Chapter 13 Lucy
LUCY
Maisie must have done a number on the boys, because when Knox and I had emerged after that last round of laser tag yesterday, there hadn’t been another word of teasing about the compromising position they’d found Knox and me in.
I couldn’t stop thinking about that moment. Knox had been a man on a mission, and I’d been helpless against him. My brain had short-circuited, and all I could think about was his strong grip, his spicy cologne, and the timbre of his moan as he pressed it against my throat.
But Duke’s words had rung in my head since Knox and I came back to my apartment, since we’d parted ways in the hallway after feeding Jackson, who was all too eager to see us come back home after being gone all afternoon—really, he was spoiled with how much time I spent at home with him; maybe both of us needed to get out more.
“How well do you think you know him?” Duke had asked.
He said it like I was missing something obvious, something that had taken him out of town for a long period of time. He’d gone to school recently, Knox had said, but he didn’t say anything else.
Not to me, at least.
“Lucy?”
I glanced up from where I sat, Jackson purring in my lap as I petted him.
Knox was frowning, leaning against the back of the couch. “Lunch is ready. Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. Just lost in thought, I guess.”
Don’t look at his mouth. Don’t look at his mouth.
His mouth was set above his strong jaw, his tan skin curving around his lips, with a cupid’s bow above them that was sharper than I would have expected from a guy like Knox.
“I think I might have a solution for that. Lunch is ready.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Knox. You’re the best.”
I set Jackson down on the cushion and followed Knox into the kitchen, sliding my way onto a stool, where a plate of pasta sat on the island.
“Pasta?” I picked up my fork and twirled it into the noodles, smelling a strong herb in the green pasta, with its red sauce on top.
“Basil and tomato, yeah. I was going to add mushrooms, but thought it might mess with the color, so you get cod instead.”
I laughed. “I wouldn’t have been mad with mushrooms, you know.”
“But are you happy with this?”
I softened, then nodded. “I am.”
He returned my smile, and we sat together in peaceful quiet for almost the entirety of our meal.
Then Knox’s phone rang.
His eyes widened, and he scrambled for his phone. “Sorry, I’ve got to take this.”
I nodded, a little bewildered, if I was honest. He seemed so laid back until his phone was ringing. And this wasn’t the first time it had happened. And each time, he disappeared down the hallway to the spare room where he’d been sleeping so that I couldn’t eavesdrop.
Not that I would, even if I wanted to.
And fuck, did I want to.
Luckily, Knox didn’t retreat all the way today. Instead, he pushed open the balcony door and stepped just outside, without bothering to close the door behind him.
“Yes, this is Knox. Of course I remember our meeting. Yes, ma’am.”
Then his shoulders sagged, and he deflated, resting his forearm on the balcony rail and leaning his weight forward.
“Oh. I see. Yeah, I understand. Thanks for the call. You too. Goodbye.”
He hung up the phone and let out what must have been a full-body sigh, dropping it on the small table outside and sagging over the railing, his head drooped in a truly pitiful gesture.
I stood and cautiously approached. “Knox?”
He grunted.
“Is everything alright? What happened?” I took one step onto the balcony and picked up his phone. I slipped it into his pocket without looking at the screen. Nobody used caller ID anymore anyway.
Knox shook his head. “Nobody important.”
I hesitated for only a second before laying my hand on his back and rubbing it, wanting to soothe him. “It sounded important.”
Knox groaned. He stood up and turned, leaning back against the railing instead and dropping my hand from his back. He crossed his arms, then fidgeted before dropping them back to his sides and gripping the railing instead.
“I had an interview the other day.”
“For a job?”
Knox sighed. “Yes, for a job. It’s when I went out for the day. I’d lined up a few of them. That was the only one I was waiting to hear back from.”
I frowned. “And she said no?”
Knox nodded.
“What job?” I leaned against the railing just after the door.
“What else?” He laughed, but it sounded forced. “A chef position at the French place on Warner.”
“Oh.” It was a really fancy restaurant. “You wanted to work there?”
“I wanted to work,” Knox corrected, tense and irritable. “Just in the industry. I went a state away to get my education properly, and I still can’t get a job.”
He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face roughly. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be spewing all this at you.”
I shook my head and stepped forward, coaxing his hand down again. “I don’t mind. Really. You deserve to get a job you like, and you can talk to me about it. I guess I should have expected it.”
He couldn’t be here forever, after all. My dad had hired him for a month, but not longer than that. And Knox had made it pretty clear that a private chef wasn’t really what he wanted to do.
“Let’s think about something else.” Knox stood up, taking a deep breath. “Literally anything else.”
I frowned. “But–”
“Please, Lucy?”
Well, that just wasn’t fair.
I pouted. “That’s not fair.”
Knox smiled. “Life isn’t fair, Lucy.”
“But now this is all I’m going to be able to think about.”
“Then we need to give you a distraction.”
“Are you going to force me into another game of laser tag?”
Knox smirked. “I wasn’t going to, but if you’re so eager for a repeat of what happened at the laser tag place, I am happy to oblige.”
I blushed, the memory of his hands on my thighs returning.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Knox hummed and stepped into my space again, lifting his hands to my waist and sliding them under my shirt.
I shivered. “Uh, Knox? What are you doing?”
Knox studied me.
“Knox?”
“Do you trust me?” he asked instead of answering my question.
“I–yes.” I surprised myself with the swiftness of my answer. Was I really that gone on Knox already? “Should I not?”
Knox chuckled. “Stop doubting yourself, will you? Trust me, and I will reward you.”
There goes my heart, speeding off like a horse at the derby. “What?”
Knox leaned in close, whispering in my ear. “I’m going to take you somewhere we can both get our minds off things here. Just for tonight.”
I swallowed. “But my painting.”
It was February 12, two days before the Valentine’s Day art exhibit. Two days before my painting would be shown to hundreds of guests at Mr. Vender’s request. Two days until I would be representing my family with a painting I didn’t believe in.
“Your painting will still be here tomorrow.” Knox squeezed my waist, his fingers rough and calloused against my skin. “I promise I will get you back at a reasonable time. But why not enjoy tonight together? Away from all the stressors we both have in our lives?”
That certainly was tempting. I wanted to spend time with Knox, time where we would be alone, where there wouldn’t be chaotic friends or strict family members who show up to break us off from whatever private moment we might have.
“Together?” I echoed, unable to help myself.
Knox’s hands moved back, and he gripped tightly onto me just above my ass—a silent promise if ever there was. He nipped at my jaw. “Just for tonight, Lucy. You and me, with no one to disturb us.”
I groaned. He was definitely suggesting what I thought he was suggesting. “And you promise you’ll bring me home early tomorrow?”
Knox smiled against my neck. “I promise. The moment we wake up, I will pack up and bring you home, if that’s what you want. Is that a yes?”
I nodded. “Yes. It’s a yes.”
Knox pulled back from me just to reel me into another of his heated kisses, where my legs melted under me and we breathed the air from each other’s lungs.
“Good,” he exhaled roughly when we broke apart. “Pack yourself up for an overnight trip. I’ll meet you back here in twenty.”
“Thirty,” I requested. I’d need a few extra minutes in the bathroom if he planned what I thought he was planning.
His grin turned sharp, and he gave me a heated once-over. “Thirty it is.”