Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
KNOX
The tension is so thick it coasts along my skin like the brush of her fingers.
Every tiny movement Callie makes pulls at my awareness as if she’s got me on a leash.
She sits on the edge of the bed in one of the lake house’s spare rooms, tucking her hands beneath her thighs.
Her posture is rigid. She looks ready to bolt.
I lean against the dresser, arms crossed over my chest to keep from reaching for her. The sweet scent of her perfume fills my lungs with each breath, making it hard to focus on anything but how fucking beautiful she is.
“So,” Callie prompts, chewing on her plump bottom lip.
My focus slips to her mouth, watching the way her teeth drag across the soft flesh. It takes every ounce of self-control not to cross the room and replace her teeth with mine. Instead, I clear my throat and run a hand through my hair.
She shifts on the bed, and the springs creak beneath her. My brain immediately conjures images of other ways we could make that bed creak, her body sprawled across it, her hair fanned out against the pillows, her lips parted as I— Fuck. Get it together, Knox.
“You look good.”
She’s closer than she’s been in ten years and she still feels miles away. “Uh, thanks,” she says, forehead pinching. “Listen.” She pauses. “About Penelope—”
“I’m sorry that I didn’t break up with her sooner. I should have done it the first time she was rude to you.”
Callie’s attention drops to her lap. Her feet bob back and forth, a nervous habit of hers I’d forgotten about until now. It’s both comforting and devastating to see because it’s proof that some part of the girl I knew still exists inside this guarded woman.
My Callie is in there. I just have to get her back. I push off the dresser and squat down to hold her gaze. “I’m sorry about the video.”
“You didn’t take it,” she says with a shrug, pretending it doesn’t hurt.
But I know her better than myself most days, or at least, I did. “I took it down as soon as I saw it.”
She looks away. “Were you?”
My eyebrows slam together. “Was I what?”
“Disgusted,” she whispers. That vulnerability on her face kills me.
Fucking Penelope. “No. But I was jealous as hell.”
Her mouth pops open and her cheeks turn pink, and it’s everything I can do to keep from slamming my mouth against hers. She’s barely let go of hating me for ten years. If I kiss her now, I might lose her again.
I rest my hands on her thighs. She hisses at the contact, and her feet stop bobbing back and forth. Her eyes sear into mine as I run my thumbs over her skin. God, she’s so soft. “Can we start where we left off?”
“Horny and full of bad decisions?” she deadpans.
My lips twitch. “Something like that.” I force myself to stand before I do something stupid, but I hold out my hand to help her up.
She hesitates before she takes it, and when her delicate fingers finally meet mine, I tug her up and into my chest, hooking my fingers under her chin and bringing my lips a hairsbreadth away from hers. “Next time, invite me.”
Her breath hitches, and I know I’m two steps closer to having her right where I want her. For a suspended moment, we stand there, breathing each other’s air, the past and present colliding in the minuscule space between our lips.
“Knox.” Her voice is barely a whisper, trembling with uncertainty.
I pull back to look at her face. Her pupils are blown wide, a war waging behind them. I know exactly how she feels. Torn between what the body wants and what the mind says is a terrible idea.
“I need you to know I only dated her because you were leaving for art school, and I was too chickenshit to tell you how I felt.”
Callie sucks in a sharp breath. “That’s not. What am I supposed to say to that?”
“You don’t have to say anything,” I tell her. “I hate that she stole ten years from us. I’ve spent a decade wondering what would have happened if I’d been brave enough to stop you from leaving.”
She backs away. “Do Brax and Jax know?”
“They suspected. They’re not blind.” I reach for her hand, relieved when she doesn’t yank it away. “I wasn’t the only one looking at you like you hung the moon, Cal.”
She shakes her head. “What are you talking about?”
“You didn’t notice? All three of us were in love with you.” My voice drops. “Still are.”
The confusion on her face would be comical if this weren’t so serious. “All three of you? Is this a joke?”
“No joke.” I run my thumb over her knuckles. “We all had our own ways of dealing with you being gone. I did some stupid things.”
“Like getting arrested?” she offers. “Mom told me the other night. You broke into Showalter’s house alone and stole his car?”
I grimace. “Not my finest hour.” I look away, a little ashamed by what I’m about to admit.
“I came to find you once, but I had no idea where to look.” He sighs.
“Then your mom said you were dating someone. It seemed like you’d moved on.
Found what you needed.” My jaw tightens.
“What the hell were we supposed to do? Barge in and mess that up for you too?”
Callie’s quiet for so long I start to worry she’s shutting down again. Then she laughs, a soft, hollow sound.
“Funny thing is, he messed it up all on his own.” Her eyes meet mine, and she looks one wrong touch away from shattering.
Don’t fucking like that one bit. “What did he do?” My voice comes out sharp and she flinches. “Sorry,” I say, though I’m not really sure what for. Whatever happened to her while she was gone, for my tone, or for not fighting for her. “What did he do?” I ask again, softening my tone.
She shutters her emotions, something she never used to do, and shakes her head. “Nothing.”
It’s a lie, but I won’t push her, not today.
“Where does that leave us?” I ask quietly.
She studies my face, searching for something. “Maybe we can start with getting to know one another again?”
Maybe friendship is all I’ll ever get, but I’d happily die single if it means I could have her in my life.
“That’s a good start.” I reluctantly release her hand. “But I’m not giving up this time, Alley cat. None of us are.”
The Bar is louder than usual tonight, packed with locals and tourists drowning their sorrows or celebrating their wins.
None of that matters to me. I’m here for one reason and one reason only.
I haven’t seen Callie since our conversation at the lake house, and she’s had plenty of time to process.
Tonight I’m here for her. I angle my way through the crowd, zeroing in on the spot at the bar where Callie’s working.
Some jackass in an oversized cowboy hat is sitting in front of her. I tap his shoulder.
“Move.”
The guy turns, mouth open to argue, but something in my face makes him reconsider. Smart man. He vacates the stool with a grumble, and I slide into the space, planting myself directly in Callie’s line of sight.
She’s busy mixing something with blue curacao, studiously avoiding looking in my direction though I know she’s seen me.
Her hair is pulled back in a messy bun, exposing the delicate curve of her neck.
The bar’s uniform hugs every curve of her body.
Red and black checkered shirts have never looked so fucking good.
A possessive heat crawls through me. That’s my girl.
Jax catches my eye from the other end of the bar and lifts his chin in acknowledgment. I nod back, watching as he expertly maneuvers around Maura, who’s cleaning shakers.
My attention slides back to Callie as she hands a drink to a customer.
I study her, cataloging the changes. She’s filled out in all the right places, soft curves where there were once sharp angles.
When she finally turns toward me, gaze meeting mine, I swallow.
Suddenly nervous. There’s no more venom in the way she watches me, only careful assessment.
She makes her way over. “What can I get you?”
“I want a hurricane.”
Her eyebrow lifts. “Are you sure?”
“Yup.” I can’t really explain it, but that last slap went straight to my balls. I never thought I’d enjoy degradation, but here the fuck I am, and I want nothing more than for Callie to put a leash on me and walk me like a dog.
“You’re crazy,” she says with a shake of her head.
She preps the shot and the glass of water before climbing onto the bar and taking a seat.
Her thick thighs cage me in, and my hands immediately find them.
Her tits are right in front of my face. Every inch of skin I can see begs to be bitten.
I want to sink my teeth into her flesh and watch as she writhes on my dick.
The air between us crackles with everything we’re not saying. Callie’s cheeks are bright red, and I can’t help wondering what naughty thoughts might be running through her head.
I squeeze her thighs. “Show me what you’ve got, Callie Mae.”
Never again. I’ll never let anything come between us again. I’ll burn the whole fucking world down before I let her slip away a second time.
Callie hands me the shot, her fingers brushing mine. “Last chance, Knox. Walk away now and you don’t have to get wet.”
I toss the shot back, welcoming the burn. “Do your worst.” Water splashes my face in a cold shock, and seconds later her palm cracks against my cheek. It’s not as hard as the other night’s though. I can feel her holding back.
“Another,” I demand, wiping water from my eyes.
“Knox, this is insane.” She shakes her head, looking around at the people watching us with avid interest. A few people are already lining up behind me. My mind revolts at the idea of some other fucker taking my spot, but this is her job. Maura would kill me if I ran paying customers off.
So while I want to turn around and tell all those fuckers to get bent, I hold her gaze. She’s all that matters right now. “You heard me. Hit me like you mean it, Alley cat. Don’t go easy on me.”
She bites her lip, shakes her head, and motions to Maura for another shot. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“This won’t hurt me.” And the unspoken truth hangs between us. Her leaving tore me apart, but these hurricanes? They don’t hurt.
“Okay,” she says reluctantly, watching as I toss another shot back.
Liquor burns down my throat. I set the glass down with a clink. Seconds later cool water splashes in my face and she slaps me again, and this time, my head whips to the side. A dark, twisted laugh rumbles out of me, and slowly, I turn back to her, licking the corner of my lips. “That’s my girl.”
Her lips part to say something, maybe to deny my claim, but suddenly Jax is there, hands on her hips as he drags her back to his side of the bar. He drops a kiss on her cheek, gaze sliding to meet mine in a clear warning.
She’s all of ours.
I nod, hating that he’s the reason for that pretty blush deepening, but I’d rather have it be my brother than some random dude from out of town.
Callie belongs in Big Ridge and like all those years ago, her place is with me and my brothers.
Her gaze finds mine again and a little grin tugs at her lips.
That’s right, baby. Don’t forget who you belong to.
Maura appears, shot glass in hand, eyeing the line behind me. “I’ll do the first one. Knox, you need to leave. I can’t have you in here stirring up trouble if these boys want Callie to slap them too.”
“I won’t cause trouble.” Much.
She gives me a pointed look. “Go home before you end up in a jail cell for the night.”
Rolling my eyes, I glance at my brother. Take care of our girl. He nods in understanding, attention falling to the line of people waiting for a hurricane.
“Don’t get him started, too,” Maura chastises. “Go on, get.” She shoos me away and I laugh, holding up my hands in defeat.
“All right, all right. You win.”
“Go home.”
“I’m going.” Turning, I make my way past the line of customers, clenching my fists. It’s mostly men with a few women here and there. The guys at the end are talking about Callie’s ass.
“I’m taking her home tonight,” one guy says with far too much confidence for how scrawny he is.
“You don’t have a chance,” I tell him.
The group of four give me looks that scream who the fuck are you?
“What’d you say, redneck?” the biggest of the group demands.
“Knox,” Maura warns from behind the bar, but a feral grin is already cutting across my face.
“Say it again,” I tell him, stepping into their ranks.
The scrawny dude who wanted to fuck my girl takes a big step back. Chicken shit. His friend isn’t so smart though.
“Oh that’s right, I forgot the school sucks down here. Let me say it again slowly so you can understand me. Red. Neck.” He elongates the vowels and consonants, and I laugh, shaking my head.
“See, now you really fucked up.” No one insults my brother’s ability to teach, and there’s no way these city slickers are going to come into my town and look down on us.
The guy puffs up his chest. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Uh-oh. Looks like his mommy is coming over,” another says.
Maura will be on me soon enough. That’s fine by me. I only need three more seconds. I fake a punch, the guy dodges but runs right into my other fist. My knuckles connect with his temple and his head snaps around. It’s almost comical how he staggers then drops to the ground.
One hit knockout. What a pussy.
“Goddammit, Knox,” Maura growls, grabbing me by my scruff and dragging me out of the bar.
I glance over my shoulder and grin at Callie who is wide eyed and gaping at the man on the floor. Sensing my attention, her gaze slides up to meet mine, and she mouths you’re nuts.
A laugh rumbles out of me. For Callie? Yeah, I’m straight fucking looney.