warm and weathered for someone so young, but when our fingers touch his hand automatically clasps mine.
“What, Gigi?” He asks in an almost pained voice.
“I don’t want you to go.”
“It’ll be fine.”
I pull him closer to me and repeat what my heart is desperately screaming to say.
“I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Knox wraps his hand gently around my throat and lets his thumb settle at the base. He uses the tip of it to tilt my chin up and then lowers his mouth onto mine. I emit a small whimper as his tongue languidly enters my mouth, seeking mine.
Our tongues begin a slow dance with each other as my arms slide around his waist. I run my hands up his back, caressing the hard muscle underneath his smooth, inked skin.
It’s the sexiest kiss I’ve ever had in my life, and every fiber of my being is on fire. It is taking the last bit of restraint I have not to rip off my clothes in complete surrender, especially once I feel his dick harden behind the towel.
It affirms a question I’ve had for a while. Was it possible for someone like Knox Masterson to be attracted to his childhood nemesis? His fake little sister? The thorn in his side.
The answer is yes.
The answer is hell yes.
Knox ends the kiss prematurely and stares at me with a grin that I can feel all the way down to my aching clit.
“Nothing is going to happen to me, Queenie. Who the hell would take care of you if it did? Remember, that God takes care of babies and fools so the two of us are high on his priority list.”
“And which one of us is the fool?”
“Put on some jeans after your shower.” He smirks and taps me lightly on the butt.
“For what? I’m going to sleep and forget this day ever happened.”
“You want to forget that kiss?”
“No.” My eyes drop as the blood rushes to my cheeks. “Just the stuff with Ben…or Jake.”
“I’ll make you forget. Be ready when I get back.”
“Ready for what?”
“We’re going for a ride.”
“You know I hate that truck.”
“We’re taking the bike this time.”
Knox signals the end of the conversation by simply walking out and closing the door behind him. In less than five minutes, he’s dressed and out the door, headed to do something I wish he wouldn’t–find Ben.
In the shower, I lean against the smooth white tiles and try processing what just happened. Knox Masterson kissed me hard and well, and if he had tried even just a little bit, I would have let him take me right on the bathroom counter.
God definitely looks out for babies and fools because that would have obviously been a huge mistake. When I eventually give myself to someone, it has to be a man who is consistent, truthful, respectful, and safe. All I feel right now is anxious, insecure, and worried.
When he gets back, I’m going to have to find a way to convince him that this arrangement isn’t working. There has to be another way that he can keep me safe without us almost making a huge mistake like we just did.